The Duke and Duchess of Pembroke were the most talked-about couple in the entire capital. Whether it was their wedding, their honeymoon, or their life on the estate—**everything** generated enormous public interest. And now, this famous couple had chosen **his** theater for their first outing together. If this news reached the papers, everyone would want to know precisely what play they'd seen.
_Tickets will sell like hot cakes!_
The theater owner was already mentally calculating how many additional performances he would need to schedule.
"The performance begins in thirty minutes. If you take your seats early, you'll attract unnecessary attention. Therefore, I'll escort you inside after the lights have dimmed."
Adelina inclined her head with evident concern.
"I'm worried we might disrupt the performance. I wouldn't want to distract the actors..." She was certainly grateful for the consideration being shown to them. But she also understood that if anyone were to enter after the play had begun, it would inconvenience everyone present—especially the performers. The last thing she wanted was to leverage her privileged position to disturb the production.
Alexio gently placed an arm around his wife's shoulders and reassured her.
"If we appear before the performance begins, we'll cause an even greater commotion. The actors are the main attraction—it would be discourteous for us to draw the audience's attention away from them."
"I hadn't considered that at all," Adelina conceded, nodding at her husband's logic.
"His Lordship is absolutely correct. Moreover, our actors are consummate professionals whose concentration isn't easily disrupted by audience movement. I'll utilize the most discreet route possible," the theater owner hastened to add.
"Then... I'll place my trust in you." Adelina offered a soft smile and nodded her assent.
The man, beaming with barely suppressed delight, guided the couple inside.
"Please wait here. I'll prepare some tea."
---
Adelina and Alexio entered the darkened theater hall in careful silence. The theater owner led them confidently through the shadows and seated them in the last row. Fortunately, the hall wasn't entirely full, leaving the area surrounding the couple blessedly empty.
"If you depart shortly before the performance concludes, no one will notice your presence. Have a most pleasant evening." With a deep bow, the man hurried away.
Finding themselves side by side in the velvet darkness, the couple exchanged glances and shared quiet smiles.
"I was so worried we'd be noticed," Adelina whispered, attempting to calm her racing heart.
Alexio nodded in agreement. "It felt rather like we were conducting a covert operation. And it appears the mission was a success."
"Yes, indeed." The girl smiled and redirected her attention to the stage—the sole source of illumination in the darkened space—where the actors had become completely absorbed in their roles.
"How **exciting**..."
Adelina pressed her palms together and sighed with undisguised delight. Lines from the play—which she had read countless times—now resounded through the air, given life by human voices. The sets and staging were exactly as she had once imagined them. Having consumed every book in the Roche mansion library, Adelina naturally knew this play by heart. But witnessing the written story **come alive** was an entirely new and wondrous experience.
Alexio narrowed his eyes, studying the profile of his wife as she became utterly absorbed in the performance. Despite having agreed to spend the day together, she seemed to have already forgotten his presence entirely. For a moment, the man considered attracting her attention—but quickly abandoned the notion. He had no desire to disturb his wife when she was so thoroughly entranced.
Settling back in his chair, Alexio turned his full attention to Adelina—who remained so engrossed that she completely missed his lingering gaze. The girl alternately furrowed her brow in concentration, smiled faintly at familiar passages, and pressed her lips together to hold back tears. It was **captivating** to watch her.
The man's gaze traced slowly across her features—from her smooth forehead to the delicate slope of her nose, down to her gently curved chin. Her proportions were so harmonious, as though sculpted by a master artisan.
_Beautiful._
This objective conclusion was immediately apparent. Rumors are often exaggerated beyond recognition—but in Adelina's case, the opposite proved true.
_They say such beauties are born once every hundred years._
However, for this expression to approach accuracy regarding Adelina, one would need to replace "hundred" with "thousand"—or perhaps even **ten thousand** years. And each time the girl's face illuminated with fresh emotion, it became simply impossible to look away.
While Alexio sat quietly admiring his wife, the performance drew toward its conclusion.
Only then did Adelina suddenly realize she had been so thoroughly immersed that she'd completely forgotten her companion. She turned her head sharply—and found herself meeting Alexio's steady gaze.
"Ah—" A startled exclamation escaped her lips.
Had the Duke truly been watching her this entire time? Although every indication pointed to precisely that, it simply **couldn't** be true. Conflicting thoughts raced through Adelina's mind, but she struggled to compose herself and forced a tight smile.
"Did you enjoy it?" the girl asked in a hushed voice.
"Yes, I enjoyed it. It was quite... fascinating." The Duke nodded, matching her lowered tone.
"R-really?" Adelina's cheeks flushed at her husband's affirmative response. As she'd suspected, the sensation of his gaze upon her had been merely an illusion. She felt profoundly relieved that Alexio couldn't read her thoughts.
Attempting to conceal her embarrassment, Adelina turned her head away sharply—but the Duke reached out and, catching her chin gently between his fingers, guided her face back toward him.
Unlike the girl, whose eyes had widened with surprise, Alexio maintained his characteristic composure.
"As I suspected. You're certainly beautiful in profile," he murmured, "but even more so from the front."
"What?"
"I'm referring to your face—the one I've been admiring this entire time, Princess. I didn't particularly care for the performance itself. But you... quite the opposite."
"What are you—" With each word he spoke, Adelina's face deepened to a more vivid shade of crimson. Though she suspected the Duke was merely teasing her, she couldn't suppress her mortification.
The Duke of Pembroke lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, as though savoring the spectacle of her discomfort.
"You're blushing."
"That's entirely **your** fault for saying such peculiar things."
"What's peculiar about expressing that I enjoy looking at my own wife?"
"Are you deliberately trying to fluster me? What could possibly be so compelling about staring at another person's face?"
"Indeed... What **did** attract me so?" Alexio's brow furrowed as he considered Adelina's question. Truly, the man had never imagined he would observe anyone with such sustained interest.
The Duke of Pembroke was a wealthy businessman of considerable renown. Thanks to rumors Lady Pembroke had carefully cultivated, noblewomen generally maintained their distance from him—but those who coveted his fortune conveniently ignored such gossip. Many women had attempted to seduce him over the years, wielding their beauty as a strategic weapon. Yet Alexio had remained uniformly indifferent to them all.
Before he could formulate an answer to his own question, the hall flooded with brilliant light and thunderous applause erupted from every direction.
_Damn it._
Alexio's expression tightened as he surveyed their surroundings. They should have departed before the lights returned—but, engrossed in his conversation with Adelina, the man had missed the critical moment. Fortunately, while all attention remained focused on the actors taking their bows, the couple still possessed a chance to escape unnoticed.
"Adelina." The Duke rose first, quietly pronouncing his wife's name. She followed suit immediately. Unfortunately, they both stood out far too distinctly from the common crowd. Alexio especially—with his exceptional height and striking features—drew the attention of nearby theatergoers the instant he stood.
"Hm? Isn't that..."
"Yes, it certainly appears to be..."
"That can't be right. Why would aristocrats attend a common performance? They prefer the opera."
"But they look **exactly** like the newspaper photographs!"
"Hmm, that's undeniably true."
The quiet whispers rippling through the audience gradually swelled into an excited roar. Any lingering doubts evaporated, replaced by absolute certainty.
The ducal couple had been discovered.