Chapter 30
The theater was smaller than I expected. Then again, it could be that the one in our mansion was simply too large.
I suppose humans really are creatures of adaptation.
As we moved further inside, I spotted Pitoll greeting guests.
He was bowing and greeting people busily, but when he saw , his eyes lit up like a puppy’s as he rushed over.
“Lady Marceau!!! You ca!”
“…Thank you for the invitation.”
“No, no, the honor is all mine! Is the gentleman beside you your fiancé?”
Pitoll asked with a beaming smile. How could he jump to such a conclusion? I didn’t have any public romantic relationships.
I quickly shook my head in alarm.
“No, he’s a close friend.”
“If he’s a close friend… hmm, a face like that isn’t common….”
Even Pitoll, who worked among handso people in the theater, was impressed by Darcy’s appearance. His face darkened as he seed to realize sothing.
“C-could he be the prince…?”
It seed Pitoll had finally figured out Darcy’s identity. He imdiately bowed deeply. The people around us also started murmuring in recognition.
But Darcy didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked sowhat pleased, though that might just have been my imagination since there was no real reason for him to be in a good mood.
“Please, rise.”
Darcy helped Pitoll up.
“I’m looking forward to the play.”
He smiled, and the crowd around us let out collective gasps. Even those who had grown accustod to Ryan’s appearance found Darcy’s looks to be on a different level.
The sa was true for .
Even though he wore a similar smile and spoke in a similar tone to when we first t, there was now an undeniable elegance about him that made him feel distant, almost unreachable.
A vague unease stirred within , but it was quelled by the warmth in my hand. The sensation reassured
that he was still the sa person beside , not a distant figure.
Darcy ca to a halt.
Standing next to him, I noticed the person who was bowing in front of him. It was Ridro.
It had been a while since I last saw him. Co to think of it, it had beco oddly difficult to see him lately, despite him being a lead in the play.
Just as I was about to greet Ridro with a nod, Darcy stepped in front of , blocking my view.
Ridro and Darcy stood facing each other.
…What was this about?
Glancing from behind Darcy, I could see that Ridro’s face was filled with fear.
Our eyes t, and Ridro gave
an awkward smile before quickly walking past .
Had Ridro and Darcy t before?
Puzzled by the unexpected interaction, I stepped forward to face Darcy.
There was sothing between them that I didn’t know about.
“Did sothing happen between you and Ridro?”
“Sothing did.”
But Darcy didn’t answer directly. He just shrugged, as if it wasn’t important.
“I just gave him so advice.”
His nonchalant attitude didn’t reassure , but since I had no proof of anything else, I decided to let it go for now.
We made our way to a private box on the second floor of the theater. There were glasses that could be used like magnifying glasses prepared in front of us.
I was grateful that Pitoll had given
this seat. The atmosphere was already buzzing with noise, and sitting right in front of the stage would have been overwhelming.
I might not have been able to focus on the play at all.
I turned my head and froze. I had just realized who was sitting in the box next to ours.
“…Reshuan.”
There she was, unmistakably Reshuan, sitting there with a face even more gaunt than when I last saw her.
Staring vacantly into the air, Reshuan flinched and stood up at the sound of my voice. Her still bright eyes reminded
of our last encounter.
It wasn’t a pleasant mory, so I narrowed my eyes, but Reshuan bowed her head first.
“I didn’t expect to sit so close to you, Marceau. I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”
Her apology was straightforward, without any flowery language, and unlike before, she didn’t say she wanted to get along.
Reshuan quietly sat back down. I saw Kaicen entering behind her.
…This was unexpected. I had assud she would co with Ryan to an event like this.
Had my actions sohow influenced her mindset, causing her to change as well? Now that I had cut off ties with Reshuan, I couldn’t be sure.
Kaicen looked surprised to see
and then glanced at Darcy, who was standing beside .
Darcy nodded slightly at him. Kaicen responded with a polite bow.
It seed they knew each other.
“How do you two know each other?”
Kaicen was the commander of the knights, and Darcy was a hidden prince. Could this be another part of the story I didn’t know?
“We fought together on the battlefield.”
“…The battlefield?”
“Marceau, do you think all of Kyes’s achievents were his alone?”
