TVIOWM 06

~Chapter 6~

Aisha burst into her studio, her face pale as a sheet. She was gasping for breath like she might collapse at any moment, then began rummaging around.

People were very curious about who was behind Sunday Exposé.

Some of the guesses were quite entertaining. Some said a wealthy noblewoman was writing as a hobby, others thought it was a group of maids putting the magazine together in secret, since they’d have the most insider access to society’s gossip.

But in the end, everyone agreed on one thing.

“Whoever the publisher is, they must be living an incredibly luxurious life from all that money!”

That assumption couldn’t have been more wrong.

The base of Sunday Exposé was located on Lindell Street, the most avoided area by nobles in the Draxion capital.

Lindell Street was a literal slum. It was always full of beggars and fights broke out daily. The infamous underworld guild Rune also operated out of Lindell Street—no surprise there.

And Aisha was living in the deepest back alley of Lindell, in the cheapest and shabbiest building.

‘I’m screwed. I’m really screwed.’

Now that Killian knew everything, it was only a matter of time before he caught her. If she wanted to live, she had to leave the Empire as soon as possible.

Aisha began dumping the money and jewelry from her safe into a bag.

Right. She’d planned to run anyway—this just sped up the timeline.

“Aisha, what do we do now?”

As Aisha dropped the packed bag with a thud, the kids who had been watching her in worry began to speak up.

“You’re leaving?”

“What about Sunday Exposé?”

Aisha let out a deep sigh and looked at the kids seriously.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. I’m leaving Draxion. On the next available ship. Sunday Exposé will be published one last time—after that, it’ll be on indefinite hiatus.”

“Then we…”

“Right, I have something for you.”

Aisha dug into a drawer and pulled out a thick wad of cash.

“With this much, you can live comfortably anywhere for a few years. I thought about giving you jewelry, but it’s risky to sell—so I prepared cash instead.”

She continued quickly.

“You all need to leave here too. The farther away, the better. Once you settle down, use this money to attend school.”

“School?”

“You all said you wanted to, right? If you’re worried, you can ask Leoric for help…”

“We’ll be fine. Life in the slums isn’t exactly easy, Aisha.”

The tallest child let out a sigh.

“We’ve begged our whole lives—we know how to survive.”

“O-oh. I see…”

Aisha murmured awkwardly.

“What about you, Aisha? Do you have a ship? A destination?”

“I’m planning to take Helen to the port. I’ll find the fastest ship I can. Right now, getting out of here is the top priority.”

“Alright.”

The kids, grimy and weathered, nodded and suddenly snatched up Aisha’s bag.

“We’ll come with you to the port.”

“Huh? But…”

“We can’t let you go with just Helen. You’re too scatterbrained.”

Honestly, she couldn’t argue with that. Because it was true.

“We need to go! We’re out of time.”

“Okay, let’s—”

But Aisha never got to finish.

BANG!

From beyond the door—

A violently loud knock.

‘N-no way, they’re already here?!’

Aisha frantically looked around, but there was no escape. She should’ve spent more on a place with a back door.

She was just about to close her eyes and brace herself while hugging the kids tight—

“Aisha! Aisha!”

A sudden voice made her eyes fly open, and she rushed to the door and flung it open.

“Why did you take so long to open?! Do you know how worried I was?”

The silver-haired man sighing in relief as he brushed back his messy hair was none other than Leoric Ashton—Aisha’s younger brother.

“Are you okay, kids?”

Leoric patted the children with a look of concern, then turned back to Aisha.

“Why are you just standing there?! Killian Winters is back! Here—take this!”

“What is it?”

“A ticket. The ship departs in 30 minutes. Just in case, I got tickets for the kids too. Do you know what I went through to get them?”

“Okay, so maybe I didn’t get lucky with my father—but at least I got lucky with my brother.”

Leoric grimaced at Aisha’s brutally honest comment, but she grabbed him by the collar urgently.

“Listen carefully. Don’t tell anyone where I’ve gone. Not Father, and especially not Killian Winters! Even if they put a knife to your throat!”

“…Isn’t that when most people do talk?”

