ISTL CHAPTER 32

Max, who had been gazing at her in silence, was just about to speak when Anaïs interjected.
“Your Highness and I met here.”
“…….”
Anaïs’s instinctive defensive tone felt somewhat awkward and self-deprecating, but it seemed to satisfy Roxane.
Roxane swept her slightly tousled hair behind her ear.
“As you might have guessed, I was waiting for His Highness.”
At those words, the surrounding eyes shifted. Reactions of disbelief and surprise rippled through the crowd. Some were shocked to think that the talk of the town, known for sparking romantic feelings, had been watched by Roxane and Prince Max, while others were simply stunned that she was engaging in conversation with Max.
It seemed as though the angelic Roxane was oblivious to the extent of the scandalous rumors surrounding the prince. One noble, who was shocked by her apparent ignorance, was quickly pulled away by their companion.
“And what was the reason you were waiting for me?”
“I wanted to discuss the play we saw today with someone.”
“Someone. But it doesn’t have to be me, does it?”
“…….”
Max simply walked past Roxane.
Walked past Roxane? And what’s more……
What did he just say?
Anaïs stood in shock, feeling as if her feet were glued to the ground, while Roxane spoke to Max’s back.
“If it isn’t me, then… If it must be someone… Will you be able to spare me some time?”
Max’s steps, which had been moving away without hesitation, suddenly halted. He turned around. His expression remained indifferent and aloof as he stared at Roxane, and then he briefly made eye contact with Anaïs.
“…….”
Max noticed Anaïs’s head nodding repeatedly, as if signaling him ten times a second. With her intense, pleading gaze, it was clear that rejecting Roxane’s request was not an option. Max clicked his tongue quietly.
After a single nod of acquiescence, Max extended his arm toward Roxane, offering a skilled escort.
‘Wow. He’s never done that for me.’
Anaïs, both admiring and somewhat resentful of his rarely seen gentleness, cast a sidelong glance at him. The recent events with Count Josselin flashed through her mind. Really, he had been so harsh with me!
“Oh, Lady Brienne, will you be joining us as well?”
“Huh? Oh…”
Quickly adjusting her gaze, Anaïs looked back and forth between Roxane and Max.
“I have to visit Her Majesty the Queen Mother before sunset, so I must leave first. I hope you both have a good time.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sure we’ll have another chance to chat.”
With Roxane’s friendly farewell, Anaïs also smiled as she bid them goodbye. Max gave her a brief glance without comment, then left with Roxane, fully exiting the theater.
*****
Topi Park, located near the Grand Theater, was renowned for its densely planted mature trees. It was also one of the prime attractions connected to the Grand Theater.
Anaïs, who had claimed she was heading back to the palace, was now discreetly trailing Max and Roxane. Fortunately, she was wearing low-heeled shoes today, allowing her footsteps to go unnoticed, and she felt confident she wouldn’t be caught.
Although it hadn’t even been an hour since she’d expressed her trust in him, anxiety and trust were two separate matters.
‘And…’
There might be situations where she’d need to assist, or to plan the next move, she needed to understand the conversation and atmosphere between the two.
‘By the way, why are they walking so fast?’
Max’s stride had become uncharacteristically large and swift, as if he had lost all consideration. Anaïs followed them at a distance, anxiously watching their progress.
After a while, the two settled on a bench along the walking path.
“Do you usually enjoy plays, Your Highness?”
“……”
“In fact, this is my first time seeing a secular play. I wasn’t particularly interested before.”
Max listened silently to Roxane’s soft-spoken words. He had been distracted by the presence that had been following them like a shadow, and then he noticed the neatly trimmed bushes rustling suspiciously.
Ah, Anaïs Brienne. Of course.
“If you’re going to do that, just follow us.”
“Huh?”
Max mumbled that it was nothing and clicked his tongue, casting a glance at the nearby bushes.
Honestly, why does she keep trying to spy when she has no talent for it? He didn’t expect her to just leave quietly, but even if she did follow, what could she do in such an open space? And yet…
‘Hiding in the bushes now?’
Anaïs Brienne, you absurd woman.
Anyway, now that she had followed them this far, he had to abandon his plan of idly passing time and leaving. It was such a nuisance.
“Let’s just say you ended up here by chance.”
“Ended up… here by chance.”
Roxane pondered his words, and Max continued speaking toward the figure hiding behind the bushes.
“I think it’s a rather lowbrow hobby for wasting time, but…”
The bushes rustled violently in response.
“But it’s not so bad once in a while, depending on who you’re with.”
To be precise, it was more enjoyable to be with someone than the play itself, but in a broader sense, there wasn’t much difference. Max chuckled softly as he recalled the twenty-six expressions of someone.
“……”
Roxane gazed at Max with a look of fascination.
Earlier, he had been so cold that it was hard to strike up a conversation, but now he seemed to be pleased that they had seen it together…?
The sudden change in attitude at the theater had been troubling. There was also a slight sense of discomfort. The reason she had held onto him despite the attention it drew was the curiosity that followed her unpleasant feelings. It was worth checking once whether he was merely a capricious lunatic.
Yet, the seductive words he uttered, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, made Roxane even more confused.
“I was truly saddened when Jerome said goodbye to Nina. He’s cowardly.”
“Maybe that’s just his way of loving.”
“Letting the woman you love marry another man? How can watching her fall into another man’s arms be considered a form of love?”
Roxane’s reaction of complete incomprehension was met with Max’s calm demeanor.
“If she abandons her name and family as she said, how long would that love remain valid?”
“Indeed.”
“Both of them have too much to lose to prioritize love alone. Jerome understood that.”
“……”
“Do you believe that romantic love lasts forever? Unfortunately, it lasts at most three years. It was for those three years that he saved himself and Nina from a lifetime of thirty years.”
Roxane, who had been momentarily stunned, countered.
“But in the end, Nina couldn’t overcome her sorrow and left the world. Jerome, who said goodbye to her, followed her in death. Was that truly just a love lasting three years?”
“That’s precisely why we paid to see a play.”
Anaïs was about to cramp from the awkwardly bent position. She placed a finger with a bit of saliva on her nose bridge, hoping desperately that Max would keep his mouth shut.
She had explained why this play was loved several times, so why did he only pick the most bizarre comments to make?
Three years of love at most!
Who says such things to a woman they care about! Huh?
Max’s face remained completely serene, oblivious to Anaïs, who was stamping her feet in frustration behind the bushes.
Roxane, initially probing him, soon smiled.
“So, Your Highness, you don’t believe in love.”
“Love is ultimately something humans do. I don’t trust people much.”
Roxane’s mouth slightly dropped open.
She seemed to want to say something, her cheeks flushed. However, after a few attempts to speak, she fell silent.
Instead, she lowered her long eyelashes to look at the ground while occasionally glancing subtly at Max.
At that moment, as Anaïs, who was anxiously trying to read the atmosphere between them, leaned forward more, a strange buzzing sound was heard.
Bzzz—
“……?”
A tiny insect, unknown in nature, landed on Anaïs’s nose bridge, causing her eyes to roll back.
Kyaaaaah!