"Oh my."
"Huh."
Maybe because he had to come up with it on the spot. There were empty touches of laughter here and there at the rather shabby declaration of surrender.
Count Hamilton, who was already wearing glasses, was startled and looked around.
"I, I also came wearing glasses with the wrong prescription...Hmm. Looking closely, just as the Duchess said, Her Highness's intentions are evident here and there."
Another burst of laughter broke out from the people. The two Counts hastily greeted each other and made their way through the crowd.
"We'll see."
Count Horace ground his teeth as he hurriedly left. After all, art wasn't his real calling. The music festival that would open soon after sunset was the real stage.
"Didn't you say that woman would be the last to perform? I'll find fault with every single thing."
There was no way a woman who had never even studied harmony could properly compose an opera song, right?
Ariana briefly laughed as she looked at the backs of the two men.
"There... Duchess."
Katarina hesitated in front of Ariana.
"... I'm surprised. You could tell my intentions at a glance. And... Well, um. Thank you. For stepping in my place."
Katarina, her face slightly red, turned her head to the side and muttered. Ariana blinked her eyes several times. She wondered why she found that awkward greeting a little cute. Ariana opened her mouth to answer but suddenly stopped.
'Ah.'
A gaze that had been forming on her cheek for some time. A little more persistent than the other gazes. The moment she absentmindedly turned in that direction, she met red eyes.
'... You were watching me.'
It was strange. Why was her heart, which had been calm when she was dealing with the two Counts, now tightening with tension?
Ariana clenched her hands, which were sweating subtly. The cause of this strange phenomenon that had been occurring frequently lately was Dante. Because he always stared at people like that as if he was going to pierce them.
Dante strode towards Ariana. The surprised people quickly retreated to the sides. He quickly reached Ariana and held out his hand.
"My wife always steals the spotlight wherever she goes."
A fierce smile appeared on Dante's lips.
"Jealous."
"...Are you angry?"
Ariana whispered softly, taking the hand that was extended for her escort. Were Count Horace or Count Hamilton allies of the Heigenberg Dukes?
I don't think so...
"No, just..."
Dante's eyes scanned Ariana. Her dazzling platinum hair and balanced features. People's admiring gazes lingered here and there. Dante twisted his lips subtly.
"I just realized that I was more narrow-minded than I thought."
"Yes?"
Ariana asked back, blinking quickly at the warmth of the arms that were tightly wrapped around her shoulders. Many eyes followed the backs of the two people leaving the corridor with affectionate expressions. Among them was Katarina's gaze.
"..."
Katarina bit her lips. A variety of emotions that were too diverse to describe mixed together and made her mind dizzy.
"Will I be able to tell you someday?"
The painting that was presented today was painted after hearing Ariana's composition, "On Possession."
She sighed and looked back at her painting. The distinguished guests who had gathered like clouds looked at her painting with curious eyes and asked her all sorts of questions.
There was someone who had been watching the whole scene without fail.
"Shall we stop moving now, Your Highness?"
"Yes. I understand."
The Prince of Ende smiled and nodded. His gaze took one last look at the backs of the Duke and Duchess who were moving away. His blue eyes sparkled and stood out.
***
The sun began to set and the sky began to turn purple. The entire palace was ripe with a festive atmosphere when the music festival began.
The music festival was held at the opera house on the west side of the palace. Thousands of seats were spread out behind the grand and spacious stage.
Edward frowned as he looked around the seats covered in navy blue velvet.
"Why aren't there more seats than I thought?"
The nobles had started to enter, but more than half of the seats were still empty. The same was true for the boxes that accommodated the most distinguished guests. The newly hired master of the Lopez Orchestra shrugged and said,
"I heard that there was a commotion at the art festival, so everyone came to see it."
"Commotion?"
"It seems that the painting that Her Highness the Princess submitted became a hot topic. Thanks to the interesting commentary by the Duchess, the work gained more attention..."
"Ah."
The orchestra master suddenly fell silent. It was widely known among the musicians that the relationship between Count Lopez and his sister, the Duchess, was not so good.
'Did the Duchess say she went to the Lopez Orchestra all at once...?'
