IBMILRFL | Chapter 76

Episode 76

The next day, at the Duke of Locke’s residence.

“Lily, where are you going? You seem so excited this morning.”

“Hehe… You’ll be jealous if you hear it. Do you really want to know? Think you can handle it?”

“Do you have an appointment with Lady Winder or something?”

Having finished getting ready to go out, Lilliana stopped humming and lifted her shoulders proudly.

“Actually, I’m going to see a play with Mother! Jealous, right? Just the two of us, in a private box! Bet you’ve never done anything like that, huh?”

“A play…? Which one?”

“You know the one that’s all the rage lately. The one performed by the Imperial Theater Troupe. Mother got us tickets, so we’re going together.”

The Imperial Theater Troupe, huh.

Tristan murmured to himself with a somewhat uneasy expression.

‘What’s with him? Is he seriously that jealous?’

Lilliana tensed for a moment at her brother’s subtle expression, but soon decided to ignore it. His face had quickly brightened again.

“I’ll take you to the theater. Let’s go together.”

Tristan suggested with a soft smile. But Lilliana rejected him outright.

“Mm… No!”

Normally, she wouldn’t say no like that, so Tristan looked surprised at her unexpected response.

Lilliana did want to accept his offer… but she had a reason she couldn’t.

“Be honest, you just want to see Mother, right? I get it… I support your love, really, but…”

She paused for a moment, then grinned mischievously.

“Not today. I’m spending time with Mother, just the two of us. It’s kind of a special day.”

A smile lingered on Lilliana’s lips as she boasted.

She had gone out with Vanessa a few times before, but today was different.

‘It’s the first time we’re going somewhere crowded.’

Until now, they had only visited places without many people. Even at restaurants, they always dined in private rooms.

Not that she disliked it, but it had made her feel a bit sad.

‘Could it be… Mother doesn’t want to be seen with me?’

She had occasionally wondered that.

At the victory banquet, Vanessa had seemed reluctant to introduce her, which only deepened the feeling.

‘But even if that’s true, I know it’s for my sake.’

Vanessa had long worried that her notorious reputation might affect Lilliana.

But Lilliana didn’t care about something like that.

The chance of getting caught up in danger was slim. And now she always had escorts wherever she went.

Even though she understood Vanessa’s concerns… it was frustrating to think it might go on forever. But today, that frustration would end.

‘From now on, I’m going to go to all sorts of fun places with Mother.’

She often went out with jeremyon too, but… it was always most fun to be with Vanessa.

Whenever she went somewhere nice with him, she would end up buying something for her mother out of habit, thinking, “Next time, I’ll come with Mother.”

So at least for today—the first real start of that—she couldn’t possibly give in to Tristan.

“That’s how it is, so give up for today! It’s just me and Mother, okay?”

Tristan looked down at his cheerful little sister and fell silent for a moment.

Then, as if his thoughts had settled, he gestured to one of the knights.

“Alright. But take an extra escort with you today.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“You need to be careful in crowded places.”

“Hmm, okay!”

Lilliana stepped out the front door with her two escorts following behind.

“Then, I’ll be back!”

“Alright, have a good time.”

Tristan smiled and waved as he watched his sister walk away.

But the moment the door closed, the smile vanished from his face. With an emotionless expression, he turned toward his office.

His assistant, following behind, cautiously spoke once the door shut and only the two remained.

“Your Grace, are you… on edge because of that matter?”

“That’s right.”

As the immediate reply came, the assistant paused for a moment, thinking, before suggesting,

“…Wouldn’t it be better to tell the young lady the truth?”

“No. Be careful not to let even a whisper of it reach Lilliana.”

Faced with Tristan’s firm gaze, the assistant quickly backed down.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I spoke out of turn out of concern.”

“It’s fine. You can go now.”

The assistant, reading the mood, quickly left the room.

Left alone, Tristan let out a deep sigh.

He didn’t disagree with the assistant’s words.

It was true that Lilliana knowing the exact situation might help her be more cautious.

‘…But I don’t want to give her something else to worry about.’

Whenever he looked at Lilliana, Tristan always felt a sense of guilt.

