'Oh my.'
The words coming out of his master's mouth were so out of place that Rio wanted to cry instead.
Sweating profusely, Rio chose his words.
"Well, well. Why on earth would Lady Lopez have made such a mistake...?"
How surprised he had been when he had just opened the door to the Information Guild and confirmed that the person who had come in was none other than the Lady Lopez from yesterday.
Still, it was good that he had shown his wit and pretended to be the Master to hear the inside story about Ariana's fiancé.
'But why did you make such a bombshell statement and leave after that, Lady...? '
"My new husband is not in a position to have sex anyway."
Ariana's face was filled with calm confidence as she spoke.
Dante leaned back deeply into the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling.
"I wasn't nervous."
When she would tremble in front of him like a deer shot by an arrow, and when she would meet his gaze without blinking even if he scared her once,
'I thought you had a lot of guts.'
Now that he thinks about it, the way she showed him back then wasn't just simple courage...
'Did you really think I wouldn't mess with you?'
Dante let out a hollow laugh.
"This is it, oh..."
He laughed lightly and twisted his lips.
"It's annoying."
I walked out of the alley with calm steps.
My steps were quite light, perhaps because I had already left the commission and the work at the guild building.
'I've already set the bait for the affair.'
Now it was time to go to my real work.
I raised my head and looked at the clock tower.
'There's still quite a bit of time left.'
It was still quite a while until the time I was supposed to meet Dante, but I couldn't waste time.
As I walked down the alley, I was lost in thought.
'I need a great orchestra. And a great soprano.'
I had no intention of ending the Lopez Opera House and my family with just one step.
I planned to destroy them so mercilessly that they would never think of getting back on their feet again.
Of course, that weapon would be the opera I was composing, but no matter how good the music was, it couldn’t be heard if it was confined to the music sheet.
‘I have something in mind for the orchestra.’
But the soprano...
I fiddled with my lips and lost myself in thought.
Elena was an outstanding soprano.
Even if you didn’t include her looks or talent, it was true. Her natural tone was like silk, and her vocal volume and range were excellent. No matter how excellent the performance, if the soprano singing the aria lacked skill, the audience would consider the play itself to be poor.
‘A soprano like Elena is rare.’
It was an objective fact.
Five years later, Elena, who had become the best soprano in the empire in name and reality, had no rivals.
Oh, right. Except for one person.
Rosalind. Her unique background as a former circus troupe member.
Rosalind, who will debut in the circus two years from now, will transfer to Paradise and instantly establish herself as a top soprano on the level of Elena.
If I could get my hands on such a soprano now, it would be perfect.
'But, that person...'
There was a fatal flaw in that plan.
Rosalind's past was shrouded in mystery until her debut.
Many people pointed fingers at her, asking how much she had to suffer to hide it so tightly. But I...
'I have a guess where I'm going.'
There were three purposes for my outing today.
To visit the Information Guild, to meet Dante, and to look for a soprano to hire.
Sweating profusely, Rio chose his words.
"Well, well. Why on earth would Lady Lopez have made such a mistake...?"
How surprised he had been when he had just opened the door to the Information Guild and confirmed that the person who had come in was none other than the Lady Lopez from yesterday.
Still, it was good that he had shown his wit and pretended to be the Master to hear the inside story about Ariana's fiancé.
'But why did you make such a bombshell statement and leave after that, Lady...? '
"My new husband is not in a position to have sex anyway."
Ariana's face was filled with calm confidence as she spoke.
Dante leaned back deeply into the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling.
"I wasn't nervous."
When she would tremble in front of him like a deer shot by an arrow, and when she would meet his gaze without blinking even if he scared her once,
'I thought you had a lot of guts.'
Now that he thinks about it, the way she showed him back then wasn't just simple courage...
'Did you really think I wouldn't mess with you?'
Dante let out a hollow laugh.
"This is it, oh..."
He laughed lightly and twisted his lips.
"It's annoying."
***
I walked out of the alley with calm steps.
My steps were quite light, perhaps because I had already left the commission and the work at the guild building.
'I've already set the bait for the affair.'
Now it was time to go to my real work.
I raised my head and looked at the clock tower.
'There's still quite a bit of time left.'
It was still quite a while until the time I was supposed to meet Dante, but I couldn't waste time.
As I walked down the alley, I was lost in thought.
'I need a great orchestra. And a great soprano.'
I had no intention of ending the Lopez Opera House and my family with just one step.
