I Have No Intention Of Training The Male Leads - Chapter 17 Part 1

17. Catfight (1)

Translated by: ???

Alberic glanced at the woman sitting across the tea table, stirring her milk with a teaspoon, her displeasure evident on her face. It seemed that she had received a rejection to her request to enter the Crown Prince’s palace, which had left her feeling uncomfortable. 

With a face that seemed unfamiliar and lifeless, Eve had left the mansion one day, only to return the next day wearing ill-fitting clothes. For some reason, she confidently submitted a request for an audience with the Crown Prince, and as what would have been expected, her request was rejected with a typewritten letter, not even written in his own handwriting.

“If things turn out like this, I might as well infiltrate…” 

Eve muttered, making plans that were so absurd that one would question her sanity. Alberic approached her and spoke.

“Please stop talking nonsense.” 

“He only acts expensive at times like this. He’s a complete coward.”

“Do you not realize that there is a crime called insulting the nobility? It’s amazing that you haven’t been accused of blasphemy until now.” 

Alberic reached into his pocket near his chest and felt the ticket he had placed in his inner pocket. He felt a sense of unease, wondering if it would be alright to give it to her, but he couldn’t disobey the order. 

However, Alberic soon pulled out a red envelope from his jacket pocket with a pained expression on his face. He placed it on the table and pushed it towards Eve. 

“What is this?” 

“It’s a ticket to the opera. It’s a play organized by the National Arts Theater.” 

Eve, with a questioning expression on her face, reluctantly picked up the envelope and carefully examined its contents. She smiled wryly as she looked at the ticket, made of expensive soft paper with gold decorations.

“This time, shall we go through the ?lover? route again?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“It means that the person you serve has decided to pretend to be my secret lover during our rendezvous.” 

“…..” 

“It seems to be a declaration of intent that they will not meet me through a dignified route.” 

“…How did you know?” 

“Who do you take me for? Who would frown and make a date request with such arrogance? It must be some other person’s errand.”

In response to Eve’s question about how she noticed Edward’s invitation, she snorted and carefully put the ticket in the envelope to prevent it from getting wrinkled. 

“It seems that the nobleman has his own picture in mind.” 

Eve had no intention of being led as Edward wished. She pondered over the date and time written on the ticket. Eventually, a mischievous smile spread across Eve’s face as she came up with a stimulating idea. 

Alberic couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but he at least understood that Eve’s smile was not of a positive nature. Usually, when Eve wore that expression, she would make unreasonable demands that were difficult to handle. 

Realizing that Eve was concocting a dangerous scheme, Alberic briefly considered whether he should warn the person who instructed him to deliver the invitation. However, he hesitated for a moment, feeling a sudden resistance, and he ultimately decided to pretend he hadn’t seen anything. 

Alberic thought that if Eve’s mood, which had been low lately, could be somewhat relieved by this incident, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, and he brought the teacup to his lips.

***

The Henecea Theater, a landmark of Central City, celebrated its 110th anniversary this year. As the founder and playwright of the theater, Henecea Jennium, once said, ?The show must go on?, the theater continued to stage performances even during times of war. It played a significant role in the performing arts scene of Britannia. 

The grand white stone building was adorned with a long colonnade of wave-patterned pillars, beautiful angel statues adorning the interior and exterior of the building, and statues of seven heroes at the top of the roof. It was lavishly decorated and praised for its beauty by people for a long time.

‘It’s a complete Baroque-style opera house,’ Eve thought as she looked up at the majestic white stone building, exuding classical elegance, as soon as she got off the carriage. The man who was escorting her, offering his arm, whispered in a voice too low for others to hear. 

“What are you thinking?” 

“Just the thought that life is the same wherever you go.” 

“Haha.” 

The man, with his navy blue hair tied back in a long ponytail, lightly agreed with Eve’s brief observation and closed his eyes, smiling, as he led her by the arm. 

“Shall we go, my lady?” 

