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

Arnold was resting his elbows on the cushion between him and Rishe.

　He was resting most of his weight on it, so he wasn’t too heavy for Rishe.

　However, Rishe could feel the distinct weight on her left shoulder.

　Rishe felt his cheeks burning as she realized that not only were their bodies very close, but their emotions were also that were so close.

　They were in a theater. She tried to keep her voice as low as possible so as not to disturb others, and asked in a whisper…

“A-Um, Your Highness?”

“…What is it?”

　Arnold’s voice sounded much the same as usual.

　He was giving off the impression that this situation was natural and nothing out of the ordinary.

　And yet, there was also a hint of weariness in it.

　Rishe asked, looking at Arnold with trepidation

“A-Are you sleepy by any chance?”

“…”

　When asked, Arnold merely raised his head and gave her a glance.

　This was the first time Arnold was looking at her in this posture. Usually, it was Rishe looking up at him. For some reason, Rishe’s heart missed a beat when she locked eyes with his beautiful sea-blue eyes.

“I’m not sleepy.”

No…?

　Not knowing how upset Rishe was, Arnold asked, loud and clear.

“Will you answer my question?”

Yes, but why in this position?!

　Rishe muttered inwardly, but she didn’t dare to voice it out frankly.

　Of course, Arnold knew what caught Rishe by surprise, given the redness of her cheeks.

　Nevertheless, he felt a bit satisfied to see Rishe’s reaction.

　Even so, he didn’t take the initiative to withdraw, and instead looked down at the brochure again and said.

“What the hell is a revue anyway?”

“Huh, that’s…”

　Arnold’s voice that spun right beside Rishe, tickled her ears.

　Perhaps the acoustics in the theater were great. The sound of his voice, which sounded lower than usual, made her heart beat faster and faster in her left chest.

　However, since he was asking, she wanted to respond with sincerity.

“A normal opera is expressed only through theatrical performance…When it comes to opera, singing is combined with that method of expression.”

“Hmm.”

　When Arnold issued a hum in understanding, Rishe heard the crunching and rustling of her hair. Thanks to the warmth of his body over her shoulder, she felt their close proximity once more.

　Arnold slipped off the black glove on his right hand.

　Rishe gulped as the somewhat lazy gesture was strangely picturesque. Then a large, bare hand reached out to Rishe’s lap.

　Arnold slowly flipped up the pages of the pamphlet he had placed there.

“Is the upcoming performance something you like?”

“Well, that’s…this troupe doesn’t announce their performances in advance. One of the things I look forward to is the mystery of the play they’ll perform until they start.”

　She recalled how her former fiancé, Dietrich, had initially complained about it.

　For some reason, that memory popped to mind at almost the same time that Arnold looked up at her again.

“What’s the plot the last time you watched them?”

　Was he asking such a thing because he wanted to use it as a reference and predict tonight’s performance?

　Rishe looked down at Arnold, and after taking a deep breath to calm her discomfiture, she answered.

“It’s about marriage, set in a world where magic exists.”

“Huh?”

“The story told about a Princess who got married for political gains, and the story revolved around the vow kiss that took place during the wedding――…”

　After Rishe’s explanation reached that point, she stopped talking.

　She gazed into Arnold’s blue eyes.

　The lashes framing his eyes were long, and the candlelight flickering in the special seat cast a shadow on his white cheeks. Even in this dim light, his blue eyes were like jewels.

　A thought occurred to Rishe, as she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the.

Wedding…?

　Rishe was going to marry Arnold in less than a month.

　Of course, she knew this, and she’d been working day by day to prepare for it. The general flow of the day wasn’t so different from that of Rishe’s home country.

　That was why, at this point, she had only skimmed over it briefly, and instead gave priority to moves that would help stop Arnold’s war.

　But at this moment, Rishe was reminded of something.

…….Kissing at the wedding……

　It would be the same for her and Arnold.

“――――――……”

“…Rishe?”

　Arnold looked up suspiciously at Rishe, who froze stiffly.

….The wedding is a ceremony in which a couple vows to marry in front of the Goddess and become husband and wife. We’ll take our vows at the temple in the castle and then…

　There, they would kiss each other on the lips.

　Once again, she blinked in recognition of this fact.

――The vow kissing? With His Highness? In front of all the attendees?

“…Hey, what’s up?”

　Arnold raised himself up and peered into Rishe’s face.

　The weight of Rishe’s shoulder was relieved, but in the end they were still in close proximity. On top of that, the closeness of their faces reminded her of something that happened about two months ago.

　In the chapel where Theodore had summoned Rishe, she exchanged words with Arnold.

　At the end of it, Arnold caught her chin with his fingers and kissed her.

“〜〜〜〜……”

　In a wink, she felt her face, which had been burning since earlier heat up once more.

　Rishe tried not to think about what happened back then.

　She admonished herself not to think about it, because it was obvious that Arnold had an agenda, and yet she was at his mercy.

“What is it? Don’t tell me you have a fever…”

“Yo-Your Highness!”

　Arnold reached out to touch Rishe’s cheek.

　Rishe nimbly grabbed his wrist and placed his hand on her knee atop her dress, wrapping it tightly with both hands to confine it.

　They ended up touching each other, but Rishe felt much easier on her heart to touch him herself than the other way around.

“I’m fine…It’s no problem.”

“…”

　But Arnold looked somewhat tangled, and he raised his eyebrows.

　Arnold was a swordsman, so he probably didn’t want to have both of his hands crippled. Rishe felt bad for putting him in an uncomfortable situation, but she didn’t want him to touch her now.

　She was positive that if she recalled that kiss again, in such a close proximity, she’d burst into tears.

　Just then, the opening bell rang. Rishe tried desperately to maintain a sense of normalcy and acted as if nothing had happened.

“Ah! I-It’s starting!”

“…”

　The candles that had been lit here and there in the theater were extinguished by the theater staff.

　The audience immediately became noisy simultaneously with the darkening of the area. This was probably due to the audience’s elation just before the curtain raising.

　After a drum beat, the theater quieted down, as if in unison.

　But the silence, which was usually so thrilling, wasn’t appealing to Rishe right now.

…His Highness can hear my heartbeat!!

　Even though the play has yet to start, Rishe couldn’t concentrate on the stage, which was truly an embarrassment.

　She wanted to see Arnold’s expression, but she didn’t dare make eye contact with him. While her thoughts were spinning in circles, the red curtain began to rise.

――Ah

　A woman was standing on the stage, illuminated by the chandelier.

　Since they were seated on the fourth floor, Rishe couldn’t see her face clearly without using opera glasses.

　Even so, she could sense her beauty because her figure was like a blooming flower.

　Her long, silky hair was almost crimson, and her dress was a bright red. She stepped to the front of the stage and extended her hand in a seductive gesture toward the audience.

　But at that moment, Rishe felt something strange.

“Your Highness…”

“Yeah?”

　Arnold, who was seated next to her, must have sensed the same thing. Rishe shook off her earlier agitation and looked at the woman closely.

Something’s wrong with her…

　Rishe picked up her opera glasses and was about to check on the situation when she heard something.

“!”　

Sylvia, the diva, collapsed on the stage.

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