'Why are you suddenly barging in?'
I had an inkling. Perhaps he regretted his rude behavior during my last visit and was trying to ease his guilt by spending five minutes of his precious time with me.
Of course, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it.
'If you're there, I can't speak freely about what I really think.'
Like how handsome a certain actor is! Or how that insufferable prince character reminds me of someone!
"Are you interested in theater, Your Highness?"
"…Somewhat."
Nope. Not even 0.5% interested, I was sure of it.
He added, "It wouldn't hurt to learn more about the capital's popular art forms."
"Since you mentioned popular art, the theater I'm going to doesn't have box seats or anything like that. Even the best seats can get quite noisy. Are you sure you're fine with that?"
"As long as I'm not sitting on the bare floor, I don't mind."
"The content might be a bit… crude."
"Even the most revered tragedies from ancient times are filled with themes like infidelity, murder, and illegitimate children. I won't be easily shocked."
"Well…"
"If you don't have any more excuses, I'll get ready. See you on the first floor."
Just like that, Tristan hijacked my plans, casually adding himself to my schedule, and walked down the corridor without waiting for my response.
Only after he disappeared from sight did the perfect excuse pop into my mind.
Damn it. I should've lied and said I was going with my sister!
It's like when you're hanging out with friends, and one of them shows up unannounced with their boyfriend.
If he's someone we're all close with, fine. But if he's a stranger, older, with a completely different background? The vibe turns awkward, and all you can think is, 'Never making plans with this friend again'. Even if he offers to pay for dinner, no thanks!
Hahaha…
…Not that I wanted this situation either!
"Milady… Who is this gentleman…?"
My maid's pupils trembled violently. Though Tristan had changed into relatively simple attire, it wasn't hard for her to recognize the "tall, obnoxious man suddenly accompanying milady".
Tristan said indifferently, "Pay me no mind."
'Only people who cause a fuss can say things like that.'
I answered on his behalf.
"He wanted to join us for the play. …Just ignore him."
But in truth, I couldn't come up with a better explanation, either.
With a look that screamed how impossible it was to ignore him, my maid accompanied us to the theater district.
Honestly, I had hoped the play was popular enough that all tickets would be sold out by the time we arrived. Then he could go home.
But unfortunately, there were still a few corner seats available. Tristan waved the tickets in his hand and asked, "Dory, where are your seats?"
"Oh, we're in G-10 and 11."
"Central seats. Got it."
My maid and I spoke at the same time.
"Would you like us to swap seats?"
We stared at each other in disbelief. 'Why would either of us offer such a thing?! Please, no!'
Of course, as his fiancée, it made sense for me to sit next to him… but still!
Tristan shook his head, declined the offer, and disappeared somewhere.
Five minutes later.
"…So you managed to get the seat next to mine."
"There are few seats money can't buy, especially when it comes to physical space."
Can't get good seats? Check if you're not rich enough.
Tristan even bought out the seat behind him when the person sitting there seemed annoyed by his height. The rear-seat audience member silently crawled out after receiving a hefty sum of coins.
As Tristan leaned back comfortably in his chair, the lights dimmed, and the play began.
The story went like this: In a small diner frequented by regulars, a handsome stranger starts showing up. As the regulars strike up conversations with him, they begin speculating wildly about his identity—some say he's a prince in disguise, while others believe he's a notorious criminal on the run from another city.
One of the regulars, the protagonist, realizes that the waitress he has a crush on is showing interest in the handsome stranger. He then starts digging into the stranger's identity…
The play ended as a light-hearted comedy, clean and simple.
'That was pretty entertaining.'
The mysterious handsome man who appeared like a comet in the diner turned out to be a rookie actor practicing his craft. By switching between a noble demeanor one day and a thug-like attitude another, he gave the same answers in such different ways that people came to wildly different conclusions about him.
The direction was clever too.
'We could definitely use this technique sometime.'
After the play, my maid and I naturally headed to a nearby tea house. I had so much to say about the performance today.
But after the teapot was placed on the table, my maid barely spoke a word.
"Um…"
"Speak freely. What did you think of the play today?"
"Well…"
Her eyes seemed to scream, 'How can I be comfortable?'
Right. Because Tristan, His Highness and a walking embodiment of discomfort, was sitting with us for today's tea time.
Honestly, I wasn't comfortable either. But I wasn't going to let his presence affect me.
'He's the one who barged in out of nowhere. Why should we be the ones feeling uneasy?'
I resolved to act like he wasn't even there.
"It was really fun. But I didn't like how it was considered normal for the protagonist to be attracted to the heroine's looks, yet when she showed interest in the handsome stranger, the play kept hammering on the lesson that 'you shouldn't judge men by their appearance.' That was annoying."
My maid's eyes widened, and she nervously glanced at Tristan.
What? Why?
I continued, "And the part where the middle-aged noble shows up at the end to lecture everyone—it felt unnecessary. Did that minor role really need those lines? It just came across as a nobleman condescending to commoners."
"Oh… you're right, my lady. It would've been better if someone else had delivered that line."
She nodded and even added a decent suggestion.
"The restaurant owner had been quietly observing how the regulars kept making wild assumptions about the handsome stranger, right? It would've been much more interesting if he had been the one to speak up."
"Exactly! I thought so too. It feels like the writer had this idea that 'the one who teaches everyone a lesson must have social rank.' What a waste of the restaurant owner character."
"But the handsome stranger role was excellent. The actor did a great job, and… he was just so… so handsome."
My maid's eyes sparkled with genuine happiness.
I wanted to agree. 'Yes, he was handsome.' That's all I had to say. Conversation is like a game of ping-pong, after all.
But…
'Can I really say that in front of my fiancé?'
Of course, I can! Why not? He's the one who told us to "pay him no mind."
And yet, as much as I tried, I couldn't get the words out. While I hesitated, Tristan spoke first.
"That brings me to my point: I found the way the heroine's behavior was judged in the story somewhat incomprehensible."
Caught off guard, my maid froze. I responded instead.
"Oh? What part?"
"The heroine was initially drawn to the supporting actor's good looks and mistakenly believed him to be a wealthy merchant, which attracted her further. But why does the story portray that behavior so negatively?"
Well… because… that's just how stories are written.
Of course, Tristan wasn't unaware of this.
"The playwright must've felt pressured to align with conventional morals. But to make their point by saying, 'Oh, he wasn't actually rich,' felt rather shallow."
"That's true."
"Appearance and wealth are legitimate reasons to be chosen. Why go out of the way to discredit them in order to teach a moral lesson?"
Was this man seriously identifying with the handsome stranger right now?
How insufferable.
…But I understood his point.
"I agree. Since the male protagonist also fell for the heroine's looks, it seemed hypocritical to undermine the value of 'appearance' while merely stripping the supporting character of his supposed 'wealth.' It came off as petty."
"If the male lead had some redeeming quality to counterbalance his lack of wealth or looks, it should've been established earlier. For example… perhaps he saved the heroine's mother and died, leaving an everlasting impression."
"He shouldn't die!"
"Then at least he would've been remembered forever."
"But he's the protagonist. He has to survive!"
How did our discussion spiral into this nonsense?
Just as I felt my brain cells melting, my maid timidly interjected.
"I think I understand why the heroine ultimately chose the average-looking male protagonist."
Tristan immediately turned his head toward her.