Dorothea, who had been sleeping, opened her eyes to an unfamiliar sound.
The dark room brightened up with sunlight streaming in through the wide-open curtains.
“How long are you going to sleep, you sleepyhead? The sun is already high in the sky.”
“What about Jane?”
When Dorothea woke up and looked for the most familiar person, the other person responded with a puzzled look.
“He already left the mansion early in the morning. Didn’t you send her on an errand?”
"Ah..."
Only then did she remember what she had instructed her to do last night.
“That’s right. I sent her.”
Her eyelids, still tired, kept closing.
As she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up, a bowl of water for washing was naturally placed in front of her.
Dane nagged at her as she reached out and wet her face with lukewarm water, just enough to wash it off.
“Wake up. The whole world is turned upside down because of what you did, and you’re still sleepy?”
“There’s no reason why I can’t sleep.”
She has neither committed a sin nor is she dishonest.
“Why on earth are you making such a big deal out of this? I don’t understand it at all.”
“...”
“When I tell you to go out and socialize with people, you just stay cooped up in the mansion.”
That's because at that time, her 'soul' and this 'body' were not properly fused.
Just bringing the spirits would require months of recuperation.
“Because I wasn’t in good health.”
“Even so, it’s such a sudden change. Let’s go a little slower.”
“I was thinking of doing that..."
She pushed the water bowl away and slowly got out of bed.
The knight naturally placed the slipper at her feet and stepped back.
“There are so many things that keep bothering me.”
“It’s not that I’m bothering you that much, but it’s because you take on all the trouble that comes your way that things just get bigger. Usually, you just let it go.”
Dorothea, half-listening to Dane's mutterings as he crossed his arms, opened the door and headed out.
“Are you thinking of turning the Third Prince into your enemy?”
“Richard? Not really?”
Dane's eyes glanced at her, tired of her indifferent answer.
She did escalate things by provoking Richard, but she didn't escalate things to deal with him.
However, she needed someone who was easily aroused, and his status as a Prince made things much easier.
'Richard, you're so cute.'
Although, judging by the considerable resentment that sits on his shoulders, he may not have lived a very good life.
She wasn't the kind of person who would settle other people's karma.
“Then why on earth is it like this..."
“I told you. I plan on pulling out the annoying things around me.”
The things that kept coming near her and causing trouble were getting on her nerves.
It's time to find out the identity of the 'opponent' who has already crossed the writer's fence several times.
***
The nobles who checked the location stated in Dorothea's invitation tilted their heads.
This was natural since the place she had designated was in an area quite unfamiliar to the upper class.
“This place is a bit far from the downtown area.”
“What is there in a place like this?”
Although she felt a mixture of hesitation and curiosity about such a new and unfamiliar place, she usually chose to accept the invitation.
For the nobles who pretended to be noble but could not stand gossip, the events at the hunting festival were an excitement in itself.
It was only natural that Dorothea, understanding such habits, would tempt people with invitations full of 'interesting' elements.
“Was there a building like this here?”
The nobles who had been staring blankly at the sturdy, if not extravagant, building began to enter one by one.
The interior was circular and had seats surrounding a central space.
“It certainly looks like an auction house.”
“What are you thinking? If you ‘auction’ things off so publicly like this, you’ll end up turning the royal family against you.”
Even if there is no legal problem, selling royal property privately would be considered an insult to the royal family.
“After the auction begins, it will be the Lady Highclare who will be the one to suffer the humiliation.”
“No one will bid on the item.”
Everyone came to see the fun and had no intention of putting themselves at the center of controversy.
The nobles nearby nodded their heads at the words of the noble lady who spoke with a smile.
In the midst of this, the nobles who had been actively conversing suddenly shut their mouths, and the wide space suddenly became quiet.
Dorothea Highclere, who had sent out the invitation today, was just entering the entrance escorted by her cousin Philip.
She glanced at the still-empty stage and sat down with her friends in the best seats.
Before anyone could muster the courage to say hello to her, a huge curtain came down, covering the center stage and darkening the surroundings.
A procession of nobles followed their guides through the darkness, where only the shapes of the people could be discerned.
“It looks like you’ve prepared quite well.”
“Because items from the royal family’s treasure trove will be on display. Just looking at them will probably be awe-inspiring.”
The anticipation of those seated there grew stronger as they heard the busy noise coming from beyond the curtain.
Soon, as the curtain slowly rose, the stage began to brighten little by little, unlike the dark auditorium.
A man with his hat pulled down low stood in the middle of the stage and spun around, giving a stylish greeting.
“We sincerely thank all the audience members who visited the theater company ‘Solace’.”
The man's face with his hat off was familiar.
Dorothea smiled as she watched Revan, who was doing a pretty good job of being the host.
He's a character who's survived on the streets for a long time and all he has is a good sense of humor and adaptability, and he's used to improvisational performances, even if they're not worth watching, so she thought he'd be able to handle this much.
