FF Chapter 77: Landau Theater (Patreon)

I fell silent after I came to the realization that Prince Cornelius had hired Gotthard Wendel to kill Leopold. I suspected as much, when I realized that Lady Melitta was one of the people who tried to kill Leopold. However, suspecting someone of a crime was one thing, having it confirmed was another. This was especially true when it came to members of the imperial family.

While it wasn’t unheard of for contenders for the throne to assassinate their rivals, it wasn’t common either. The fight for the throne was a vicious and bloody competition. However, most of the violence took place in the shadows. Even then, it was rare. Murdering someone was illegal, even for members of the imperial family.

As such, most contenders for the throne dealt with their rivals using indirect methods. Most of them focused on increasing their influence within high society and performed meritorious deeds to grow their prestige. More often than not, they attacked their rivals through sabotage and political maneuvering rather than overt violence.

It worried me that Prince Cornelius attacked Leopold like this. Either this meant that he didn’t care about the consequences, or he believed he could get away with it even if he got caught. Either way, this just reaffirmed my belief that Prince Cornelius was the least qualified candidate to take the throne. Even Prince Jeremias was a better choice than him.

I continued to question Gotthard, trying to gather as much information as possible. However, he didn’t have much else to tell me. Sir Alwin offered a large sum of money to Gotthard in order to hire the latter to kill Leopold. However, Gotthard refused at first. Killing a member of the imperial family never ended well for the killer. In his words, there were faster ways to commit suicide.

However, Sir Alwin then threatened Gotthard’s family. This surprised me. Not the threat itself, but the fact that Gotthard had a family. I studied him the same way I studied the other famous Aura Masters, and none of my sources ever mentioned him having a family. After hearing this, it took me a moment to recover my composure.

While Sir Alwin himself wasn’t a threat to Gotthard or the latter’s family, Sir Alwin’s backers were another matter. One man, even an Aura Master, had his limits. To keep his loved ones safe, Gotthard accepted the job. Afterwards, he hired some acquaintances of his to rescue his family and hide them away. That was why Gotthard gave up so easily earlier. Otherwise, he would have fought to the death.

When I asked Gotthard why he didn’t just run away as soon as his family was safe, he grinned at me and said that he was waiting for the right opportunity. He decided that the Reichwald Empire wasn’t safe for him and his loved ones anymore, so he planned on fleeing to the east. However, he needed a substantial amount of funds to smuggle himself and his loved ones out. Thus his attempt to fleece me for money.

After I finished questioning Gotthard, I left the basement and mulled over what to do about him. Yes, he attempted to kill Leopold. However, given the circumstances, I was inclined to show him clemency. It helped that Gotthard put less than minimal effort into trying to kill Leopold. If he had thrown his spear instead of charging forward, he might have succeeded. My coldfire was powerful, but it had its limits.

Besides, having an Aura Master of Gotthard’s caliber in my debt could prove beneficial in the future. Of course, since he planned on leaving the Reichwald Empire, calling in that debt wouldn’t be easy. Even so, it was worth considering.

A commotion at the entrance to Kaltbrand Manor pulled me out of my thoughts. I headed to a nearby window to take a look outside. There, I saw a contingent of the Imperial Guard facing off against the Coldsteel Knights. Knight Commander Bennett led the former, while Mom headed the latter. From the expressions on everyone’s faces, tensions were high.

After a moment’s consideration, I decided to not get involved and let Mom handle it. Cowardly? Yes. However, I was tired from the fight with Gotthard and rescuing Volkhard from Lady Melitta. I didn’t want to get involved in another confrontation. So, I decided to find Lina instead.

However, I sought out Baron Kurz first. I wanted to know about the surprise I planned for Lina. That would be a part of my apology to her. To my joy and relief, Baron Kurz succeeded. When we parted ways, I found myself in high spirits.

I found Lina in her rooms. Rather than commute back and forth all the time between Kaltbrand Manor and the House Guld townhouse, Lina and I decided that it was more convenient for her to have her own set of rooms here. This wasn’t too unusual. After getting engaged, some nobles started living with their future in-laws right away. That way they could get used to being part of a new household. While Lina and I weren’t officially engaged yet, this made little difference to us.

The moment she saw me, Lina rushed over with a worried look on her face. She fussed over me, checking for injuries.

“I’m fine, Lina.” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “A bit tired, but fine.”

Lina let out a relieved sigh, before she leaned against me and rested her forehead against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.

“I know.” She said, her voice muffled. “Mom told me as soon as she left your study, but I needed to make sure.”

“Mom?” I asked.

Lina pulled back a little to look me in the face.

“I decided to follow your example.” She explained, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Mom hates it, but she hasn’t told me to stop.”

I paused, before I decided not to say anything. It appeared that Lina and Mom were destined to always be at odds with each other. I would be happy if they grew closer and got along. However, I doubted that would ever happen. At this point, I would be happy if they remained civil and polite with one another.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

Lina gave me a confused look.

“Why are you apologizing?” She asked.

“Today was supposed to be just for us,” I said. “Instead, our outing got interrupted by an assassination attempt.”

Lina gave me a gentle smile.

