"It was definitely Julietta."

Ian was surprised at the remark.

'How did the woman, who they could not even see any hair of when they searched through Bertino, return to Dublin while avoiding the eyes of the Prince?'

Killian nodded as if he had noticed Ian's thoughts. "What a strange thing it is. Isn't it?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

As Ian looked at the fierce silver eyes, he swallowed without realizing it.

'Who in the world stole the woman from the Prince's eyes? What did he do this for?'

Ian even wanted to pray for the repose of his soul if he found out who it was. The fool would not die well if he were caught.

"Is the Eileen theater around here?" Killian murmured in a low voice. While Ian hesitated to answer, Killian spoke again, "Let's go to the Eileen Theater."

After meeting with Lillian, he placed people around the Eileen Theater, but there was no specific news. But this sighting was near the theater where Julietta had grown up. It occurred to him that she had some sort of connection with the theater.

"While I am here, it's okay to watch a performance. Call Oswald and the Marquis of Rhodius. I'll see them at the Eileen Theater."

Calling those two, instead of Count Adam and Count Valerian, who hated opera as much as they loved it, Killian flashed his eyes like a wolf. Finding Julietta was important, but now he was really beginning to wonder who was up to it, or what it was about...

------

"Who's here?" Maribel was surprised at what the theater manager had said.

"Prince Killian has arrived. He just said he would wait, even though I said we still have an hour left before the evening performance."

"Did he make reservations?"

"He didn't say that. While he was out, it was too early to go back to the Imperial Castle. He is going to watch the opera, so he told me not to worry."

Maribel was lost in thought as she looked at the message from Raphael, who had sent in detail about the Duke of Kiellini staying in Tilia.

'Who would believe that Prince Killian stopped by the theater because he had spare time as he pa.s.sed?'

After sitting silently for a long time, Maribel locked the desk after putting the letter she was holding into it, and stood up.

"Prepare the best wine. And as usual, you will put no one around the box seat I will be in."

---

After giving the manager his orders, Maribel left her underground living quarters and went up to the top floor reserved for the royal family.

"Your Highness, it's an honor for you to visit the Eileen Theater. When you came before, I was sorry that you left before I even said h.e.l.lo."

Killian nodded in resignation when the owner appeared and greeted him, as expected. "Oh, it was because I found something interesting that day. I just went back because I lost interest in the performance."

Maribel laughed at Killian's words. "Are you going to find something interesting in our theater today?"

"I was wondering if it might be so. What do you think? Is there anything here that would interest me?"

Facing Killian's cold silver eyes, Maribel's mind began to run busily.

'He found something interesting in the theater. What was there that this n.o.ble Prince might have been interested in?'

Maribel was busy running her mind and thought of something. She grinned as she looked across at the Prince at the thought of it.

"You must have noticed what I found."

Maribel could certainly swear that she had never been so surprised as now. She barely smiled, hiding her trembling hands between the folds of her dress.

"I just got a call from Lillian a while ago. Your Highness is looking for Julietta."

Lillian said the Prince did not seem to know Julietta's true appearance. Maribel continued, barely calming her heart that was fluttering about what was happening so abruptly. "Unfortunately, Julietta did not return to the theater, Your Highness."

Maribel's appearance was very calm, the result of long experience. Killian grinned as he looked at her appearance with a wide-eyed stare.

"I just saw Julietta around here."

Maribel's heart sank again.

"It's true that she didn't come to the theater. I haven't heard anything from the people who have been monitoring it."

At Killian's words, Maribel's heart sank further down. Fortunately, it was obvious that he did not recognize Julietta's appearance when she was disguised as Princess Kiellini. She needed time to think, but the Prince kept attacking, not giving her a break.

"I know Julietta grew up in the theater. Was anyone close to her?"

Maribel wanted to praise herself for getting Amelie and Sophie out of the theater as soon as she had finished talking to Julietta. "Well, I don't know in detail, because I don't pay attention to every single child who grows up in the theater."

Killian asked, looking at Maribel with a slight frown on her forehead, as if to recall. "Who takes care of children when they come into the theater?"

Maribel clutched her shaking hands again at the sharp question. "We accept children who are entrusted with us as an investment, but it's very expensive to hire people to take care of children who can't do their part. The children are looked after by the staff after discussion. In fact, I didn't care because I didn't have to know how they were doing."