Charlotte waited for people’s curiosity to reach its peak, then smiled gently towards the box seat across from her.

People who had been watching her through opera glasses fidgeted in their seats as if pricked by a needle and pretended to look elsewhere.

It was an amusing and entertaining sight.

“This is nice,” said Charlotte, sitting next to Matiel and crossing her arms.

He looked at Charlotte’s white arms exposed above her long lace gloves and replied in an indifferent tone.

“It seems so. But I don’t like feeling like a spectacle. I feel like a monkey performing tricks in a circus.”

“Have you ever seen a circus performance?”

“Do I need to see it with my own eyes to know? Am I an idiot?”

Charlotte let out a chuckle and shook her head gently.

Just then, she recalled Matiel’s vulnerable voice when he was sleep-talking.

If that fragile voice was Matiel’s true self, how many layers of armor did he wear when awake?

How many masks did he wear?

“Is that person you mentioned here? Can you see them?”

Before Matiel could answer, the box seats on both sides suddenly became noisy at the same time.

It was unclear whether people had been there all along or had just entered, but it was certainly strange.

It felt as if she had fallen asleep on the street and suddenly woken up to the bustling noise, feeling dazed.

“My goodness, isn’t that Duke Matiel of Elinak!”

From the left box seat, closer to Charlotte, came the excited voices of two women.

They leaned forward and smiled broadly at Matiel, while their eyes darted about busily.

They were clearly curious about Charlotte’s presence.

One of the women, wearing a deep green dress, extended her gloved hand lightly towards Charlotte.

“Hello. It seems we haven’t met before, young lady. Your name is…?”

Charlotte immediately, almost reflexively, put on a smile that ‘Sherry’ would likely wear and took the woman’s hand.

As she did so, her calves stiffened and a chill ran down her spine.

The woman’s hand was so cold. It felt like shaking hands with a marble statue rather than human skin.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m…”

At that moment, another woman standing behind the one shaking hands with Charlotte tapped her palm with a fan.

She was wearing a purple velvet dress with a lush rose embroidery in the center of her chest.

“Oh my, you’re… Miss Sherry, aren’t you? If I remember correctly, that was your name.”

Charlotte smiled. It was a natural smile that showed no awkwardness or embarrassment.

“That’s right. You’re Baroness Holmes, aren’t you?”

She was a talkative noblewoman Charlotte had encountered once before in a salon.

She didn’t use her magic on people who could potentially be used as informants—of course, they wouldn’t know about it.

People like Baroness Lirald who loved gossip and parties, had wide connections, and were appropriately frivolous.

This Baroness Holmes was one of those people.

“Miss Sherry?” the woman in the green dress who was still holding Charlotte’s hand said, as if confirming.

Charlotte, inwardly shuddering again at the snake-like cold temperature, naturally let go of her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you. Please call me Sherry.”

“I think I’ve heard about you before. Vaguely… Oh, I’m late with introductions. I’m Clang. Viscount Binum is my husband.”

Clang Binum. Charlotte decided to remember that name well in her mind. There was no particular reason.

It was just that her cold hand and the deep green dress reminiscent of a deep forest left an impression.

“Then may I call you Viscountess Binum?”

“Of course. Rachel—that was Baroness Holmes’ name—is my old friend. If you’re a good friend of Rachel’s, Miss Sherry, I’d be happy to like you too.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Charlotte stepped back for a moment. The two noblewomen seemed to return to their seats and whisper something.

Probably about Matiel. It was fortunate that Baroness Holmes was there.

She would explain well about ‘Miss Sherry with her unfortunate and secret circumstances’.

The part that had touched Viscountess Binum’s hand still felt tingly.

It was prickling and itchy, as if on the verge of frostbite. As Charlotte sat down, clenching and unclenching her hand, Matiel spoke.

“Seems like you didn’t feel anything.”

Charlotte whipped her head around.

“What? What do you mean?”

Matiel blinked at Charlotte as if wondering how she still didn’t understand.

“That woman you just shook hands with. She’s the mother of the daughter I mentioned.”

Charlotte, who nearly screamed, covered her own mouth.

She realized that the hand was the one that had shaken hands with Viscountess Binum only when she shuddered at the lingering chill.

