The Reason I Got Engaged to My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 15
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15
“Then I’ll go ahead and write my own opinion.”
Alan continued speaking.
“That the child might not be Young-ae’s child.”
“What do you mean by that…”
“It’s my freedom to write my own opinion.”
“No, what…”
“Informing the world of sufficiently suspicious circumstances is a journalist’s duty.”
What kind of person is this, really?
Hearing such unreasonable and childish words, I couldn’t hide my incredulous expression.
“But do you know what?”
Alan smiled meaningfully.
“On my way here, I heard the maids talking, saying they were dying to spill the child’s secret.”
“…What?”
“A secret worth hiding that much is pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t manage my expression at his question.
The maids probably didn’t outright say that Pipi was Sister’s child, but it was enough to solidify Alan’s suspicion into certainty.
“Well then, I’ll go write my opinion properly. Farewell.”
“No, wait…”
Alan left the reception room with a refreshed gesture.
‘If he really writes such an article…’
I didn’t care about rumors about myself, but I couldn’t keep exposing Pipi to people’s attention.
In the worst case, the killer who reads Alan’s opinion might start to have suspicions.
Having thought that far, I quickly chased after Alan.
There was no special method.
I had to stop Alan somehow. With only that thought, I moved impulsively.
‘When I get back, I’ll have to catch all the maids who gossiped too.’
Just as I reached the main gate while suppressing my anger like that.
“Mary.”
The one who called me was none other than…
“…Ransel?”
This is maddening.
I’m already busy to death, and now.
How did the situation become like this all at once?
“You don’t know what a good opportunity you missed yesterday.”
“What opportunity…”
“Today you absolutely must give me the answer I want. Sorry, but this time I have no intention of losing to you.”
I tried to ignore the crazy talk and chase after Alan again, but hesitated.
‘No, this might actually…’
Maybe it’s not crazy talk?
‘He said with his own mouth that he’d stop being suspicious if I revealed the child’s father…’
Ransel chuckled as he watched me, who wasn’t answering due to serious contemplation.
“You’ll eventually choose the only method available…”
“Fine, do as you want.”
“…What?”
Not expecting me to answer so readily, Ransel hesitated.
I drove the point home with a clear voice.
“Become Pipi’s father.”
Whatever, I don’t know anymore.
***
I immediately headed to the newspaper office with Ransel.
‘Why is he trying to help us?’
Won’t this just create troublesome situations?
If things turn out this way, Father would say it’s fine, but the ducal family will be in chaos…
I looked at Ransel with troubled eyes and shook my head.
Whatever his reason for helping, stopping Alan comes first.
I spoke to the newspaper office employee in front of me.
“I’m here to see Mr. Codding. You should know my name without me saying it.”
“Ah, yes…! That reporter is…”
The employee pointed toward the back without asking for a reason. Being a celebrity was useful at times like this.
Not far away was a door with a nameplate reading ‘Alan Codding’.
I skipped knocking and opened the door wide.
Alan, who had been typing on a typewriter, dropped his jaw.
“…Young-ae?”
“Our conversation wasn’t finished, but you left, so I came to find you myself.”
I replied nonchalantly and sat down.
“No, I, well…”
At the unexpected appearance of an informant, Alan looked dumbfounded.
“You said you were curious about the identity.”
I glanced at Ransel pointedly.
Alan’s eyes widened instantly as he grasped the situation.
“The truth to be revealed here is…”
I began my earnest acting while covering my mouth with a fan.
“…”
Alan, who had been silent throughout the explanation, remained quiet even after the love triangle plot ended.
Soon, Alan asked in a somewhat skeptical tone.
“Isn’t that difficult timing-wise? I understand the Colonel was away from the capital for about a year.”
“Our reporter seems to be unaware.”
Then Ransel spoke up.
“I was with Mary right up until I left the capital.”
Hmm, that statement was true.
It was a rare day when we were both free, so we spent the whole day together.
“That night was truly passionate…”
That part was false.
Yet Ransel calmly gave a detailed explanation about ‘how babies are made’.
Alan concentrated on Ransel’s story as if trying to find flaws somehow.
But…
“…”
As the description became increasingly explicit, he started sweating profusely.
Just as the explanation reached its climax, Alan, his face bright red, jumped up.
“Ahhh! That’s enough. Enough! I’m really not curious at all anymore…”
Only then did Ransel close his mouth.
“Haah…”
Alan sighed while dry-washing his face.
Still, having obtained the ‘big scoop’ he wanted, he seemed ready to withdraw.
