To Those For Whom Even Regret Is A Luxury - Chapter 69

“Oh my.”

“Huh.”

Was it because they had to come up with it on the spot?

Laughter erupted here and there at the rather unsightly declaration of surrender.

Count Hamilton, who was already wearing glasses, startled and glanced around nervously.

“Well, since I came wearing glasses with the wrong prescription… Ahem. Looking closely, as the duchess said, Her Highness’s intentions are noticeable throughout.”

Once again, a burst of laughter arose from the people.

The two counts hurriedly bowed and made their way through the crowd.

‘We’ll see about that.’

Count Horace gritted his teeth as he hastily left.

Art wasn’t his forte anyway. Wasn’t the real stage the music festival that would begin at sunset?

‘Didn’t that woman say she’d perform the final act? I’ll pick it apart piece by piece.’

How could a woman who had never even studied music theory properly compose an opera?

It was then that Ariana watched the two men’s retreating figures and let out a brief laugh.

“Excuse me. Duchess.”

Catarina stood hesitantly in front of Ariana.

“…I’m surprised. To think you’d grasp all of my intentions at a glance. And… well, um. Thank you. For stepping in on my behalf.”

Catarina, her face slightly flushed, turned her head sideways and muttered.

Ariana blinked a few times. Why did that awkward greeting feel somewhat cute, she wondered.

As Ariana opened her mouth to respond, she suddenly paused.

‘Ah.’

The gaze that had been fixed on her cheek for some time.

A bit more persistent than the other gazes.

When she casually turned in that direction, she met red eyes.

‘…He was watching.’

It was strange.

Why was her heart now tightening with tension when she had felt nothing while dealing with the two counts?

Ariana tightly clenched her hand, which was subtly beginning to sweat.

The cause of these strange phenomena that kept occurring lately was Dante. Because he always stared at people so intently, so fixedly.

Dante began to stride towards Ariana.

Surprised people quickly stepped aside. He reached Ariana in an instant and extended his hand, saying,

“As expected, my wife attracts all eyes wherever she goes.”

A fierce smile played on Dante’s lips.

“It makes me jealous.”

“…Are you angry?”

Ariana whispered softly as she took the hand offered for escort.

Were Count Horace or Count Hamilton perhaps allies of House Heigenberg? As far as she knew, they weren’t…

“No, just.”

Dante’s eyes swept over Ariana.

Her brilliant platinum blonde hair and balanced features. Where admiring glances from people lingered here and there.

Dante subtly twisted his lips.

“I just realized I’m a more petty man than I thought.”

“Pardon?”

Ariana, who had asked back, blinked rapidly at the warmth of the arm firmly encircling her shoulder.

Numerous gazes followed the two as they exited the gallery, appearing affectionate.

Among them was Catarina’s gaze.

“…”

Catarina gently bit her lip. An indescribable mix of various emotions swirled in her mind, confusing her.

‘Will I ever be able to tell you?’

That this painting I presented today was inspired by listening to your composition ‘On Possession’.

She sighed and turned to look at her painting.

The nobles who had gathered like clouds scrutinized her painting with interested eyes and fired all sorts of questions.

There was someone who had been watching all of this unfailingly.

“Shall we move on now, Your Highness?”

“Yes. Alright.”

The prince of Ende nodded with a slight smile.

His gaze swept over the retreating backs of the ducal couple one last time. His blue eyes sparkled with an unusual gleam.

* * *

As the sun began to set, dyeing the sky purple,

The music festival began just as the entire palace was at the peak of a festive atmosphere.

The music festival was held in the opera house on the west side of the imperial palace. Thousands of seats spread out behind the grand and spacious stage.

Edward frowned as he looked around at the seats wrapped in navy blue velvet.

“Why aren’t the seats as full as I expected?”

Although nobles had begun to enter, over half the seats were still empty.

The box seats reserved for the most distinguished guests were the same.

The newly hired master of the Lopez Orchestra shrugged and said,

“I heard there was some commotion at the art festival, so people flocked there to see.”

“Commotion?”

“It seems Her Highness’s submitted painting became a hot topic. Thanks to the duchess’s interesting interpretation of that work, it gained even more attention… Oh.”

The orchestra master suddenly closed his mouth.

It was well-known among the performers that the relationship between Count Lopez and his younger sister, the duchess, was not very good.

‘Didn’t they say the duchess took the entire Lopez Orchestra at once…?’

