Chapter 60

“You’ve kept me waiting.”

There was a trace of irritation in Winter’s voice, and the man who appeared to be the theater owner stammered an apology.

“O-Oh, my deepest apologies. I was having quite a bit of trouble calming the actors down just now. Once they heard you were coming, my lord, they were all beside themselves with excitement, as you can imagine.”

The theater owner shot a quick sideways glance at Josephine, then lowered his voice.

“If you have a moment to spare, please drop by the dressing rooms. There are more than a few actors who are desperate to make your acquaintance, my lord. Hoho.”

“Cut the nonsense and just show us to our seats.”

“Yes, yes, of course. This way.”

When the theater owner took the lead, his staff parted to either side, making a path.

Josephine asked with a note of disbelief as she walked down the aisle, linked arm-in-arm with her fiancé.

“Did I hear that right? You’re this theater’s… top patron?”

It wasn’t unusual for nobles to sponsor theaters.

Supporting the arts was considered an honorable pursuit, and it was also part of politics.

That’s why there were quite a few nobles willing to donate sums so large that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to dream of them.

But there could only be one top patron. The one who had given the most.

And that turned out to be her fiancé.

Only now did Josephine realize why Winter had arranged their meeting so early in the day and why the theater owner and his staff had come out personally to greet them.

“You rented out the entire theater? Before it even opens?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’d prepared a gift you might like.”

“Well, yes, but… I didn’t expect a gift on this kind of scale.”

But Josephine didn’t yet know —

It was still too early to be surprised.

The two of them were led to seats prepared solely for them, overlooking a stage set up exclusively for their enjoyment.

They sat down, and soon the play began.

Its opening scene started with a monologue by the leading actress.

Josephine recognized the actress immediately. She was a famous performer whose name she’d heard many times before.

But before long, she noticed something strange.

“Wait… this isn’t one of the plays currently being performed, is it?”

Estwick was one of the three great theaters of Lambart, and Josephine who made a point of checking out every new production from such prestigious venues realized it right away:

The play unfolding before her eyes had never been performed anywhere before.

Winter answered,

“It’s called The Knight of Saint Catanzaro.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Of course not. It’s scheduled to open next month.”

“So what I’m watching right now is… an unreleased production?”

A moment later, Josephine found herself unable to ask any more questions. She had to focus on the stage.

The Knight of Saint Catanzaro told the story of Lorelai, a knight who lived in secret as a masked vigilante, and how he met and fell in love with Arietta, the eldest daughter of a powerful noble family.

On Saint Catanzaro’s Day, which was a festival meant to remind people of the value of family and to comfort one another, a young woman was seen hanging herself from the rafters in an attic.

The woman’s true identity was Arietta, the eldest daughter of a count’s house, orphaned after her father’s death and robbed of her inheritance by her uncle.

Just as Arietta’s toes pushed the chair away, the attic window burst open and in came a thief who had come to rob the house.

That “thief” turned out to be none other than Lorelai, the righteous knight who stole from corrupt nobles to give to the poor. Lorelai saved Arietta’s life, and that fateful rescue became the spark that ignited their love.

And then Arietta’s uncle. Count Montici, the man who had stolen her family estate, transformed into the true villain of the story, trying to capture the intruding “thief” and standing in the way of the two women’s love.

The tale developed into a battle for their happiness.

In the end, Lorelai’s identity was exposed, and he fought a duel as Arietta’s champion. Arietta reclaimed her family’s title, forgave Lorelai for his crimes, and the two saved each other from danger.

Lorelai and Arietta decided to use Count Montici’s ill-gotten fortune to help the poor, and those they had aided came to bless the couple at their wedding, bringing the story to a close.

From the beginning to the end of the play, Josephine found herself holding her breath, clenching her fists, applauding without thinking, and letting out sighs of relief.

When the wedding march began to play, she even blinked away tears. Her long lashes were glistening with moisture.

After the curtain call and the actors’ bows, Josephine and Winter moved to the theater’s upper-level bar.

With a light drink in hand, Josephine savored the lingering emotions.

“It was so good, I feel like the time just flew by. But… I also feel a little sad. That such a wonderful play is something only I know about for now. Well, not only me… us, I should say.”

“I take it you liked the gift.”

“Liked it? I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.”

Josephine hadn’t shown it outwardly, but she had been feeling a bit hurt lately because Winter had been too busy to see her often.

She never expected to receive such a gift.

She smiled from ear to ear and asked,

“What about you? Did you enjoy the play?”

“I found it… interesting.”

“Really? What part did you find interesting?”

Josephine who was more lively than usual was delighted at the thought that she had discovered a shared interest she hadn’t noticed before. She took a sip of her sweet cocktail and waited for his reply.

Winter said,

“The part where someone who lives openly as a knight in the daylight secretly leads a completely different life in the shadows.”

“Pffft!”