Well. That was a stupid choice for the orchestra members.
'It seems like she was completely taken in when the Duchess waved the check, but whatever.'
She hasn't been on stage since. They had no other activities than one free performance in the plaza.
'If she had continued to play at the Lopez House, she could have continued her career.'
There was no other way to explain it than that she had made a foolish choice because she was blinded by the gold in front of her.
"Count Lopez!"
"Oh, Marquis Roman."
Edward, who recognized the owner of the voice, bowed his head respectfully. Marquis Roman was a big shot in the art world and had been one of Eduardo Lopez's biggest fans when he was alive.
He was the first to leave, disappointed by the changes in the music at the Lopez House after Eduardo died and his son-in-law took over the family. He hadn't come to see a single performance since then...
"I have high expectations for today."
Marquis Roman smiled and patted Edward on the shoulder.
"They say talent is hereditary. I heard that the grandson of Count inherited the talent of a great musician."
The Lopez Opera House had been building its reputation until then, even though there was an unfortunate incident where the performance was completely canceled.
Marquis Roman's eyes were filled with anticipation. It had been a long time since he had cut off his sponsorship, fed up with the music master's son-in-law's antics, but the current Count Lopez might be different. No, it was clear that he had succeeded in finally getting back on the stage of the founding ceremony.
"If you just successfully complete today's stage, I promise. I will resume the sponsorship that I had cut off for a while."
" Really?"
Edward's eyes lit up. Now that Lucas was in that state, a new big-time sponsor was needed. Marquis Roman would be the one to fill that void, no, he would definitely be a much bigger fish.
'As expected. Everything Is going well.&
He had known this would happen if he could just attend the founding ceremony. Edward smiled in satisfaction. Today was his glorious day, after all.
Soon, the night came, and the empty seats began to fill up with nobles. The box seats were also occupied by distinguished guests.
'The first Prince of Ende.'
Edward frowned slightly when he found the blond-haired young man sitting in the box seat. The first Prince, who was Edward's classmate at the Ende Royal Academy of Fine Arts, was the top student and also the top graduate. He was a very unsightly guy who was always praised by the professors no matter what he did.
Edward turned his gaze to the box seat next to him and hardened his brows. Tanned skin and silver hair. That appearance.
'It's Karkan, isn't it?'
Why are those crazy guys who are known for their aggressive and cruel natures and only eat and fight here? Was it because of their fierce appearance?
Edward shrugged his shoulders, feeling a strange sense of unease. Well. They were strangers to such a noble culture as art, so there was no reason for them to offer support. They were people who had nothing to do with him anyway.
***
Clap clap clap clap!
The second stage came to a close, and a loud applause echoed throughout the huge space.
"Imperial music is never bad. This stage was also quite decent."
The ambassador of the Ende Kingdom applauded and said indirectly. The First Prince of Ende, Michael, smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I see. It was music that perfectly maintained the form and tradition."
That was the strength of imperial music. And at the same time...
"It's a bit boring, though."
Michael thought that was also its weakness. Michael rested his chin on the armrest and watched the stage with blank eyes. The first and second stages were similar, so it probably wouldn't be much different this time. He had attended every year because of diplomatic relations, but his anticipation had faded every time. He couldn't help but fall asleep. Michael closed his eyes lazily. It seemed that this year's imperial music festival would be boring again unless the chandelier fell and shattered.
Michael's prediction was soon shattered. The ambassador nodded, looking down at the composer greeting on stage.
"Oh, this time it's Count Lopez."
"Lopez... Lopez."
Michael, who had been mumbling absentmindedly, opened his eyes wide.
"Is that Lopez?"
The ambassador nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness. He is the descendant of Count Eduardo Lopez, who was called a master."
"Hoo."
Michael's eyes sparkled. Eduardo Lopez was a dazzling star in the boring and old-fashioned imperial music world. When he was around, the people of the Ende Kingdom showed a more genuine awe of the empire. It was a shame that the name Lopez faded away after his death...
It seemed that his descendant had finally discovered his talent.
"I'm looking forward to it this time."
Michael sat up straight for the first time in a while.
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