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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Opera House
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A girl, a stark contrast to Duke Heart in every way, stepped out of the carriage with an escort.
“That girl is…”
People glanced back and forth between Lumina and Lucius.
It was impossible not to recognize Lumina, whose face had already been plastered across the newspapers.
Yet, the sight of the two of them standing side by side was so incongruous that people couldn’t help but stare.
“Father! This is my first time seeing an opera, so I'm very excited!”
Lumina exclaimed affectionately, clinging to Lucius’s side.
When looking at Lumina alone, it was a sweet scene that brought a smile to the faces of even those watching from afar.
But the moment their gaze shifted to Lucius, the world seemed to drain of color, and their smiles vanished.
“It’ll be so much fun watching it with you, Father, won’t it? My heart is already pounding.”
It was a lie.
Having enjoyed her hobbies to the fullest in her past life, Lumina told a little white lie.
*Well, it’s true that I’m looking forward to the performance, so I guess it’s not a complete lie.*
The massive building standing before Lumina was the opera house.
And the items Olivia had given Lumina and Lucius were tickets to an opera.
One might think Olivia had gone to this trouble simply to help Lucius and Lumina bond, but that wasn’t the case.
*This is essentially a PR outing.*
There was a reason Olivia was such a capable aide.
The marriage between Lumina and Karayan had been announced suddenly, without any prior indication.
Many would question it, and it was a situation where negative attention would inevitably fall upon Lumina, who had become the Young Duchess overnight.
*Her plan is to have me build a foundation as the Young Duchess by showing that I get along well with the Duke.*
It would have been better to be seen getting along with Karayan, but he had run away from home again.
So, in Karayan’s stead, she had arranged an outing with Lucius, the true power of the family.
Olivia hadn’t explained this to Lumina directly.
But the moment she had produced the tickets, Lumina had understood.
It was part of a meticulous public relations campaign.
Glancing back at Olivia, who was following quietly behind, Lumina looked around the opera house as if it were truly her first time.
Then, she noticed something odd and spoke up.
“The title of the production is different, isn’t it? The play Olivia told me about wasn’t this one.”
A gloomy poster of a man and a woman in an embrace decorated the interior.
The title was *It’s Okay to Be a Monster*.
The poster Olivia had shown her had a much sparklier title: *The Dazzling Sunlight Embraces Me*.
“That’s what happened.”
Lucius said, leaving out all context.
As Lumina stood there, utterly confused, Olivia approached and offered a kind explanation.
“It’s because His Grace was so insistent on visiting the opera house as soon as possible.”
With that, Olivia let out a deep sigh.
“To be honest, I protested to His Grace, thinking the content might be a bit harmful for a twelve-year-old to watch…”
“What play could possibly be like that.”
“As you can see, that’s his opinion.”
*Legions just don’t understand the delicate heart of a twelve-year-old girl,* Olivia grumbled.
“So, you were the one who recommended the play we were originally going to see?”
“That’s right.”
Lumina suddenly took Olivia’s hand.
She flinched slightly at the touch but held on tight, meeting Olivia’s eyes as if nothing had happened.
“Then we can just watch this one today, and next time, you and I can come back to see that other play!”
“Oh my.”
“Will you have time, Father? If you’re busy, Olivia and I can just come by ourselves next time!”
“I have nothing scheduled that day.”
…*But we haven’t even mentioned when that day is, have we?*
“Of course. His Grace is scheduled to be free that day,” Olivia added, piling on.
Lumina laughed and took her seat in their designated box.
Not long after, the play began.
*It’s Okay to Be a Monster*.
Just as the title suggested, the play featured a male lead who was a monster. The main story revolved around the conflict between him and his human lover.
“Lucy! Don’t look at me!”
“No! I will!”
The male lead persistently pushed the female lead away, and she just as persistently refused to give up on him.
“Edward. I love you. So please, don’t hide. Look at me.”
“Don’t come near me. Don’t look at me. If you get any closer, I’ll devour you.”
“…”
“Lucy, Lucy, I am…”
Covering his face with one hand while reaching for Lucy with the other, Edward cried out.
“A monster!”
*CRACK!*
The theater flashed with light, accompanied by a sound effect like a clap of thunder.
A monster. With horns sprouting from his head, the male lead’s appearance certainly warranted calling himself one.
But to Lumina, it seemed the author had simply toned it down to ‘monster’ out of fear that calling him a Legion outright would provoke the wrath of some ill-tempered Legions.
The male lead’s argument was this:
*I’ve been possessed by a demon, which is why I have horns and a hideous appearance. The sight of you stirs my appetite, so I must be a monster.*
But no matter how she looked at it, the male lead was clearly a Legion.
*You can tell his personality is rotten just by looking at him.*
That was one of the reasons Lumina was so sure he was a Legion.
