A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 129: Proof (2)

“Sir, how would you like the clothes you’ve purchased...?”

“Have them all sent to the Ringaarden estate.”

After hours of trying on and modeling the clothes Lady Meredia bought for me, I was finally able to escape the endless cycle of changing outfits—completely exhausted.

‘This kind of feels like something I saw in a romance fantasy once.’

That thought suddenly popped into my head, and now that I considered it, it was just like the storyline I often saw back when I was laid up in the infirmary.

A duchess (Lady Meredia) spending money like water on a count’s daughter (me) was an age-old tradition and cliché.

“And the payment...?”

“In full. One payment.”

“...Th-thank you so much!”

The only difference was the gender roles between the duchess and the count’s daughter had been reversed. Honestly, when °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I used to read romance fantasy, I was always envious. But now that I’m on the receiving end of that treatment, I can understand why the female leads found it overwhelming.

“Lady Meredia, you really don’t have to...”

“...This expense only equals about three months’ allowance for the heir of House Embergreen.”

“I-I see.”

What do they say...? There’s always a sky above the sky. I may be a noble, but the wealth of House Embergreen is truly beyond comprehension.

“Ah, goodbye!”

“We look forward to your next visit!”

“Please come again, my lady!”

All of the boutique’s employees came out to bow at a perfect 90-degree angle as we left—this included even Princess Katarina, who had joined us again looking sulky, unable to find anything she liked.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“...Ah, yes.”

“You’d better get used to this. You’ll be seeing it for the rest of your life.”

While I stood there a little dazed, watching the scene, Lady Meredia casually hooked her arm around mine again and said it like it was nothing at all.

“I don’t think I’ll ever really get used to it.”

“...Oh?”

But since I had never been close to such extravagance, whether in this life or the last, I spoke honestly. Lady Meredia stared at me for a moment, and then the corners of her lips lifted faintly.

“Good. That’s probably for the best. It means you’ll always be aware of just how far out of your league your marriage partner is.”

“Ha-ha...”

“You wouldn’t even dare to cheat, right?”

That... is not something she should be saying lightly. If I cheated on someone who emits killing intent just because her subordinates are unevenly gendered... I’d be dead. I’m not insane.

“Then why that expression? Are you uncomfortable with people staring at you?”

“Ha-ha, no, that’s not it.”

For the record, everyone on the street had been staring at us for quite a while.

Well, of course. Lady Meredia was strolling down the street, arm-in-arm with a man—who wouldn’t stare?

Still, I felt awkward, because half of those stares seemed to be aimed at me.

“Aren’t you curious what kind of article will come out tomorrow morning?”

“...Ha-ha.”

Yeah, the tabloids will probably love this. Our photo might even plaster the front page. Hell, maybe even the Imperial Times would cover it, given how slow news has been lately.

It really sank in again, just how incredible the person beside me is.

“But why didn’t you buy anything?”

“...Huh?”

As we resumed walking, a question was suddenly directed not at me, but at Princess Katarina, who had been sulking the whole time.

“Uh... well... that’s because...”

“Was there a male staff member in the changing room?”

“...H-how did you know? I mean, no, it’s not that...”

As Lady Meredia began her sharp questioning, the princess, caught off guard, fumbled over her words.

“I didn’t think you were the shy type.”

“Ha, ha-ha...”

“You could’ve asked Sir Whitney to help you.”

Despite the lack of eavesdroppers, Lady Meredia blatantly spoke informally. Princess Katarina simply smiled innocently and smacked her forehead.

“Ah, I could’ve done that!”

“Oh? So it’s okay to show your naked body to Sir Whitney?”

At that moment, Lady Meredia’s eyes turned a faint red, and she fired off a question that was obviously a trap.

“Ehehe... well, it’s just between guys...”

“...Aren’t the changing room staff men, too?”

“Well...”

“Heh. You’re quite the amusing one, aren’t you?”

Sure enough, Princess Katarina walked straight into the trap, and now she was shooting me desperate looks for help.

“Ha-ha...”

But this time, I couldn’t come to her rescue.

The grip of Lady Meredia’s arm around mine was tightening to a painful degree. If I so much as opened my mouth, my arm might get yanked off.

“Your Highness. May I give you a piece of advice, as your friend’s woman?”

“...W-what is it?”

As I struggled to ignore the princess’s silent pleas for help, Meredia gave me a sidelong glance, smiled in satisfaction, then leaned toward the princess and whispered softly.

“...If you’re a friend, maybe try acting like one?”

“......”

“If you keep acting overly familiar, I might not be able to stay calm.”

I couldn’t hear what she whispered, but judging by Princess Katarina’s tearful expression, it didn’t seem like a simple piece of friendly advice.

“D-did I do something wrong...?”

“......”

“S-sorry. I’ve never had a friend before...”

“...Haa.”

At that tearful confession, Meredia’s gaze seemed to waver slightly—then she made a surprising suggestion.

“Well, anyway. We’ve got some time. Is there anything you want to do?”

“H-huh?”

“You’ve been cooped up in that cramped palace for so long. Now that you’re out, surely there’s something you want to do?”

