Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Since you must be tired, help your siblings put their belongings away and get some rest in their room. I don’t think I’ll need you for anything today.”

“Thank you, Baroness.”

I waved Maya off casually, her expression much softer than before, and plopped down on the sofa.

Only after I was alone did I have the leisure to think about what had happened today.

I fiddled with the thing that had been bothering me since earlier, then held it up before my eyes and examined it closely.

‘Why did he give this to me?’

In my hand were the theater invitations I had received from Ash McCallen.

If it were an unpopular troupe, they might hand out free tickets to attract an audience, but with <Glacier>, it was an entirely different story. It was a troupe that always sold out every seat.

On top of that, it was the premiere of a new production, and even VIP seats?

These were tickets that would be difficult to obtain even by paying a premium.

‘He could have gotten much more out of giving these as a gift to someone else, so why give them to me…….’

He didn’t seem to like me very much.

I had thought that man was rather inscrutable, but I never expected him to do something this unexpected. What on earth was he trying to pry out of me with this?

Well, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t know the answer, so I decided to make good use of the theater invitations I had unexpectedly obtained.

I wrote a letter to Arthur Gottfried, asking if he would like to go to the theater with me.

He probably wouldn’t refuse.

***

Arthur had been surprised by Rosalyn Tessis several times.

It was refreshing enough that she had been the one to suggest meeting three more times, but he truly hadn’t expected her to propose the first date herself.

He had already been thinking about their next meeting, only to have Rosalyn beat him to it.

“VIP seats for a performance by the <Glacier> troupe, no less…….”

These were tickets that were difficult to obtain without considerable connections. No matter how good a date plan he had come up with, it probably wouldn’t have been better than this.

‘Did Count Brough obtain them for her?’

The first person he suspected was her guardian, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It was true that they were very interested in this marriage proposal, but it didn’t seem as though they were putting in enough effort to give her such meticulous coaching.

Then it meant that Rosalyn had received them through someone she knew personally.

‘She’s already built connections like this? Impressive.’

His initial impression of her quickly crumbled away, and in its place, a positive image began to take shape.

Contrary to the rumors that she was uncouth, rude, and had nothing, Rosalyn was pretty, witty, refreshing, and charming.

Her manners, common sense, and education were somewhat lacking to his satisfaction, but in return, she was very interested in worldly affairs, giving them a wide range of topics to discuss, she was proactive about meeting him, and above all, she was confident.

“But even if that doesn’t happen, I have no hard feelings toward you, Young Master. A relationship isn’t something that can be forced into existence, after all, is it?”

Her words that she had no intention of clinging to this relationship unnecessarily still occasionally came to mind and made him chuckle. Hadn’t she even said that it was fine for him to meet other people separately while seeing her?

That was not something one could easily say without the confidence that ‘You’ll end up wanting me.’

And indeed, he was already looking forward to their theater date.

And that story tore Briana’s heart to shreds.

“Im……pressive. An invitation to the premiere of a new production by the <Glacier> troupe.”

“Right? And they’re VIP seats, too. I wonder who she got them from?”

“Who knows. Maybe she paid a hefty premium to get them in an attempt to win you over.”

“If she received something like this, the person must be quite high-ranking. Would someone like that really sell them for money?”

From the subtle way she defended Rosalyn, Briana realized that Arthur’s feelings had changed.

It was as though his previous gloomy mood, when he had lamented that he was going to be forced into a marriage by his parents, had been a lie, because his expression was now filled with anticipation.

When she had heard about what happened at the Dartmouth family’s tea party last time, she had also noticed that Rosalyn Tessis was not a woman to be taken lightly.

“They were talking about how you and Arthur had been best friends since childhood and whether the two of you should get married. Even though she was listening to it right in front of her, her complexion didn’t change at all.”

“If it were me, I don’t think I could have even brought up Arthur’s name there, but she calmly said that she was seeing Arthur. She’s really something else.”

