A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 130: Proof (3)

“...Lady Meredia, this is...”

“......”

I followed Lady Meredia silently up the stairs to the VIP suite at the top of the theater, and the moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Um... well, this is... a bit on the nose.”

It was a VIP suite in a theater, sure, but the design was way too obviously “lovey-dovey.” For example: wallpaper embroidered with heart patterns, furniture drenched in pink and red tones...

These things radiated an uncanny aura as they welcomed both me and Lady Meredia.

“Uh... maybe we came to the wrong room?”

“...This is the right one.”

“Ah. Got it.”

Unable to hide my confusion at this bizarre aesthetic, I whispered to her cautiously—but Lady Meredia seemed entirely certain this was the actual VIP suite.

“Um, Lady Meredia, you didn’t...”

“......”

“...You didn’t design this yourself, did you?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

This time, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity and asked, only to receive a curt, deadly response from her without her even turning around.

“I trusted her to handle it... Should’ve just fired her from her position as personal maid on the spot...”

“...Lady Meredia?”

“...Sigh.”

Watching her mutter with murderous aura while glancing sideways, I perked up again as she finally spoke with a heavy sigh.

“The play’s about to start. Let’s go in.”

“...Yes.”

It looked like she had decided to completely ignore the decor of this room.

“Well, at least we’ve got a great view of the stage.”

“...True.”

Putting aside the horrific design, the VIP suite itself was actually quite high-quality.

Although the room was small—just big enough for the two of us to sit—the distant view from the top floor was being magically corrected by artifacts I didn’t even ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ fully understand. Next to our seats were trays filled with expensive-looking snacks, and even the air seemed to be temperature-controlled by magic.

Just the combined cost of these enchantments was likely many times more than what an average commoner could afford for a house.

Obviously, no theater would build such an unprofitable room, which made it clear that whoever prepared this, just to watch a play with me, was truly something else.

“There you go again. Wipe that stupid grin off your face and sit down.”

“Ha-ha...”

As I smiled without meaning to, Lady Meredia leaned her head on her hand against the armrest and pointed lazily at the seat beside her.

“Then... I’ll gladly take the spot.”

Naturally, I wasn’t going to defy her, so I sat down—and immediately understood the clever trick behind the room’s design.

‘No wonder it felt so cramped.’

First off, the armrest between our seats was missing—just like couple seats in modern movie theaters.

Thanks to whoever deliberately planned this layout, sitting in these seats meant we’d inevitably brush against each other.

“Now that I think about it... today’s play is... ah.”

I reached over to the pamphlet next to the snacks and saw that tonight’s performance was a rather risqué melodrama.

And when I say “melodrama,” keep in mind that in an Empire without a thriving adult industry, a play like this basically served that role.

“A forbidden love between the Grand Duke of the North and the Count’s daughter—can their fates be intertwined...?”

“......”

“...Ha-ha. Sounds... like a very interesting play.”

That alone would've been enough, but the premise of the play made it impossible to keep from laughing.

“...Ugh.”

Judging by how Lady Meredia lowered her head and rubbed her temples, she hadn’t intended this either.

Who the hell did she leave this job to? Did she assign this to someone like Cecil or Sasha—someone who learned about romance from novels?

“Lady Meredia.”

“...What?”

As I fought to hold back my laughter—pinching my thigh to stop myself—I called out to her, seeing the utterly gloomy expression on her face.

“Thank you for preparing something like this.”

“...Are you teasing me?”

“No, not at all.”

Right now, Lady Meredia looked like a boyfriend whose painstakingly planned date had gone completely wrong.

But I wasn’t disappointed. Not even close.

In fact, I was so happy I could barely stop myself from grinning.

“Today is the happiest day of my life.”

“......”

“I’ve never had anything like this before.”

In my past life, of course, and even in this one—though my parents were good people, they weren’t in a position to shower me with this kind of care.

Sure, I threw surprise parties for Cecil sometimes (though she always ended up crying and running away when I set off the fireworks), but as the eldest son, I don’t recall ever getting anything like this myself.

“Thank you. Truly, Lady Meredia.”

“...So you can smile like that, huh.”

When I gave her a genuine smile, Lady Meredia let out a quiet chuckle as she looked at me.

“So you’ve been faking it all this time?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Hah, never mind. Anyway, no need to thank me.”

I tilted my head slightly in confusion—but then her next words made me freeze.

“Because tonight, you’ll pay it back several times over.”

“......”

“Right? Proof of pure love, wasn’t it? That’s way more romantic than some cheap play.”

As her half-lidded gaze turned to me, I hurriedly turned my eyes toward the stage—only to realize that had been a mistake.

“......”

