ALL NOVEL Chapter 135
“Haha! This is embarrassing.”
Lark, who had confidently entered to secure standing seats, emerged again after just 15 minutes, wearing a wistful smile.
“Ah, don’t worry about it!”
“Yes, Your Highness. If you try to buy seats that aren’t for sale, won’t it trouble Madame Ruby?”
Recognizing Lark’s remorse, the knights concealed their displeasure.
After pondering them for a while, perplexed, Lark spoke, “…Well, shall we head back and play together?”
“Pardon?”
“You do have a ticket, don’t you?”
The knights tilted their heads.
“Yes, you’re right. Since someone was thoughtful enough to provide it, I wanted to check out the fashion show during the intermission. So, how about we, comrades of the Order, enjoy the festival together before that?”“Really, Your Highness?”
“No, you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”
The knights, who appeared quite imposing, were unexpectedly moved and choked up.
At that moment…
“Hey!”
A luxurious carriage stopped before the theatre, and a familiar face descended.
“…?”
“Wow!”
“Th-the owner of the M-Magic Tower?”
Wearing an expression that seemed weary and annoyed with everything, Shane roughly tied up his long silver hair and entered.
Lark approached him in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“What? You should be grateful that I came at all.” Shane, with a deeply furrowed expression, grumbled. “I promised to help with the stage lighting, and now you’re complaining about my timing?”
“…?”
“Are you seriously criticizing this busy Owner after exploiting him for labor, as her lover, no less?”
Lark glanced at the knights behind him as Shane mentioned the word “lovers”, and whispered, “Quiet down. It was my request, not the princess’.”
“Hahaha.”
Shane smiled brightly but soon hardened his expression while taking out a letter.
[To the Owner of the Magic Tower.
Thank you very much for coming to attend the fashion show. Since you’ve come from far away, may I make one request?
We hired a stage lighting company to set up the lighting, but it’s not to my liking. It would be really great if you could come and help manually…
If it’s too much trouble, that’s okay too. Have fun and enjoy yourself.
Madame Ruby.
Lark van Rashmagh Descarde.]
“Do you think I’ll do what you say just because you wrote your name at the end? Are you kidding?”
“Hmm, never mind, just get in quickly.”
Shane asked as he was being pushed by Lark, “What about you?”
“Oh, I’m planning to enjoy the festival with the knights who came with me and then join in later.”
“Why not watch from the beginning?”
“Well, the knights don’t have tickets, you see. Thanks to how popular it is, the tickets sold out in just 10 minutes after the ticket booth opened.”
Shane’s eyes narrowed. “All sold out in 10 minutes for a theater with so many seats?”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”
“You’re too gullible. It’s probably not really sold out, just pretending to be.” Shane added with a tongue click, “I saw it on the way here. They even controlled all the vendors around the theater. They had the streets around the theater cordoned off exclusively.”
“What?” Lark’s eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t notice, but Madame Ruby must be very high-class. She can’t tolerate commoners wandering around the upscale party area. She should have told them outright to let only nobles in; why bother?”
“…”
Lark’s expression subtly changed in response to Shane’s sarcastic remarks.
Is Rubette really like that?
It’s one thing to control the tickets, but controlling the entire festival street…
“Anyway, I’m going in.”
Shane left behind the perplexed Lark, waved his hand, and disappeared into the theater.
***
‘Where did he go…’
Lark, who I thought had gone to the bathroom for a moment, didn’t return. I was about to go out to look for him myself, but…
‘Ugh, today is driving me crazy.’
I couldn’t leave my seat for long as I had to attend to VIP customers who came to greet me now and then. As the show’s opening time approached, I could finally take a breath, and this time, I met Shane.
“Excuse me, Lord Shane. I really appreciate you coming to help. But since we’re both busy, could you please… listen to me seriously? Can you?”
Backstage.
Thanks to Shane’s tightly-timed arrival, I had a microphone on my lips and was explaining the lighting guide, but I felt like tears were about to well up.
It was because of his strangely uncooperative attitude despite the lack of time.
“I’m listening. Go ahead.”
“Sigh.”
“…”
“So, when the models make their entrance, please alternate between the left number one light and the right number three light—”
“Yawn.” Shane yawned wide as if listening to me but not really, making it clear that he was dissatisfied, even though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“Fine then. If it’s too much trouble, you can just enjoy the show and leave it. We’ve hired a lighting company, after all.”
I decided to dismiss this difficult man gracefully and was about to go look for Lark when…
“Hey.”
Shane grabbed my arm as he quickly passed by me.
…Hey? Did he just say ‘hey’?
“Excuse me?”
“Are you playing with Lark?”
“What? What are you talking abou-”
I was about to respond in confusion, but he interjected abruptly, “Let me ask you something first. There were a lot of people who wanted to see the fashion show, so why aren’t you selling balcony tickets? I noticed the second-floor balcony seats were completely empty earlier.” With a grin, Shane lowered his head and continued, locking eyes with me, “The crown prince and his entourage, who braved the cold winter of the capital together, were shivering on the ground floor. I thought it was pitiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.”
“…?”
“Does it make sense not to let them in because there are no tickets? He’s not just anyone, you know?”
