Chapter 116

From Isidor Visconti to Deborah Seymour

When I was proudly skipping classes at the academy and lying around at home like a jobless person, a large bouquet of roses arrived in front of me with a letter.

"Oh my, Sir Isidor. He's so romantic."

"I don't think there's a gift that would suit the beautiful princess better than this."

The maids burst into heartfelt admiration as they watched the splendidly blooming roses. They were flowers sent by the most handsome man in the empire, so their cheeks became flushed as if it felt even more romantic. Isidor's popularity was such that he forgot about their fright of their employer for a moment.

'Honestly, isn't this a little excessive?!'

The symbolism of the red roses was so blatant that I was secretly embarrassed.

Isidor's intention with that gift was to remind me of what happened in the subspace, and he succeeded. A few scenes that felt as distant as a dream came to my mind clearly and started stirring roughly in my head. My face burned by itself as I remembered the scene where my lips touched the palm of his big hand because of the particularity of that strange space.

'Removing his glove and touching it wasn't enough, I even had to put my lips there.'

Looking at the roses in an awkward mood while having mixed feelings, I opened the letter he sent me.

'What is this?'

Inside it, the plays that were going to be held in the capital this week were clearly organized. Since he had secured the best seats for all plays, he absurdly asked me to choose the one that I was attracted to the most.

'Do all the high-ranking nobles here brag about how big they are?'

I had already experienced it because of Duke Seymour, but I, who was a petit bourgeois, wasn't able to adjust to it every time. I looked at the various plays in the letter in a calm mood for a while, and then I casually wrote him an answer.

***

"Prince Isidor. To tell you the truth, you are so handsome that you look great in anything you wear. Why did you suddenly become so troubled, when you were the one who said that your face completed your style?"

Miguel, who had been watching his master's extraordinary fashion show before meeting with Princess Deborah, muttered patiently with an exhausted face.

'How many hours has this been going on for?'

His master's fickleness seemed to be boiling to death today. He said adamantly a little while ago that he had decided to use that navy blue frock coat, but now he was choosing everything again starting from the cuffs, saying that a natural style seemed to be the correct answer.

'Yes, it's all good, so why does he keep asking me for my opinion?'

What was even more unfair was that Miguel's thoughtful comments were ignored, and in the end, his master was only wearing clothes of his own choosing. He took off the obsidian cufflinks with a serious face, replacing them with ones made of platinum with a diamond shape, and opened his mouth.

"Miguel. My belief that the face is the completion of the style is solid."

"..."

"However, I'm seriously considering what's best. Even if it has a similar diamond, a ring feels a thousand times different depending on the material and design. Don't you think so?"

When Miguel was trembling at the audacity with which he compared himself to a diamond, he finally picked a coat. It seemed like a compromise because of the appointment time.

"The collar design is a bit unfortunate, but I can't help it."

Wondering if he should try on a few more clothes, Isidor picked up a pair of leather gloves that matched his clothes, as usual, but put them in his pocket instead.

'Because the Princess... likes it.'

It was certain that Princess Deborah was very interested in his bare hands. However, despite running an information guild, there was not much he knew about her.

She was very cute when she drank, adorable when she laughed loudly, liked to play the piano, and often said eccentric things, but he didn't know any important information. Every time he discovered the various aspects of Deborah, he realized how superficial the information he had gathered behind the scenes was.

And he was greedy because he wanted to know more and more about her various sides, and because he wanted to see her.

'The Princess said for us to meet and keep in contact to learn more about each other...'

The moment he heard that, Isidor felt that it was just like Princess Deborah for some reason. He felt like he was caught off guard, and so, ironically, he thought she was even more attractive.

"Let's get to know each other..."

He stretched out his defenselessly exposed hand. Staring down at his hands, feeling that they were somewhat strange for not wearing any gloves as if they were someone else's, he stood up to leave for his appointment.

***

Today, my appearance in the mirror was twice as glamorous as usual. I only told them to bring a dress that matched the dress code for the theatre, but the maids suddenly mobilized all their capabilities.

"The woman's side can't lose."

"He may be very powerful, but you still have Seymour's pride."

