Chapter 11
The play we were going to watch was a light romance that had recently become popular among the people of the Stein territory.
I put a spell on my hairpin, earrings, and jacket, then placed them inside Lucas’s shirt pocket.
As I did, I quietly glanced at his face.
As far as I knew…
Lucas hated plays.
Especially love stories filled with messy love triangles and complicated relationships.
He was so jealous that he wanted to throw every man who showed interest in Elline out of the Magic Tower.
There was no way he would enjoy watching men and women making a mess of their relationships.
‘What a petty and childish man.’
That was how I decided to describe him.
After buying our tickets, we took our seats.
The main characters had just begun talking to each other on stage.
Resting my chin on my hand, I quietly watched their love story unfold.
‘So the male lead was tempted by another woman.’
After finding out…
The heroine believed her lover’s feelings had changed.
In anger…
She spent the night with another man.
But after thinking everything through…
The male lead returned to his original lover.
When the heroine tried to end things with the other man…
The male lead became furious and accused her of betraying him.
‘So… whose fault is this tragedy?’
That was the theme of the play.
Soon, both actors turned toward the audience.
Their faces looked full of frustration.
“Everyone!”
“Was I really that wrong?”
“Hahaha!”
I laughed along with the crowd and nodded.
Some people even gave a thumbs-down and booed the character they believed was at fault.
‘I wonder what the male lead beside me thinks.’
I looked at Lucas.
He still didn’t react.
But after entering the theater…
He actually seemed more absorbed in the play than I was.
Watching the couples around us whisper to each other…
I quietly leaned closer and whispered to him.
“How is it?”
“This kind of atmosphere is unfamiliar to you, isn’t it?”
“…It’s not bad.”
“It doesn’t feel very different from real life.”
“Exactly.”
“Unlike opera, this is a masterpiece that truly shows the joys and sorrows of ordinary people.”
Love and heartbreak were never far away.
Without meaning to…
I had ended up right in the middle of both.
I straightened up and turned my attention back toward the stage.
But I didn’t end the conversation.
“…Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t be interested in something like this.”
“I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position earlier.”
Only half of that apology was sincere.
I did feel a little bad for rejecting his suggestion so quickly.
Still…
I couldn’t completely ignore the effort he had made.
“Opera tickets must have been difficult to get.”
“Even if I couldn’t accept them… I’m grateful for the thought.”
Because of that…
I saw Lucas a little differently now.
Although my attempt to keep my distance had completely failed…
Spending time with him hadn’t been as unpleasant as I expected.
In my previous life…
I loved movies.
In this life…
I loved plays.
If I could, I would watch them often.
Unfortunately…
Elline wasn’t very interested in them.
Watching a movie alone was fine.
But plays were much more enjoyable when someone watched them with you.
Even though I knew it was impossible…
For just a brief moment…
I wished he had been my friend.
At the same time…
I tightly closed my eyes.
Then opened them again.
‘Get a hold of yourself.’
‘Don’t cross the line.’
“…It’s alright.”
“I can always give the tickets to someone else.”
“Oh.”
“That’s good, then.”
His answer made me feel much more at ease.
For a moment…
I had thought the tickets would simply go to waste.
I was even considering paying him back.
On stage…
The couple had already made up.
The male lead asked the heroine out on another date.
Almost at the same time…
Lucas quietly spoke beside me.
His words sounded strangely similar.
“Or…”
“If there’s still enough time before they expire…”
“You could come with me another day.”
“I really meant it when I said I don’t like opera.”
“…I suppose I’ll have to give them away after all.”
Lucas answered stiffly.
As I quietly turned my head to hide my smile…
His blue eyes seemed to tremble for a moment.
I liked plays much more than operas.
But more importantly…
I couldn’t accept another invitation from a man who already belonged to someone else.
…If the person beside me had been someone else…
Maybe I would have said yes.
‘Why do I keep thinking about him?’
I shook my head hard.
Maybe I was just tired.
Silence settled between us again.
I was about to focus on the play…
When—
“Monsters!”
“The monsters broke through the territory’s defensive barrier!”
Even inside the theater…
People could hear the screams coming from outside.
The emergency alarm warning of a monster invasion had started ringing across the town square.
“…Monsters…”
“…The communication line…”
The play immediately stopped.
The frightened audience hurried toward the exits one after another.
I waited until the entrance became less crowded before standing up.
My date with Lucas…
Was over.
‘I guess I have to go back to the Magic Tower.’
Instead of feeling relieved that the blind date had ended safely…
I sighed.
I had worked so hard just to leave work earlier.
Those monsters really had no sense of timing.
As I stood there clenching and unclenching my fists…
Lucas silently looked around at the growing chaos.
“Extra! Extra!”
When we reached the town square…
A newspaper boy’s voice rose above the loud emergency alarm.
People hurried past him in panic.
Some bumped into each other and fell.
Others left their hats behind as they rushed into messenger carriages.
I frowned.
The security barrier protecting the Stein territory had only weakened for a short time.
The monsters hadn’t even reached the city yet.
I was more worried that people would get hurt because of the panic.
Just then…
Something flashed in front of me.
‘Speak of the devil.’
It was an emergency magic message from the Magic Tower.
Only the assigned recipient could see it.
I quietly read the emergency response plan sent to the Security Department.
Then I let out a small breath.
I glanced at Lucas.
He hadn’t received any message.
His expression remained calm.
That made sense.
The Management Department, where the Crown Prince worked…
Reviewed whether problems had been handled properly after everything was over.
The Security Department…
Was responsible for repairing the damaged defensive barrier.
“I’ll escort you back to the Magic Tower.”
Lucas gently placed a hand around my shoulder to protect me from the crowd.
“No.”
“I think we should go our separate ways from here.”
I stepped forward…
Carefully moving away from the hand resting on my shoulder.
‘I’ll skip going home and head there immediately.’
Just as I expected…
The situation wasn’t critical yet.
Even so…
I couldn’t stay calm.
Seeing ordinary people panic right in front of me…
Made their fear feel real.
‘If the citizens get hurt…’
‘Who’s going to maintain the peaceful life I want after retirement?’
My peaceful retirement was being threatened in real time.
It was a true emergency.
“I’ll head out first.”
“I had a good time.”
“We can still go together—”
“I’ll decline.”
“It doesn’t look like the Management Department has even received a summons yet.”
“You should rest while you still can.”
“It’s a precious weekend.”
Without looking back…
I quickly climbed into a messenger carriage I had just called over.
“Where to, Miss?”
“The Magic Tower.”
“Please hurry.”
“Oh!”
“Then I’ll activate the booster.”
Realizing I was a mage…
The coachman immediately pressed the acceleration button attached to the carriage.
Since it was an emergency…
Everyone cooperated without hesitation.
Whoooosh—
Wind and fire magic activated at the same time.
The carriage slowly lifted into the air.
As we rose higher and higher…
I casually looked out the window.
I thought I should at least say goodbye to Lucas.
“…?”
The place where he had been standing…
Was completely empty.
As if no one had ever been there in the first place.