“There is no need for you to apologize.” She said. “As a daughter of House Guld, I know that there are times when we must put aside our own personal wants and needs for the sake of duty. That is the price we must pay for the privileges we enjoy.” Her smile faded and her eyes gleamed with a cold light. “Besides, I plan to make the people responsible for interrupting our outing pay for this.”

A chill ran down my spine. Not for the first time, I felt grateful that Lina was on my side. She made for a terrifying enemy.

“Speaking of which,” Lina continued, “Have you figured out who was behind the attempt on Leopold’s life?”

I nodded and told her what I learned from Gotthard. Afterwards, I included my own thoughts and speculations on the matter.

“Of course it was Cornelius.” Lina said, her voice filled with disdain. “He was always my least favorite cousin. It doesn’t surprise me that he was behind this.” She frowned. “However, it worries me that he attempted something this blatant. Does he believe that he is above the law simply because he is a member of the imperial family? Or does his confidence stem from another source?”

I found it both reassuring and concerning that Lina shared the same thoughts as me when it came to Prince Cornelius’ actions.

“While I hope it is the former,” I said, “We should prepare for the latter.”

Lina nodded with a grim look on her face. In the Reichwald Empire, there was only one way someone could get away with assassinating a member of the imperial family: receiving a pardon from the Emperor. While I doubted that His Imperial Majesty would condone Prince Cornelius’ blatant actions, we had to take the possibility into consideration. If the Emperor went against custom and supported one of the candidates, then that added a whole new layer of danger to the whole affair.

Not for the first time, I wished to leave for the Barrens and just ignore the imperial succession altogether. So far, it had been nothing but one annoyance after another. At this point, I was just sick of it. However, leaving wasn’t an option. Ignoring the imperial succession hadn’t worked for Dad, so I doubted that it would work for me.

Still, I wished we could forget about it for just one day. In fact, I would settle for a few hours. Thankfully, I already made preparations for tonight.

“What do you plan to do with Volkhard and that Gotthard fellow?” Lina asked.

I shook my head.

“Let us put them aside for now.” I said. “They can wait until tomorrow. We have more urgent concerns.”

Lina blinked at me in surprise.

“What do you mean?” She asked, a trace of worry in her voice. “Did something happen?”

I put on a solemn expression.

“Yes.” I said. “We were in the middle of our outing. The assassination attempt on Leopold interrupted it, but the day isn’t over yet. We still have time to enjoy yourselves.”

My solemn expression morphed into a grin. Lina gave me an annoyed look, but I noticed the corners of her lips tugging up.

“Oh?” she asked. “And what did you have planned?”

“Before we left earlier,” I said, “I asked Baron Kurz to reserve tickets for tonight’s performance at the Landau Theater. He succeeded.”

Lina’s eyes widened in surprise. My grin widened. I had to admit, I felt gratified at her reaction.

“When you said that you wanted to go on an outing,” I said, “Watching a play at the Landau Theater was the first thing that came to mind, so I made some preparations.”

The Landau Theater was the most famous theater in Haven, and maybe even the entire Reichwald Empire. It was owned by House Landau, a family of central nobles known for their interest in cultural pursuits and lack of political aspirations. They were the foremost patrons of painters, musicians, actors, and other kinds of artists. The Landau Theater was just one of their institutions. They also owned an art gallery as well as a music hall.

Unlike most other theaters, the Landau Theater was located in Haven’s Outer City. This was because it was open to commoners as well as the nobility, which no doubt contributed to its popularity.

“How did Baron Kurz manage that?” Lina asked. “Tickets for the Landau Theater need to be bought weeks, sometimes even months, in advance. Not even Father could buy some on such short notice, not without spending a small fortune.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Wulfram, did you spend a small fortune?”

I remained silent. That was all the confirmation Lina needed. She smacked me on the shoulder.

“Why would you waste money like that?” She asked, exasperated. “You could have just reserved tickets for a future performance.”

I shrugged, before grinning at her.

“Maybe I picked up some bad habits from you and the rest of our family,” I said. “Besides, I don’t consider it a waste. After all, I spent it for your sake.”

Lina pouted at that. However, the pleased expression on her face negated the effect.

“Very well.” She said. “I shall forgive you this time.” She shook her head. “I never expected you to be such a spendthrift.”

I resisted the urge to snort. That was the pot calling the kettle black. Every member of House Guld aside from me was a spendthrift. They all spent money like it was nothing. However, when I did it, suddenly it was a waste.

“Which play are they performing tonight?” Lina asked.

“The Miser’s Wife.” I said.

Lina’s eyes sparkled.

“I heard good things about that one.” She said. “I can’t wait to see it.” She frowned. “Hmm, if it’s for this evening, then we don’t have much time to get ready.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “It’s just a little after noon. The play doesn’t start until this evening.”

Lina rolled her eyes.

“Yes,” she said, “Which means we only have a few hours to get ready. Attending a performance at the Landau Theater is the equivalent of going to a social event. We need to dress the part.” She gave me a gentle shove. “Go. We don’t have any time to waste.”

With that, Lina kicked me out of her rooms and shut the door. I stared at it for a few seconds, before leaving to get ready myself.

