Chapter 281 The Rumor


    <b>Leslie’s </b>POV


    Just as <b>I </b>was thinking, the phone buzzed again–this time, Astrid calling directly.


    +8 Pears


    I answered, leaningzily against a tree at the roadside, keeping clear of the dripping branches


    above.


    “Leslie, is it true? Don’t tell me you’ve really fallen for Adler?” Her voice was brimming with excitement, sharp with gossip, like she was desperate to dig out some scandalous secret.


    I couldn’t help butugh, my tone tinged with helpless amusement. “It’s just a photo. You all really know how to spin a story.”


    I nudged a puddle at my feet with my toe.


    “What? Then it’s not true? Then why were you two together in the first ce? I thought you were announcing it just to kill Kirby with rage!” Astrid’s voice shot higher, before softening with almost giddy relief.


    I arched a brow, teasing lightly. “There are plenty of ways to drive him mad. Why would I sacrifice myself for it?”


    Kirby’s tense face shed across my mind. For a moment, somethingplicated stirred in me, but I pushed it down quickly.


    “Then I’m relieved!” Astrid chirped, clearly itching to run off and spread the word. “I’ll pass it around–get everyone to shut up.”


    I let out a softugh and ended the call.


    The air after rain was cool and damp, fresh against my lungs. Wrapping my cloak tighter, I stood at the corner of the street, trying to gather my thoughts.


    With Astrid’s help, the photo storm was finally exined away. I deleted the picture without hesitation. No point in answering every rumor one by one–Astrid’s big mouth would make sure the truth got around.


    But still, gossip spun like a storm.


    By evening, entertainment media in the Northern Continent had already picked it up, sshing headlines across feeds: “Leslie’s New Romance Revealed” and “Identity of Leslie’s New me Unknown.”


    I stood beneath a streemp, nced at the notifications, and let out a dry, <b>wry </b>smile.


    <b>9:09 </b>Fri<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>19 </b>B.


    Chapter 281 The Rumor


    <b>89 </b>


    +8 Pearls


    The amount of attention and spection I drew… people in the entertainment industry would kill for even a fraction of it.


    When I returned to the castle, the uproar hadn’t slowed–it had only grown louder.


    Astrid called again, her voice buzzing like a sparrow. “Leslie, you’re trending! You’re blowing up again, did you know?”


    I frowned, my voice calm. “I’ll contact someone to pull the headlines down.”


    “No need. They’re gone already. By the time you thought of it, it was toote.” Her tone was yful, smug.


    “Who handled it?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.


    “Who else? Of course Kirby. With one order, who would dare dy? He shut it down in minutes.” Astrid’s voice was gleeful, dripping with gossip.


    I pushed open the castle doors, pulling up my phone. The trending boards were wiped clean, as though the chaos had never existed.


    I slipped the device back into my cloak pocket, catching the faint scent of Mch in the air. His pine fragrance was steady but shadowed with tension.


    He approached, his steps precise as always, but his face carried not only fatigue–there was a weight on his features, a shadow of unease.


    “Leslie.” His voice was low, respectful, yet carrying a heaviness I rarely heard from him. “Alpha Kirby’s condition has worsened. He can’t even keep down food. I fear for him…”


    He paused, raising his eyes to mine, a hint of plea in them. “Leslie, are you aware of today’s rumors? Someone spread your photo with Lord Adler, twisting it to nder your rtionship. Alpha Kirby feared you’d be troubled by it, and also feared the damage to Rogue Pack’s reputation. So he forced it down, using Crimson Moon’s influence to wipe every trace from the hot searches.”


    My brows tightened.


    Kirby’s condition… had worsened?