Eve, with lace adorning her hat, cascading down to cover most of her face like a bride’s veil, felt a gaze piercing through the translucent lace and gently lifted the end of her ruby-red lips. 

William, clad in a dark indigo frock coat that shimmered with a bluish hue whenever it caught the light, seemed more excited than usual, as if his face was even more radiant than when he mingled in social circles. 

Some people who recognized his identity naturally became curious about the person he was escorting, and Eve deliberately acted as if she had a very intimate relationship with William, clinging to him as if they were close.

Above the neckline, the high collar that rises and the lace that falls below it, the thick burgundy strands of hair that cascade below the toes, the black satin corset worn to cinch the waist, and the whalebone petticoat that is tightened at the back to accentuate the hips — all of these were discomforts in themselves. 

However, it was a discomfort worth enduring for the sake of catching a glimpse of a certain yellow-haired figure who believed that everything would go according to his will. Eve eagerly anticipated the crumpled expression that the man, who had noticed her presence as she delicately caressed the satin fabric of her tightly fitted top with her gloved hand, would make. 

The ticket sent by Edward was for a VIP box seat. The man who had reserved a seat in a separate corner position, away from the front row, clearly revealed his intentions, and Eve smirked. 

The box seat opposite the seat Edward had secured was already reserved by someone else, but the owner of the seat willingly gave up the ticket to the messenger sent by the Grand Duke. It had happened just last night. 

Edward, with his bright blond hair neatly combed back without a strand out of place, was starting to feel a slight disappointment as the time for the play to begin drew near and no one was being ushered to his seat.

And then, at that moment, he saw two people being escorted to their seats across from him. Edward casually glanced at the sight and was about to leave the box seat. But for some reason, something bothered him. He lowered his body, which was about to stand up, and sat back down, gazing intently at the seat across from him. 

Although it was not a distance where one could accurately identify faces, he recognized that the man touching the cheek of the woman next to him, sitting in the seat next to his, was none other than Grand Duke William.

Edward wasted no time and called for his attendant, who was standing outside the seat. He intended to find out who the person accompanying William was.

However, soon there was no need for that. As if sensing the gaze directed towards her direction, the unidentified woman who was clinging to the Grand Duke waved her hand towards Edward. 

“…I have prepared a spectacle more entertaining than the play.” 

She was truly unpredictable. He had expected her to grab the ticket and rush towards him, shaking him by the collar and causing a scene. He had never anticipated that she would act so charmingly. 

But what was difficult to understand was the closeness between Eve and the Grand Duke, which was almost impossible to comprehend. No matter how much he searched through his memories, he couldn’t recall a time when Eve and that man were this intimate. 

Before he knew it, the bright light that had been shining from the ceiling began to fade away. A single beam of intense light burst forth, illuminating the stage in the dark theater. 

The curtain rose. 

Edward willingly leaned back against the soft backrest of his seat, determined to watch the play that had been prepared solely for him. 

Tonight, the play that took the stage was ?The Death of Lady Pelecis?, the very first play written by the playwright Henecea Jennium at the Henecea Theater. It was a tragic melodrama that began with the funeral of the fictional character, Countess Pelecis, and slowly unraveled the events leading up to her death. 

The reason why this melodrama, which was considered unsophisticated, was able to attract such a fervent popularity in a society that looked down upon melodramas was because it featured lovers who passionately sang of love even in pessimistic circumstances, like moths throwing themselves into flames.

In that sense, among the young lovers who came to enjoy ?The Death of Lady Pelecis?, some of them occasionally immersed themselves deeply in the passionate love songs and exchanged light physical affection to confirm their love for each other. 

“Hng, heuu, ahh…” 

“Shh, what if someone hears?” 

“Noon– eut…! Heuugh, Eve…” 

However, it did not mean that they engaged in such overtly sexual contact. 

“Feeling good? You’re all wet.” 

“Heuu, eut, ah… There, euut.” 

William, unable to control his body, buried his face in Eve’s neck, pulling her waist tightly with a strong force, and trembled as he held her close.