I planned to destroy them so mercilessly that they would never think of getting back on their feet again.
Of course, that weapon would be the opera I was composing, but no matter how good the music was, it couldn’t be heard if it was confined to the music sheet.
‘I have something in mind for the orchestra.’
But the soprano...
I fiddled with my lips and lost myself in thought.
Elena was an outstanding soprano.
Even if you didn’t include her looks or talent, it was true. Her natural tone was like silk, and her vocal volume and range were excellent. No matter how excellent the performance, if the soprano singing the aria lacked skill, the audience would consider the play itself to be poor.
‘A soprano like Elena is rare.’
It was an objective fact.
Five years later, Elena, who had become the best soprano in the empire in name and reality, had no rivals.
Oh, right. Except for one person.
Rosalind. Her unique background as a former circus troupe member.
Rosalind, who will debut in the circus two years from now, will transfer to Paradise and instantly establish herself as a top soprano on the level of Elena.
If I could get my hands on such a soprano now, it would be perfect.
'But, that person...'
There was a fatal flaw in that plan.
Rosalind's past was shrouded in mystery until her debut.
Many people pointed fingers at her, asking how much she had to suffer to hide it so tightly. But I...
'I have a guess where I'm going.'
There were three purposes for my outing today.
To visit the Information Guild, to meet Dante, and to look for a soprano to hire.
Every Wednesday in Paradise, aspiring singers perform. And today was that day.
'I don't have to go out twice, so that's good.'
I had a good feeling that the date would work out.
As I thought that, I entered the alley leading to Paradise.
"Sob, sob..."
My footsteps slowly stopped.
It was a very thin sob. It was so faint that it could be drowned out by the faint sound of the wind or the meow of a cat.
But I caught it clearly in my ears.
“Ugh...!”
I raised my head and opened my eyes slightly.
Far away, at the corner of the alley, I saw a woman crying with a blanket over her head.
“...”
I held on tightly to the winter cloak I was wearing.
The wind was biting.
On a day like this, if you were outside for even an hour, you’d catch a terrible cold. On a day like this, even the beggars had disappeared, and the alley was empty.
Except for that woman.
“Sob, sob, sob!”
“...”
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
Even though it was just a sob, the volume and resonance were extraordinary.
I slowly crouched down in front of the woman.
Around this time, Elena had started a special ‘hobby’.
It was trampling on promising female singers.
One day, she had snorted and said this. It was when the weather had gotten this cold.
“I hate things that I don’t know the subject the most. Just because Dante is doing some charity work for unknown singers, all these idiots are rushing to join in. Rosalind? Huh, what kind of roses are you talking about? Hair color was like a rose soaked in water.”
I quietly looked down at the woman who was crying.
'I don't have to go out twice, so that's good.'
I had a good feeling that the date would work out.
As I thought that, I entered the alley leading to Paradise.
"Sob, sob..."
My footsteps slowly stopped.
It was a very thin sob. It was so faint that it could be drowned out by the faint sound of the wind or the meow of a cat.
But I caught it clearly in my ears.
“Ugh...!”
I raised my head and opened my eyes slightly.
Far away, at the corner of the alley, I saw a woman crying with a blanket over her head.
“...”
I held on tightly to the winter cloak I was wearing.
The wind was biting.
On a day like this, if you were outside for even an hour, you’d catch a terrible cold. On a day like this, even the beggars had disappeared, and the alley was empty.
Except for that woman.
“Sob, sob, sob!”
“...”
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
Even though it was just a sob, the volume and resonance were extraordinary.
I slowly crouched down in front of the woman.
Around this time, Elena had started a special ‘hobby’.
It was trampling on promising female singers.
One day, she had snorted and said this. It was when the weather had gotten this cold.
“I hate things that I don’t know the subject the most. Just because Dante is doing some charity work for unknown singers, all these idiots are rushing to join in. Rosalind? Huh, what kind of roses are you talking about? Hair color was like a rose soaked in water.”
I quietly looked down at the woman who was crying.
Hair as pink as cotton candy.
More than anything, a beautiful tone that could be felt even in her crying voice.
‘I didn’t expect to find you so quickly.’
Today was a day I had a good feeling about.
“Here. Take this.”
I said and handed the woman some clothes.
“Thank you, sob, thank you, gulp!”
The woman lifted her tear-stained face and looked up at me.
“You’re so kind, yes... gulp! I’ll definitely, sob, repay this favor.”
