Chapter 70
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“They really put a lot of effort into it.”
Seated in the carriage, I glanced at the two of them briefly, observing but not scrutinizing.
Diana wore a dark red dress that exposed a hint of her shoulders. The design wasn’t overly extravagant, so it didn’t come across as excessively luxurious. It matched the atmosphere appropriately.
“The tailor you introduced to me, sir! Their skills are remarkable.”
“Oh, that person.”
In truth, I only met them through my father’s recommendation. They possessed an uncommon aesthetic sense, so I often turned to them for important occasions like this.
“Sir.”
“Hmm?”
“Look at me too.”
While I was engrossed in conversation with Diana about her outfit, Aria called out to me with a somewhat sulky expression. Was she upset because I wasn’t paying attention to her?
“How do I look?”
She, too, was wearing a dress, though it had wide sleeves and a long hem.
It neither revealed her neckline nor her shoulders.
Rather than emphasizing sensuality, it seemed designed for charm and a youthful vibe.
‘It feels like a school play.’
The dress was green, though its low saturation made it appear grayish.
Gold embroidery provided accents to prevent it from looking dull.
A large ribbon tied around her waist immediately caught the eye.
The overall impression was subdued yet elegant, blending sophistication with a playful, youthful energy.
As expected, the tailor was extremely skilled.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Aria asked again as I didn’t respond.
“Well, it’s cute.”
“What do you mean, cute?!”
“You’re cute, so why are you upset?”
Unhappy with my answer, she puffed up her cheeks and abruptly turned her head toward the window.
“Did I say something wrong?”
When I asked Diana for her opinion, she answered without hesitation.
“No, sir. You’re always right.”
Diana was someone who would agree with anything I said, making her an unreliable source for an accurate judgment.
As for Theo, who was sitting outside with the coachman, he couldn’t see the situation at all.
‘It’s not like she’s at the age to go through puberty yet.’
No, in this case, puberty doesn’t even matter.
For girls, attention is sometimes more important than life itself. It’s not uncommon for siblings to fight over something as trivial as that.
I decided I should say a few more things to placate her.
“Aria, tell me honestly.”
She glanced at me for a moment without answering before quickly turning away again.
But I wasn’t going to back down.
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Of course you are.”
I lightly tapped the large ribbon tied at her side with my fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“The gold embroidery and the ribbon—both stand out a lot. You must’ve put some effort into this.”
“No, I didn’t!”
This time, she crossed her arms, clearly upset.
That pose—wasn’t it the classic “I’m mad” stance?
I smirked and spoke again.
“For a moment, I thought you were playing a princess in a play. If there were such a play, you’d definitely be the star.”
“Hmph.”
“But what kind of princess would you be? Perhaps the fairy princess of a mysterious forest?”
My teasing tone started to work, as she finally began to respond.
“I just thought this dress was pretty, so I wore it. A princess, really!”
Though she tried to respond nonchalantly, the corners of her lips betrayed her rising smile.
If you keep grinning like that, it’s obvious to everyone nearby.
“You’ve got it wrong. The dress wouldn’t have looked pretty on its own. It’s because you’re wearing it that it’s special.”
“Heh… hehehe… oh, well… you finally noticed.”
She’s such an easy person to handle.
Can someone really be this simple?
Still…
“Diana.”
“Yes?”
I called her quietly.
“Is Aria… okay?”
I meant mentally or emotionally.
Up to now, I’ve found her cuteness tolerable, but before she grows older, some restraint might be necessary.
“She’s fine. She doesn’t act this way in front of others. With Lady Doris and the butler, she’s incredibly well-mannered. It’s just when she’s with you, sir…”
“That doesn’t sound fine at all.”
Still, if it’s only around me that she behaves this way, it might not be worth intervening.
‘As long as the bucket leaks only here, does it matter if it’s watertight elsewhere?’
There’s no real need to stop her. After all, I’ve come to enjoy seeing her reactions.
In a way, watching her antics has become one of my small joys in life lately.
With such light-hearted chatter, the carriage steadily moved forward.
