Incredibly, there was a reader with remarkable foresight who mentioned the title of his grand masterpiece.
Hennessy looked at the lady in the bonnet with sparkling eyes and said, “Are you serious?”
The silver-haired woman with a somehow familiar face smiled warmly and said, “The most important thing is to reach out to those below us. When those less fortunate than us are in trouble, we must gladly offer a helping hand. That is the true meaning of ‘noblesse oblige.’ That sentence was truly beautiful, right?”
Hennessy thought to himself. She seems normal. Earlier, she seemed a bit unhinged. Anyway, forget such idle thoughts! What mattered was that the woman before him was his reader.
“By any chance… Did you read the entire book?”
“Yes, the content was quite good.”
“How wonderful. Hahaha! May I ask your name? Perhaps we could go to a coffee house and have a simple cup of tea…” Deeply moved by his first encounter with a reader, Hennessy’s eyes lit up with the thought of arranging a private meeting.
Just then, the woman smoothly lowered her sunglasses and winked charmingly with one eye as she said, “My name is Giselle Florette. You may have already heard my name.”
His hand, which had been reaching out for a friendly handshake, froze.
Giselle Florette—the duke’s fiancée?
Could it be that she was investigating him together with Duke Kalinos? So, from the beginning, she knew it was a book he had written and approached him while scolding the staff? How could she have figured out the pen name I kept so well hidden… My excitement is cooling rapidly.
He glared at Giselle with a cold expression. “I didn’t expect His Grace to know my pen name. Nor did I expect him to tell you, Lady.”
“No, His Grace doesn’t know your pen name. Only I know it.”
“…Would you believe that if you were in my position?”
Despite his rude remark revealing distrust in her abilities, Giselle smiled slyly and spoke smoothly like someone well-prepared. “I heard that the senate’s approval is needed, so I did some research. I also checked out the book you published under your real name. It turned out to be a self-development book. The logic and style you use are quite similar, which I found interesting.”
“…Well.”
“Then I heard this bookstore—where you supposedly invested—had your book in the prime display spot, so I came to check it out. I happened to be browsing the display when you showed up.”
“Ha, is that so? You’re quite capable.”
“I’ve always been pretty competent. My timing was just right too.” Despite his sarcastic remark expressing disbelief, she responded shamelessly.
She seems to have more nerve than I expected, but that’s all.
Hennessy chuckled dryly and spoke lightly. “Whatever the case, I don’t think there’s anything more to discuss, so I’ll be leaving.”
“No. You’ll regret it if you go.”
At that moment, Hennessy’s eyes flickered with displeasure.
“I’ll help you sell your book so that every citizen of the empire knows about it.”
* * *
Needless to say, Hennessy refused Giselle’s help. I don’t need any promotion. Surely, there will be someone who recognizes the true value of my book.
As soon as he returned to the senate, he had to listen to several days of talk about Giselle Florette. Aside from those who had already agreed to Duke Kalinos’s marriage, the remaining five were seated in a closed room, passionately debating.
“There has been no contact from the duke to meet his fiancée separately.”
An ill-tempered, gravel-voiced senator banged on the tale and shouted like a gorilla. “I’ve done a proper investigation! She’s said to be quite naive and soft-hearted. Wouldn’t bringing such a woman as the mistress of the house be a disgrace to the family!”
“Senator Felice, your voice is too loud. Please restrain yourself.”
“…Ahem, sorry about that. But am I wrong? How could such a person become the mistress of our family?”
“In any case, if everyone opposes, the marriage will be difficult. The Head Senator also seems displeased, so let’s conclude this meeting.”
As he mentioned, Hennessy was indeed displeased. However, it wasn’t because of Giselle. Over the past few days, the bluebird that usually delivered his royalty statements hadn’t tapped on his window even once.
Does this mean not a single copy of my book has sold recently? In fact, not long ago, he had distributed a few copies for free as a marketing tactic and listened to the rumors circulating among people.
[It’s too long. Can you summarize it in three lines?]
[Ugh, my head hurts. How can one sentence be ten lines long? Did a human really write this?]
He felt utterly miserable at the constant stream of harsh criticism.
A monstrosity? They’re calling my great masterpiece a monstrosity?
At that moment, one of the senators, who had been glancing at Hennessy, cautiously suggested. “How about you, Lord Hennessy, meet the lady on behalf of us?”
Whether by chance or fate, the opportunity to meet Giselle alone presented itself again.
“I’ll meet her.”
The reason Hennessy, known as an eccentric, became the head of the senate was straightforward. He had a keen eye for assessing people. However, Giselle was puzzling even to such a person. Her reputation was extremely poor, yet when conversing with her, she was surprisingly astute.
Come to think of it, that woman did hit a sore spot of me. That’s why I couldn’t have a proper conversation.
If she was talented, he needed to reassess her. That was all there was to it.
* * *
“So, you’re curious about how to promote the book.”
“I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Does he really not know what those deep, dark circles under his eyes mean?
In the original story [Will You Regret It When I Die?], Hennessy despairs over the fact that not a single copy of his book has sold. Falling into despair, he gets drunk out of his mind and bursts into a strange party, giving a passionate speech about his work.
When it was revealed that the Head Senate of Kalinos had written the book under a pseudonym, his work eventually became a bestseller. However, Hennessy wasn’t particularly happy about it. The eccentric head of the senate’s secret desire was to become a self-help author who is highly praised while hiding his true identity. In short, he wants to be a hidden, influential author.
Around this time, he tried to sell his book. But unfortunately, the constant criticism shattered his self-esteem and left his mental state in ruins.
Hennessy is a person who rose to his position through his ability to recognize talent, and he’s quite fair. So, if I can just show him my abilities, things will naturally lead to marriage. Even if he doesn’t support my marriage, I can secure his backing in the long run.
I decided to think positively and share only a small portion of my planned content with him. “People these days won’t read if it’s too long. The content needs to be straightforward and eye-catching. That’s how you grab interest at first.”
“…Are you insulting my book?”
“No. I just mean I want to summarize the key points of this book and sell it as a pocketbook first. Show a short piece to pique interest, then guide them to the original.”
As soon as he heard my words, he looked uncomfortable. He’s got a real ego, as expected. But he won’t be able to be stubborn for long.
I stared at him intently, remaining silent. Unable to bear the silence, Hennessy made a displeased sound.
“…Let’s hear what kind of pocketbook you plan to make.”
“Yes, I’ll start by trimming it down. For example, cutting down very long sentences to make it easier to read.”
“Easier to read, huh.”
After suggesting the direction for revisions, I brought up the most important point. “Yes, and here’s the crucial part. We’re going to change the title.”
“Change the title? Are you suggesting we alter this esteemed title?”
“Yes.”
“What could possibly be wrong with this grand title?”
There’s a huge problem. But he’ll never understand it.
“Anyway, there’s nothing to lose, right?”
“…”
“I’m not damaging the original work, just summarizing it into a pocketbook. Change the title, distribute it to the bookstores, and wait just three days.”
“…”
“And if it really sells well.”
He looked at me with skepticism.
“Give me exactly 10% of the royalties.” I grinned and waved the two copies of the contract and a sample of the already-trimmed pocketbook I’d prepared in advance, fully expecting he’d come around.