They even looked resolute and talked in whispers. Normally, they would be shivering just from looking at me, but they had suddenly gotten some kind of courage. It was strange.

The time to get dressed was surprisingly long, so I barely arrived just before the start time of the play. Fortunately, the place of the appointment was the Yones District, so it did not take long to get there from the townhouse.

'There he is.'

After getting out of the carriage, I immediately found Isidor. He stood in front of the theatre, looking through the pamphlet with an expressionless face.

'He looks very cold when you look at him like that.'

Standing alone, he had an atmosphere where it was difficult to talk to him recklessly. Come to think of it, Isidor is popular among the ladies as an idol, but no one but the 5th Princess is comfortable speaking with him.

'Just by looking at Thierry and Gillaume, they are close to the ladies of the same clubs, without any reservations.'

I thought he seemed to attract people's attention even more because he had a cool and mysterious atmosphere.

"Oh..."

The moment Isidor, who was fluttering the pamphlet, suddenly lifted his head, our eyes met five or six steps away. Without realizing it, I clenched my fist tightly at his smile, which naturally spread over his lips like paint being dropped on water.

'Ah, this is dangerous. He's handsome.'

"You're here?"

With a sweet smile, he approached me with a quick step.

"Yeah. As you can see."

Isidor slowly blinked his long eyelashes and looked at me quietly for a moment.

"What is it?"

"You look even more wonderful today. Especially your curled bangs."

That was because the servants made a fuss and even brought iron bars that were heated up like a hair straightener.

"You also look elegant."

I did my best to compliment him, but his expression didn't look good.

"What do you like in particular? Well... I want to use that as a reference next time."

"It's difficult to pick one thing in particular."

I pondered for a moment, then opened my mouth.

"Your wide shoulders?"

A slight sense of absurdity seemed to flash through his face, but maybe it was my mistake.

"... Hm, shall we go in? You came at a good time. The play will probably start as soon as we go inside."

"Yeah."

"Grab my arm."

The area in front of the theatre was bustling with nobles, as it was the largest in the Yones District, and he stretched out his arm as if to escort me through the crowd. I hesitated, and then grabbed his firm arm and walked into the theatre.

"Come this way."

I don't know if the play I chose wasn't that popular, but there were surprisingly not many people in the venue. Especially the area around the best seats, which were the most expensive, was completely empty.

It was called 'The Secret of the Grand Duke of the North'. It was a curious title, so I honestly thought there would be a lot of people.

"... It's nice because it feels pleasant."

"I knew it."

He already knew that the play wasn't fun? He should have told me sooner.

"... But we can see it well."

I assumed it was a play that failed to be a box office success, but the seats were good so I thought I could even see the actors' pores. I had never enjoyed such luxury in my past life, so I gradually began to feel excited.

"Princess Deborah, let's go have dinner after seeing this. What do you think?"

"You must like to plan ahead, Sir Isidor."

"Because the Princess is an unpredictable person. There are a lot of variables."

"No matter how troublesome I may be, I won't skip dinner."

We whispered in a low voice, and then shut our mouths. Because the orchestra appeared, and everything gradually grew darker as if the play was about to begin.

Soon, as light entered the center of the stage, an actor presumably acting as the Grand Duke of the North came out. The actors' vocalizations and performances were all great, so I could immediately immerse myself in the play.

'Huh? It's quite fun.'

Compared to not having a large audience, the play was quite worthwhile, and the plot was exciting.

The Grand Duke of the North, who was a polite gentleman during the day but became the king of the night called 'Rexton' and lived a double life, was the male protagonist of the play. And the female protagonist naturally falls in love with the considerate Grand Duke, who takes care of her.

However, the truth is, the Grand Duke is the same person as Rexton, whom the female protagonist despises and thinks of as a cruel person, and he continues to lie because the doesn't want to lose her, who looks kindly at him. The sense of crisis that the Grand Duke might be identified gradually grew, and the play slowly reached a climax with the magnificent orchestra performance.

I was absorbed into the play with sweaty hands, and as soon as the end of the play came up, I was a little excited and looked at Isidor.

"Sir Isidor, it was really fun..."

Since he was already looking at me, I immediately met his eyes.