The Villainess Enjoys Her Seventh Life as a Free-Spirited Bride (hostage) in a Former Enemy Country

That night, a large number of spectators gathered in front of the most famous theater in the Imperial City.

　Everyone was filled with anticipation, looking forward to tonight’s performance. In the lobby, which was separated from the general public from the entrance, the dressed-up nobles were meeting each other and busy socializing before the show.

　Their voices, calm but somehow buoyant, were like soft ripples.

　Soon, however, the majority of the gazes in the room focused on a single point.

“―― Rishe, your hand.”

“Yes, Your Highness, Arnold.”

　At Arnold’s prompt, Rishe took his hand and walked next to him.

　In that instant, the quality of the voices heard in the lobby changed. As far as Rishe’s ears could hear, most voices expressed astonishment.

　The nobles all took one look at Rishe, who was dressed for the play, and then looked at Arnold, who was pulling her hand.

　He was dressed in formal attire, black gloves and a red cloak, with a look of disinterest on his face.

I knew it. Everyone must be surprised.

　For royalty and nobility, the theater was a kind of social gathering place.

　And before Rishe arrived in Garkhain, Arnold didn’t even show up at soirees at the royal castle.

　The fact that the Crown Prince was escorting a woman to the theater like this must have been a surprise to the aristocrats.

I didn’t expect that he would arrange a seat for me within a few days, even though I only mentioned it in passing.

　As Rishe walked on the red carpet, she thought back to a few days ago.

　Their wedding was less than a month away, and preparations were getting hectic.

　She had rented Arnold’s office and was making small talk with Oliver to confirm the day’s events when she unconsciously muttered to herself.

“Is there a revue performance at the theater in the Imperial City? Wow, I want to go there…”

“…”

　It was almost a monologue, but it was meant to be a wish.

　However, Arnold, who was sorting through papers at his desk, raised his head and looked at her. When Rishe also stopped and looked up, he said something like this.

“…Okay. Wait a minute.”

“―― Uh?”

“Oliver.”

“Yes. As you wish, My Lord.”

　She blinked, thinking, No way. And then today, which was a few days later, she really was offered a seat at the revue.

I understand now why Your Highness works so quickly…When you decide to do something, you don’t put it off, you do it right away.

　Perhaps in annoyance of all the stares, Arnold’s profile turned somewhat displeased.

“…”

　However, when he noticed Rishe looking up at him, his grimness suddenly softened.

　His gaze was as expressionless as ever, but it was also calm. Arnold reached out with his free hand and stroked Rishe’s right ear, along with her swaying earring.

“Gasp…”

“――Your hair is tangled in a thin chain.”

　Then, after gently stroking the chain of her earring, she tucked Rishe’s earlocks behind her ears.

　Even though it was through black gloves, the sensation tickled her. The surrounding nobles reacted as if they had witnessed something they shouldn’t have, and the buzz in the lobby grew even louder.

　Rishe felt strangely shy.

“Thank you.”

“Hmm.”

　Rishe’s cheeks heated up, but Arnold remained unconcerned.

　Just as Arnold was leading her to the stairs to the upper floor, a voice called out to them.

“Your Highness, Arnold. Rishe-sama.”

　They looked in unison and found a tall man standing in front of them.

　The man, with his brown hair cut short and his back straightened in a serious manner, was wearing a uniform that indicated his affiliation with the Knights of Garkhain.

“My name is Rudolf Gert Gutheil.”

“…”

　Rishe hoped that Arnold didn’t notice her tensing up slightly at that moment.

“Thank you for appointing me to guard you today. I’ll be working with Your Highness’s knight guards to protect the upper floors.”

“Make sure no one enters the top floor. It’s reserved for us. No exceptions, not even for nobles.”

“Ha. As you wish, Your Highness.”

　After listening to their exchange, Rishe bowed to the man who introduced himself as Gutheil.

“Gutheil-sama, we’ll be counting on you.”

“I will risk my life to protect you, so please enjoy the performance with peace of mind.”

　Gutheil vowed seriously, a statement that seemed a bit exaggerated.

　His eyes were long and slit, showing his strength of will. Rishe knew that Gutheil was a skilled swordsman, and that he had the talent to lead an army.

…This is one of the subjects who will report directly to His Highness in the future and contribute to the war of aggression.

　But of course, Rishe showed nothing on her face.

　Arnold escorted her straight to the top floor of the grand theater. Rishe believed that no one had noticed that she was wary of the knight who was supposed to be their escort.

＊＊＊

　Emperor Arnold Hein had five vassals that he valued on the battlefield.