“And while you’re at it, update Rune.”

“Rune?! Wouldn’t it be suspicious if I suddenly showed up?”

“No. They’re not as scary as they seem. Kinda… gentle, actually.”

Gentle?
The people who kill for money are gentle?

“All you have to do is go to the bar at the end of the alley and tell the bartender I’m gone.”

The bartender was one of Rune’s members.

Even as she fled, Aisha made sure to leave a safety net.

If she left right now, Rune would handle tomorrow’s issue of Sunday Exposé. She wouldn’t betray her subscribers. Even tabloids have standards.

“Damn it, this is scary.”

“More scary than watching your sister get her head chopped off?”

“…You’ve got a point.”

“Good. Then shut up and go.”

Aisha snatched the ticket from Leoric’s hand.

“Alright, let’s go!”

The beggars of Lindell Street had been hiding in fear for some time now.

No surprise—Winters’ knights had suddenly flooded the area.

At the very front, with a face so terrifying it could knock you out just by making eye contact, stood Killian.

“The children who were distributing flyers were said to always return to Lindell Street.”

Killian’s knight, Theorn, spoke quietly.

“But still… it’s odd. A magazine generating this kind of revenue was based in a place like this?”

A slum so loathed by all citizens—what kind of logic was that? Theorn murmured in confusion.

“Let’s start from that alley—”

“No. This way.”

Lindell had a maze of alleyways—narrow, tangled, impossible to navigate. So how did Killian know the direction?

But he began walking confidently.

Ink smell.

He entered the alley and slowly looked around…

Up ahead.

He stared at the shabbiest building, tucked deep inside.

He reached for the doorknob—it was locked. Without a flicker of expression, Killian drew his sword from his hip.

And smashed the handle with the hilt.

After several loud bangs, the doorknob broke off pathetically, and Killian easily opened the door.

And then…

‘She ran.’

It was obvious someone had fled in a hurry—everything was a mess.

Killian stepped into the trashed studio.

He approached the messy desk. But there was nothing notable on it.

Then, as he slowly turned his head—

Something on the shelf caught his eye.

Sunday Exposé.

From the very first issue to last week’s release.

Killian grabbed the most recent one.

Sunday Exposé – Killian Winters Special

He began flipping through it lazily.

In any world, the rule of nature remains the same: the most beautiful creatures carry the deadliest poison.

So, has Killian Winters remained single because no one can handle his venomous personality? Or could it be… that he prefers men? Sounds like our male readership is growing already.

“……”

But don’t lose hope yet, female readers! While we couldn’t confirm his taste in men, we did manage to uncover his preference in women. Based on facts (though the source remains anonymous):

Killian Winters is said to show interest in women with pink hair and emerald eyes. If you weren’t born with black, blonde, or silver hair—sorry. But hey, don’t worry!

See the back page of this magazine for our recommended hair dye products.
They’ll help you get closer to Killian Winters. Promise!

Killian threw the magazine with a grunt of irritation. At that moment, Theorn appeared behind him.

“Killian, sir?”

What the hell is this.

Theorn approached, stared at the magazine on the floor, then glanced at the shelf.

“Killian… Winters Special.”

He picked up Issue 2—the best-selling issue of all time.

“……”

As he skimmed the pages, Theorn’s face turned beet red.

Trying desperately not to laugh.

Meanwhile, Killian was ransacking the drawers. Sales records. Broken pen nibs. Half-used ink. A letter…

A letter?

Killian snatched it up.

“To my sister Aisha,”

Aisha?

“I’m glad you’ve settled in. But forgive me—I have bad news. Father collapsed yesterday. The doctor says it’s a condition common among noblewomen suffering from in-law stress. They call it Hwabyeong in the eastern seas.”

“……”

“He’ll probably recover. If anything happens, I’ll contact you immediately.

P.S. – Can you maybe feature me in the next Sunday Exposé?

Seems like the young ladies really like me. Just saying—think about it, okay?

From your brother, Leoric Ashton.”

“Ashton…”

Aisha Ashton!

Killian’s black eyes gleamed sharply as he finally realized who had written all that damn slander.