Paris looked at her with a questioning look.
“What are you looking at, my lady?”
Paris looked behind him, holding his wife’s hand.
Being able to see the faces of the husband and wife at the same time increased the gossip of the aristocrats. Paris and Irina didn’t care at all. They were used to others talking whenever they appeared.
What Irina was looking at was a poster depicting the lead singer of the opera. It was an expensive piece of art that was reproduced as realistically as the real thing by hiring a portrait master.
Paris smiled warmly, satisfied.
“Remember Lady Ariel Young? Baron Youngs child, whom I am sponsoring. I also sponsored that portrait. How perfect is the work of a craftsman.”
He stated proudly.
Lady Young was depicted in a position where she was slightly looking back.
She was terribly beautiful. She was a woman who exuded a splendid beauty while still being modest, like an orchid imported from the East across the sea. Her elegant black hair and green eyes. Quiet and calm-looking features. Overall, her face line gave off a soft and elegant atmosphere. With her rather pale skin and her small skeleton, she was a languid, weak, and stimulated a man’s protective instincts.
Irina had met her a few times. She’s been to the singer’s house a few times as well, accompanied by Paris.
Her voice was as beautiful as her appearance.
There was something else that grabbed her attention now.
It wasn’t the extravagant poster, or the beautiful Lady Young’s looks.
The necklace in the picture.
A blue diamond necklace hung around Lady Young’s slender neck. It was a one-of-a-kind, custom-made necklace that Irina had received on her wedding anniversary this past year.
Irina finally turned her head towards her husband.
“Paris Arcensis.”
Paris flinched at the low voice. He was nervous because she called him by his full name.
Irina’s cold blue eyes bored into him.
“Why is my necklace painted there?”
“Necklace? What necklace? What do you mean, that’s your necklace?”
He looked at Irina and the poster alternately with a puzzled expression.
Irina realized. And she spit her words out as if sighing.
“You really don’t know.”
Her husband had a great sense of aesthetics and loved art.
He was a stylish man that was not common in the kingdom, and to put it bluntly, he was an idiot living happily in a flower garden every day.
Fortunately, he was a terrible liar. He was not believable or very sincere. It was because he was a person with a simple mind, and his thoughts were all reflected on his face.
“… Is that necklace yours?”
He tilted his head.
Oh my God.
Irina took a deep breath, closing her eyes to contain her headache. She felt a sense of suffocation and a strange sense of relief at the same time. There were also positive aspects. At least she was selfish and it was certain that she didn’t give the necklace.
If she had given it to another woman, she would never have forgotten.
Baron Young ran a gambling house and pawnshop for the nobility.
It must have been because he forgot all his pocket money. Perhaps he was in a game of excessive stakes with Irina’s necklace. With her husband’s defeat, the necklace went to the pawnshop, and it must have then passed on to Lady Young’s neck.
“Irina, my love. Your expression is dark. Do you not feel well? Is there something wrong with you now? That necklace is yours, what do you mean? Yes?”
“Let’s go back, Paris.”
“What?”
Paris went noticeably stiff. Irina raised her eyes as she looked at her husband, whose face was pale.
“I’m not in the state of seeing the opera right now. Be prepared and follow me.”
Irina growled like her army dog Cherry. The sound just before the dog attacked.
“Uh, suddenly? You just got here?”
At the familiar anger directed at him, Paris’ beautiful eyes fluttered wildly.
“Why are you angry? I prepared so much for you… So suddenly…”
“Get in. If you don’t want others to hear loud noises.”
At her resolute words, Paris licked his dry lips. He sighed slightly as he looked down at the floor as if he was a little annoyed too.
“’rina. You always so suddenly get in a commanding mood…”
“Who is this? Levart’s little girl, no, that’s Mrs. Arcensis. Her husband is still a young sir without a title.”
A heavy male voice cut off the conversation that almost turned into a fierce argument.
As they turned their heads, a mild old gentleman approached.
“Duke Lopesin!”
Paris exclaimed in amazement.
All the nobles, including Irina, greeted him.
He was the king’s younger brother and commander-in-chief, Archduke Lopesin.
“Greetings, Archduke.”
Irina and Paris greeted him. The Archduke strode closer to Irina.
“Don’t be so polite! When you were young, you often came and sat upon my knee. It’s really sad that every time we meet, you’re getting more and more respectful!”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you for a while. As you know, I have a husband now.”
As Irina bowed her head, the Archduke glanced at Paris.
