And that person no longer existed. Whenever Debra recalled that fact, her heart felt heavy, but even so, she could smile.

‘Charles, a kind person, existed, and I won’t forget.’

Remembering an unreachable existence could be a terrible punishment or an irreplaceable gift.

So, Charles’ memories occasionally left a large hole in Debra’s heart, but mostly, they comforted Debra, who lived alone in this world.
‘Oh, my nose is tingling for no reason.’

To avoid being caught with a reddened nose, Debra intentionally flashed a bright smile.

“Even tone-deaf people often lack a sense of rhythm, but Miss Debra manages to keep the beat accurately.”

Irene assisted Dia and comforted Debra.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The pitch was even correct. It’s just that your voice trembled a bit.”

“Oh my, I might not be that tone-deaf after all.”

After Debra’s words, Irene hesitated for a moment and then slowly nodded. In contrast, Dia quickly nodded. Finding their reactions cute, Debra covered her mouth and chuckled.

‘Let’s activate the mischievous side.’

It might have started with the song earlier, but anyway, since the situation had turned out like this, Debra decided to play another prank.

“Actually, I used to like singing, but since I’m tone-deaf, I didn’t sing well.”

“Yes…”

“But by the way, would it be okay if I sang one more song?”

Irene’s pupils trembled. Seeing her open her mouth without giving any response, now Debra felt like saying it was just a joke. But at that moment, Dia spoke up.

“Of course! Anytime!”

Dia applauded, cheering for Debra’s singing.

‘Oh my, I didn’t intend to create such a situation.’

As Debra became awkward and hesitated to say it was a joke, Irene, who seemed embarrassed, raised her hand to the keyboard and said.

“Shall I accompany you with the same song as earlier?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Before Debra could say it was a joke, Irene spoke.

“I also want to accompany after a long time, so please don’t decline.”

Debra let out a forced laugh.

‘I played a prank for no reason.’

Debra felt somewhat sorry, but she remembered there were occasions where she showcased her singing among the ladies. She didn’t expect Dia to experience such a situation.

‘Well, let’s think of it as an extension of the lesson.’

Debra approached the piano gracefully, clasping the edge of her skirt, and greeted with a slight bow. Irene was a bit surprised at her posture, but soon, prompted by Debra’s gaze, she regained her composure and started the accompaniment.

‘Ah, beautiful prelude.’

As the prelude ended, Debra, taking a deep breath, lifted one hand on the piano and elegantly began to sing.

“On that beautiful green hill.”

It was an incredibly trembling voice. Irene was still about to be overwhelmed by Debra’s shocking voice, but she bit her lip and endured it.

In this way, Debra completed a short art song. Occasionally, there were mistakes in the lyrics and missed beats, but it couldn’t be helped. That was Debra’s limit.

“Thank you for listening.”
Deborah placed her hand on her chest, bowed slightly, and greeted. Dia, whose face had turned somewhat pale, enthusiastically applauded. However, at that moment, from the direction of the door, a sound other than Dia’s applause was heard.

“Pung.”

It was the sound of laughter. Deborah, of course, and everyone else turned their gaze toward the door. Deborah gently smiled as she saw the face of a man peeking through the slightly opened door.

‘Oh, the timing is quite something.’

Cedric, who held his hand over his mouth and was shaking with laughter to the point where his body trembled, was standing there.

“Mr. Radford? It’s okay not to hold back so much.”

Deborah playfully said. Cedric, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes, opened the door that was always lightly opened with difficulty and said,

“I didn’t eavesdrop, I swear. The door was open from the beginning.”

“Hoho. I didn’t have such suspicions.”

“Oh, then I’m relieved…

Cedric, about to burst into laughter again, covered his mouth. His body, bent over as if boasting of his shoulders, trembled slightly.

“Puhuh.”

A clearer laughter than before was heard. Irene stared at Cedric with surprised eyes, and Dia checked Deborah’s complexion.

It was because she was worried if she had been hurt. However, Deborah just wore a subtle smile.