***

I followed Lina’s words and spent the next few hours getting ready for the performance at the Landau Theater. It was a little difficult, since Maria was still busy working with the Blue Shadows and I had to do everything myself, but I managed. By the time I finished, it was time to leave.

In the middle of all that, Mom sent me a message regarding the Imperial Guard. As expected, they were there to take me into custody. It was obvious to anyone with a brain and a pair of eyes that I had been involved in the assassination attempt on Leopold. However, Mom refused to budge an inch, despite the Imperial Guard’s insistence. In the end they gave up and left, but I doubted that would be the last we saw of them.

Other than that, I decided to ignore the rest of my duties and focus on the upcoming performance at the Landau Theater. After I finished getting ready, I met Lina at the entrance to Kaltbrand Manor. She wore a yellow dress that made her seem like a spring flower, full of life and vitality. While it was simple and understated, compared to Lina’s usual attire at least, I thought she looked resplendent. Together, the two of us boarded a carriage and headed to the Landau Theater. Of course, we both had our respective bodyguards in tow.

We arrived at the Landau Theater just after evening. It was summer, so it was still light out. The setting sun painted the sky shades of red, orange, and yellow. It was a beautiful sight. However, the heat somewhat ruined my enjoyment of the scene. The Landau Theater was located in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Haven’s Outer City.

When Lina and I alighted from the carriage, I took a moment to study the theater itself. It was large, standing at five stories tall and taking up almost an entire city block. The building was beautiful, a work of art in and of itself. Though, thinking about it now, that didn’t surprise me given House Landau’s love of the arts.

A crowd stood in front of the entrance to the Landau Theater, as everyone rushed to enter and take their seats before tonight’s performance started. The crowd mostly consisted of commoners, though I noticed a few minor nobles as well. However, thanks to Baron Kurz’s effort, Lina and I didn’t have to wait with the crowd.

According to Baron Kurz, who knew more about this sort of thing than I did, the seats for the first two floors of the Landau Theater were for commoners. The seats for the third floor were for wealthy commoners and minor nobles. Those with tickets for these seats needed to take the front entrance. However, the seats on the upper two floors were reserved for nobles only. There was even a separate entrance that led straight to the upper floors, so those with high status could avoid mingling with the crowd and head right to their seats.

Of course, Baron Kurz secured tickets for seats at the top floor, so Lina and I headed towards the other entrance. This attracted attention from the crowd. Some gazed at us in envy, while others gazed at us in awe. Lina and I ignored their looks and continued on our way.

An employee of the Landau Theater guarded the side entrance. We showed him our tickets and he ushered us inside with a respectful bow. Sir Kane and the female knight who guarded Lina followed right behind us.

Since our seats were right at the top, Lina and I had to climb up several flights of stairs. I was fine, since I was an Aura Master. However, Lina was another story. She started struggling when we reached the third floor. While she maintained a composed expression on her face, I knew that she wasn’t as nonchalant as she pretended. On impulse, I picked her up and carried her in my arms. The employees for the Landau Theater, as well as our bodyguards, stared at us in surprise.

“Wulfram!” She said, her face flushed red. “What are you doing? Put me down!”

“No.” I said.

Despite Lina’s protests, I carried her the rest of the way up. When she realized that I wasn’t going to budge on this, she fell silent. However, that didn’t stop her from glaring daggers at me. When we reached the top floor, I set Lina down. She straightened herself out and gave me one last glare, before she marched towards our seats. I followed behind her. The employees of the Landau Theater pretended as if they saw nothing.

The seats on the top floor were separated into boxes, allowing the patrons to watch the performances in private. Each box had six seats. When we arrived, Lina sat down and crossed her arms, refusing to look at me. Our bodyguards remained outside, to keep a watch out.

“I can’t believe you embarrassed me like that, Wulfram.” Lina said, scowling.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a placating tone, “I just didn’t want you to exhaust yourself by climbing up all those stairs.”

Lina’s scowl deepened.

“Are you calling me weak?” She asked.

That was a trap question if I ever heard one.

“Of course not.” I said. “However, as partners, we’re supposed to support each other. I was merely fulfilling my role as your future husband.”

Lina narrowed her eyes at me and didn’t respond for several long moments.

“You have quite the silver tongue sometimes, Wulfram.” She said, breaking the silence. “Fine. I’ll forgive you this time. However, next time make sure to ask me first. That way I can prepare myself.”

I smiled at her.

“Very well, my Spring Queen.” I said.

Lina huffed, before she focused her attention on the stage. As we waited for the play to begin, I looked around. The Landau Theater was filled to capacity. Even the seats on the upper floors were all occupied. I looked over and saw several nobles that I recognized. The buzz of conversation filled the air.

The door to our box opened and a man walked in. He wore the uniform of an employee of the Landau Theater. When he first entered, I gave him a quick glance. However, when I recognized who it was, I stopped and stared at him.

“Lord Wulfe, Lady Lina,” Reinhard said, a mischievous grin on his face, “I am your attendant for this evening. If there is anything you wish, just tell me and I shall do my utmost to fulfill your desire.”