By the time I realized, we were already at the academy’s main gate.
“We’ve arrived.”
The two girls who stepped out of the carriage let out exclamations of awe.
“Wow!”
“Oh my gosh… there are so many people…”
Theo accompanied the coachman to the stables. Given the chaotic atmosphere, everyone needed to pair up for safety.
“For now, let’s head to the theatre. Stick close to me. If you get lost, you might end up…”
“Becoming an orphan again?”
Aria’s comment made both Diana and me turn our heads sharply toward her.
Hmm.
‘Was that supposed to be a joke?’
Aria blinked innocently, as if she didn’t understand why we reacted that way.
It made me feel a mix of heartache and discomfort.
Did she really think such words were okay to say?
Where on earth had Aria learned to speak like that?
Diana leaned close and whispered.
“Lately, I’ve been teaching her to read using some of the books left behind by the Count, and ever since then, she’s started…”
“Got it. Say no more.”
No wonder.
Some of the books my father had collected ranged from worldly novels to cheap magazines filled with crude language.
He didn’t buy them because they were his taste but because they came bundled with others.
While someone like me could filter through them, Aria wouldn’t have that ability.
It seemed this young girl had been unintentionally influenced in a not-so-great way.
“Exactly what kind of books has she been reading?”
“I don’t know either.”
“From now on, Diana, you’ll read them first, and if you think they’re appropriate, only then let Aria have them.”
“I’ll be careful.”
And Aria, you…
“For the next month, no late-night snacks.”
Suddenly, she squatted on the floor, bowing her head in repentance.
“I’m sorry! I’ll never use such bad words again. Please forgive me just this once. I beg you!”
“Hmm, fine. But make sure to maintain this polite attitude.”
“Really? Does this mean I can still eat late-night snacks?”
“No, you can’t. Why are you even asking something so obvious?”
“Uwaaah… please, just the late-night snacks…”
“Aria! Shush!”
Diana stopped her from whining. The sight of it was so cute that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Am I a bad person?
Honestly, the talk about punishment was just a joke.
In any case, this was more my fault than Aria’s. I hadn’t been paying attention because I’d been too busy.
‘This must also fall under the category of attention.’
I remembered once hearing that children sometimes resort to negative behaviour or words to get the affection they crave.
The solution was simple: consistent praise, showing interest, and expressing love.
Raising a child into a good adult is entirely the responsibility of the parents.
“Aria.”
I called out to her, still crouched with her head hanging low.
“Stand up. You’re going to ruin your cute dress.”
“Uuuuh…”
Do you really have to make such a sorrowful face?
‘What exactly does late-night snacking mean to this child?’
Surely it couldn’t be more important than singing.
With teary eyes, she looked up at me.
“If you promise to only use kind words from now on, I’ll pretend there was no punishment.”
“I promise! I’ll promise!”
And one more thing.
“It’s fine to joke around sometimes, but you shouldn’t say things that hurt yourself.”
“Hmm…”
“Aria, the person who can understand you the best is none other than yourself. Others will love you too, but the most important thing is for you to hold that feeling in your own heart.”
Aria nodded, her eyes sparkling.
I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious while saying this.
But it wasn’t wrong, and more importantly, it was for Aria’s sake.
“When you trust yourself, don’t you think the people around you will also see how precious you are?”
“Hmm… I think so.”
I lightly patted her head.
When you believe in yourself, you won’t get lost even in the dark. That’s the truth.
“I’ll try to use pretty words from now on… and, well, anyway, I’ll do my best.”
“That’s enough.”
“Promise!”
Aria smiled brightly, looking satisfied.
She was growing again today.
Diana held Aria’s hand and followed behind me. We headed straight to the theatre.
***
The newly built theatre had a secret space.
It was located at the very back and center of the third floor.
Separated from the rest of the seating area, it was quite spacious and comfortable.
What’s more, it couldn’t be seen from outside.
The acoustics were excellent.
Just because it was far from the stage didn’t mean the sound would be as distant.
