chapter 18

What did an opera matter that she had to endure this?

As the door to the private box closed, a silence settled over the room, as though it had been cut off from the outside world.

In the end, Celia had no choice but to accept Lucius’s suggestion.

It wasn’t her choice.

It was circumstance.

Too many eyes had been on them, and Evanador had been watching like a hawk.

I feel sick.

An opera with Lucius?

She’d sooner believe a harbor had appeared on top of a mountain.

Still, leaving the ballroom where every action had been restricted made it easier to breathe.

Leaning back against the curved leather seat, she relaxed slightly.

Beyond the curtain, the stage could be seen beneath the soft glow of lamps.

Needing somewhere to rest her eyes, she stared blankly at the gleaming brass chandelier.

“I’m excited. It’s my first time in a place like this.”

“…”

As she leaned back, Lucius leaned forward.

A faint mixture of anticipation and happiness lingered at the corners of his lips.

For some reason, he genuinely looked like an excited young man.

Celia stopped thinking and focused on only one thing.

Just today.

Only today.

Closing her eyes, she comforted herself by imagining a happy future.

Finding the evidence of treason.

Avoiding Lucius entirely.

Then six months later, calmly stamping the divorce papers.

It was a wonderfully sweet fantasy.

Unfortunately, he cut it short.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I suddenly wanted to see an opera?”

Celia bit her tongue.

She truly wasn’t curious.

Ever since dinner, she had spent all her mental energy dealing with him.

She didn’t care what kind of thoughts or calculations had led him to this ridiculous situation.

Yet the words that came out were different from what she intended.

“Why… did you want to?”

“Heh.”

Small shadows of laughter flickered wherever the light touched him.

“I got a recommendation.”

“They said it was something couples would enjoy…”

After listing the information he’d gathered while she had been away, he finished quietly.

“I thought I wanted to watch it with you.”

Lucius tilted his head slightly toward her.

His eyes rested peacefully beneath lowered lids.

Long lashes cast shadows across his nose and lips.

His profile looked almost as if he were carefully catching his breath.

How annoying.

Celia immediately turned her head away.

Instead, she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fingers.

Once she had noticed the warmth in his eyes, it kept making its presence known over and over.

That was one of the things Lucius should never have shown her.

And she found it unbearable.

Once they divorced, she’d be free of all of this.

Her mental calendar was still counting down toward the day they separated.

Divorce…

But then why does it feel like I’m overlooking something?

Was it because of the evidence of treason her father wanted?

No.

That wasn’t it.

Until six months ago, she had been completely confident she could find it.

Then another problem surfaced.

What if Lucius still hasn’t recovered his memories in six months?

He won’t refuse, will he?

Everything for the divorce had already been arranged.

When the agreed date arrived, all they had to do was place their seals on a piece of paper.

Anyone with functioning hands could manage that.

At that moment, the curtain onstage slowly rose.

The lights dimmed.

The first note of a violin echoed through the theater.

As the grand melody filled the room, even Celia found herself quietly watching the stage.

She needed something else to focus on.

Several minutes passed.

Then Celia slightly turned her head.

Sneaking a glance at Lucius, she straightened her back.

His clothes matched hers but looked as though they had been crafted by a completely different artisan.

They fit perfectly within Lucius’s tastes.

As the dim stage lights touched him, his calm face appeared both gentle and distant.

Perhaps it was because his eyes seemed empty, as though they contained the entire theater yet nothing at all.

Celia couldn’t bring herself to look away.

He feels like a different creature wearing Lucius’s face.

Was it because she had learned things she never wanted to know?

How those eyes changed when they filled with warmth.

How his voice sounded when it softened.

Like a stain on clothing she couldn’t stop noticing, he constantly bothered her.

Like a hangnail on a fingertip.

Nothing more than that.

Then he noticed her staring and lifted his lowered gaze.

“Are you bored?”

The instant those previously empty eyes filled with warmth and focused entirely on her, Celia witnessed the change clearly.

Startled, she quickly looked away.

“N-no.”

“It’s just not my kind of thing.”

Celia hated everything about him.

His voice.

His gaze.

His breathing.

His attitude.

His hands.

Everything.

And that included this version of him.

I hate Lucius.

She wasn’t even sure whom she was telling that to.

Whether he was a child or an old man.

Whether he was endlessly kind or utterly wicked.

She would have disliked him regardless.

That fact would never change.

***

“How was the opera?”

Feeling something draped over her shoulders, Celia opened her half-closed eyes.

The brilliant lights were being extinguished one by one as the audience applauded and began leaving.

I almost fell asleep.

Someone could ask how anyone managed to sleep through performers singing at the top of their lungs.

But the seat had been comfortable.

Nobody had been watching her.

And the grand music had made her sleepy.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Celia hurriedly straightened herself.

Fortunately, Lucius didn’t seem to realize she’d nearly fallen asleep.

Relieved, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“The heroine smiling after losing that keepsake…”

“It felt like she was smiling because she wanted to cry.”

“I think there were a lot of ways to interpret that scene.”

Recalling the only part she clearly remembered, she answered.

Lucius let out a breath that sounded almost like laughter.

“That’s not a very common interpretation.”

Without responding, Celia stood.

“I’m going home.”

“Shall we?”

To avoid getting caught in the crowd, they waited until most people had left before moving.

As they walked, Lucius offered his own thoughts.

“The story of the protagonists left a strong impression.”

“They longed for each other so desperately, but coincidence after coincidence kept them apart.”

“It was tragic and heartbreaking.”

“And because of that, it felt all the more noble.”

“…”

“It reminded me of what things truly deserve to be cherished.”

“In that sense, I think it was a meaningful experience.”

He had called her interpretation unusual.

But his own wasn’t exactly ordinary either.

He looked so focused, and that’s his conclusion?

Love stories.

Celia was tired of them.

She couldn’t understand why people found them so moving.

Eventually they left the theater and headed toward the stairs.

Then Lucius stopped her.

“There are a lot of people.”

“What should we do…”

“Celia, would you wait here for a moment?”

“I’ll have the carriage brought around.”

The area outside was crowded.

Did they really need to go that far?

Still, Lucius was surprisingly firm, and she eventually stopped walking.

“Just wait a little.”

He descended the stairs.

For a moment, Celia blinked sleepily.

Then a thought occurred to her.

Why should I listen to him?

A surge of rebellion instantly chased away her drowsiness.

There was no real reason behind it.

But that was nothing new.

She had always been like this.

Without hesitation, she started walking.

The hem of her dress flowed gracefully down the stairs.

One step.

Then another.

Following the exact path Lucius had taken.

And almost immediately, she encountered a problem.

Voices buzzed all around her.

The crowd quickly swallowed her whole.

Then a strong arm wrapped around her back.

A familiar scent guided her through the mass of people, flowing into her lungs.

“Why did you come down?”

Celia lifted her gaze from the floor.

“I wanted to leave sooner.”

She answered calmly and tried to pull away.

The problem was that outside of his arms there was nowhere left for her to stand.

Lucius brushed her disordered hair back and forced a faint smile.

“Well, about that…”

A bad feeling suddenly settled in her stomach.

Following his gaze, Celia looked outside.

The sound of rain roared through the night.

Beyond the doors, rain poured from the sky.

A sudden downpour so heavy that even carriages couldn’t move.