‘I think this is enough for me too…’
It should be fine to return to the estate now…
But.
‘Wait, is this bastard trying to use my kid to boost his performance?’
I quickly opened my mouth.
“Oh, by the way, I don’t think I’ll be able to do interviews with you anymore.”
“…What?”
“Having to prove that child was my biological son… left too deep a wound in my heart.”
Still, saying I wouldn’t accept Alan’s interviews specifically, rather than interviews from Unbelievable Times altogether, was my own form of mercy.
Even so, Alan’s face turned shocked as he stammered.
“I-I was just trying to uphold a journalist’s duty…”
“Right.”
“It was all a journalist’s duty…”
“I know, duty.”
“A journalist… upholds, duty… so.”
Wait, is he broken?
I finally gave up on my tragic heroine act.
“Hey, you’ve been fulfilling your journalist’s duty all along. That’s what you said over ten times at the Blin Estate, right? So what?”
“…Do you know how short people’s attention spans are these days? Five seconds, they say. So writing sensational articles is also all part of a journalist’s duty…”
“Right, I’ll tell Bersua what kind of things Codding did while upholding his journalist’s duty.”
“…”
The idiot who was about to get fired for chasing one big scoop turned pale as a sheet.
That was enough. I stood up feeling relieved.
“U-um…”
Alan’s voice, trying to say something belatedly, was cut off by the loud slam of the door closing.
Only after getting into the carriage did a sigh escape through my lips – whether from exhaustion or relief, I couldn’t tell.
‘At least I put out the immediate fire…’
Ransel, who had gotten in beside me, smiled quietly and said.
“How fierce. Well, you have to be a civilized person and pay back that kind of nagging right away.”
Instead of answering, I just glanced at Ransel’s face.
‘Oh, come to think of it…’
Then I bluntly asked about something I’d been curious about.
“What’s wrong with your shoulder.”
From the moment we entered the newspaper office, I could see his movements were somewhat unnatural. He was definitely injured.
“Are you worried?”
“Don’t deflect.”
“I got hurt.”
“Who doesn’t know that? I’m asking why you got hurt.”
“Grazed by a bullet. It’s not serious.”
If it was just a graze, there shouldn’t be any noticeable discomfort still showing.
It takes quite a while just to get from the sea back to the continent.
In that case…
‘Did he not manage it properly?’
He clearly didn’t have time to carefully tend to the wound. …Because I had properly stirred up trouble in the Capital.
When my thoughts reached that point, I sighed.
I stuck my head out the window and told the coachman to change our destination to Boutique Street.
The newspaper office was close to Boutique Street.
“I have something to do, so come in for a moment.”
Even at my vague words, Ransel didn’t object and obediently followed me.
When I turned on the lights, the neat interior was revealed.
“Sit here.”
I had Ransel sit in my chair and rummaged through the drawers.
The ointment that Chris said was a gift from a trading company should be here somewhere…
Chris had told me it was some famous ointment that was expensive and effective because it contained precious medicinal herbs.
As I gathered the ointment, bandages, and disinfectant one by one, Ransel seemed to catch on and raised the corners of his mouth.
“You were worried after all.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Fine, let’s say you weren’t.”
I unhesitatingly removed Ransel’s upper garment.
Ransel had a constitution that was sensitive to heat, so from around this time of year, he dressed lightly when not at the Naval Base.
Even so, due to his personality of disliking contact with others, he always wore gloves. Anyway, he’s peculiar.
“But Teacher Mary, may I ask if you have a medical license? I’m somewhat of a precious body.”
“You don’t look precious.”
I dabbed at the wound with cotton to wipe away the blood.
Being alone together like this, I suddenly realized what I had done.
Actually, our relationship right now was quite ambiguous.
We’d have to live together for a while so we weren’t strangers, but to call us family when we had breaking up in mind…
I felt subtly uncomfortable inside.
Then, Ransel’s voice broke through the discomfort.
“Did you have a good birthday?”
Right, it was good that he broke the discomfort.
But why did the topic have to be my birthday of all things.
‘Because of you, I didn’t have a good one this year, and won’t in the future either.’
Bad memories resurfaced.
‘He probably still thinks my birthday is in the middle of winter.’
I replied curtly.
“Don’t worry about a birthday when you don’t even know the date.”
Then Ransel paused.
“A birthday when I don’t know the date? Why wouldn’t I know?”
“My birthday is in summer.”
“That’s why I sent you a letter in early summer.”
…?
But I received the letter in winter.
Something was definitely strange.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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