Only then did it dawn on me.
‘Lark came to ask if there were any available seats earlier.’
My temperature rose as I glanced at Marquis Cade Reuben, who had monopolized the seats.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. We’re selling balcony tickets, but they’ll be available only 15 minutes before the show starts.”
“Why go through all that trouble?”
“Well, someone intentionally bought out all the regular seats. That’s why we didn’t originally plan to sell balcony tickets, but we decided to reopen the ticket booth quickly. They might do the same thing if we open it in advance, so it’ll be 15 minutes before the show.”
Shane fell silent.
“But I admit I was thoughtless. I didn’t know the knights were coming with him. I should have given them some tickets in advance.”
“Wait.”
“Oh!”
After finishing speaking, I tried to rush out to find Lark, but Shane’s tight grip on my shawl almost caused me to stumble.
“Why again? I must find Lark right now, so please let me go.”
“Did you break up with Lark?”
“No!” I answered immediately and then hesitated. Shane probably didn’t even know we were dating, so why was he asking if we broke up…
However, he seemed to be aware of it somehow and asked without any surprise on his face. “If that’s not it, then explain.”
“What do I need to explain?”
Shane pulled me along, dragging me with him. As we emerged by the stage, I could see the packed audience seats.
At that moment, I felt the gaze of Marquis Cade Reuben, who had been sitting in the front row, looking in our direction.
“I am the summoner of light.”
“Who doesn’t know about that?”
“You have hired a lightning company and installed all the magic lights here; although they only work with my power.”
Why does he keep stating the obvious? I’m swamped here!
Whether he knew or didn’t know that I was making a bewildered expression beneath my mask… Shane pointed up at the largest light fixture in the center of the theater ceiling and added, “You have engraved the congratulatory message by the noble guests on that number two center light. I can see it all.”
“Yes, I’m sure you can see it.”
There was an order to reveal the congratulatory messages for the fashion show opening by about ten VIP customers. I had prepared it by engraving it on that central light fixture…
“But why so confident? What’s with that message implying a public relationship?”
“What do you mean? Public relationship, you say?”
Shane opened his mouth, glaring at the lighting.
“My beautiful muse, Rubetria Diollus. I love everything about you. Your rose-colored hair, golden eyes, your small hands that touch me, being by my side every day…” Shane was speaking, but he suddenly groaned, cleared his throat, and quietly added, “…your gaze, still half-asleep when you wake up, your slender back, the curve of your… Oh, damn it. Let’s stop.”
At that moment, I was utterly surprised, my mouth agape.
Shane furrowed his brow deeply. “That’s the message engraved on the light. Didn’t you say the congratulatory messages were supposed to go out before revealing your identity?”
“…”
“Anyone can see it’s an implied message about a public relationship sent by a lover who knew your identity in advance. But Lark wouldn’t send such a message openly unless he’s gone mad.” Shane shook his head and brushed his hair back, clicking his tongue. “Could it be Lark who did this? Or did someone else do it?”
“No, I have no idea.”
I immediately retrieved the script for the fashion show and checked the engraved congratulatory message.
Of course, the show goes through my scrutiny before proceeding. There’s no way I would have passed a congratulatory message like that…
“You have no idea?”
“Yes, I didn’t put up that message.”
“Then it seems someone bought the lighting company. Any guesses?”
“The person who monopolized the seats.”
“Damn it. We’ve got a lunatic on our hands.”
I glanced back at the VIP seats and noticed that Marquis Cade Reuben, wherever he had gone, had disappeared.
‘He’s a lunatic fan.’
The man even knew that Madame Ruby was Rubetria Diollus…”
I took a deep breath to regain my composure and called for Shane. “You see, Your Highness, for now—”
“Yeah. Go look for Lark.” Shane waved his hand.
“Alright. And about that central light message—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Watching him flick his ear dismissively, I felt somewhat touched. Without him, things could have gone very wrong.
“Thank you so much. We almost ruined the show. But since I’m asking for a favor, just one more thing.”
Shane raised an eyebrow as if to ask, “What now?”
I whispered softly, “This time, no tacky stuff.”
“Ugh!” He let out an exasperated exclamation.
***
I clutched my pounding heart as I walked through the VIP audience passage, where access was restricted to the general public.
“My beautiful muse, Rubetria Diollus.”
In addition to revealing my identity, there was also the seat monopoly and the purchase of the lighting company…
Suspecting that Lord Reuben, who had seemed so genteel, might be a stalker, I found it hard to stay calm.
‘I really hate this.’
How could this situation not feel familiar? I’ve encountered fans and stalkers dozens, if not hundreds of times during the Juliet Karenina era.
Those who somehow knew my address and left notes at my door.
Those who called to harass me.
And…
“…”
My footsteps halted halfway through the long corridor. The reason was Marquis Cade Reuben leaning against the wall as if waiting.
‘There were always those who waited no matter where I went.’
Even as I tried to hide my nervousness, the memories of the nightmare during the Juliet era made it impossible to remain composed.
As I tried to pass by Cade, he blocked my path.
He asked softly, reaching out to lift my chin, “Where are you off to so hurriedly, Madame?”