"She,"
William continued and crumpled his brow. When was it?
That's when he came to think that she liked his absence.
'There's no way I wouldn't know if she's laughing so hard.'
If he thinks about it, every time he broke the news that he was away on a business trip, the corners of Viviana's mouth were up. It was a reasonable doubt that his wife was very pleased with his departure. Because Viviana was not a woman who usually smiles badly.
"Are you really a show window couple?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You don't even know, do you? The rumor is that our innocent Count Herbert got involved and married a scheming woman who is not even worthy of him."
"Stop talking about useless things and focus on your work."
"No. I'm on strike today. I'll go back to my room and rest."
Getting up from her seat with her hands shaking, she grabbed a large briefcase.
"Do you want to see this, too?"
Grace, who smiled insidiously, took a book out of her bag. It was clearly a book, but the cover was black as if it were all inked, so it felt strange without knowing where it was.
"This book is very popular these days. I heard that it is sold among noble women for a lot of money."
William finally showed interest in the word "popular." This is because understanding market trends and customer needs was also one of the important things to do as the CEO of a publishing company.
"The title is not written."
"The title is secretly written on the inside. This is a self- published work."
"Self published work? Is it a book that doesn't have official permission?"
"That's right. But I heard that more than 10,000 copies of this book have been sold in the capital alone. Of course, it's an unofficial count, so wouldn't it be easy to get over 100,000 copies nationwide?"
"There's no way I don't know if it's such a famous book."
"
"...I was a fool for being tempted even for a moment."
William's face suddenly turned cold when he heard the title and contents of the book. This is because the kind of books he hated the most were these types. William absolutely hated printed materials that were trash, without any philosophy or value, and that only pursued pleasure.
"What's wrong with you? It's all the rage among ladies."
"The world is going crazy."
"Why don't you stop being stubborn and ask around and meet the author? These days, more and more people are not reading books. If we get this author, wouldn't we be able to make a lot of money?"
"Even if the publisher goes bankrupt, we won't publish such low-quality books."
"Huh, that comment is very dangerous, William. You might be hated by countless readers across the country."
"Don't be shallow, Grace."
William, who put the book down loudly, rubbed his palms as if he had touched something dirty. It wasn't surprising that William's reaction was like that.
"Anyway, I'll be going. I'll give you the book as a gift, so read it at least once, William, when the long night is lonely."
Grace waved gently out of the office. Left alone in the office full of the distinctive smell of paper and cigar scent, William again showed his frightening concentration and flicked over the manuscript containing the interview.
***
Viviana, wearing a woolen Ulster coat with a pressed bonnet, walked diligently.
Whenever she passed by the lively oil market,
merchants were constantly soliciting customers, but she simply ignored them and continued towards her destination.
After walking for such a long time, it was the used bookstore located on the innermost side of the valley. As Viviana entered the bookstore with the sound of a cheerful chime, the bald owner's voice was heard.
"We're not open today."
"The scent of hyacinth."
However, regardless of it, the owner gestured quietly toward her when she gave him the password.
"...Come with me."
The owner, who walked to the corner of the bookstore, opened the dark curtain covered with dust. Then a wooden staircase connected to the basement appeared.
Creak, creak.
Every step of the stairs made a creepy
sound, but Viviana's two eyes were rather fluttering.
The basement where she followed the owner was crowded with customers who arrived first.
One of them, a middle-aged woman wearing a bonnet as big as Viviana, waved her hand at her.
"Oh, the Scent of Hyacinth is here too!"
"Hello, Wingless Angel."
Viviana, smiling fondly, sat down beside a woman called Wingless Angel. She, like Viviana, had her eyes glistening as if to expect something.
"I haven't been able to sleep since a few days ago because I thought my heart was going to explode. Is it the same for you?"
"Of course. I'm really looking forward to what the story will be this time."
Here, in the basement of a used bookstore, a secret salon was held exclusively for women.
The people gathered here were all different in terms of social status and age, but they had one thing in common.
It was the fact that they were a passionate fan of the mysterious Black Rabbit. Every time the author's new book comes out, they set up a meeting like today and recite the book together or share a review. Of course, since it was a gathering of people who loved the author's work, any expression of dislike for the work was prohibited.
Like Viviana, there were many women who wore hats and covered their faces. This was because most of the Black Rabbit's works explicitly deal with romantic affairs and taboo love between men and women.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments