I found it ironic that for such a grand musical premiere it was so quiet. The sudden silence which wasn't there before we got off the carriage felt out of place but it wasn't like I didn't understand why.

Seeing Lev, the crown princess' former ardent suitor, arms linked with me, her radiance's bratty try-hard younger sister, must be quite the sight to see.

Though like I said before I really don't like how their gawking makes me feel like a vortan.

Their shock only lasted for a couple of minutes before chaos erupted like a volcano.

Had it not been for the stanchions the reporters, journalists, and artists would've swarmed us like *hexars attracted to flowers. I could hear the scratches of pens and murmurs of voices front, right, and center. It would've been overwhelming if I wasn't used to it.

(A hexar is a creature that shares many characteristics with bees)

Lev took my hand and led me to the center of the red carpet where we posed for the artists. I could imagine what was going through their heads. They were probably wondering why we had come together and of course, the dreaded comparisons between me and my sister because why not?

As we approached the masters of ceremonies, I saw them struggling to regain their composure.

Altair was the first to pull himself together. He flashed a professional smile but I could see the remnant of his initial shock in his eyes. Not bad for a rookie.

"What do we have here!" Altair enthusiastically began.

"Greetings to the second cub of Niege, Vice-Captain of the Kryx Lyrix, the young master of the Serebro Duchy! And greetings to the fourth cygnet of Oryx, the young miss of the Sunglen County! What a surprise to see you two together! We certainly didn't expect that! That was certainly a showstopping entrance and the show hasn't even started yet! Isn't that right, Cluster?"

Cluster, who was still trying to wrap his head around the situation stammered.

"A-Absolutely! We were all taken aback by this pair! May I just say that you two look stunning tonight! People might confuse you for actors!"

"Indeed!" Altair jumped in, eager to keep the conversation going, "What a stunning ensemble! Your outfits complement each other so well!"

Regaining his usual teasing demeanor, Cluster leaned forward slightly and asked, "Which begs the question, what prompted you to match outfits? Are we safe in assuming that there is a deeper meaning behind this stylish coordination?"

Titling the sonivox* towards us, Cluster, and the crowd, awaited what our answer was going to be.

(Sonivox - a sleek device made from a durable, lightweight alloy that has a subtle, matte sheen, closely resembles a microphone in our world)

Lev caught me by surprise when he pulled me closer to him.

With his arm wrapped around my waist and a smirk on his face he looked directly at Cluster.

"Aren't you a perceptive one?"

Confused, Cluster blinked, "I beg your pardon?"

"Tonight is our first outing as a couple," Lev said as though it was the most obvious thing to say in that situation, "Though it was abrupt, I wanted it to be memorable."

"Oh, I see. Wearing matching clothes to make your first outing as a couple memorable, how romantic!"

Then as realization of what Lev just said sunk in, Altair, who was trying to be professional, sputtered and his eyes widened, "Wait a minute..."

Altair, Cluster, Chef Baker, and his son looked at each other and then turned their attention back to me and Lev.

They scanned us from head to toe. I could see the gears turning in their heads as they tried to piece together what was happening. Lev's grin only widened, clearly enjoying the reaction.

"COUPLE?!"

As the four of them exclaimed in unison out of surprise and shock, I couldn't help but find the situation amusing.

This is fun!

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Their reactions want to make me laugh out loud, it's too amusing not to play with them a little more.

I pretended to fix my hair but subtly slipped off the necklace I was wearing, letting it fall deliberately.

Knowing that I was with a gentleman, I had a hunch that Lev would probably pick it up and put it back on me. I expected him to pick it up when it fell but I was somewhat surprised with his fast reflexes, catching the necklace before it even hit the ground.

"Oh dear, sorry about that!" I said, acting all coy, "Thank you for catching it, Lev."

"L-Lev?" I heard Huckleberry say.

"They're on a first name basis?!" Said one of the reporters.

I was then confused when instead of putting the necklace back on me he tucked it away in his inner coat and from the other side pulled out a small box.

Lev opened it and revealed a small and beautiful kryx* necklace. It was simple yet elegant, which was more my style than the extravagant one I had been wearing so I liked it more than the other one. And that wasn't the only thing that drew me to it, there was also its color.

It was a pinkish-purple, fuschia I think the shade's name was.

The same color as my hair.