At that, the princess’s downcast expression instantly lit up.

“A play! I want to see a play!”

“...A play, huh.”

“I used to sneak out to watch them when I was a child... but ever since Her Majesty caught me, I haven’t had the chance...”

Well, in this world, plays are like dramas or movies. Still, I didn’t expect the energetic Princess Katarina to like something like that.

“Not bad.”

Fortunately, Lady Meredia didn’t seem to mind the idea. Not that it mattered—I’d enjoy anything, as long as I was with her.

“I know a theater. Let’s go there.”

“Ah! Really?! Thank you!!!”

“...It’s nothing, really.”

So, it seemed our next destination was the theater.

But as we headed there, I began to feel something was... off.

‘Why is Lady Meredia being so kind today?’

Of course, she’d been treating me kindly for a while now. But this felt a bit different—forced, almost.

Her voice and expression were kind, yes—but her eyes looked exactly like when she was scheming something with me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“...It’s nothing.”

Naturally, I couldn’t ask her that to her face. So I just scratched my head and kept walking.

***

“What is this!?”

“Hmmm...”

We arrived at the theater Lady Meredia mentioned—but were met with an unexpected obstacle.

“Why is it so packed!? It’s a weekday, not even the weekend!!!”

“...Yeah, it’s odd.”

The theater was absolutely packed. It was hard to even take a step.

As the princess said, it was indeed a weekday... so why?

“I-I apologize! Today’s performance features our most popular actor and our most popular play...”

The answer came from a flustered staff member who had rushed over after spotting Lady Meredia.

“So... we can’t see the play?”

“W-well...”

Dripping with sweat and watching our reactions, the staffer stammered under Lady Meredia’s icy stare.

“T-there are two VIP seats on the top floor... and one regular seat left on the ground floor...”

“Well then, that’ll do.”

After thinking for a moment, Meredia turned to me and Princess Katarina.

“Whitney and I will take the top floor. You’ll sit on the ground floor.”

“...R-really?”

The princess flinched and fidgeted.

“I-I was hoping for a front-row seat or maybe one with a good view...”

“......”

“H-how about we just wait for the next showing or find another theater?”

She asked tentatively, but the one who replied wasn’t Meredia—it was the staffer who’d been reading the room all along.

“This play runs late into the night... so waiting might not be practical...”

“T-then another theater—”

“M-my apologies. All other theaters are closed today.”

The princess’s eyes widened, then welled up with tears as she spoke in protest.

“C-closed!?”

“Yes, that’s probably why everyone came to our theater today...”

That’s when I started to feel that something was seriously off. I shot a glance at Lady Meredia, but she just shrugged and spoke again.

“Well, there’s nothing to be done.”

“U-uuu...”

“I’d love to rent the entire theater, but that would inconvenience people. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Even as Princess Katarina wavered, Meredia sighed and whispered something in her ear again.

“...If you’re a friend, act like it. Have you forgotten already?”

“Eek... I-I understand. I-I’ll take the commoner... I mean, the regular seat...”

“It’s not the ‘commoner seat,’ it’s the regular section. Fufu.”

I didn’t hear what she said again, but everything was resolved surprisingly quickly.

“Shall I escort you?”

“N-no, it’s fine! Actually, this might be a good experience. I always wanted to see something from down there. Yes...”

Turning down the staffer’s offer, the princess vanished into the crowd.

Only then did Meredia, who had kept a serene smile until now, mutter under her breath.

“...Finally. What a nuisance.”

“...Lady Meredia?”

“Let’s go, Whitney.”

Her voice had been cold just now, but when she turned to me, she was back to her usual warmth.

“...When I was in the changing room earlier... you were making some calls, weren’t you?”

“Hm? Was I?”

“You didn’t... reserve every theater on the street, did you?”

Back when I was younger, I’d occasionally come here with my sister to watch the plays she loved.

So I knew for a fact—there’s no way every single theater would have the same day off.

“......”

And those packed seats downstairs... for some reason, they’d all been watching Lady Meredia carefully.

It couldn’t be—but what if all those people were hired?

“Excuse me... do top-billed actors and shows like this usually perform on weekday afternoons?”

“Ah, well... um...”

As I questioned the staff about an obvious inconsistency, I felt Meredia’s gaze on me and turned slightly.

“......”

She had definitely been looking at me—her cheeks now faintly red. She turned her head quickly to avoid my gaze.

“...Let’s go.”

“...Yeah.”

Having seen that much, I decided to stop playing dumb and quietly followed Lady Meredia up to the top floor.

“Lady Meredia... just how long have you been planning this?”

“...Shut up.”

No doubt about it—this date had been meticulously planned from the start.

***

Meanwhile, at that very moment—

“Ha-ha... how envious.”

In a space of complete darkness, someone watching through a crystal ball let out a chilling smile and covered the orb with a cloth.

“...Then it’s about time to begin.”

Before her, entities that could hardly be called living beings slowly lifted their heads.

“I hereby declare tonight the Night of the Shadow Assembly.”

And at that declaration, black mages scattered across the world began to respond to the call.