The play Judith had reserved was The Secret of the Clock Tower, which Letticia had already seen before.
Originally, Lenoa, Eustace, and Judith were supposed to watch it together, but Lenoa was too busy, and Eustace had circumstances preventing him from attending. In the end, Judith went with Letticia, who had already seen it once.
“I heard that even those who watched it a second time gave it great reviews. What did you think, Letticia?”
“I wanted to see it again, too. It was really well made.”
As they made their way to the royal box seats, Letticia responded to Judith’s question.
People passing by cast admiring and envious glances at Judith and Letticia walking together, but no one dared to approach them—they couldn’t block the path of royalty. This made their journey relatively comfortable.
“Still, since we’ll get hungry, should we order plenty of sandwiches?”
“Oh, ordering! If we really ask them to make something, will they prepare everything for us?”
“They can make anything that’s available here.”
“Then what about roast turkey or salmon meunière?”
“Those probably aren’t on the menu. And wouldn’t it be difficult to eat something like that while watching a play?”
“I always wanted to try dining while watching a play, but I guess not this time.”
Letticia understood that sentiment. Sometimes, one wanted to eat while watching something rather than engage in conversation.
At least she doesn’t force things just because she’s royalty. She’s a good person.
If Matthias had been like Judith, Letticia wouldn’t have been so resistant to becoming the crown princess.
Just as she was mentally deducting points from Matthias again, a royal guard waiting at the box seats approached them. His expression showed clear discomfort, as if something had gone wrong.
“Your Highness, my apologies, but we have a slight problem.”
“A problem? What kind of problem?”
“Someone with a usage permit issued by His Highness, the Crown Prince, is attempting to use the box seats.”
“A usage permit? From my brother?”
Judith asked in surprise, and Letticia, equally startled, looked past the knight toward the royal box seats.
A permit to use the royal box seats was not handed out to just anyone. In the original story, Matthias had quickly given one to Ariette because he was infatuated with her, but even then, it was explained that, unless it was for official business, only a prospective crown princess would typically receive such a privilege.
No way… Has he already met Ariette?
If that were the case, Ezkhiel’s work life would become a living hell.
Letticia’s face turned pale as she hurriedly questioned the knight.
“Who brought the permit? Is it for official business or personal use?”
“It was brought by Sir Ezkhiel Bright, His Highness’s aide. He stated that it was for official use.”
“Sir Bright? Are you sure it was Sir Bright?”
Before Letticia could say anything else, Judith turned to her excitedly.
“This is great, Letticia! Since it’s Sir Bright, we can just ask to watch it together!”
“But he said it was for official use. Would that really be okay?”
“If it’s for official business, it’s usually just a simple theater inspection. That means we can tag along too.”
Excited, Judith took the lead without hesitation. Letticia hesitated for a moment but soon changed her mind. Even if they weren’t allowed to stay, at least she’d get to see his face. That alone was worth it.
***
“…I greet Your Highness, the Princess…!”
Ezkhiel, who had been seated in the box, quickly stood up and bowed as soon as Judith and Letticia entered.
Judith, who usually spoke casually with Letticia, adjusted her tone slightly to sound more mature.
“You don’t have to be so formal. More importantly, I heard you got my brother’s authorization?”
“Yes. His Highness gave me orders, so I’m here on official duty.”
“It’s not something that needs to be done in secret, is it? Because Letticia and I were planning to watch the play together today.”
“Letty—ah, no, you mean… Lady Sharon too?”
Ezkhiel, who had grown used to calling her by her nickname, quickly corrected himself. Seeing him flustered was adorable, and Letticia smiled slightly. Judith, noticing this, also grinned mischievously.
“I already informed the theater that we’d be coming today. But if my brother sent you instead, should we move? The Sharon family’s box should be empty, so we could use that.”
“There’s no need. Today is just a simple inspection, so it won’t be a problem if Your Highness joins me.”
As soon as Ezkhiel assured them, Judith immediately grabbed Letticia’s hand.