Josephine spat out her drink and it dribbled down.

The blue liquid she’d just been holding in her mouth began to trickle slowly down her fiancé’s face.

“Uh…”

“……”

A heavy silence settled between them.

***

Without a word, Winter pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping his own face.

Josephine snapped out of her frozen panic and hurried to help while stammering an excuse.

“S-Sorry! I suddenly choked, that’s all…”

Even as she spoke, her mind was a tangled mess.

What exactly did he mean by that?

To find it interesting that someone who openly served as a knight by day secretly lived another life in the shadows…

Wasn’t that almost like describing her?

After all, Lorelai, the character in the play, and Josephine shared one crucial trait.

They both had a secret they couldn’t reveal to anyone.

Josephine was publicly a knight in the Royal Guard, sworn to protect the king.

But she was also a member of a covert unit, tasked with carrying out the crown’s less-than-honorable missions.

She had never told anyone that truth. Not even her family.

Could Winter know? Could he know that I’m part of the Candela Knights?

She wanted to believe it was just overthinking, that she was reading too much into it… but today, the coincidences lined up a little too well.

Of all days, he’d chosen today for their date. He’d taken her to see an unreleased play whose protagonist was in exactly the same position she was.

Her voice trembled as she asked—

“But just now, what you said… I mean, which part of the play you found interesting…”

“You mean the part where the protagonist, Lorelai, lives under two different identities?”

“Yes, that’s it. Why did you think that part was interesting? Was there… some meaning behind it?”

“No special meaning. I just thought it was an entertaining bit of imagination.”

“Ah, entertaining imagination… Right, of course. Things like that don’t happen in real life, do they? Haha.”

Josephine let out a silent sigh of relief.

But her peace didn’t last long.

Because of her fiancé’s sudden remark.

“Josephine.”

“Yes?”

“Would you come to my house this weekend?”

“This weekend?”

“Yes.”

Josephine was taken aback.

She knew exactly what it meant for a single man to invite his lover to his home.

Her mind began working quickly, and a moment later, when she reached her conclusion, her cheeks flushed.

Flustered, she blurted out without thinking,

“Wh-Why?”

“Well, if I had to give a reason… there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Her name is Dahlia. She’s a servant who works at my house.”

“A servant?”

“I just thought that anyone who serves me ought to at least know the face of my fiancée.”

The moment she heard that answer, Josephine’s instincts kicked in.

This was an excuse.

He was embarrassed about inviting her over, so he was using the servant as a cover.

The classic “I have a cat at my place, want to come see it?” strategy.

Josephine felt a thrilling rush.

So, even this man who always seemed so unshakable and composed has moments when he gets embarrassed. And because of me!

Dragging out her answer would hardly be polite to a lover who had worked up the courage to invite her.

With that thought, Josephine was just about to accept her fiancé’s offer when—

“Ah.”

A sudden realization flashed through her mind.

“I can’t this weekend.”

“You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that… I just have something I need to take care of.”

It was a matter for the Candela Knights.

The night before, they had raided the mansion of Count Montieri and seized a stash of smuggled goods. Now, the task of dealing with those goods remained.

The Candela Knights’ work wasn’t always this hectic. There were even months when no orders came at all.

But of all weeks, it had to be this one where the work piled up.

She had never resented her own circumstances more.

Holding her true feelings deep inside, Josephine offered her fiancé an excuse.

“Please don’t think your invitation isn’t important to me. And I’m not making this up because I don’t want to go. It’s just… this really is something important…”

“And what exactly is this ‘something’ you can’t tell me?”

“I’m sorry.”

Josephine couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

She was afraid…afraid Winter might be disappointed, and worse, that he might come to hate her because of it.

What if he thinks I don’t like him? But that’s not it at all…

She couldn’t explain the real reason.

But it was the truth.

Was it too selfish to hope he would understand that truth anyway?

And to Josephine’s wish, Winter simply said—

“All right. I understand.”

He said it as if it were nothing at all.

Josephine asked,

“Really?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not disappointed? I’m always hiding something from you… don’t you think it’s suspicious?”

“Hiding means you can’t speak of it. But I know you’ve never lied to me, even if you’ve kept silent.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know you.”

“……”

There was no way he could know.

The secret she carried.

That she was a member of the Candela Knights.

And yet Winter’s voice was full of certainty—

Enough to make Josephine feel it was genuine.

How does he always… on what basis does he give me such unwavering trust?

Josephine felt so grateful she thought she might cry.

With a complicated, delicate expression, she bit her lip. Winter added,

“And it’s not as if this weekend is our only chance.”

“Ah!”

“I’ll make time next week. How about dinner at my place then?”

“Yes. I’ll be there no matter what. Even if I break my leg.”

“…If it’s that bad, you don’t need to come.”

Winter gave a faint chuckle.

And when Josephine saw that, she couldn’t help but laugh with him.