Chapter 21
“I have no intention of hitting you.”
As Beloni nervously waved her hands, covered in cold sweat, Elness gave her a knowing look.
“Then… does that mean His Highness the Crown Prince trusts me too?”
“Of course.”
Elness nodded without hesitation.
“I trust you. I trust you even more than the Grand Duke.
If he ever upsets you, just tell me. I’ll scold him for you.”
Beloni blinked at Elness. He wasn’t smiling brightly as he usually did, but the wariness he once had toward her was completely gone, like sugar dissolving in water.
He seemed much friendlier than before, and for the first time, she felt she could believe his words.
‘This is how the Crown Prince looks at someone he trusts.’
His gaze, now warm and sincere, made Beloni smile without realizing it. It felt like having a cousin—maybe not a real brother but close enough.
“Yes, I will. I’ll tell you.”
Their friendly atmosphere made Shanur quietly twitch his lips in amusement. Suddenly, Elness seemed to remember something.
“Oh, the sales for The Scandals of High Society have been finalized. I brought the ledger for you to review.”
As an investor, Beloni had the right to see it, so she didn’t decline.
The ledger was neatly organized, but her eyes widened as soon as she saw the profits.
“Two thousand gold coins?”
That meant tens of thousands of copies had been sold.
“At this rate, we might recover the initial investment with just one more release.”
“That’s great news.”
Her smile came naturally, as she hadn’t expected to recover 1,000 gold coins so quickly.
She had thought it would take months, but the impact of The Scandals of High Society was beyond her imagination.
“So, for the next one, could we make you the protagonist again?”
“Me?”
Beloni tilted her head.
“There’s not much left to write about me, though.”
Repeating stories about her spending habits would be redundant and less interesting.
She had no intention of doing anything shocking just to make headlines again.
“I just got an idea earlier. I’ll come by tomorrow, so all you have to do is wait.”
Although she didn’t understand, Beloni nodded.
“In exchange, can I make a small request?”
“Of course! Even if you want more money, I’ll give it to you.”
“Not that. I just want to suggest a topic for The Scandals of High Society.”
At the mention of a new topic, Elness’s eyes sharpened, turning from soft to focused.
“What is it?”
“The tragic story of a genius designer, Andria, who lost everything to her twin and became a shadow. How about that?”
“Andria? Do you mean the story of Andria Salon?”
“That’s right.”
Knowing how famous Andria Salon was, Elness urged her to continue.
“Tell me more. I feel like this could be another hit.”
Beloni shared Andria’s story with Elness.
The more she spoke, the calmer he became, but his eyes sparkled even more.
It was clear he had the instincts of a natural businessman. His gaze was that of someone who had just found a scoop.
“This is amazing…”
When she finished, Elness murmured in awe.
“I’ll write it up and bring it tomorrow. Please review it.
Well then, Grand Duke, Lady Beloni, I’ll be on my way!”
With that, Elness left the office.
As Beloni watched him leave, she thought back to something he’d said and suddenly realized something.
“Your Highness, is The Scandals of High Society written by His Highness himself?”
“That’s right.”
‘So that’s why the series stopped after Elness passed away.’
It made sense now.
She had always found it strange that, even though Elness created the series, no issues were published after his death. If there had been other journalists, they would have continued the work.
But it was Elness himself who wrote the stories, and once he died, there was no one to carry it on.
“But I’m curious, Your Highness,” she asked.
“Why didn’t you support the Crown Prince’s business?”
Shanur had enough funds to support Elness.
A venture like The Scandals of High Society didn’t require much capital—1,000 gold coins would have been more than enough.
But Shanur hadn’t helped, which delayed the publication in their past lives.
“The Emperor asked me to look after Elness before he fell ill. But I thought relying only on me wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
“Still, His Highness doesn’t seem like someone who lacks independence.”
Elness was quite capable.
Despite having a weak base of support as a Crown Prince with foreign blood, he had managed to gather allies and operate effectively.
That must have taken tremendous effort.
At her comment, Shanur fell silent, as if in deep thought.
“To be honest… I was preparing for the possibility that my curse would end ‘tomorrow.'”
Beloni’s expression hardened at his words.
“You may not have noticed, but my curse didn’t start five years ago. It began 20 years ago.”
“Twenty years? When you were five?”
She had suspected as much but was still shocked to hear it.
Shanur had endured the curse and its pain since childhood. He had even fought in wars while bearing it.
“I still vividly remember the first time it happened—the sudden pain and the corruption starting in my chest.”
His voice was calm as he recalled the memory.
“I didn’t know what kind of curse it was, but when my face began to change five years ago, I started preparing for death.
If the Crown Prince relied on me too much, he wouldn’t survive without me. So, I held back.”
But in their past lives, the future Shanur had feared didn’t unfold as he’d hoped.
Elness had been killed by the Third Prince, and Shanur had fought him until Beloni’s death.
Beloni couldn’t imagine how much pain Shanur must have endured, knowing his choice to hold back had contributed to Elness’s death.
She didn’t know what to say and only opened and closed her mouth.
Seeing this, Shanur spoke gently.
“That’s why I’m grateful to you for teaching me something important.”
“Teaching you? Me?”
“You showed me that everyone needs a shield at some point.”
For the first time, Shanur had become someone’s shield. He had quietly protected Elness in the past but never openly.
Thanks to Beloni, he realized that Elness, too, needed visible protection.
“I promise, I’ll be your strong shield.”
The word “shield” carried immense weight.
Beloni had always endured everything alone, but now she had her shield—Shanur.
Her cheeks flushed, and she blinked rapidly, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Well, um, then I’ll be… your mask.”
Her words came out awkwardly as her face turned pink.
“I’m not strong enough to be your shield, but I can at least be your mask…”
Her voice trailed off, and Shanur blinked at her.
Did she realize what “mask” meant to him?
To Shanur, a mask wasn’t just something to hide his face. It covered his weaknesses and his vulnerabilities. When his face had started to change, the mask had become his shield.
“Do you think I’m unworthy of being your mask?”
Seeing Shanur stay silent, Beloni asked with a worried expression.
“No, not at all.”
Shanur shook his head, and a smile spread across his face.
“A mask… a mask, huh…”
He touched his mask and murmured to himself.
“I like it.”
He liked it—having someone who wanted to protect him.
Shanur had only ever thought about being someone else’s shield.
The idea of having his shield had never crossed his mind.
“I like it. I like it.”
Whether he liked the idea of having a shield or the person offering to be it, he wasn’t sure.
But when Beloni smiled shyly at him, he thought maybe it was both.
