Episode 26
Theodore’s hand, pouring red wine across the wide table of Randel’s office, looked quite cheerful.
“What brings you here?”
“I heard something quite interesting… that the empire’s most beautiful woman and the man who owns the greatest theater are having a secret affair here.”
He spoke nonchalantly, pouring himself some wine with ease.
Randel’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Theodore.
“…And where did you hear that?”
“I just had to mention His Majesty the Emperor a few times, and they started spilling everything.”
He took a sip of wine and continued in a conspiratorial tone.
“You must’ve spent quite a bit. Judging by the grand decor of the theater, the night must have been enjoyable.”
Randel responded firmly and calmly to his curiosity.
“An affair? That’s ridiculous.”
“Is that so?”
“Since you seem to know already, I’ll tell you. Rosalyn Kiss has been affiliated with my troupe for a year. She’s practicing to perform on stage here.”
“And I, merely as the troupe master, am supervising and guiding her practice.”
But Theodore, without a change in expression, continued to look at Randel.
“Are you, too, one of those men enchanted by that alluring rose scent?”
“…What?”
Randel’s straight eyebrows twitched at Theodore’s sudden comment.
“Sadly, I was too. Just another man who got wounded by the thorns of that rose.”
“If that’s the case, you should not be staying here.”
Randel drew a firm line.
“Oh? So the rumors are true?”
Theodore smirked mischievously.
“There was a time when it was said that the sole heir of the Hezrant family proposed to Rosalyn Kiss.”
Hearing that, Huson, who had been quietly observing from behind, became visibly nervous.
But Randel remained calm.
“Where did you hear such a thing? You weren’t even around then.”
“I have my sources.”
Treating this like casual gossip, Theodore went on.
“You know… it’s strange, but she seems to be everywhere I go.”
The visit of a royal had been reported late, so the banquet preparations were running behind.
Outside, the sun had already set. A sharp crescent moon floated in the dark sky.
Despite Randel’s burning glare, Theodore smiled, unfazed and dangerously amused.
“So I thought to myself…”
The two men locked eyes in a tense stare.
“Ah, if this isn’t fate, then what is?”
A heavy silence fell over the table between them.
Unexpectedly, Randel was the first to break the silence, looking unamused.
“Fate… you say.”
Though he spoke coldly and rigidly, he couldn’t hide the faint tremble in his clenched fist.
Finally, suppressing something within him, Randel spoke in a voice both polite and sarcastic.
“Your Highness, I never knew you to be such a romantic.”
“And you—acting in plays doesn’t suit your personality either, yet here you are. Ha!”
Theodore let out an ill-timed laugh.
As if he didn’t care about Randel’s reaction, Theodore casually cleaned his ear and continued.
“But that was a passing thought.”
He chuckled and raised both hands.
“I’ve let go of all that now.”
A mischievous grin flashed across his face again.
Watching Randel’s reaction, he spoke once more.
“So let me try it, too—this ‘supervisor’ role.”
But Randel responded flatly.
“One is enough for a single actress. Besides, this is an internal matter of our troupe. An outsider’s involvement is absolutely not allowed.”
“Who said I was supervising her?”
At Theodore’s slightly forceful tone, Randel’s brow furrowed in displeasure.
“Huh? I meant I’d be supervising you. And now you’re treating me like some outsider? That’s a bit cold.”
“Who… exactly are you referring to?”
Randel’s expression contorted.
“As someone heavily invested in this play, I received a report that the troupe master was playing around with an actress under the guise of practice. Don’t you think I should verify it myself?”
“What investor—!”
“The 2000 Broad.”
Randel shook his head.
“If it’s an investor, we don’t need more. What we’ve received is more than enough.”
“Well, your direct deputy seems to think differently. His mouth was wide open with excitement the moment he saw me.”
With that, Theodore confidently pulled out an investment contract from his chest and waved it in front of Randel.
“Apparently, the matter was delegated to someone at the theater while I made my way here. It’s all done. Even stamped.”
Then, Theodore slowly stood up and glanced around the reception room.
His eyes caught a luxurious golden ornamental dagger displayed in a cabinet. He picked it up and unsheathed it. Though decorative, the blade inside was sharp and well-forged.
“Hmmm~”
The low hum of his tune became the only sound in the room.
Eventually, Randel, recognizing that reason would not work on his opponent, spoke in a quiet but firm voice.
“Please don’t interfere.”
“I never said I would. Just give me a place to sleep and some food.”
He shrugged nonchalantly.
“Hiding out is hard. That’s the real problem for me.”
“What is your true intention in coming here?”
At Randel’s question—trying to read his true motives—Theodore’s eyes briefly lost their playful glint and settled into something calmer.
“It just seemed fun.”
He smiled faintly and twirled his wine glass.
The crimson liquid swirled inside the clear glass, clinging dangerously to the walls.
“I thought this place might bring a refreshing wind to my boring life. That’s all.”
Then he downed the remaining wine and added meaningfully:
“No…”
With a glint in his violet eyes, Theodore’s voice, though light, turned sharp again.
“If I’m going to watch, I’d rather it be a storm powerful enough to leave scars.”
Downstairs, the scent of delicious food was already wafting up.
Theodore stood up promptly.
“Well, now that I have a proper reason to stay…”
He walked toward the reception room door, then turned to Randel.
“Shall we go have dinner together?”
His gaze quietly settled on Randel, who was still sitting on the sofa deep in thought.
– Fwiiit!
“For some reason, the two ladies are even more beautiful today. Hahaha!”
Theodore whistled in delight.
“We were waiting for you.”
Randel slowly rose from his seat to greet them.
The two women looked quite different now—well dressed, even wearing makeup.
Still, aside from a slight lift of his brow, Randel showed no reaction.
‘Hoh…’
Theodore, standing beside him, did not miss even that small change.
“They’re so dazzling, they made my eyes pop! Huh? You agree with me, don’t you?”
But Randel answered coldly.
“Judging by the noise, sounds like a dog barking again.”
Theodore grabbed his forehead in mock despair.
“I—I’m being compared to a mutt?!”
Huson, now pale-faced, rushed over to clean up the situation.
“Prince Theodore, it just so happens that Miss Christine brought along the dog our troupe master raised in the capital! Haha, we left it in the backyard, and I think that’s the sound you’re hearing…”
“Woof woof!”
One of the attendants behind them let out a quiet dog bark, seemingly catching the hint.
“Haha… Our troupe master surely wasn’t referring to Your Highness. Right, sir?”
Huson jabbed Randel’s side desperately.
“R-right? Troupe master?”