Well. That was a foolish choice made by those orchestra members.

‘It seems they all fell for it when the duchess waved a check right away, but so what? They haven’t been able to perform even once since then.’

Other than one free performance in the square, there had been no activities at all.

‘If they had continued performing at Lopez House, they could have kept building their careers.’

There was no other explanation except that they had made a foolish choice, blinded by the gold before their eyes.

“Count Lopez!”

“Ah, Duke Roman.”

Edward, recognizing the voice, bowed his head politely.

Duke Roman was a big name in the art world and had been one of Eduardo Lopez’s fervent fans when he was alive.

He was also the first to leave in disappointment with the changed music of Lopez House after Eduardo’s death and his son-in-law inherited the family.

He hadn’t come to see a performance even once since then…

“I have high expectations today.”

Duke Roman smiled and patted Edward’s shoulder.

“They say talent skips a generation. I hear rumors that the count, the grandson, has inherited the talent of the music master.”

Although there had been an unfortunate incident where a performance had been a huge flop, until then, Lopez Opera House had been building its reputation.

Duke Roman’s eyes gleamed with expectation.

Though he had long since cut off his patronage, disgusted by the antics of the music master’s son-in-law, the current Count Lopez might be different.

No, given that he had succeeded in returning to the stage for the Founding Festival, that must certainly be the case.

“If today’s performance ends successfully, I promise. I will resume the sponsorship I had suspended for a while.”

“…Really?”

Edward’s eyes lit up.

With Lucas in that state, a new big-name sponsor was needed at this point.

Duke Roman would undoubtedly fill that vacancy, no, he would be an even bigger catch.

‘Indeed. Everything is going well.’

He had known all along that if he could just attend the Founding Festival, things would turn out like this.

Edward smiled triumphantly. Today was truly his day of glory.

Before long, complete night fell, and the empty seats began to fill with nobles.

Distinguished guests also took their places in the box seats.

‘It’s the Crown Prince of Ende.’

Edward frowned slightly as he spotted the blonde young man seated in a box.

The Crown Prince of Ende, who had been Edward’s classmate at the Royal Academy of Arts, was both the top entrant and top graduate.

He was an annoying fellow who always grinned as he received praise from professors for everything he did.

Edward’s brow furrowed as he turned his gaze to the box seat next to him.

Brown tanned skin and silver hair. That appearance…

‘It’s a Karkain.’

What were those crazy people, known for their belligerent and cruel nature and said to do nothing but fight, doing here?

Was it because of that fierce-looking face? Feeling oddly uneasy, Edward shrugged.

Well. They were ignorant of refined culture like art, so they wouldn’t offer sponsorship. They were beings he wouldn’t have to deal with anyway.

* * *

Clap clap clap clap!

As the second act came to an end, thunderous applause echoed through the vast space.

“As expected, imperial music is never bad. This performance was quite decent as well.”

The ambassador of the Kingdom of Ende said as he applauded.

Ende’s Crown Prince, Michael, nodded with a smile.

“Yes, indeed. It was music that perfectly adhered to form and tradition.”

That was the strength of imperial music. And at the same time…

“Though it is rather stale.”

It was also its weakness, Michael thought.

Resting his chin on the armrest, Michael watched the stage with vacant eyes.

Since the first and second acts were similar, the rest probably wouldn’t be much different. Though he attended every year due to diplomatic relations, his expectations faded each time.

He shouldn’t fall asleep… Michael lazily lowered his eyes.

It seemed this year’s imperial music festival would be as boring as ever unless a chandelier fell and shattered.

Michael’s prediction was soon to be shattered.

The ambassador nodded as he looked down at the composer bowing on stage.

“Oh, this next piece is by Count Lopez.”

“Lopez… Lopez.”

Michael, who had been muttering absentmindedly, opened his eyes wide.

“Could it be that Lopez?”

The ambassador nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. A descendant of Count Eduardo Lopez, who was called a master.”

“Oho.”

Michael’s eyes flashed with unusual interest.

Eduardo Lopez had been a brilliant star in the dull and stodgy imperial music world.

When he was alive, even people from the Kingdom of Ende showed more sincere reverence towards the empire.

It had been a shame to see the Lopez name fade away after his death… Perhaps his descendant had finally blossomed in talent.

“I’m looking forward to this one.”

Michael sat up straight for the first time in a while.