“Miss, good morning! May I bring you dinner?”
“Yes, come in.”
I said, pushing aside the sheet music that was spread out on the desk.
Sophie, who came in cheerfully, looked at me and gasped.
“Oh my, Miss! You didn’t sleep?”
“Sophie.”
I said, rubbing my tired eyes.
“Isn’t your mother’s birthday coming up soon?”
“Huh? Huh, how could you do that?”
I smiled at Sophie, whose eyes were wide open, and opened the jewelry box.
The inside was quite shabby because Elena had been sneaking around whenever she had the chance, but there were still a few useful items. When I handed her a ring with a small peridot, Sophie’s face turned into a puzzled expression.
“Vacation money. Take a week off and come back. It would be nice to visit your hometown.”
“Yes, yes?”
Sophie waved her hand in shock.
“How can I, how can I, take something so precious! No, Miss!”
“You’ve been working at my house for five years.”
Sophie’s eyes widened.
“You’ve been with me for so long, but I’ve never shown you my sincerity. Take this and go back to your hometown and buy your mother a nice dress.”
“Well, well, well...”
Sophie’s eyes quickly shook at the word ‘mother’, but she soon folded her waist in half.
“Thank you very much, Miss! Then I’ll ask the butler for permission to take a vacation!”
“You don’t have to. You’re my direct maid.”
Sophie’s eyes filled with tears at the firm words.
“Thank you, thank you very much! Miss!”
I looked at Sophie, who was smiling brightly and quietly thought.
Knowing the future is a valuable asset in many ways.
‘Sophie’s mother died of tuberculosis around this time.’
She could have survived if she had been treated, but she hid it from her daughter because she was afraid of being a burden.
The reason I remembered it so well was because Sophie also died suddenly two years after that incident.
Sophie, worked night shifts every day to earn money to take care of her younger siblings instead of her deceased mother. Then one day...
‘She was hit in the head by a robber who suddenly burst in and died. Brutally.’
The robber’s identity was never revealed because the investigation was concluded quickly.
The only clue was a strand of red hair found on Sophie’s clothes.
...And, coincidentally, Lucas’ hair was also red.
‘Now that I think about it, the truth is obvious.’
I held back a laugh.
The place where Sophie died was in the hallway near Elena’s bedroom.
Lucas must have snuck into Elena’s bedroom at night and was caught by Sophie and destroyed the evidence. It was a hypothesis I had never imagined before.
Of course, I didn’t know that those people could easily kill a person because of their greed.
Until I died.
‘I’m sorry, Sophie.’
I pretended to be a kind owner, but in reality, I was the result of tapping away at a calculator.
When Sophie came back, I planned to ask her to do something worth the price of the peridot ring.
And before that, there was a prerequisite task that I absolutely had to complete.
I touched my tired eyes and pulled out the music sheet that I had put aside. It was densely filled with the notes I had spent the entire night pouring out.
My eyes slowly scanned it.
“..."
When my eyes met, the notes trapped in the music sheet began to sing as if they had come to life.
It was a melody so beautiful that the fatigue from the previous night melted away like snow.
I smiled slowly.
This was a bait made of sound.
It would catch the big fish called Dante Heigenburg.
The reason I remembered it so well was because Sophie also died suddenly two years after that incident.
Sophie, worked night shifts every day to earn money to take care of her younger siblings instead of her deceased mother. Then one day...
‘She was hit in the head by a robber who suddenly burst in and died. Brutally.’
The robber’s identity was never revealed because the investigation was concluded quickly.
The only clue was a strand of red hair found on Sophie’s clothes.
...And, coincidentally, Lucas’ hair was also red.
‘Now that I think about it, the truth is obvious.’
I held back a laugh.
The place where Sophie died was in the hallway near Elena’s bedroom.
Lucas must have snuck into Elena’s bedroom at night and was caught by Sophie and destroyed the evidence. It was a hypothesis I had never imagined before.
Of course, I didn’t know that those people could easily kill a person because of their greed.
Until I died.
‘I’m sorry, Sophie.’
I pretended to be a kind owner, but in reality, I was the result of tapping away at a calculator.
When Sophie came back, I planned to ask her to do something worth the price of the peridot ring.
And before that, there was a prerequisite task that I absolutely had to complete.
I touched my tired eyes and pulled out the music sheet that I had put aside. It was densely filled with the notes I had spent the entire night pouring out.
My eyes slowly scanned it.
“..."
When my eyes met, the notes trapped in the music sheet began to sing as if they had come to life.
It was a melody so beautiful that the fatigue from the previous night melted away like snow.
I smiled slowly.
This was a bait made of sound.
It would catch the big fish called Dante Heigenburg.
***
I walked through the dark hallway. With my cape pulled down tightly.
The air was hazy with cigar smoke.
The lighting felt so flashy that it was almost vulgar. The strong scent of solo music seemed to pierce my brain.
The enchanting melody of the cello that captivated my ears.
Everything was too obvious and too bizarre.
I took a deep breath.
It was the first time in my entire life, past or present, to set foot here.
'This is...'
The sanctuary of the fallen. Paradise.
Unlike the future that would grow as much as it could in five years, the current paradise was as narrow as an ant hole.
As I walked, I stumbled and bumped into a man.
“Oh my! ...Huh? What is this cloaked lady?”
The man, reeking of alcohol, thrust his face into me.
“What kind of great face do you have to hide so well? I’m also a swindler, huh? Don’t act expensive and show me your face!”
“Are you a swindler?”
I held onto the cloak and looked straight at the man. When our eyes met, the man flinched for a moment.
