Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 31

After practicing for quite a while, Lily finally stepped off the stage. She quickly made her way to where Brianna was seated and settled beside her, asking, “How was the interview?”

Brianna smiled warmly. “I nailed it this time.”

“Kyaa…!” Lily started to squeal but quickly covered her mouth, remembering the ongoing practice on stage. She then held out her palm towards Brianna, who responded with a soft laugh and a high five.

“But, do you think I’ll be okay? I’ve never seen an opera before since I’m from the countryside.”

“With me around, what do you have to worry about? Just ask me anything you’re curious about.”

“Then, what should I wear?” Brianna asked. She knew that attending an opera required a certain level of formality, and she certainly didn’t own anything suitable. There was no way she could afford an expensive dress just for a week of work.

“Hmm, about the dress…” Lily eyed Brianna’s figure up and down before speaking in a bright tone, “We’re about the same size, so you can wear one of mine. I’ll just give you a dress—take it.”

“You’d just give me a dress?” Brianna asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Yep! I have plenty of dresses. They’re a bit flashy and low-cut since they’re for the stage, but these days even noblewomen like to wear dresses like that, so it’ll be fine.”

“Lily, thank you so much!” Brianna clasped her hands together, her eyes glistening with gratitude. Lily waved her hand gracefully.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. But, how did I look on stage? My role is so small you probably couldn’t even see me, right?”

“What are you talking about? You were amazing!”

Lily let out a small chuckle. “Thanks. Even if it’s just flattery, it feels good to hear.”

“Lily, I mean it,” Brianna said, her expression turning serious. “I may not know much about opera, but I do know what it’s like to dedicate everything you have to one thing. Someone I knew was like that.”

Brianna remembered how much Leona loved literature and academia, how fiercely she lived just to write. It was why she recognized it instantly—Lily was the same kind of person.

The relentless pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal, the ability to get back up no matter how many times you fall—that was something Lily possessed too.

“Your dream will surely come true, Lily,” Brianna said with conviction.

Lily stared at Brianna for a moment, a little dazed, before breaking into a radiant smile. It was a smile so beautiful that no words could do it justice.

“Thank you. I want to become a really famous prima donna and help this theater regain its former glory.”

“Isn’t it already a good theater?”

“We keep getting overshadowed by the new modern theaters that have been popping up recently. To stay competitive, we’d need investment to upgrade the facilities, but we can’t really afford that right now. Still, because of our history and tradition, the nobles usually buy season tickets from us first.”

Lily pointed towards the box seats on the second floor. “Do you see those? Not just anyone can sit there. The tickets for those seats have already been sold. The Kossel family bought that one, and over there…”

As Lily explained which noble family had purchased each box, she finally pointed to the one in the very center of the second floor.

“And that royal box belongs to the Carlisle family.”

At that, Lucius Carlisle’s face naturally came to mind.

“Is that the best seat?” Brianna asked.

“Yep, it’s the one with the best view of the stage, so it’s also the most expensive. Not just any noble can sit there. Only members of the Carlisle family or someone specially invited by them can enter.”

Once again, Brianna was reminded of just how different her world was from Lucius’s. To think that such different worlds existed within the same space.

“So, will someone from the Carlisle family be attending this performance?” Brianna asked, trying to sound casual.

“Maybe? Usually, only the Dowager Duchess attends. The Duke and his brother aren’t really into opera, it seems.”

Then it would be hard to see him again this time. Brianna had hoped to thank him in person for finding her father’s watch.

Pushing aside her disappointment, Brianna stood up. “If you’re done with practice, let’s go. As a thank you for introducing me to the job, dinner’s on me tonight.”

“Really? Can I order something expensive?”

“Of course!”

The two of them laughed as they left the theater together.

***

Bang!

The bullet left the barrel and struck the center of the target with pinpoint accuracy. Every subsequent shot hit the mark just as perfectly.

“Lucius Carlisle. A perfect score.”

At the instructor’s words, Lucius lowered his gun. Murmurs spread among the others behind him.

“No way. How can someone score perfectly in both swordsmanship and marksmanship?”

“That guy also scored the highest in martial arts. He’s not just tough—he’s a monster.”

“And they say he wasn’t even interested in the military at first and only changed his mind recently?”

“Isn’t that rumor fake? With talent like his, there’s no way he wouldn’t have—ugh!”

As Lucius turned around, they immediately fell silent. They nervously shifted their eyes, trying to gauge his reaction, but Lucius didn’t spare them a single glance. He left the shooting range without a word.

Only then did sighs of relief echo around the room.

“Phew, I thought we were going to get punched just for talking.”

One of them tilted his head in confusion. “But has Lucius ever actually hit anyone? Why are you so scared?”

All eyes turned on him, wide with shock.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“What happened when he first enrolled.”

“No, I don’t.”

One of them leaned in, whispering in a tone that suggested this was something important to remember.

“Some guy picked a fight with him back then. Said something like, ‘With your brother’s leg like that, why don’t you take over the dukedom instead of joining the military? The current king did the same, so why shouldn’t you?’”

“And…?”

“He got beaten to a bloody pulp. We all thought he was going to die. Lucius was only fifteen at the time, and the other guy was a senior, about to graduate. A fifteen-year-old took down an eighteen-year-old in seconds. So, remember this: Lucius Carlisle, that beast, only ever turns into a lamb in front of the son of Viscount Robert.”

After leaving the shooting range, Lucius headed to the library. As he scanned the shelves for a book, he noticed Florian sitting at a desk. Lucius quietly took a seat across from him, but Florian didn’t seem to notice his presence. He was silently groaning over a spread of papers, but it didn’t look like he was actually reading the thesis in front of him. Instead, he kept tugging at his hair in frustration.

Now that the review was over, all that remained was to organize everything neatly and submit it. So what could be troubling him so much?

Rather than making his presence known, Lucius began reading his own book quietly.

Some time passed before Florian suddenly gasped. “When did you get here?”

Lucius glanced at his watch before replying, “About an hour ago.”

“You’ve been here that long and didn’t say anything? Well, it’s good that you’re here. I’m starving—let’s go get something to eat.”

Florian swept his scattered papers into his bag in one motion, then grabbed Lucius’s arm, urging him to stand.

“Hurry up. I’m starving.”

After tidying up, the two made their way to the dining hall on campus. Florian, who had been complaining about his hunger the whole way there, barely touched his food once it was served, picking at it half-heartedly and sighing now and then.

“What’s bothering you?” Lucius finally asked, knowing it was only a matter of time before Florian would spill his thoughts.

As if waiting for this moment, Florian began to pour out his worries.

“I think I might have messed up with Brie last time.”

Of course. The only thing you ever brood over is Brianna.

Lucius watched Florian’s troubled expression, feeling a wave of mild exasperation. Florian, who was shockingly indifferent to his own parents, would always fret over even the smallest details when it came to Brianna. To him, she was everything.

Lucius, half-resigned to the usual complaints, asked, “What did you do?”

“I’ve been good at hiding my feelings since Brie arrived in Bastogne, but last time I let it slip. She just laughed when she heard rumors about me seeing another woman, and in the heat of the moment…”

“And?”

“I told her I wished she’d be a little jealous of me… Ah, that’s something I shouldn’t have said!”