“If his achievents weren’t his… then… my god.”
Kaicen had been born a slave and had to accomplish many feats to rise to the position of knight commander. Naturally, this ant he had been involved in countless battles.
The Emperor Kyes was known for almost always leading his troops into battle.
He had never lost.
Or so everyone thought. It was widely believed that Emperor Kyes had never been defeated in any battle.
But that assumption was wrong.
He wasn’t the one fighting in the first place.
“….”
I was stunned by this unexpected revelation.
Even though Darcy was a mage, he had to deal with other mages.
Perhaps the guilt from that was one of the reasons he wanted to leave. I couldn’t help but wonder.
Even though Darcy’s eyes were partially closed in a smile, they sohow looked like they were crying.
Sitting beside Darcy, I placed my hand on his that rested on the armrest. Just as his warmth had cald
earlier, I hoped mine would do the sa for him.
“Darcy, when we watch the play, let’s focus on it, okay?”
I wiggled my fingers over his hand as I spoke.
He chuckled in response.
When I turned my head reflexively, I saw Darcy resting his chin on his hand, nodding.
“With you next to , how could I think of anything else?”
His gentle voice wrapped around my ears just as the lights in the theater went out.
The play had begun.
As I expected, Pitoll was a genius.
The play masterfully blended secrets of birth, conflicts with in-laws, and sibling rivalry into a codic masterpiece.
Despite the dark thes, the play was presented in a way that wasn’t too heavy, drawing the audience in more and more.
There was even a scene where soone was slapped, and using flour dough, as I had suggested, turned out to be a brilliant move. Since there was no kimchi here.
It was a joke the nobles couldn’t help but laugh at.
Most of the characters in the play were commoners and mages, ensuring the nobles wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
The atmosphere remained lively.
As soon as the play ended, all the nobles applauded. There were even quite a few calling for an encore.
As for .
‘This is going to be a hit.’
I could already tell that people would flock to see this play even after today.
Pitoll then ca onto the stage to start his final bow.
He began to talk about the people who had helped him get this far, reminding
of an award ceremony. If there were a screenplay award here like at the Oscars, he might have won it.
Among the people he nad was .
“And I offer my infinite gratitude to Lady Marceau Etvar, who made this play possible.”
Pitoll looked straight at
as he clapped. The theater was once again filled with applause.
After the applause died down, Pitoll spoke for the last ti.
“And one day… I hope the world will co to know of the grace Lady Marceau has bestowed upon us, which has allowed our troupe to flourish.”
It was a perfect ending.
Though it was a bit sudden, Pitoll’s words didn’t surprise .
I had monitored the performances through my magical tools, adding detailed expressions as they developed.
I knew there were those who regretted that they couldn’t use such convenient magical tools like mine.
The shared experience of using the sa tools creates bonds. Most actors are friends with other actors.
So might have been frustrated that they couldn’t share this knowledge with other troupes because of the contract they had with .
Today, Pitoll and the troupe showed their careful consideration by giving all the glory to
while also taking care of the other actors. They had done everything they could.
It was proof that they weren’t just selfish people.
I felt as if the humanity I had lost while living among the nobility had returned.
If I had really intended to stay locked up in my room, I might have found the current situation unpleasant.
But I had decided to move forward again, and that’s why I was here.
People’s gazes were on . It was uncertain if any of them genuinely appreciated the current situation.
But that didn’t matter to .
The ti I spent locked away, fed up with people, had turned into experience. I had beco a more resilient person than before.
Of course, I couldn’t ignore the person still holding my hand as a reason for that.
“This isn’t bad, but I think your viewing room is much better.”
I laughed at Darcy’s comnt comparing the theater to my ho theater. No matter how good my viewing room was, it couldn’t compare to watching a live performance.
“I guess I’m still not used to people.”
Darcy muttered quietly, lowering his gaze. A man pretending to be weak didn’t suit him at all. He was more like a leopard hiding its ferocity than a rabbit.
Maybe he realized that his words weren’t having the intended effect. Darcy casually continued.
“I’d like to listen to music in your room….”
Darcy quickly leaned close to my ear and whispered.
“Would you grant
the honor of inviting
to your room?”
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