Leaving her alone in a house with only a cold and overbearing father.

Burdening her with the weight of the family’s collapse while he was gone.

She had endured everything too heavy for one person alone—and only now had she finally regained her cheerful smile.

So how could he tell her?

That everything Lilliana thought was just a string of terrible misfortunes—

That the fall of the prestigious Locke family, which began with his disappearance, had spiraled so absurdly—

That all the pain that delicate girl had endured… had all been the scheme of a single person.

With his fingers pressed to his brow, Tristan exhaled deeply.

‘If the Crown Prince applies pressure, then I’ll just have to be even more cautious.’

He would grow stronger so that no one could toy with the family again… assign more escorts if needed, and stay on guard himself to ensure no one could target Lilliana.

‘She’s an innocent girl who doesn’t know a thing about politics. There’s no need to let her know these dark truths.’

Of course, the time would come when he’d have to tell her.

But not yet… not just yet.

Hehe.

Hehehehe.

Sticking close to Vanessa’s side, Lilliana laughed sneakily to herself.

‘Ah, what do I do. My heart’s racing.’

With equal parts nervousness and excitement, Lilliana entered the theater lobby with Vanessa.

Perhaps because it was the most popular play of the moment, the front of the theater was crowded with nobles.

At first, they were all busy chatting amongst themselves—but the moment Vanessa and Lilliana appeared, all eyes turned to them.

“Wow, look over there. It’s Lady Locke! Is she with Countess Winder… wait, huh?”

“What is this? What kind of pairing is that? Countess Winder and Lady Locke…?”

No one seemed to have expected the two of them to show up together, and the whispers didn’t cease.

Normally, being the center of such attention might have made Lilliana shrink a little… but today, she was nothing but confident.

She half misunderstood the reason for the stares.

‘Is it because Mother stands out? No one can take their eyes off her. Well… who could blame them?’

Lilliana glanced at Vanessa beside her once more.

With her hair pinned up in colorful jeweled clips, Vanessa looked as radiant as ever.

The navy dress she wore highlighted her figure and exuded a sensual elegance.

Lilliana had been by her side long enough to be used to that beauty, and yet…

‘Mother really is the best. Thrilling. Always fresh!’

Unable to contain her excitement, Lilliana grinned and skipped ahead a little.

Vanessa immediately called out sharply,

“I told you not to be so reckless.”

Her sharp voice rang through the theater, and the noisy crowd instantly fell silent in shock.

People began whispering in hushed tones.

“Look at that terrifying glare. Is she about to cause a scene again?”

“Someone should stop her. I feel bad for the young lady.”

“Last time it was Lady Rint, and now she’s going to make Lady Locke cry…!”

Vanessa was infamous as a brutal troublemaker, while Lilliana was known for her timid nature in society.

So it was only natural for people to tense up and panic in a situation like this.

Their minds filled with wild speculation.

Why had the two appeared together in the first place?

Could it be that Vanessa Winder had decided to torment her future daughter-in-law?

Was the gentle-hearted Lilliana being dragged around against her will?

As their imaginations spiraled out of control, one noble finally couldn’t take it and stepped forward.

“Countess Winder, no matter what, that tone toward Lady Locke is—”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence. Lilliana interrupted him so brightly that he lost his words.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Mother— I mean, Countess Winder! I’m just so excited! It’s my first time coming to a place like this.”

“Hmph. I meant don’t embarrass me, not an excuse.”

“You’re worried the floor’s slippery, right? Okay! I’ll be careful!”

Giggling, Lilliana clung to Vanessa’s side once more.

People could hardly believe their eyes.

They had thought the poor princess was being held hostage by the wicked witch… but clearly, that wasn’t the case at all.

Then, walking beside Vanessa, Lilliana suddenly stopped and asked the man from earlier,

“Oh, by the way, were you talking to me just now? I didn’t quite hear you.”

“N-No… it was nothing! Just talking to myself!”

The man awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Then that’s a relief. Mother—no, Countess Winder! Let’s go again! He said he wasn’t talking to me, hehe.”

With that, Lilliana cheerfully entered the theater with Vanessa.

People stared blankly after them, mouths hanging open.