The face that was revealed was clean and young without a single bit of stage makeup.
‘So this is what you had. You when you were a girl.’
Thinking that, I slowly moved my lips and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
***
“This is too much, sob...”
Rosalind cried, wiping her wet cheeks with her sleeve.
“What a chance I got, sob... !”
It had been an hour since she had collapsed in the bitter cold and started crying.
She knew that if she continued like this, she would develop a terrible fever, but she just couldn’t get up.
Rosalind was born an orphan and lived in back alleys.
As an orphan, she didn’t go hungry, but it was thanks to the things she did in her spare time.
Rosalind had been good at singing since she was little, and the people in the back alleys called her a cuckoo and she was loved.
When she sang with all her might, the adults would laugh and flip coins at her.
It was natural for Rosalind to dream of becoming a singer.
When she was old enough to be called a young lady, she stood on stage, albeit in a small way. She had a few fans, and she even had a lover who was good at playing the piano.
“Rosalind, you have talent. If my accompaniment and your singing come together, you’ll definitely be able to do well!”
Her lover whispered, and she had such a sweet dream.
Then one day, Rosalind and her lover finally had a chance.
On the day they sang at the small restaurant attached to the inn, they received an offer to sing at the tavern owned by the Duke of Heigenberg.
It was a well-known rumor that the Duke, who had returned from the war, was collecting excellent singers and composers, so Rosalind and her lover were overjoyed.
And that night. Another person approached them.
“You’re good at piano.”
A silky voice and dazzling blond hair. Rosalind’s eyes widened as she recognized the woman.
Wasn’t that person the soprano who was popular these days?
“Huh? Are you Elena?”
“You two are lovers? Hmm. Your boyfriend is quite good at playing... I’m sorry, but it’s a shame for that voice.”
Rosalind stared blankly at Elena, who was smiling as she said that.
And then, a week later.
That is, today, the day they were supposed to have a stage in paradise.
Rosalind’s lover, Mark, disappeared without a trace.
Leaving behind only a letter saying that he had found his true love.
Panicked, Rosalind searched for an accompanist who would play in Mark's stead, but there was no one willing to play for a girl with no experience. The song Rosalind was supposed to sing was also famous for its difficult accompaniment.
"I see."
Ariana nodded, half sobbing, but still listening to the whole story.
"I was planning to debut with my accompanist lover, but he ran away. Sob!"
Rosalind buried her face between her knees and cried after hearing Ariana's calm one-line summary.
Her miserable situation was neatly summarized and heard from someone else, and her sorrow welled up again.
“What time was it?”
Ariana asked, holding out a handkerchief.
“Ugh...”
Rosalind lifted her head, blowing her nose into the handkerchief.
Now that I think about it, who is this lady?
‘Hair... She’s so pretty.’
Her platinum hair was similar to Elena’s, but it felt different.
Elena was covered in perfume and hair accessories, making her look a little uncomfortable, but this lady’s platinum hair was naturally flowing and looked like a landscape painting.
Above all, those facial features.
She was probably a young lady who looked no different from her, but her eyes were strangely deep.
Her calmness, as if she had been through a lot and was contemplating the past, gave a strange impression, intertwined with her fresh facial features.
“I asked Rosalind what time you were allowed to perform on stage in Paradise.”
Rosalind, who had been absentmindedly looking at the face for a moment, belatedly came to her senses at those words.
“Oh, from four to five...”
Ariana glanced at the clock tower at those words and muttered.
“There’s not much time left.”
Ariana sat up and held out her hand.
Then she said to Rosalind, who was staring blankly at her.
“Get up. We have to go to the stage.”
Elena was covered in perfume and hair accessories, making her look a little uncomfortable, but this lady’s platinum hair was naturally flowing and looked like a landscape painting.
Above all, those facial features.
She was probably a young lady who looked no different from her, but her eyes were strangely deep.
Her calmness, as if she had been through a lot and was contemplating the past, gave a strange impression, intertwined with her fresh facial features.
“I asked Rosalind what time you were allowed to perform on stage in Paradise.”
Rosalind, who had been absentmindedly looking at the face for a moment, belatedly came to her senses at those words.
“Oh, from four to five...”
Ariana glanced at the clock tower at those words and muttered.
“There’s not much time left.”
Ariana sat up and held out her hand.
Then she said to Rosalind, who was staring blankly at her.
“Get up. We have to go to the stage.”
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