Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 34

Could I have mistaken her for someone else?

But Lucius knew all too well that this wasn’t the case. Even before he knew her face, he could recognize her instantly; there was no way he was mistaken now. The woman who had just emerged from the hotel with that strange man was undoubtedly Brianna Everett.

The moment he realized this, a cold sensation spread through his veins. Even as he tried to rationalize the situation, he couldn’t come up with a plausible reason why Brianna would be leaving a hotel with a man. No matter how he turned it over in his mind, nothing made sense.

Unable to shake off his confusion, Lucius arrived at the theater with Adelheid. As he took her hand and escorted her inside, they were immediately met with the gaze of many onlookers. Lucius, accustomed to such attention, guided Adelheid to the VIP box on the second floor without missing a beat.

“The view of the stage is really great from here. I’ve always watched from some tucked-away corner before,” Adelheid said, her voice filled with childlike excitement as she explored the VIP box. She wandered around the spacious area, much larger than the other box seats, before leaning over the railing and beaming at him.

“Thank you so much for bringing me here, Lucius. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased,” Lucius replied, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

He had seen that same expression before. Brianna had looked just as delighted when he took her to see the fireworks. But now, thinking back, he couldn’t even remember the fireworks themselves. All he could recall was her face, lit up with joy as she watched them.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I must have already been losing my mind.

Lucius let out a quiet sigh, which caught Adelheid’s attention. She approached him with a playful smile.

“I’ve been curious about something…” she began hesitantly, then corrected herself, “Actually, I’ve wondered about this for a while, but no one would give me a straight answer. Do you think you could satisfy my curiosity, Lucius?”

Lucius responded politely, “Ask away. If it’s something I know, I’ll gladly answer.”

“I’ve heard that some people bring their lovers to the opera instead of their spouses. Is that true?”

It was common among the nobility to maintain extramarital affairs, though it was taboo to be seen publicly with a lover. Such a scandal would invite the wrath of the entire social circle. However, there was one exception—bringing a lover to the opera. Once the performance began, the theater would go dark, making it nearly impossible to recognize faces. Even if someone did realize a lover had been brought, it was considered genteel to turn a blind eye.

“I’ve heard that as well,” Lucius confirmed.

“But isn’t it risky to get caught with a lover here? How do they come and go without being noticed?” Adelheid asked, her head tilted in curiosity.

“I believe they take advantage of the darkness when the performance begins. They enter after the lights go out and leave before they come back on.”

“Oh, I see now.”

“What made you think of that all of a sudden?” Lucius inquired.

Adelheid pointed to a pair seated on the far edge of the horseshoe-shaped audience section. “Those two over there just didn’t seem like a married couple to me. But after hearing what you said, maybe it’s just a significant age difference.”

Following her gesture, Lucius’s expression turned icy. Sitting there, just as Adelheid had indicated, were Brianna and the man he had seen earlier. Though the distance made their features indistinct, Lucius had no difficulty recognizing them after having seen them so recently.

“She looks so young to be married to such an old man… how unfortunate,” Adelheid remarked. Despite her words, her face radiated a sense of pride and superiority. In truth, she wanted everyone present to witness her and Lucius together.

Just then, the lights in the audience dimmed.

“Oh, it looks like the performance is about to start,” Adelheid said, taking her seat with an eager gaze directed at the stage.

Meanwhile, Lucius kept his eyes fixed on the spot where Brianna sat, not even blinking as the darkness enveloped them.

***

Lucius Carlisle.

Brianna, who had stepped out of the lounge just before the performance began, overheard someone mention his name. She quickly turned her gaze toward the theater’s entrance. Sure enough, she saw Lucius stepping out of a carriage.

Did he come with his family?

Since she was already acquainted with his family, she thought she might have the chance to thank him personally for finding her father’s watch. With that thought in mind, she began to walk toward him, but then she froze in her tracks as she noticed a young woman stepping out of the carriage after him.

The woman held Lucius’s hand, her face youthful and almost childlike. Despite her young age, she was a stunning beauty who instantly captivated everyone’s attention. With hair like spun gold and sapphire-like eyes, she gazed up at him with a joyful expression.

Lucius, escorting her, seemed to have matured significantly in just a few months. Any lingering traces of the boy he once was had vanished, leaving behind the strong, solid frame of a young man.

As the two of them walked into the theater hand in hand, Brianna instinctively hid behind a column. And then she wondered, ‘Why am I hiding?’

While she struggled to find an answer to her confusion, the pair headed up to the second floor, and Brianna emerged from behind the column, her eyes following them as they ascended the stairs.

“The second son of the Carlisle family at an opera? Who would’ve thought?”

“I know, right? I heard he doesn’t care much for opera, so what could be the occasion?”

The murmuring voices nearby reached Brianna’s ears.

“Looks like it’s just him and Miss Adelheid.”

“Oh, does that mean the two families are officially aligning?”

“Surprising. I thought Karen would be the frontrunner.”

“Well, the Brantel family has had close ties with the Carlisles for a long time, so they couldn’t be discounted.”

Ignoring the whispers, Brianna ascended the stairs. The second floor was lined with doors leading to individual box seats, each door marked with a number.

Brianna paused before the door at the very center of the row. On the other side of it, Lucius was likely seated with the beautiful young lady she had just seen.

It seems today is not the right time.

With that thought, Brianna turned away and walked down the hallway, eventually reaching the door at the far end. She opened it and stepped inside to find Marc Drevis leaning against the railing, surveying the theater.

“You’re not reconsidering your investment, are you?” Brianna asked playfully, earning a hearty laugh from him.

“Upon closer inspection, it’s clear that the theater is indeed quite old. It looks like they haven’t been able to maintain the facilities well over the years. Buildings like this show their age quickly if they’re not regularly maintained.”

During their dinner earlier that evening, Mr. Drevis had informed Brianna that he had decided to invest in the theater. After the performance, he planned to meet with the manager to discuss the business side of things.

“But the level of the singers and ballet company is high, and the overall system is well-organized, so it’s definitely worth investing in. It’s easier to improve the facilities than to change people.”

“Is that so?” Brianna asked.

He nodded. “Indeed. Investing in people is always the hardest and takes the longest. But there’s nothing more rewarding than investing in people. That’s why the lady you served was likely so keen on teaching you so much.”

Brianna smiled softly. “Is your wife doing all right?”

During dinner at a restaurant near the hotel, Mrs. Drevis had experienced some mild indigestion. Although she felt better after taking some medicine, she decided to rest at the hotel instead of attending the performance. After escorting her back, Marc and Brianna had come to the theater together.

“She’ll be fine after some rest. It’s something she deals with often, so there’s no need to worry.”

“My lady also had chronic indigestion during her life. Reducing rich foods and taking a light walk after meals helped her a great deal.”