“Then do you know? Where His Highness the Duke is?”
“...What?”
The man’s eyes widened. His face seemed to have suddenly lost its intoxication.
“You knew him? Um, rude...”
“You were a swindler.”
“What?! Did you just say that to me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I heard you. I had high hopes because you said you were a swindler, but I was so disappointed that I couldn’t help but stop.”
When I spoke in a calm voice, the man glared at me.
“No, do you know who I am?!”
“I understand that you don’t know His Highness the Duke.”
“Oh, really! How dare you! I thought you looked cute in a cloak, so I tried to talk to you a little- Huh?”
Two guards suddenly appeared and grabbed the man’s arms.
Then they began to drag the man, who was flustered and struggling.
“Oh, what! No, I didn’t mean to make a fuss! Please listen to what I have to say, okay?”
“Lady.”
As I watched the man being dragged away like a piece of luggage, someone subtly spoke to me.
I turned around and blinked once.
The one who called me was a young man with brown hair and a kind face.
‘...This man.’
If I remember correctly, this young man was definitely Dante’s aide.
He followed him like a shadow wherever he went.
I secretly swallowed a smile.
'I thought the one who made a fuss would increase the chances of meeting.'
But who would have thought that I could seize this direct opportunity right away?
The young man looked at me suspiciously and asked,
"Do you have a prior engagement with the Duke?"
I slightly removed my hood so that only the young man could see.
When my platinum blonde hair and blue eyes were revealed, the young man's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"I am Ariana Lopez, the eldest daughter of the Lopez family. I do not have a prior engagement, but would I be able to meet the Duke?"
"...Um, Lady Lopez. I am sorry, but the Duke does not meet without a prior engagement."
"Please tell him that I beg for five minutes."
The young man's eyes widened slightly at the word begging.
"And tell him that if he does not interest me in it, I will definitely compensate you."
***
The young man who had been pondering disappeared somewhere, and after a while, he appeared and began to guide me.
He took me very deep inside.
After walking down a deep corridor like an ant hole, the young man finally stopped in front of a room.
“Please go in, Lady.”
The young man lifted his veil.
I held my breath for a moment as I entered. The man who was inside was a man with a strangely prominent presence.
“Dante Heigenberg.”
The source of his presence was not his sharp, handsome features, broad shoulders, or wide chest.
Regardless of such external features, he was simply a man who seemed to have been born with a sense of intimidation wrapped around him like a blanket.
“However, this is unexpected.”
I thought he would have a dancer by his side as the owner of that “paradise.”
Unexpectedly, Dante was alone.
He was drinking a solo that looked fierce at first glance.
However, the eyes looking straight at me were so clear that it made my spine tingle.
His blood-red eyes slowly scanned my face. I suppressed my tension and opened my mouth.
“Nice to meet you, Duke.”
Dante’s first words were something I hadn’t expected.
He raised one eyebrow while looking straight at me.
“First time?”
A hollow smile appeared on his handsome lips but then disappeared in an instant. As if he had seen a mirage.
Dante clicked his tongue briefly and slowly leaned back.
As his body, which had been slightly bent, straightened, his already tall physique became even more massive.
“...Big.”
There must be no one bigger than this man, but this was the first time I’d ever seen someone with this much presence.
I secretly moistened the inside of my dry mouth.
I didn’t show it, but I was quite flustered because I didn’t know I would encounter difficulties right from the first meeting.
‘Isn’t this our first meeting?’
Of course, I had seen Dante. A year ago, at that magnificent triumphal procession.
However, to me at that time, Dante was the main character of the triumphal procession and a war hero, but to him, I was just one of tens of thousands.
“So.”
A languid voice cut off my thoughts.
“You begged me for five minutes?”
I let out a breath secretly.
Although he was dressed loosely and had no escorts, and he looked like he was making a living, the man didn’t look easy at all.
His eyes, not even covered by the cigarette smoke, shone like a beast.
His eyes were instantly assessing my worth and intentions.
‘Don’t be nervous, Ariana.’
I consoled myself.
The moment I feel intimidated, I’ll be looked down on, and if that happens, it’ll all be over.
The man in front of me wasn’t the type to give me a second chance, no matter how I looked at him.
I tried my best to keep my expression calm and opened my mouth.
“I have come to tell you something, Your Highness. Could you spare me five minutes of your time?”
Dante rested his chin on his hand.
“I’m sorry, but my sense of time is very fickle.”
His elegant lips twisted coldly.
“If I get bored, your five minutes could end in just a few seconds.”
The leisureliness of someone who has only ever thoroughly evaluated and measured things, with absolutely no regrets.
I slowly nodded my head as I faced it head-on.
“Then let’s make it ten seconds.”
Dante’s eyes, which had been resting his chin on his hand, widened slightly.
“If Your Highness finds it interesting in ten seconds, please allow me your time until it’s over.”
“...”
After a brief silence, Dante raised the corners of his mouth.
“How presumptuous.”
I held my breath slightly.
The smile on Dante’s lips grew a little deeper.
“I like it. Ten seconds for now.”
“Thank you.”
I greeted him briefly and opened the clutch I had brought.
Dante watched me with his head tilted.
I took out a small instrument and took a deep breath.
'Actually, I didn't know it would start like this.'
It didn't matter. This was the main topic anyway.
I wasn't nervous even though I took out the instrument without any explanation.
After building paradise, Dante hired top-class singers and all kinds of talented composers. He spared no expense and mobilized all his connections.
That was also the reason why his paradise could be so prosperous.
If he had such a keen ear, he could tell from the simple melody of the kalimba.
What I brought.
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