The fact that she remained unfazed even after hearing that the man she had been set up with had a deep connection with another woman meant that love was not what mattered to her.

She probably saw it as entering into a kind of contract where it was certain that both sides would have something to exchange.

And that was precisely what Briana found unbearable.

‘Arthur is someone who deserves his wife’s absolute trust and affection. He isn’t someone who can be reduced to a few coins.’

The Arthur she had known since childhood was upright and exemplary, but at the same time, he was a person of delicate emotions. It was only because of his considerate nature, which made him think of the people around him first, that he hid how easily hurt he was inside.

If a man like that married a materialistic woman, wasn’t it obvious what his life would be like?

While she was lost in that painful thought, Arthur turned his head and asked her something.

“……that’s what I mean. What do you think, Bri?”

“Huh? Ah, what were we talking about?”

Briana suddenly came to her senses and asked back in confusion. He then gave her a strange look and placed his hand on her forehead.

“Are you feeling unwell? You don’t seem to have a fever, though…….”

At the warmth that touched her so casually, Briana felt her heart tighten.

“It’s not that. I was just thinking about the play we saw before for a moment…….”

“Hmm. Your expression didn’t look very good for that, though……. Are you really all right?”

“I really am. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

She gazed regretfully at his hand as it moved away and made up her mind.

She didn’t mind if she didn’t become this man’s wife.

But she also couldn’t let Arthur marry a woman who only valued him in terms of money.

***

The day came to use the invitations I had received from Ash.

As expected, Arthur Gottfried accepted my proposal, and he said he would come pick me up one hour before the performance began.

When Count and Countess Brough heard that I was going to the theater with him, they couldn’t hide their delight.

“So, the two of you are going to see a performance together? That’s wonderful, simply wonderful.”

“I hear it’s the new production by the <Glacier> troupe. The tickets must have been difficult to obtain, so Arthur certainly went to quite some trouble. Be sure to thank him.”

They naturally believed that Arthur had proposed this date. Did they think he was pleased about this marriage proposal?

In any case, I safely climbed into the Gottfried family’s carriage, which arrived in front of the mansion at three o’clock.

Arthur looked more dressed up than the last time we met, perhaps because of that, he seemed even more handsome.

I, too, had chosen the most expensive and prettiest outfit among the clothes Countess Brough had bought for me.

“You look beautiful.”

“It’s the day I’m meeting Young Master Gottfried, so I put a little effort into my appearance. Do you like it?”

“Of course.”

He must truly be incapable of giving insincere compliments. Normally, a man would offer a few more words of praise, but he simply stopped there.

Despite his amiable-looking appearance, he was incredibly aloof.

But a man who revealed his intentions and feelings like this was better. That way, I could adjust my approach according to his reactions.

If he were a man like Ash McCallen, I would have been troubled because I couldn’t read what was going on inside him.

On the way to the theater, we talked about the costumes, the weather, the troupe’s reputation, and the actors who would appear today. It was ordinary conversation for a man and woman who were beginning to see each other.

But it seemed there was another reason he had guided the conversation that way.

“By the way, how did you obtain these invitations today? I asked around a little myself, and they seemed to be extremely difficult to get.”

So that was what he had wanted to ask.

Apparently, that part had earned me quite a few points. A hint of curiosity and anticipation could be seen in Arthur’s expression as he asked.

In a situation like this, it would be better to leave some room for imagination.

“You don’t think I received them directly, do you? I just got them from ‘someone I know,’ that’s all.”

It wasn’t a lie, so I had nothing to feel guilty about.

As a well-educated man, Arthur didn’t ask, ‘Then who is that person you know?’ Though he was probably curious.

In the meantime, the carriage arrived at the <Glacier> Theater.

As expected of a famous theater, the road in front of it was crowded with carriages, and a large bulletin board in front of the building displayed posters featuring the faces of the three main characters in the play.

‘What would it feel like to perform in front of this many spectators?’

I remembered the days when I performed on a stage made of canvas, with country bumpkins seated before me.