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Sitting comfortably and leaning back against the high-back chair, which was the seat reserved for the imperial family, Empress Adrianne opened her lips to speak.
“What a crude play, and it’s based on a romance novel or whichever. It’ll be popular for a moment and then disappear. Don’t you think so, Olivier?”
Olivier nodded. He was sitting gracefully on a small chair, his legs crossed.
“Your Majesty is right.”
At his answer, the empress smiled thinly.
‘Cute thing.’
As far as she knew, this was Olivier’s second time watching a play.
And besides that, she knew that he read the original romance novel well.
It was a very cute hobby for a man who had already reached the age of adulthood.
‘He must be doing that because he doesn’t want to be hated by me. How adorable, this doll. Really.’
All kinds of rumors were rampant between the deposed Empress Ziartine’s son, Third Prince Olivier, and current Empress Adrianne.
However, Adrianne wasn’t interested in such rumors.
For her, only the truth mattered.
And the truth was, Olivier was following her like a loyal dog.
‘Unfortunate child.’
Olivier lost his mother as soon as he was born.
So, unfortunate Olivier was terribly despised by his father, the emperor.
‘I can’t believe you don’t have a mother or a father. It’s a life that I don’t even want to imagine.’
In that unimaginable life, Olivier was terribly hurt and completely ruined.
Before facing Olivier for the first time, Adrianne thought that Olivier might become a political rival against her son, Charles, who was the first prince of this empire.
But that wasn’t the case.
As he grew up without a mother or a father, without any affection from the cold employees in the cold imperial palace, Olivier had become merely an empty shell without any emotions.
It was all too simple to spare some scraps of affection to this empty shell of a doll and make her his.
“But since we’ve come this far, let’s just enjoy this. There must be a reason why all the ladies say that it’s very fun.”
After hearing her words, Olivier turned his head and looked at the stage.
Adrianne smiled as she observed him.
Olivier was loyal to Charles just as he was loyal to her.
If Olivier, who was the former empress’ son, were to support Charles just as he was now, then Charles’ position would be further strengthened.
‘We have ‘that’ too, and it should be enough, but
 the more cards, the better.’
The curtains of the stage opened, and soon, actors appeared.
Adrianne looked at the stage, an empress-like, benevolent, dazzling smile on her lips.
However, that smile did not last long.
* * *
With emotionless eyes, Olivier watched Adrianne.
Adrianne was not a fool.
By the middle of the play, Adrianne could no longer hold that smile up.
She probably noticed what this play meant.
And this was part of his plan.
‘This is just the beginning.’
No one would ever notice.
Because everything was moving under seemingly calm waters.
His mask, which was the cause of the movement of all of those things, was perfect—just as his plan was fool-proof.
He looked towards the stage without enthusiasm, but his gaze suddenly stopped at one place.
That flame-like red hair caught his attention at once.
“

!”
It’s her.
Her clothes were completely different, but he could recognize her at only one glance.
The woman he met at his nineteenth birthday banquet at Marquis Russell’s estate.
Leaning against the railing of the box seats, she was seated at a balcony obliquely below the seats reserved for the imperial family.
‘How?’
But the question was soon answered.
The man behind her, who had his legs crossed while he was deeply buried in his chair without any intention of hiding his boredom—it was definitely Marquis Russell.
’So that is Your Highness’ preference?’
Yves Russell’s strangely saccharine voice back then echoed in Olivier’s ears.
‘Did that man see through me? I must have been too careless because I was outside the capital.’
Displeased by the fact that he was caught by Marquis Russell, Olivier turned away from him.
Then, he froze.
He had no choice but to do so.
Because
 she’s smiling.
The moment he saw her smile, he could feel something like a breeze or a wave that washed away everything within Olivier.
The voices of the actors, the audience filling the theater, and the empress behind him. They all disappeared.
And while everyone else vanished, only she remained.
With hair so red that it seemed as though one’s hand would share the same color once it’s touched, a pale complexion that rivaled the moonlight, cheeks that resembled roses as they blushed.
And an unhesitatingly bright smile.
‘How
’
With a stiff expression that he didn’t have to conjure, Olivier stared at her intently.