The way he treated the woman so poorly, using his monstrous nature as an excuse, told her everything she needed to know.
Lumina now understood why Olivia had been worried about her seeing this play.
A gloomy setting that felt like an impending storm, and a love story mixed with mystery and horror.
That was *It’s Okay to Be a Monster*.
It was difficult for an ordinary twelve-year-old to comprehend.
*At this age, it’s more fitting to watch something more hopeful and cheerful.*
Not a play about living and dying for love. And she had a feeling the ending would be a tragedy.
“This is tedious.”
“Is it? It’s my first time, so I wouldn’t know.”
Lumina replied in an innocent tone.
“The acting is atrocious. Especially that woman.”
Lucius pointed to the female lead.
“It’s been a while since I last visited the opera house. It seems the pool of talented actors has dried up.”
“That’s because the role was recast at the last minute.”
Olivia, who had been listening from behind, explained in a small, whisper-like voice.
“Originally, the female lead was to be played by an actress named Camella, who possesses both popularity and skill among today’s opera singers. However, she was forced to step down from the production after being caught up in a scandal involving an affair and black magic.”
“Even so, this is too much.”
“The play is based on the love story of you and the late Duchess, Your Grace. Perhaps that’s why you’re judging it more harshly and finding it lacking.”
“What?”
A strange sound escaped Lumina’s lips in her momentary shock.
“I was not like that.”
Lucius denied Olivia’s claim. But it was obvious he was just embarrassed.
I take back what I thought about the male lead’s personality.
Now that I look at him, he seems like a cheerful young man without a shadow in his life.
“What part of this play has to do with you, Father?”
Lumina seized the opportunity to ask.
She knew very little about the late Duchess.
For one, Karayan claimed that his father had killed his mother.
But from what Lumina had observed of Lucius himself, his clear devotion to his late wife was a sticking point.
“There is nothing in this play that resembles my life.”
“But Olivia said the play was based on your love story! It must have been influenced to some degree, right?”
Sparkle, sparkle.
Lumina’s eyes shone as she looked at Lucius.
“I never revealed the true story because I didn’t want people gossiping about me or Iris, so that’s all just their imagination. They call it ‘based on,’ but it was made by picking up some exaggerated rumors from somewhere.”
“But it still has something to do with you. That’s so cool! I want to hear your story!”
As Lumina pleaded, Lucius opened his mouth as if he had no choice.
“Have you ever seen my bare eyes?”
“N-no.”
Excluding her past life, it wasn’t a lie in her current one.
“Well, you’re a Legion too, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Muttering nonchalantly, Lucius slid his sunglasses down slightly.
Revealed beneath were blood-red irises and vertically slit pupils.
“Even when I’m not using my powers, my eyes look like this. It’s why everyone has avoided me since I was young.”
Even other Legions might have thought he was about to attack them.
So, for an ordinary person, it would feel utterly threatening.
Lumina understood why he never took off his dark sunglasses.
“But Iris was the only one who saw me for who I was, regardless of my appearance.”
“She sounds like a very kind person.”
“Our first meeting wasn’t for a particularly tender reason, but there was no one else like her in the world.”
Affection was woven into his tone.
As was bitterness.
It felt inappropriate to ask any more about the Duchess, so the conversation ended there.
As they were watching the opera again, Lumina noticed Olivia hastily leaving her seat.
Lumina got up to follow.
“Where are you going? Is the play that bad…?”
“No, no!”
“Or are you scared now that you’ve seen my eyes…?”
“Father! You know I would never do that!”
Lumina quickly shook her head before the misunderstanding could deepen.
“Um… I have some personal business to attend to. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
“I knew it.”
“Pardon?”
“I see you’ve decided to take care of that bastard.”
Lucius gestured with his chin toward the male lead, who was in the middle of a passionate performance.
It seemed he disliked the male lead just as much as the female lead.
Still, wasn’t there a more common thing that came to mind when someone mentioned personal business?
It was a very Lucius-like way of thinking.
“N-no! The restroom! I have to go to the restroom!”
Lumina exclaimed, realizing that nothing but a direct statement would get through to him.
Lucius fell silent for a moment before nodding. He seemed almost disappointed.
Leaving him behind, Lumina stepped out into the hallway.
Her destination was not the restroom.
*She can’t have gone far.*
*Tap, tap, tap—.*
The play was in full swing, so there was no one around.
Hurrying through the opera house, Lumina spotted a woman with red hair.
She was standing in a corner with her back to her.
It was Olivia.
Lumina approached her slowly.
Sensing her presence, Olivia spoke without turning her head.
“Young Madame? What brings you all the way out here…?”
“You.”
Lumina cut her off, her tone firm.
“You’re not Olivia.”
