"What just happened?"
"Did you get hurt?"
The audience slowly began to murmur.
"I understand you made a mistake, but why don't you start over?"
"What the heck..."
The murmur gradually became a mixture of irritation and frustration, Elena, who noticed it a beat later, bit her lower lip.
'You want me to waver, sis.'
That was the only reason Ariana had to sit in the center of the first row. Elena gritted her teeth and snorted.
'You think I'll waver just because I saw your face? You saw wrong, Sis. I'm not an amateur.'
After a moment of confusion, anger followed. She vividly remembered Edward slapping her cheek twice because of Ariana. Thinking about that made her feel like she was surging with intense emotions that suited her role. Elena opened her mouth again.
Even if I'm humble, I like it.
Her voice was much smoother than before.
Even if I have to sell my honor and lose my humanity...
Her voice came out properly again. It was the moment when Elena's lips formed a confident smile...
Huh?
Ariana slowly put her hand on her bosom. Then she took out some papers the size of her palm and waved her arm wildly to scatter them on the stage.
'What...?'
Elena, who had been frightened for a moment, was flustered by the unimaginable behavior. Ariana's movements were as natural as fans usually throwing flower petals on the stage. The audience seemed to think that she was just cheering for Elena, who had been acting awkwardly for a moment. Even the security guards didn't stop Ariana.
However.
"Huh, huff... "
Elena became lost in thought after confirming the identity of the 'petals' that Ariana had thrown.
'Th-that's.'
It was a photo. A photo of herself entangled with a man. It wasn't the only one. In the photo that flew onto the stage afterward, Elena was riding on top of a man lying on the grass. In another photo, in another photo...
"Ugh!"
Elena covered her mouth. She almost screamed.
'What are all those?!'
The photos were all of Lucas and Elena's secret encounters. Elena, dumbfounded, stared blankly at Ariana. Some of them were at least a few weeks old. Why did Ariana have evidence of something so old?
'The relationship with the Marquis... wasn't it discovered at the wedding?'
The hasty relationship with Lucas right before the wedding. She thought Ariana had acted rashly because she had been discovered. But no. If Ariana had those photos, it would have been a completely different story.
Ariana had been watching them since before the wedding, much earlier...
'She had been watching us. Without showing it, like a suffocating rat, biding her time!'
Goosebumps ran through her body. Elena held her breath like someone who had encountered a ghost. Ariana smiled brightly when she saw Elena like that. Then she slowly started to move her lips. Elena could clearly read that movement.
'Why? You have to keep singing.'
Ariana continued to move her lips.
'Your aria.'
"...Huh."
Elena's eyes widened as she recalled the title of this aria. The Aria of the Concubine.
It was a title that was a little unpleasant when she first heard it, but she soon Ignored it. The reason she ignored it was simple. Because she thought Ariana would never know Lucas and her secret. If she had known, she would have broken down and cried a long time ago. That weak woman was her sister.
'... How.'
But, that wasn't the case. Ariana knew everything. She knew it and made Elena sing that song as if nothing had happened. She made her sing it happily without even knowing that the lyrics were mocking her...
"Huh."
Elena gasped softly.
'Who the hell are you?'
Who on earth was that woman sitting in front of me laughing at me?
She couldn't sing in shock. Elena licked her lips a few more times and then gasped for breath. She couldn't sing. All the lyrics were Ariana's gift to her.
"... This is it."
The crowd had ebbed away from the concert hall. Edward strode toward Elena, who was sitting on the stage like a defeated soldier.
"You idiot!"
Edward's anger was fierce. He looked like he was going to grab Elena by the collar. The stage was over. The orchestra hadn't returned, the soprano had collapsed in the middle, and the audience had left, clicking their tongues. Edward had a clear target for his anger.
"Hey, uh, Count."
One of the servants called out to Edward, lost in thought.
"What?!"
"Over there..."
Edward paused as he turned in the direction the servant had pointed. Not all of the audience had left. One person was still sitting in the first row, watching them. Edward bit his lip in frustration.