‘You can smile like that, too?’
During the night of the banquet, their encounter was a result of several overlapping coincidences.
When Marquis Russell’s attendant announced the arrival of the Tilrod family, he unconsciously looked towards the entrance.
It was purely due to his personal interest in the Tilrod family’s ancestors.
Usually, he would have just turned away after a quick glance, but the strange appearance of the Tilrod family caught his eye.
Missus Tilrod and her youngest daughter were both dressed to match the event, but the older daughter did not.
Besides this, as soon as she entered the banquet hall, she became a wallflower.
Amidst the flood of colorful people, she looked like a pitiful wilted flower, caught up in the current and washed away.
Maybe that’s why.
As she walked towards the garden, he saw her fall. She tried to get up all on her own without anyone’s help, and at this, Olivier couldn’t turn a blind eye.
Without a feeble explanation, her eyes alone were what drew him to her.
She was in pain.
In fact, it looked as though she wanted to cry.
He knew that expression well.
There were beasts around him, their fangs aimed at his neck. The moment he’d reveal his weakness, the soft flesh of his throat would be torn apart, blood gushing out from his arteries. So he knew that face, that it was impossible to unclench one’s lips.
At that moment, she was like a mirror in front of him.
For just that moment, she allowed him to take off his mask of pretense.
And now, when everything was about to start, she appeared again in front of him
 smiling so brightly.
Perhaps a humorous scene played out.
So she laughed out loud.
When she laughed so heartily, her eyes scrunched up while her hands were wide open, covering her face.
He could see her thumb pressing against her cheek as she continued to laugh.
Then, a new development seemed to have rapidly come. She sighed lightly.
Perhaps she even looked angry.
That moment, as he watched her, he could see everything about her.
She was so full of vitality, as though she was a red flower blooming underneath the midsummer sun.
Her eyes, her smile, her gestures.
All of it was so vivid that he had no choice but to close his eyes.
When Olivier opened his eyes again, he saw the crow-like Yves Russell next to her.
She whispered something to Marquis Russell, and then he nodded back dryly.
When Olivier saw this, he felt a terrible sense of helplessness out of nowhere.
He really didn’t know why.
She leaned against the railing again and focused on the play, and right then, Marquis Russell looked up.
In the air between them, Olivier and Yves’ gazes met.
Yves Rusell smirked.
He smirked as though he had watched everything and read everything in his mind.
Olivier looked back at him with a dull gaze.
But even so, Olivier had to admit it.
Having taken notice of Olivier’s feelings faster than he could himself, Yves Russell caught him off guard and broke down the steel walls that he had built around him.
Olivier quietly raised his index finger and placed it over his lips.
Seeing this, Yves Russell nodded.
Without a word between them, a negotiation had taken place.
* * *
“It’s vulgar as expected. It’s absolutely not worth seeing more of it.”
As the play entered its second half, Empress Adrianne stood up from her seat.
Even as she said it’s not worth seeing, she seemed to have exerted much energy in watching it intently, given how bloodshot her eyes were.
Following the empress, Olivier stood up as well.
The empress had already grasped the underlying meaning of the play.
Olivier’s goal was fulfilled.
More than that, the results were satisfying.
‘And
’
While the empress stepped into the lounge for a moment, Olivier wrote a note and handed it to his aide, Joel.
“Give this to Marquis Russell.”
Joel left immediately.
And right after, the empress returned. She was quite calm now.
But her mask wasn’t entirely firm.
While walking with Olivier escorting her, the empress’ mind was heavy with complicated thoughts as she looked around, chewing her lips persistently.
“Your Majesty.”
At his call, Adrianne’s eyes were wide as she glanced towards him.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Adrianne’s forehead was slightly wrinkled.
However, in her blue eyes, she saw nothing different from Olivier’s usual appearance.
“
Ahh, it’s only because I’ve grown tired.”
Adrianne forced herself to smile.
Olivier nodded.
“Then, let us return to the Imperial Palace.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Adrianne was lost in thought again.
Olivier looked behind the line of attendants to confirm that Joel was following. When he saw the aide there, he ordered Joel to prepare for their return to the palace.