Chapter 30
It was Judith suddenly pulling out his photos and pressing her lips to them. These were actions he was seeing for the first time.
Startled briefly by her impulsive behavior, he soon let out a hollow laugh at the realization that she’d been doing such things behind his back all this time.
Her unpredictability, never knowing where her actions might veer next—that was so like her.
If it had been anyone else, he would have undoubtedly felt displeased, but for some reason, when she did it, it didn’t bother him at all.
No, rather…
That was when his thoughts were trailing off.
The lights illuminating the audience dimmed, and the performance began.
After the show ended, cheers and applause from the crowd rained down toward the stage. Axel, leaning against the railing with his chin propped up, muttered in boredom as he gazed at it.
“Finally over.”
Musicals really didn’t suit him, it seemed.
But unlike Axel, Judith watched the entire musical with sparkling eyes, her hands clasped tightly together.
She was so engrossed that by the end, her body was leaning forward. It was entertaining to watch her expressions change moment by moment.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he’d endured the remaining time thanks to her.
How could mere acting, not the real thing, be that enjoyable?
Come to think of it, Xenon had mentioned not long ago that a famous musical was being performed at a theater in the capital…
He glanced back at Judith, and her eyes were shining brightly.
He thought then that making a reservation in advance wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Kyaa! The sisters are so pretty! Don’t go! Heroine sister, marry me!”
‘…What?’
At that sound, he couldn’t help but scowl fiercely. For a moment, he wondered if he’d misheard, but listening again, the voice clearly belonged to Judith.
…Marry? What was that about?
She was even waving a rolled-up pamphlet enthusiastically, her face flushed just like when she faced him.
For him, who had thought Judith only acted that way toward him, it was an unavoidably shocking scene.
But she didn’t stop there.
She casually shouted words that twisted Axel’s insides multiple times over, all with an expression of pure joy and excitement.
His face hardened stiffly as he struggled to redirect his thoughts.
Telling himself it was just empty words, not sincere.
But then came words that crushed Axel’s hopes.
At the host’s question, Axel felt an inexplicable anxiety. He looked at Judith and chanted inwardly.
Say no. It can’t be sincere.
But the answer that inevitably came was.
“But if it’s sincere, why are you turning your back on Actor Kysian? And staying so far away. This doesn’t add up.”
And she was genuinely covering her face in embarrassment. She’d never shown such a reaction to him, not once. If anything, she’d been shameless.
His chest grew tighter, and his mood soured. Her response made it seem like she truly liked that actor.
‘Who on earth is the heroine to make the lady react like that?’
Only after the performance fully ended did Axel start examining the heroine’s face closely. And soon, upon recognizing the actress, his brows furrowed in disbelief.
‘Kysillian, why is she here of all places?’
She was someone Axel knew.
He’d wondered what mischief she was up to, and here she was, using the alias Kysian and all.
Axel tapped his fingers against the railing. And the rhythm gradually quickened.
Axel hoped Judith would come down from the stage around now, but things wouldn’t go his way.
‘Damn…’
He couldn’t understand why he felt so uneasy. It was while Judith was still on stage, during the reenactment of the final scene.
As Kysillian and Judith drew closer, and finally, the moment he witnessed her lips touch Judith’s cheek.
The iron railing he gripped crumpled with a crunch.
“Kysillian…”
It was definitely deliberate on Kysillian’s part. Their eyes had met just before the lips touched. The way her eyes crinkled in mockery was vivid in his memory.
Her consistently frivolous attitude was as infuriating as ever.
With the musical fully concluded, Axel, who had been trailing Judith again, had now lost her.
“…Where did she go?”
This shouldn’t have happened normally, but it was fireworks time, and the sudden surge of people caused him to lose her.
After wandering for quite a while, Axel found her again in front of the fountain at the center of the square. Two men were with Judith. For some reason, her robe was off.
The atmosphere seemed tense, like an argument, and as Axel approached them.
An unfamiliar voice from Judith reached his ears—one he’d never heard before. A cold tone laced with irritation.
It was when an insolent hand was raised high into the air. In an instant, Axel closed in, grabbed the hand, and twisted it. There was no hesitation in his actions, even as the man screamed.
How dare he, to whom.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
This voice, could it be…!
Turning her head, she saw Axel looking down at the men with a ferocity she’d never seen before.
It was the real Axel!
It felt like her long-absent vision had returned. A genuine smile bloomed on her face, which had lost its joy for so long.
“Your Highness!”
As she called out brightly to him with a smile. The man bellowed at the top of his lungs, shaking the square.
“Aaaargh!! I-I’m dying! H-help!”
Frowning at the siren-like noise assaulting her eardrums, she thought, why did he have to have such a uselessly loud voice? He was the worst kind of person in every way.
Unable to endure him any longer, she gently tugged at Axel’s arm. At the same time, Axel released his grip on the man.
The moment the pressure eased, the man quickly yanked his hand away, clutching it and groaning.
“Urgh, m-my arm…! W-who are you! Who do you think you are, showing up out of nowhere and doing this to me!”
But whether the man shouted in rage or not, Axel didn’t spare him a glance and turned to her.