“Greetings, Archduke. Paris of the Arcensis family…”
“Irina. Call me comfortably like you once did. Seeing that you came to see the latest opera, you look less like your stuffy father. I’m glad, haha.”
Irina grinned at the lively joke.
“I didn’t know the Archduke would even see an opera.”
“It’s a theater owned by the royal family. Sometimes I have to come – Oh wait, wasn’t your husband the patron of Lady Young, who is debuting today?”
The Archduke squinted at Paris.
With the strangely uncomfortable gaze, Paris bit his lip.
Irina spoke and turned the Archduke’s gaze.
“We came to see her debut stage, but we are heading out.”
“I see. After meeting like this, I will prepare the best seats in the audience for you. A place where you can see the main character very, very well.”
“No, we don’t…”
“Nuh-uh. A royal gift cannot be rejected! I will personally check to see if you sit there until the end.”
The Archduke wrinkled his nose before Irina could answer him and turned away.
Irina had a troubled expression on her face.
“If it’s like this…”
“What are you doing. Let’s go up, Irina.”
Paris said in a muffled tone. He felt uncomfortable and twisted, and his emotions were clearly visible on his face. He bit his lower lip and looked down at the ground.
“You don’t like the opera I prepared for you, but what’s the deal with the Archduke’s orders? I don’t like it, but let’s go up.”
He was obviously giddy, but thanks to his sculptural appearance, he looked like a calm nobleman.
It was only Irina who knew her husband well.
* * *
Thanks to the Archduke, the seats they had were in a very special place.
In the middle of the high-rise balcony, a table with a red tablecloth was set so that the dessert course could be eaten. Fruit and chocolate desserts were set for them waiting for the opera to start.
“It’s a real royal treat. How exciting!”
Paris’ eyes lit up.
He took a fig to his lips and smiled
“Great. Irina, you eat it too! It’s delicious.”
Irina, who was sitting next to him, looked at him with a dry expression on her face.
“… I’m alright.”
If it weren’t for the Archduke, she’d have left the opera and taken Paris back right away.
Besides, today, because of the tight corset, it was difficult to breathe, and she had a constant headache. A sip of water, let alone a fig, was difficult to swallow. Taking a deep breath, Irina looked at Paris.
Her eyes immediately contorted in confusion. Paris’s eyes flashed hotly.
“What are you doing…?”
Paris looked at her intensely and bit his lip slightly.
It was a fascinating visual that would be breathtaking if other people saw it.
“You look so feminine.”
At Paris’ words, Irina frowned.
A skinny woman with no appetite, a key element of an attractive woman in the kingdom.
His eyes burned as if he was about to reach out at any moment.
Irina felt disgusted. But unfortunately this wasn’t going to go anywhere. It just a normal thing men in the kingdom did.
But Irina was a prickly woman.
“… Stop it, Paris.”
How could this man be so simple? There were moments when he was good, but there were times when he was hopelessly disgusting.
Paris seemed to be annoyed again at Irina’s harsh reaction.
“Irina. What the hell is wrong with you today?”
As he was about to ask the question, the music announcing the start of the opera played.
They closed their mouths side by side and looked towards the stage. The performance boasted a high standard worthy of its reputation. After the initial performance, a young woman’s singing voice began to flow from behind the curtains.
Lady Young’s skills seemed to be getting better.
Even Irina, who doesn’t know much about art, admired her.
But she felt something, something unknown and cheap.
As the song progressed dramatically, the curtains opened left and right. In the center of her stage stood the young Lady Young, in a white dress like Irina’s. A blue diamond glistened in the light on her neck, singing with her graceful gestures. Song lyrics filled the hall.
I will always love
Even in the shadows, even if my soul cries. Even if you are next to her.
I am yours, you are mine
We fall asleep and dream of our future.
My love, Adonis!
Singing with a sad expression, Lady Young looked up from the stage. Her gaze roamed past the empty third floor auditorium. After drifting through the air, her gaze eventually landed on the seats where Irina and Paris were sitting.
Irina looked. Lady Young’s eyes were filled with emotion.
And her husband’s eyes were wet as if in response.
thump thump.
Irina’s heart began to race. In an instant, her headache intensified, and a shrill tinnitus was heard. The walls in her head came crashing down.
If it were an immature impulse for the song, she could look away. But the deception of their relationship was on another level.
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screech
“Huh? Kek!”
With a heavy sound, Irina pulled Paris’s neck as if she was about to tear it off.
Irina growled lowly, her eyes lit with eerie light.
“You cheated. With that girl.”