Handing the box to a nearby staff member, Lev reached up to fasten the necklace on me.

His fingers brushed against my skin and I could feel my face get hot. The light touch was enough to make me feel flustered and ticklish.

"It's a good thing you took off the other necklace," he whispered in my ear.

His words took me off guard. I was certain I did that inconspicuously yet he noticed it.

When he was finished, he turned me around to face him. He touched the gemstone on the necklace and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"It made it easy to put my present on you. I knew it would suit you."

I knew his compliment wasn't intended to be romantic but the people around us seemed to have perceived it that way.

"Is this seriously happening right now?" I heard another guest, probably an aristocrat or a noble say.

"Look at how his gaze towards her!" Said another.

His gaze... His eyes...

At first I couldn't help but be drawn to them, I could even see myself drowning in those eyes but now I realize that those purple eyes can see right through me.

And that might be a problem.

Because if he can see through me there is a pretty big chance that he can open the box of secrets that I hide.

While I have no intention of keeping my secrets from my future husband, the secrets I keep aren't mine alone. If I want to give Lev the key to this box, I first have to tell those that already share the box with me.

Lev turned his attention towards the masters of ceremonies, "If you would excuse us, we'll go ahead and find our seats."

As he escorted me to the entrance of the theater I caught sight of Huckleberry, who discreetly signaled to me using the hand signals only Yugen members would recognize.

"Chief, what the heck is going on?" he asked.

I responded, using hand signals as well to hide our conversation , "Ask my brother."

This wasn't the time nor the place for me to answer any of his questions. The last thing I need right now is a scandal or a rumor to develop between me and Huck when my relationship with Lev has just been revealed.

I'm not a social butterflybutterfly like my twin and I Don't want unnecessary and unwanted attention.

If we aren't careful and we get careless we risk exposing our connections to Yugen.

For now, we had other things to focus on.

♡

The musical dragged on for roughly three hours. I had stopped paying attention to it even before the first act was even over.

The songs itself were catchy, but they strayed so far from the piece it was inspired from, you could hardly even say it was the same story at all.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the curtain finally closed, I clapped along with the rest of the audience but I wasn't amused or impressed. Sigh. Why did they ruin a timeless tale?

Lev and I remained seated, avoiding the rush of people flooding the exits. I stared at the stage mentally listing all the major things that they changed about the story.

"I apologize for the disappointing start our date has kicked off on," Lev's voice broke my thoughts, "I suppose I'll have to take things up a notch to make up for the anticlimactic musical we just watched."

I chuckled and leaned back on my chair, "Considering the fact that we literally met in the middle of a crime scene after an attempted murder, I'd say that our date was already off to a rocky start even before it began."

Lev snickered, "Touché."

He stood and extended his hand towards me, "Shall we move onto dinner then? Perhaps that will be the highlight of our night."

Taking his hand I replied, "It most likely will be. Dinner has almost always been the highlight of my evenings, Annoying my twin comes a close second."

As we made our way out of the theater we quickly became the center of attention. I wasn't imagining things when I tought that the crowd here grew bigger because it was clear that the number of reporters, journalists, and artists had doubled.

Our appearance together caused more of a commotion than we had anticipated.

They all shouted from the sides, desperate to grab our attention.

"Young master Lev, young miss Yvette, please look this way!"

"Young miss Yvette, would you care to comment on what young master Lev meant when he said this was your first couple's outing?"

"Young master Lev, have you truly moved on from her radiance, the crown princess?"

The questions kept on coming fast. We had little to no time to answer them before new questions arose, not that I had any plans to answer them, Lev could handle that alone.

Altair and Cluster, along with the event's security team, struggled to hold the press back. But much to their struggle, the crowd was relentless.

The stanchions gave way, and before I knew it, people surged towards us like a tsunami!

"Woah!" I exclaimed as I was being pulled by the crowd.

Then, I felt someone grab my arm. It was Lev.

Unfortunately, people pushed each other and consequently making him loose his grip of me but he quickly grabbed my hand, not allowing me to get away from him.

"I've got you," he said as he pulled me closer to him.

I tigthned my grip, I didn't want to get separated from him in this chaos. I had my fill of social interaction for the night, I really wasn't looking forward to any conversations unless otherwise necessary from people I hardly even know.

"Don't let go of me."

I said, staring into his eyes.

He smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I won't."