'Damn it! You're not a reporter, are you?'
The woman who was sitting slowly took off her hood. Edward's eyes widened as he saw the platinum hair pouring out of the hood. He wasn't the first to react.
"Ariana!"
Lucas shouted like lightning and ran towards her.
"Damn you! Do you know how long I've been looking for you!"
Lucas reached Ariana in an instant and shouted harshly.
"How could you embarrass me like that and not even contact me once!"
Ariana smiled slightly as she looked into his eyes brimming with anger. It couldn't be helped that it was funny. The emotion in Lucas' eyes was clearly a feeling of betrayal.
"Do you think the Marquis had the right to question me like this?"
Ariana said, smiling obliquely without realizing it.
"Qualified! Ha, you said qualified?"
Sparks flew from Lucas' eyes.
"You! Who had the right to humiliate me like that? It was you who cheated on me, not me!"
Lucas growled, sticking his head in.
"Since when have you been flirting with the Duke without me knowing? Tell me!"
Ariana let out a faint laugh. Lucas was furious, like an animal whose nest had been taken by another male and whose female had been stolen.
"That's funny. They say a pig only sees pigs."
"Are you trying to avoid it? After showing me that in front of me?"
Lucas growled harshly. The moment when the Duke had explored Ariana's lips in front of his eyes was still vivid in his mind like a nightmare. He couldn't forget that damned satisfied mouth and Ariana's blushing face as if she was overwhelmed.
'Did she allow herself to the Duke?'
She never allowed him to enjoy her, saying things like the chastity that a lady must maintain before marriage, but did she open her body to the Duke?
Just thinking about it made Lucas' eyes turn red.
"Ariana. You're finished as a lady now,"
Lucas growled like a wounded animal.
"It's like you've served your death sentence. There is no greater shame than not being able to keep your chastity as a woman. Even having a fiancé with another man... Ha."
Lucas looked Ariana up and down as if she was dirty.
"Now that you've revealed that to the world, your reputation is ruined!"
"That's right. My reputation would be in big trouble."
Ariana nodded coolly.
"But if I had cared about that, would I have done this in the first place?"
"What?"
Lucas frowned at the unexpected answer.
"Hey, Ariana. Think carefully. I'm your only lifeline. There's no way to restore your reputation without telling the story of how I forgave and accepted you for your dishonesty."
"Enough with the petty talk."
Lucas's eyes widened as his words trailed off.
"I came all the way here because I wanted to invite you."
Ariana naturally changed the subject and said with a smile.
"We' have also started the stage."
We? He thought that was annoying, but Ariana continued.
"Come without pressure. Don't worry about the price."
Ariana glanced at the empty audience and added kindly.
"It's free."
***
The audience in front of Lopez House was still crowded with people who hadn't caught the carriage yet.
"What? We just threw away our money."
"They kept bragging about how it would be the best ever....."
"What is this? Do you think I paid that much to hear a woman come out alone and hum a little?"
"She sang a little bit and then stopped singing! She was all blowing wind here and there, like a promising soprano and all!"
"Let's ask for a refund. We can't just throw all that money away on an opera that doesn't even sound like that, can we?"
Everyone nodded their heads, thinking that someone's argument was right.
"That's right, that was the way to go."
"Let's get a refund! Not only the ticket price but we should be compensated for the time we lost."
"What I'm saying is. Do you think we have nothing to do?"
The people who had been muttering irritably soon began to wonder what to do with their empty holiday afternoons.
"Shall we go play cards?"
"Cards in broad daylight... Oh, I was thinking of pampering my ears with some refined music after a long time."
"It's a shame, but there's nothing I can do. I can't get tickets from other houses on a day like this."
It was just as the people were grumbling and starting to disperse.
"The moment I first saw you, I felt..."
A faint singing voice was carried by the wind. A few people began to tilt their heads.
"What is it?"
"Isn't it the same lyrics just now? That crappy soprano sang it for a moment..."
"I don't know, but the tone is quite good."
"Where is it coming from?"
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