The play had barely begun, and already the lead actors were getting handsy.

Even from a modern perspective, it was shockingly steamy.

Rustle...

Maybe that’s why—Lady Meredia’s sleeve brushing against mine, the warmth of our arms and legs touching—suddenly started to make me extremely conscious of her presence.

‘...I’m losing my mind.’

My cheeks flushed red. What would she say if she saw?

Would she smirk with that smug expression of hers? Or would she give me her usual icy stare and tear me to shreds?

“...Ahem.”

Lost in thought and feeling nervous, I risked a glance to my side—

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

—and the moment our eyes met, I realized something instantly.

“......”

“......”

She had turned to look at me at the exact same time, thinking the exact same thing.

“...It’s a bit hot tonight.”

“...It is.”

A few seconds later, we both snapped our gazes back forward and made pointless small talk, but the air between us only got heavier.

“D-duke...”

“Stay still.”

The play’s intensity ramped up by the second, and as we both shifted uncomfortably, the amount of contact between our bodies only increased.

“......”

Despite the room being magically temperature-controlled, I felt my body heat rising rapidly.

Ssshhh...

Then, while I was still caught between bliss and agony—

“...Lady Meredia?”

“What. It’s not like this is the first time.”

She silently linked her arm through mine.

“...And if you're going to keep flinching whenever we touch, this is better.”

“......”

“Sigh. Isn’t the guy supposed to take the lead in this sort of thing? You’re such a coward.”

Her tone may have been firm, but her flushed face and neck said otherwise. I decided not to mention it.

“......!”

After finishing her grumble, she glanced at me again, then slowly leaned her head against my shoulder.

“...Don’t move. Stay still.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re blocking my view.”

At her command, I slowly lowered my left arm and returned my attention to the play.

‘...I’m gonna die.’

Of course, with her warm body heat seeping into my shoulder, there was no way I could actually focus.

***

“Yaaawn...”

Several hours later, after the sky had turned pitch black—

“Still, that was fun... Though I did get a little sleepy...”

“......”

“...Ah, you two!”

Yawning with her mouth wide open, Princess Katarina wiped away a stray tear and waved cheerfully as she spotted Whitney and Meredia descending the stairs.

“Huh? What’s with you two? Did you catch a cold or something?”

She scampered over and began inspecting them both, eyes wide with concern.

“Uhh, well...”

“You must have caught a chill up on the top floor!”

Obviously, it wasn’t winter—and no one catches a cold just from a summer night breeze.

They had spent several comfortable hours in a magically climate-controlled VIP room. There was no reason for either of them to look ill.

“......”

And yet Whitney and Meredia’s faces were beet red, their expressions oddly stiff.

“What do we do... Oh, I know! Let’s head to a nearby pub for some nice, warm soup!”

Sensing that the night was ending too soon, Princess Katarina’s eyes sparkled as she suggested an extension to their outing—but...

“No, Your Highness, it’s time for you to return to your estate. We have other matters to attend to nearby.”

“...Huh?”

“Even if the Empire is safe, it’s still not wise for someone like you to be wandering at night. If anything happened, it would be serious.”

At Whitney’s words, the princess paused, a hint of disappointment on her face.

“B-but still...”

“......”

“...Alright.”

But then she caught a glimpse of Meredia’s eyes, which had turned faintly red—and she immediately backed down.

“Then at least let me stay until the carriage—” freёnovelkiss.com

“...I’ve already summoned it. It’ll be here in five minutes.”

Looking slightly deflated, she glanced toward Whitney and asked in a small voice:

“Um... Sir Whitney?”

“...Yes?”

“Have you gotten tired of me already?”

At that, Meredia instantly snapped her eyes toward Whitney.

“...Y-you won’t abandon me like Maier did, right?”

“......”

“I mean, I’m actually pretty useful... Like, I’m good with a sword... and... and...”

Whitney flinched slightly at her words, but smiled calmly and answered without hesitation.

“You don’t need to worry.”

“Huh?”

“Your Highness is still very useful.”

The aura Whitney gave off was so chilling that passersby instinctively turned to look—but Princess Katarina just smiled brightly.

“Hehe, really? That’s a relief!”

“Ha-ha...”

“Well then, good luck with your errand!”

Taking his words as praise (which, in fact, they were), she waved cheerfully.

Meredia watched her with a strange look, then turned to Whitney.

“So, where are we going now?”

“...Over there.”

And the next moment—

“...Huh?”

A rare flicker of surprise crossed Lady Meredia’s face.

“That is our destination.”

Whitney, wearing his signature sinister smile, pointed to a pink-colored inn glowing brightly against the night.

It stood out in the dark like a blazing sign.