After a lengthy but comfortable carriage ride, she finally arrived at the opera hall. The carriage door opened before Elena had to say anything, and as soon as she stepped out her eyes widened at the sight stretched out before her.

Whatwhat is this?

From where she had gotten out of the carriage, she was surrounded by large, black banners. She walked forward in amazed wonder.

Whililigu

The banners moved along with Elenas footsteps. When she looked closely, she saw there were people surrounding her, holding their banners and shielding her so no other aristocrats could see her.

There came a buzz of voices at the strange sight.

Who is that?

Who is the person being honored?

Elena could not identify the owners of the voices beyond the banners. Now Elena understood why Carlisle felt comfortable meeting her here.

Caril was confident he wouldnt show my face to anyone.

Elena paused her footsteps, as she never imagined herself in this kind of situation. However, she would only draw attention from other people if she continued to stay. At Elenas hesitation, the bannerman at the front of the encirclement spoke in a low voice.

Please follow me.

Elena wordlessly moved forward with the guidance of the bannerman ahead. How many people could recognize Elena just by the sound her voice?

Is he taking me to VIP seats?

It was rumored that the VIP seats were a popular place for rich aristocratic men to indulge in affairs. The cost of the opera was so high that she couldnt begin to guess where she was being taken to.

Wait, is anyone in there?

Was that the princess of another country?

She could clearly hear what the other aristocrats were saying outside the shield of banners. However, Elena simply continued to walk forward, though her mind was overflowing with questions.

After seeing the bannerman halt, Elena looked around to see where she arrived.

Ah

A gasp of exclamation escaped her mouth. She laughed that she imagined herself at some VIP area, when in fact she was at the most expensive box in the opera.

She had only seen the boxes from far away and this was her first time being in one. There were only a few private boxes in the opera hall, which were not reserved for purchase like other seats, but only exclusively accessible by their owners. Only the very richest men in the empire could afford them. As regular seats at the opera were a commoners monthly salary, Elena could not even begin to guess how much it would cost to buy a private box.

The bannerman who had guided Elena spoke again.

Go inside.

Elena recovered herself and she nodded and stepped inside. The sound of the door opening was like thunder as anticipation heightened her senses.

Inside the room was Carlisle sitting leisurely with his arms folded. The seats were placed in a shadowy area, so it would be difficult to see them sitting there.

Carlisle slowly turned towards the door, noticing Elena had entered. Their eyes met in midair, and she saw Carlisles blue irises glowing faintly in the gloom. He was a hungry predator facing its prey.

There was a moment of silence. The door swung shut behind Elena and her head turned reflexively towards the sound. Carlisle stared at her for a moment then spoke first.

Im glad no one saw you tonight.

Something troublesome might have happened if they did.

What do you mean?

Its because youre so beautiful. I would dig out the eyes of the men who looked upon you.

Elenas face flushed. It was the first time she had heard such a compliment.

Thank you for saying that, but that joke is quite extreme.

Carlisle smiled at Elenas reddened face.

Please, take a seat.

Elena felt suspicious about all of this, but she had come this far and couldnt turn back now. She sat next to him at his request, but she couldnt shake off her unsettled feelings.

I dont know about yourself, My Lady, but Ive never been to a place like this. I only know the battlefield.

So I wanted to come with you.

She didnt expect him to invite her to the opera hall. She put her thoughts in order then replied in a calm voice.

Were these seats lent from someone you know?

No.

It was a very short but firm refutation. However, he seemed to take the question in a different way.

Do you dislike opera?

No, its not like that

Elena did not dislike opera, though a few members of the nobility probably did. That wasnt the problem thoughthe problem was that they were in an inordinately expensive box. She dont know how much it cost, but even if she did she couldnt pretend it didnt bother her.

Then I hope we can watch more opera together in the future.

Carlisles words seemed to imply that he bought this box by himself. Elena was surprised that he would reveal such an important fact so casually. It would be too much, even for the crown prince. He couldnt freely reached into the state coffers unless he was the emperor.

Furthermore, Carlisle did not have much social influence, and it had not been long since he went from the battlefield to the capital. Where he got a such huge sum of money was questionable. She couldnt even understand why he spent so much money in a meeting with her. Money had many practical uses. If Carlisle were to become emperor, he would need to save it for future.

You spend too much money useless things.

Carlisle fixed her a deadpan expression.

Im a man of high tastes.

It doesnt matter how high. How can you

You said you didnt want anyone know about us, so wouldnt you happy with these box seats?

Thats

There was nothing wrong with what Carlisle said, and she closed her mouth. At Elenas bewildered expression, his tone turned smooth.

Theres one thing you dont know.

Elenas eyes turned towards Carlisle sitting next to her. She was about to ask what he meant, but Carlisles voice went ahead of Elenas question.

When you look at me with those eyes, I want to give you everything.