“That’s great! Letticia, sit down quickly. Wouldn’t it be best to sit next to Sir Bright?”
“Of course. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Not missing the opportunity, Letticia quickly took the seat beside Ezkhiel. She had thought she’d be satisfied just seeing his face, but getting to sit next to him was even better.
However, unlike Letticia, Ezkhiel seemed slightly troubled. His eyes kept shifting between the papers in his hands and Letticia.
“What’s wrong, Ez?”
“L–Lady Sharon… Your Highness is also here, so using a nickname is…”
“Don’t mind me. Just act naturally. In fact, I’d prefer to see you two getting along as usual.”
Judith smiled brightly, and Ezkhiel averted his gaze in embarrassment. It was clear that, even though he was happy to see Letticia, he felt guilty about being with her while still technically on duty.
Wanting to help him finish his work quickly so they could enjoy their time together, Letticia cheerfully asked,
“What exactly are you here for today? Her Highness Judith mentioned that this was just a theater inspection.”
“…To be precise, it’s not an inspection but a play review. His Highness suddenly instructed me to watch the most popular play and submit both a review and a report.”
“A report is one thing, but… a review?”
Letticia asked in disbelief, and Ezkhiel nodded with a troubled expression.
“Yes. I have to write a detailed review covering the story, setting, strengths, and weaknesses of the play.”
“Isn’t that basically just watching the play on his behalf?”
“That’s what it sounds like to me too. If he’s going to read all that, wouldn’t it be easier to just come watch it himself? Why would he give Sir Bright such an order?”
Judith frowned, equally perplexed. Letticia thought the same, but before she could say anything, a scene from the original story flashed through her mind.
“I heard this play is based on a real incident from the medieval era. Originally, it tells the story of two families who were once allied by marriage but later became bitter enemies.”
“But did they really need to go so far with their revenge?”
“At that time, there was a belief that avenging one’s family required exacting an equal price for what was lost. Besides, when this play was written, tragedies where all the characters were slaughtered were quite popular.”
“I see… Your Highness is really knowledgeable.”
“I only looked it up because understanding the background before watching a play allows for a deeper appreciation.”
What Matthias conveniently failed to remember was that, for this research, his aide had been running around every night watching plays, visiting the library, and seeking advice from noble patrons of the arts.
After all, he was the crown prince, and gathering information through effort was a task meant for his subordinates.
‘Unbelievable.’
Letticia’s expression turned ice-cold.
The thing she had feared most had finally become a reality.
So this means Matthias has already met Ariette?!
Even though he was a workaholic, Matthias had never let his personal life interfere with his duties—until he met Ariette.
After falling for her at first sight, he would deny his feelings while constantly finding excuses to see her. He would start delegating his work to his aide just to chase after her, coming up with ridiculous justifications to run into her.
A frustrating, agonizing phase in the story.
That damn bastard.
For a moment, a murderous glint flickered in Letticia’s eyes.
If Matthias had really met Ariette, then Ezkhiel’s report was nothing more than preparation material to help Matthias impress her on their dates.
‘Abusing your authority now, huh? At this rate, you’ll be bald before long, you bastard.’
Sure, Letticia had asked Kenneth to gather social circle information for her, but that was because her relationships were tied to the business of Sharon Jewelry. She had never asked for personal favors purely for her own romance.
But Matthias? He was using an aide—who was employed for official government work—purely for his own personal affairs.
It was bad enough that he kept dumping work on others, but now he was even taking away their personal time? At this point, he didn’t even seem human.
‘In the original story, they didn’t meet until Ariette debuted in high society. I thought I was safe until autumn—so why did they meet now?! How in the world does a crown prince just randomly bump into a low-ranking bureaucrat and fall in love at first sight? Just because this is a novel, does reality not matter anymore?!’
Her path to becoming crown princess was now completely blocked. Instead, the path to her lover’s personal hell had been thrown wide open.
For a fleeting moment, she even considered setting fire to the palace and resetting everything.
As she was lost in these dangerous thoughts, Ezkhiel cautiously glanced at her and spoke carefully.