“Why didn’t you…”

“Tell you earlier, you mean? First, I didn’t know she would be sitting in the next box. Second, there was no chance to interrupt. Wouldn’t it have been more awkward if I had cut into the conversation there? ‘Miss Sherry’?”

Charlotte felt that his sarcastic teasing was inappropriate for the time and place, but there was no time to voice her complaints.

Clang Binum and Rachel Holmes, who had retreated to their seats as if hiding, once again poked their heads out towards the two, their eyes twinkling.

They wore expressions like ten-year-old girls who had received wind-up dolls as gifts.

“Duke Matiel of Elinak, did you know Miss Sherry?”

Rachel Holmes boldly threw a question at Matiel.

Matiel silently looked at them for a while—he was looking at Clang Binum—before speaking.

“Yes. She and our family are… very distant relatives.”

“Oh my, is that so! Ah, yes. Is it similar to that Miss Edessa?”

Edessa? It was a name that sounded somewhat familiar.

Charlotte unconsciously turned to look at Matiel, and was surprised to see his expression turn colder than she had ever seen before.

“No, it’s different. Miss Sherry is a more distant relative.”

He answered. The icy gaze that seemed to drip with coldness melted away into the cozy darkness of the box seat.

Rachel seemed satisfied with his answer.

This time, Clang Binum carefully looked Charlotte up and down and said,

“To think she was a relative of Duke Matiel of Elinak… If our daughter knew, she would have screamed with interest. Duke Matiel is very popular, after all.”

Clang Binum smiled slightly towards Matiel as if seeking agreement, but he only responded with an expressionless silence.

However, Clang didn’t back down and continued in a gentle manner.

“Miss Sherry seems to be about the same age as our daughter.”

Charlotte felt a faint tension tightening in her chest and smiled faintly.

“So you have a daughter.”

She looked directly at Clang Binum’s face and continued.

“If she takes after her mother, she must be a great beauty.”

At that, Clang Binum’s eyes widened strangely, and suddenly she burst into laughter.

Charlotte was startled like never before, and even Matiel stared blankly at Clang.

“She was pretty. I’m not saying this because she was my daughter, but she really was pretty.”

Clang grinned.

Looking at that smile, Charlotte thought that the Clang Binum she first shook hands with and the Clang Binum now seemed like different people.

That can’t be, Charlotte thought. It can’t be. Unless she’s a demon, a human can’t… Such a thing couldn’t happen…

At that moment, the lights in the theater gradually dimmed and the orchestra and stage brightened.

The overture was about to begin, and the murmuring audience fell silent as if swept by gentle waves.

“Let’s talk more later.”

Clang Binum whispered softly and quickly disappeared to her seat.

As she left Charlotte’s sight, Charlotte thought she heard an ominous giggle.

“Are you alright?”

Matiel asked quietly.

Charlotte bit her tongue gently, feeling an inexplicable unease.

The majestic first note played by the orchestra soared towards the high, round ceiling.

“I’m fine.”

Charlotte answered.

The music quickly became rhythmic, drawing the audience’s consciousness towards the stage. One by one.

“I’m fine.”

Charlotte muttered the same words as if talking to herself and let out a long sigh. For some reason, she had a feeling that tonight would be very long and tiring.

* * *

Act 1 of the opera was about charming men gathering one by one to ardently court the melancholic female protagonist.

By the end of Act 1, the audience was excitedly wondering who would be the first to kiss the female protagonist, who had closed her heart after recently losing her beloved fiancé.

The bell rang to signal a short intermission before Act 2 began.

Ding, dong, dang. Along with it, a slightly noisy recorded voice played, just like when announcing the entrance.

It informed that the audience could enjoy champagne or finger food in the hall, and that entry might not be allowed after Act 2 began.

Charlotte wasn’t interested in any of that.

During Act 1, she too had been drawn into the energy of the stage and felt thrilled when listening to the arias, but… the thought that she wasn’t here just to enjoy the opera had occupied a corner of her mind throughout.

When the chandeliers were fully lit, Charlotte stood up and leaned towards the adjacent box seat.

And she involuntarily gasped in shock.

The two women were not in their seats.

Rachel Holmes’ fan had fallen to the floor.