The nobles seated there were surprised by Revan's words.
"What..."
“Extreme?”
“There’s definitely going to be an auction...”
The voices of the nobles who had been murmuring suddenly stopped.
Only then did everyone remember the vague words on the invitation.
Were the various sights and pleasures she wanted to show everyone, not the countless treasures she had obtained from the Third Prince?
In the awkward atmosphere, everyone looked around to see what was going on.
It was dark, so it was difficult to see each other's expressions and understand the situation.
Some of them seemed to shake their buttocks, but then they became quiet.
'Now that it's come to this, I might as well just take a look.'
Everyone was secretly curious as to what kind of confidence Dorothea had to expand the business and invite people like this.
“The performance that will be presented as the first opening stage of our theater company Solace today is...”
“I have a question.”
Philip, who had been listening to Revan's introduction, whispered quietly to Dorothea.
“Can I ask why the name of the theater is ‘Solace’?”
“...Lady, this is Fatima.”
The background slowly changed with Revan's introduction.
A poster with a portrait of a woman smiling but with a somewhat lonely look in her eyes caught their eye.
“Just... I don’t know how long this extreme will last, but I created this performance with the meaning of ‘comfort.’”
It was she who promised to hold a 'memorial service' in front of her soul, which was not at peace even after death.
'Even if the promised object has already crossed the river a long time ago.'
Fatima left in a hurry, without even saying a word to Mine, leaving behind a single regret in life.
So, there is no longer a Fatima who would be upset about not holding a memorial service to comfort the soul.
“Sometimes, we honor the dead not for the sake of their souls, but for the sake of the living. Even if their souls are no longer here, they still live on in the hearts of the living.”
When Jae-shin asked why they were holding a memorial service for the soul of a deceased person who had already passed away a long time ago, the mother of the deceased answered in this way.
It seemed that she now understood the meaning of the words that she had taken for granted at the time.
“Oh, Edward! Why are you so kind to me?”
Dorothea looked down at the woman playing 'Fatima' on the stage.
Her life, portrayed by those who once shared joys and sorrows with her, was extremely difficult, sad, and heartbreaking.
This play is not Fatima's, but a celestial disaster created by those who loved her.
A memorial service for the living, to comfort and encourage the hearts of those who are still alive and struggling through this harsh world.
“So the correct name for the extreme should be ‘Comfort.’”
After hearing Dorothea's words, Philip asked no more questions.
***
When Mine appeared, there were a series of exclamations of cuteness, but when the male protagonist appeared, everyone held their breath.
A well-mannered child of a Count who Fatima met by chance on the street.
The difference in status that stood between the two people.
Strange figures threatening Fatima.
Even though it was flowing in a fairly typical melodrama direction, there were sobs here and there.
'Because it is much more expressive and intense than the performances that nobles usually watch.'
It was different from the heroine who pretended to be elegant and proper and sang beautifully.
Fatima sometimes felt angry at her harsh fate, sometimes gave in to temptations, and sometimes lamented her situation, but she struggled to survive somehow.
Eventually, a man she had known for a long time threatened her to stop their 'secret meetings', and the righteous male protagonist, Edward, fought the blackmailer.
Fatima, who ran away from the scene in a hurry after two men collapsed, was captured by a mysterious organization and killed.
The curtain slowly came down on the stage as her body was finally buried under the wall near the theater building.
Those who couldn't get over the shock of the ending still had blank faces even though the audience was bright again.
Dorothea got up from her seat and walked slowly, standing in front of the Third Prince who was already seated.
“How was the play?”
“...”
“You must have enjoyed it.”
Richard, his mouth tightly shut, looked up at Dorothea in annoyance.
“If you wanted me to see this play, you should have invited me personally.”
Rather than making people angry by saying something random.
The expressions on the faces of those standing next to him were extremely awkward.
The only thing they could do here was to quietly watch the play, to the point that the swords they had on their waists were meaningless.
Dorothea smiled faintly.
“The Prince is very quick to catch on to rumors, so I believed he would come even without being invited directly.”
It was an insult to the guy who came to raid the scene rashly, swept up in rumors, without even being invited.
Those who knew the Third Prince's temper well quietly bowed their heads.
But contrary to their expectations, Richard did not shout, make any threatening threats toward her, or draw his sword.
At that moment, someone's applause was heard behind Richard, who was sitting motionless.
The nobles' gazes were all directed toward the old man sitting in the audience, dressed in comfortable attire.
The 7th Prince, Luke, who was beside him, was looking down at Dorothea.
"Your Majesty."
The Emperor smiled at Dorothea amid the hastily lowering nobles.
“It was a truly interesting performance.”
"Thank you."
She saw the strange look in the Emperor's eyes as he stared at her, and realized that he had figured out the identity of the male protagonist, 'Edward'.
The death of the Little Count of Germain.
The Emperor obviously knew the identity of the deceased.
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