Chapter 173 – The Substitute
Loic held me tightly, leaving me no room to escape, moving with firm intensity.
His movements were burning hot, yet filled entirely with affection.
As he kissed me tenderly and gradually picked up the pace, soft sounds escaped my lips.
The cool, pleasant scent of him made my mind go hazy.
Loic was right.
The more exhausted my body became, the more completely my fear disappeared—until nothing remained.
“Don’t think about anything else,”
Loic whispered beside my ear, breathing heavily.
“Right now, just keep me in your heart.”
My shaking vision was filled with his blazing gaze.
Overwhelmed by the waves of sensation, I clung tightly around Loic’s neck.
The next day, we returned to the castle.
Loic kept everything that happened in the Ebern Forest strictly secret.
If the imperial family learned the Grand Duchess had been kidnapped by a dragon, they would inevitably question the reason.
Thanks to that, Blenheim remained as calm as ever.
“The shaman is dead.”
After an extensive search, Loic and the knights found the shaman’s body in another hideout.
Although he had managed to escape using teleportation magic, the arrow wounds he had sustained were too severe.
According to Enolius, when the shaman died, the dragon would have returned to its original body.
“For a while, the dragon will probably be forced to recover,”
Enolius estimated.
Although the arrows struck the shaman, the dragon inhabiting him must have taken serious damage as well.
“What happened to Lady Meisel?” I asked.
Loic and Enolius, who had been explaining everything earnestly, suddenly fell silent.
“Loic?”
“…Her punishment is still being discussed. Thinking about a criminal will only upset you. More importantly, weren’t you going to see the actors today?”
“We need to leave now. I promised to attend the reading performance. Oh—did I tell you? Cecilia wrote the opera script far better than expected.”
I sensed Loic had deliberately changed the subject, but excitement quickly replaced my suspicion as I left the Grand Duke’s castle.
However, as soon as I arrived at the theater, Samuel, the representative of the Cariso Theater Company, delivered shocking news.
“Coachviel didn’t come?”
“He notified us suddenly that he wouldn’t attend today.”
“Why?”
“He said… unless his demands are met, he won’t participate in the opera.”
“There should be limits to demands!”
Alchent, who had clearly already argued with Samuel, was red in the face.
Coachviel’s demands were threefold:
First, he must be invited to the Grand Duke’s castle.
Second, he must be given a room there during the performance period.
Third, a banquet must be held at the castle while he stays.
After hearing this, I asked sincerely,
“Is Coachviel insane?”
“I apologize, Your Highness,”
Samuel said, pale-faced.
“Coachviel is extremely popular among noble ladies, so…”
“So people usually accept these demands?”
Samuel answered with an awkward silence.
“Do you think words are free?”
Cecilia snapped angrily in my place.
“Are you really comparing noblewomen’s mansions to the Grand Duke’s castle? Do you even know who you’re speaking to?”
Samuel protested,
“I offered him triple the performance fee! But he wouldn’t listen!”
I had heard before that performing at noblewomen’s estates was often more profitable than official fees.
Famous theater companies like Cariso didn’t even need lodging—noble invitations poured in daily.
And most of those invitations were specifically for Coachviel.
Today was supposed to be the reading of Cecilia’s script.
All members of the Cariso troupe were present—except Coachviel.
The idea that a mere actor would skip a performance invested in by the Grand Duchess without notice made me feel more confused than angry.
That was when Lucion arrived late and answered my doubts.
“The Princess is behind this?”
After hesitating for a long moment, Lucion sighed softly.
“My sister gave me an order.”
“What kind of order?”
“I can’t say.”
He added awkwardly,
“But it seems she’s angry because I didn’t carry it out properly.”
I frowned.
Then a deeply unpleasant thought crossed my mind.
Was the Princess planning to use Coachviel as bait?
If she wanted to create a scandal, simply inviting him to the castle would be enough.
But then—why Coachviel?
Lucion was already in the castle.
At that moment, our eyes met.
…Ah.
Everything suddenly made sense.
“She already failed once.”
Lucion being driven out of Londoris and conveniently arriving at Blenheim.
His excessive friendliness toward me.
His strange behavior in the garden.
If he had been acting under the Princess’s orders to seduce me, it explained everything.
I felt anger rise.
“Your sister is truly impressive,” I said coldly.
Lucion’s expression turned faintly sorrowful.
Don’t be fooled, I reminded myself.
If I had fallen for it, I would already be labeled an unfaithful Grand Duchess.
Still, because my heart belongs entirely to Loic, I wasn’t deeply hurt.
And Lucion didn’t seem willing to follow her orders anymore.
From now on, we’d simply remain cautious business partners.
“This is my responsibility. I’ll handle it,”
Lucion said quietly.
“How?”
“I’ll find a way Coachviel can’t refuse.”
“That’s not necessary. We’ll just replace the male lead.”
Lucion looked startled.
“Are you sure? A star actor would help the opera succeed.”
“Stars can be made.”
Fire returned to my eyes as I called the actors together.
“Your Highness… are you sure this will be okay?”
Cecilia looked worried as she watched Antonel trembling on stage.
He was the rookie actor who had performed in the preview before—still wearing his unfashionable green suit.
“It’s fine. We have to do the reading today anyway. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find someone else.”
The reading performance began.
“Madam, is it really a crime to fall in love?”
“That’s the next line!”
“S-sorry!”
Antonel made mistake after mistake early on.
The other actors watched him with visible anxiety.
Cecilia clicked her tongue repeatedly.
But then came Antonel’s aria.
His clear yet gentle low voice filled the theater.
“Oh…”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Gaining confidence, Antonel’s acting grew smoother.
His understated performance made the female lead shine even more.
“I will live freely!”
With Lady Violetta’s declaration, the performance ended.
I applauded enthusiastically.
The mood in the theater had completely transformed.
Actors and staff alike were energized.
“…That ending is shocking,”
Lucion murmured in disbelief.
Instead of entering a convent after taking revenge, Lady Violetta publishes her story, becomes incredibly wealthy, and lives freely—surrounded by lovers of her choosing.
It was Cecilia’s revised ending.
“So this is what noblewomen like…”
Leaving Lucion muttering behind me, I placed a hand on Cecilia’s shoulder.
“Cecilia, this opera will be revolutionary.”
“It will succeed, right?”
Her eyes sparkled.
I nodded firmly.
“There’s just one last thing to fix.”
“Fix what?”
“The male lead.”
I pointed at Antonel, drenched in sweat.
“Shave those sideburns—and this opera will be a massive hit.”