　They had been entrusted with wars of aggression in Arnold’s absence, and had won victories at his behest.

　Truth to tell, Garkhain’s world invasion proceeded so quickly was due not only to Arnold himself, but also to the achievements of his followers.

　One of them was Rudolf Gert Gutheil, the security detail who came to welcome them earlier.

I never thought I would meet him here…

　On the fourth floor of the theater, in a special royal box, Rishe gently lowered her eyes.

　The red velour upholstered chair was soft and comfortable, and there were several cushions on it.

　It was not a seat for one person, but a comfortable couch-type seat, where she and Arnold sat side by side.

　The seat itself was spacious, but when she tried to sit down in a comfortable position, she naturally ended up so close to him that their shoulders touched.

　Right beside Arnold, Rishe flipped through the pamphlet of the performance, pretending to read it while brooding.

The future Crown Prince Arnold doesn’t yet have a single vassal to rely on. That’s why I thought there was still time for a reprieve in this regard.

　Rishe paused for a moment, and then asked Arnold.

“Your Highness, how did the Gutheil-sama from earlier come to be on guard tonight? There were also other guards at the corridor on the way to our seat who were not members of Your Highness’ knight guards.”

　Arnold was slightly caught off guard.

“Your Highness?”

“…I have about fifty knights of my Kingsguard, but some of them may not have had a direct conversation with you. If I may ask, do you remember all their faces?”

“? Yes. The Knights of the Kingsguard are the vassals that Your Highness has chosen, aren’t they?”

　That meant, they were the knights Arnold had made his own underlings with a well-defined intention.

　Rishe was well aware that Arnold was always looking out for his subordinates.

　As his consort, she could not forget their faces and names, even if she had only met them once as a knight.

“…”

　Arnold turned a seemingly gentle gaze to Rishe. After that, he told her.

“We’re having a shortage of personnel and knight guards to lend to the Koyor Kingdom. In addition, I’ve been thinking of expanding the scale of my Kingsguard.”

“…That is to say, if we increase the number of people…”

　This somehow gave rise to an ominous premonition to Rishe.

　There were only about fifty knights in Arnold’s Kingsguard at most. But even in a small country like Rishe’s homeland, the Crown Prince usually had more than a hundred knights in his security detail.

Fifty knights in the Crown Prince’s security detail is too few for a large country like Garkhain, a country that specializes in military affairs. I know that, but…

　She was totally clueless if mere expansion was his only goal.

His Highness in my past lives will become Emperor two years from now, after killing his father…That being the case, of course, His Highness’s troops would have been his Kingsguard.

　The ‘Kingsguard expansion’, as Arnold called it, could be taken as a preparation for the coup d’etat or war in the future.

I must gather information about that as well while preparing for the wedding.

　Rishe took a deep breath.

　However, it would be suspicious if she pondered too long, so she regained her composure and traced the name on the pamphlet in her lap with her finger.

“By the way, I can’t believe that tonight’s star is the diva, Sylvia-san. It’s been a while since I’ve heard her sing, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

“…Have you ever seen a revue with one of those performers before?”

“Yes. I think that was, uh…”

　She stopped speaking for a moment to organize information so that they wouldn’t get mixed up with her other life memories.

“――It was with His Highness Dietrich, my former fiancee!”

“……………”

　At that moment, Arnold shut his mouth tightly.

“She also played the lead role in the play, although it was a different show. She had a clear, yet powerful voice that made me very excited.”

“…”

“His Highness Dietrich watched the opera with me and seemed to have enjoyed it. Normally, he would get bored halfway through the opera when we went to watch it together.”

“……………………”

　Arnold slightly lowered his eyes as he listened to Rishe’s recollection.

I wonder, will His Highness Arnold enjoy the play?

　With this thought in mind, Rishe turned a page of the pamphlet and went back to the previous one.

He doesn’t seem too interested in it, but … perhaps, he’s never been to an opera before, right? It’s much better if he feels he doesn’t like it after experiencing it, rather than having never experienced it.

　With this firm conviction, Rishe had an epiphany.

“Do you have any questions about the opera, Your Highness? If there is anything I can answer for you, please let me know at … huh?!”

　Just then, something weighed on her shoulder.

Uh….

　She was so startled that she gulped.

　Arnold slid down from his seat and bent a bit, and then rested his head on Rishe’s shoulder. Rishe blinked at him.

　To put it another way, Arnold reclined against Rishe and began to look at the pamphlet a little languidly.

“――――?!”

T/L Note: Someone’s jelly alright, (((￣へ￣井)