Such shortcomings had been almost perfectly overcome thanks to the joint research of Edward and Professor Brosia.
Using the synergy between existing amplification magic and the Jubel, they had created an artifact similar to a speaker, which they installed on the ceiling.
However, there was nothing they could do about the view.
Despite the tiered arrangement of the seats, the location was what it was, so some compromises had to be made.
Creating something like a large screen wasn’t feasible anytime soon.
In a world where even the concept of photography didn’t exist, there was no way to implement video.
From that perspective, apart from being an isolated space, this place didn’t have many advantages.
The one redeeming feature was its sound quality.
This inevitably led to a question…
“Then why was it built?”
There is only one reason.
This was never meant to be a seating area.
It’s more like a sound booth.
It was built to check the overall acoustics and the performer’s movements.
At the same time, it allows monitoring the audience’s reactions in real-time.
Its location at the very back makes this possible.
However, just for today…
“Think about it. I’m the owner of this theatre, so I can do at least this much, can’t I?”
It had been decorated as a private box.
In short, it was a VIP room for me alone.
The fact that it’s isolated from the outside works in my favour here.
It’s very comfortable.
“If we’re being precise, am I not the owner?”
Edward responded with a sharp rebuttal to my words.
Is that what’s more important here?
“Well, that’s just a way of speaking.”
The reason I asked for his permission is simple.
If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but Diana and Aria were accompanying me.
The two wouldn’t be performing today.
Instead, they would watch the opening ceremony with me.
“Whoa… it’s so spacious…”
“Can I eat this?”
Diana marveled at the size, while Aria somehow found the snacks on the table and reached out.
Fine.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
It’s okay.
I’ll just have her run ten laps around the manor tomorrow.
Satisfied, I guided them to the chairs I had prepared in advance.
“Watch comfortably. I’ll just go down to greet the guests and then come back.”
Since I’m the academy’s star figure, I should make at least one appearance on stage, right?
On my way down, I ran into Victor.
“Phew… Here you are.”
“Were you looking for me?”
“It’s good I found you quickly. The concert is about to begin, so let’s go.”
“Alright.”
I must be a bit late.
Together, we walked through the corridor toward the backstage area.
The seats were already packed with audience members, and the cadets who would perform today were also preparing in the waiting room.
“Erdi, you’ve worked hard.”
“Haha, it’s fine. I enjoyed it.”
“It’s just starting, so don’t lose focus.”
“Yes, sir.”
Finally, I asked him to give a motivational speech to the cadets.
After all, it would be their first time performing in front of such a large audience.
They must be nervous.
They’ll need some courage.
“Then…”
Leaving the rest to him, Victor and I walked past the curtain onto the stage.
“Wooooaaaaaah!”
“Oooooh!”
For a moment, I worried my ears might burst.
That’s how loud the cheers were.
Is this even real?
Quickly regaining my composure, I scanned the audience slowly.
Familiar faces stood out.
Margrave Rosley, Iolin, and others…
They had all arrived early and secured their seats.
“Victor.”
“Yes.”
I whispered softly enough for only him to hear.
“Has the Duke Dressel arrived?”
“I haven’t seen him yet. Perhaps he’s running late.”
Strange.
I thought he’d be the first to arrive and come looking for me.
I decided to think about it later.
Taking a deep breath, I bowed deeply to everyone.
Then…
“Esteemed guests and respected cadets, I am delighted to share this artistic night with all of you.”
Applause broke out.
Now it was Victor’s turn.
“We are deeply grateful to all of you who have traveled a long way to grace this occasion. We also express our respect to the young artists of the academy, who have poured their passion into preparing for this concert day and night.”
His greeting was solemn.
“I hope tonight’s concert can unite us all, and with that, I declare the opening of this festival!”
“Woohooo!”
“Wowww!”
“Anton! Anton!”
Why are they chanting my name?
In any case.
“Let us now welcome the first performer with a round of applause!”
With those words, I quickly retreated behind the curtain.
Azbella, looking shy, stepped forward to take our place.
—
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