After storming out of the study that day, the two of them had been in a cold standoff ever since.

In public they still played the part of a devoted couple, but whenever they were alone, only an awkward silence stretched between them.

No, actually, he’s been avoiding being alone with me altogether.

Kalintz came to the bedroom late at night and was up and out before dawn.

For the past two nights on top of that, he had slept in the study, claiming he was busy with work. It was the first time since the royal wedding that he had slept anywhere other than the shared bedroom.

Of course, sharing a bedroom did not mean sharing a bed, but no one who did not know that Kalintz slept on the sofa simply assumed the two of them were enjoying a passionate honeymoon.

If he slept in the study again tonight, though, people might start whispering that the two had quarreled.

She was lost in all manner of thoughts when someone knocked at the door.

“Your Highness the Princess Consort, I have brought several dresses for this afternoon’s theater viewing.”

It was Lady Miller, who had recently joined as a new maid.

She was the wife of Viscount Miller, who had been granted his title relatively recently. She was a woman of few words, but calm and precise in everything she did.

“Since His Majesty the King will be in attendance as well, I avoided anything too elaborate.”

Indeed, the three dresses she had brought were all classic and elegant in design.

“I’ll take the cream one. Thank you for being so thoughtful, my lady.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. Then I will bring matching accessories as well.”

She gave a quiet bow and left the room.

“……She really is composed and meticulous.”

Tilda said as she watched her go.

“She is. And her manner is refreshingly straightforward.”

Blair nodded in agreement.

When Blair, who had held no particular standing or influence in noble society, became princess consort, the people who flocked around her generally fell into two camps.

Those who subtly looked down on her for coming from a humble family, and those who fawned over her regardless, simply wanting to get close to power.

Most fell into the former, and those in the latter tended to be women of similar standing to Blair’s own.

But Lady Miller was neither. She did not look down on Blair, but she also did not fill her ears with flattery.

That was precisely what drew Blair to her.

“I don’t know her well yet, but she seems like someone who thinks reasonably, at least.”

“Agreed. And the fact that she received her title not long ago might actually be an advantage. She’ll have fewer ties to other families.”

That was a fair point as well. Most of those in power were tangled in complicated webs of mutual interest, and it was not uncommon to get dragged into troublesome political disputes because of it.

In that regard, Lady Miller was not much of a concern.

“In any case, I’m glad we found someone decent. Though of course, all I really need is you, Tilda.”

“Pardon? Oh, Your Highness. You say things like that so casually sometimes, it makes me flustered.”

She had only spoken the truth, but watching Tilda go red made Blair feel oddly as though she had gained a little sister.

“Oh, by the way, what was the name of the theater troupe invited to the palace today?”

At Blair’s question, Tilda tried to recall as she went to fetch the dress Lady Miller had left.

“The name? Abi…… something, I think, but I can’t quite remember……”

“Could it be the Abyss Troupe?”

“Oh! Yes! Abyss!”

Tilda clapped her hands together with a sharp sound.

“How did you know right away? It’s not even that large a troupe, from what I heard.”

“Oh, I know someone in that troupe.”

“Know someone?”

Blair’s expression had brightened, and Tilda asked back with a face full of curiosity.

But Lady Miller returned just then with the accessories, and the answer would have to wait.

A short while later, Blair finished getting ready and hurried toward the central palace.

King Rubens occasionally invited theater troupes to the palace to enjoy performances, and for Blair, who loved the theater, it was the first royal event she had actually looked forward to.

And of all troupes, the Abyss Troupe. Blair quickened her pace, hoping she might run into a familiar face.

“Wait for me, Your Highness!”

Tilda called out from behind, hurrying after her in short quick steps. Blair smiled faintly and turned the corner, only to find a large shadow falling across her path.

“Watch where you’re going.”

A familiar voice resonated low from above.

“Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry.”

Kalintz, whom she had not seen in some time, wore his usual composed expression.

“……To the theater viewing. I heard His Majesty the King has invited a troupe.”

Blair put on a deliberately pleasant smile for the benefit of those around them.

“And where were you headed, Your Highness? The hall is that way. Oh, are you perhaps too busy to join the viewing today as well?”

The friendly tone carried a pointed edge tucked neatly inside it, and Kalintz’s brow gave a brief twitch.

“No. I was on my way to escort you. Blair.”

But he quickly curved his lips into a smile and extended his hand.

“If I had known you loved the theater this much, I would have set out a little sooner. So you would not have had to come this far alone.”

A warm smile, soft words murmured with affection. The attendants and maids lined up behind them visibly stirred again.

It really was effortless acting, no matter how many times she saw it.

“Not at all. If I had known you were at the central palace, I would have come earlier myself.”

But Blair matched him without missing a beat and placed her hand over his naturally.

“Shall we go, Your Highness. Everyone will be waiting.”

The gentle smile in her eyes made Kalintz let out a small laugh as he escorted her forward.

“……There’s really no need to bring in a theater troupe.”

Ernst, watching the performance unfolding right in front of him, murmured quietly.

“Pardon? What do you mean, Sir?”

“Oh, nothing. Shall we go, Lady Royce.”

Today was turning out to be a day of swallowed questions for Tilda.

The hall was already filled with nobles and attendants.

Guided by the chief chamberlain to their designated seats, they had barely settled when King Rubens and Queen Rhea arrived.

“That dress suits you beautifully, Blair.”

Queen Rhea was as graceful and dignified as ever.

There was absolutely nothing about her that suggested she had once refused food and attempted to flee in the night to avoid becoming a frons.

“You are too kind, Your Highness.”

Blair paid her respects to the king and queen, privately wondering if she might one day hear the story of that time directly from Queen Rhea herself.

“You never used to come on your own, and now that there are two of you, you finally find it in yourself to show up.”

King Rubens clicked his tongue lightly at Kalintz.

The words were a mild reproach, but King Rubens was clearly genuinely pleased that his son and daughter-in-law had come to watch the theater together.

“I think I’ve come to understand the joy of sharing in what someone else loves.”

The acting was as natural as breathing. Blair marveled inwardly but kept her expression perfectly composed and played along.

“It is a great honor to be here, Your Majesty.”

She reached over and lightly took Kalintz’s arm, smiling with a touch of shyness. King Rubens settled into his seat looking thoroughly pleased.

“……You’ve gotten good at this.”

“I couldn’t match you.”

They exchanged the cool whispered words and took their seats, and the Abyss Troupe’s performance began.

The play was built around a new story rather than any familiar, well-known tale. Blair was absorbed in it, impressed by the unfamiliar yet gripping narrative, when a recognizable face appeared on stage.

“Goodness…… Ned?”

The very familiar face she had dared to hope she might see. It was a very small role, but for someone still at the bottom of a troupe, appearing in a performance at the royal palace was no small thing.

She was watching his performance with a quietly proud feeling when,

“……Ha.”

A disgruntled sound came from beside her.

“What is it?”

Blair whispered the question, but Kalintz only furrowed his brow and refused to look her way.

What has gotten into him now.

Blair shook her head and turned her gaze back to the stage.

Ned’s part is already over.

He really was a thoroughly unhelpful prince.

❀❀❀

The play ended to applause.

It was somewhat removed from the tastes of the stiff-backed nobility, but not so raw as to put them off, and many found it refreshing.

Then again, they apparently enjoyed far worse in their private clubs, so the content itself was hardly the issue.

The difference is just whether it can be enjoyed openly or not.

Blair sent a silent, contemptuous thought toward the hypocrisy of it all and rose from her seat.

“Where are you going.”

“Oh, there’s someone I’d like to say hello to for a moment.”