As we walked toward the back of the stage, the song was reaching its final crescendo.
A voice, layered with delicate vibrato, echoed through the theater.
"Why do you love me?"
Originally, this line questioned why a promising nobleman would love someone with neither status nor a secure future.
But in that melancholic tone, the question no longer sounded like a desperate plea.
It wasn’t Why do you love me? but rather, Why are you tormenting me?
A lady beside me let out an impressed sigh.
“She really is a singer. That was amazing.”
“If she had kept the original lyrics without modification, this would have clashed terribly with our version...”
Realizing that, the other ladies sucked in sharp breaths before sighing in relief. I agreed.
The noble ladies jealous of the beautiful actress—would have been inevitably compared to us, putting on a vastly superior performance.
Well, in the end, Pearl Snow still got the protagonist’s spotlight...
But this won’t happen again.
At last, we reached the back of the stage.
Through the gap in the curtain, I scanned the audience for Percival’s face.
Since he had seated himself quite close to the front—probably to watch his beloved—he was easy to find.
Wow. Look at that expression.
Percival looked like a man who had woken up to find that everything had been stolen from his room—except for his blanket.
So he really did project himself onto the male lead, huh?
Just how detached from reality was he?
He wasn’t some innocent noble youth.
If you stripped him of his money and title—even a corpse would be better off than him! He was just another clueless middle manager, flattering his superiors while ruthlessly exploiting his subordinates.
Fortunately, just behind him, the Crown Princess seemed to be enjoying the show. My eyesight wasn’t sharp enough to catch her expression, but she kept nodding along.
And beside her...
Huh?
Tristan.
His unmistakable silver hair stood out anywhere.
And he was staring straight at me.
What—what the hell. The final act is happening right now! Look at the singer!
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I took a step back. Another lady quickly filled my place, eager to peek at the audience.
Moments later, the final note rang out.
The theater erupted in applause. As Pearl Snow bowed, the hall staff guided us onto the stage, one by one.
At a glance, the atmosphere resembled the finale of any normal performance. But the moment the ladies appeared on stage, the mood softened.
“You, the blonde lady over there—you’re stunning!”
“Oh—brother, stop!”
The young lady in front of me turned bright red. Laughter rippled through the audience. While that particular older brother was a little mischievous, the other ladies also sent shy waves and greetings toward their families seated up front.
I looked for my own family.
Earl Redfield hadn’t come, but the Countess, my eldest sister, and Natalie were sitting together, waving.
Ah—correction. My eldest sister and my mother were waving.
Natalie, meanwhile, was clapping furiously.
This felt like a very expensive school play.
I had long forgotten my memories from kindergarten. Even my elementary school days were hazy. Did my parents ever come to school performances? Sports day?
But now, I didn’t need to force myself to dig through those uncertain memories.
"Once again, let’s give a thunderous round of applause to these fine ladies who have gifted us with such a splendid performance!"
Because the clear joy I felt in this moment was far more beautiful.
After an extended storm of applause—undoubtedly sincere—the two figures truly in charge of this event descended from the audience.
The Crown Princess and Percival.
Of the two, the seasoned civil servant elegantly smiled and addressed the crowd.
“Thank you to everyone who joined us today. Now, we must discuss the main purpose of this event—the charity contributions. But before that, as a guest, rather than an organizer, I would like to offer my own praise to those who prepared this performance. Wasn’t it truly a charming production?”
A wave of yes echoed through the hall like a chant.
The Crown Princess turned her gaze.
“Percival. You were satisfied with the performance as well, weren’t you?”
“Y-yes, of course!”
Percival looked like he had so much to say, but what could he do? Everyone had enjoyed it. If he just kept his mouth shut, he would get praised too.
Then, the Crown Princess asked,
“You were the one who invited Pearl Snow to perform at this event, correct?”
“Yes... that’s right.”
“Since her involvement didn’t quite align with the event’s purpose, I was initially concerned about the implications of your intentions. However, after today, all my worries have been completely dispelled. Thank you very much.”
...So she was concerned but decided to let it slide?
I wanted to call her out on it, but realistically, I understood her position. She couldn’t exactly oppose her brother-in-law when he offered to help organize the event.
Right now, the fact that she had declared this performance a resounding success was an immense help to me.
Percival laughed.
“Haha, it was nothing.”
Ah, now that I was standing this close, I could see his lips trembling.
While he occasionally shot sharp glances at Pearl Snow, she had already taken a few steps back, quietly hiding behind a much taller lady.
The Crown Princess continued,
“With that, the charity performance has come to an end. If today’s play brought you even a moment of joy, I ask that you consider becoming a source of happiness for others on your way out!”
The applause surged once more. The ladies on either side of me reached for my hands. As we all bowed together, a roaring cheer filled the theater.
The curtains fell on the performance.
And with it, the long, exhausting July came to a close.
The stage no longer divided us, and the ladies were swept into their families’ embrace. The scent of flowers filled the air from all directions.
Ah, I just wanted to go home and sleep...
“Lady Redfield?”
An unfamiliar voice called out to me.
A young man stood before me. Before I could even register who he was, he shoved a bouquet into my arms.
Caught off guard, I blurted out the most impolite question.
“W-who are you?”
“I heard my sister was in your care.”
“Brother! What are you doing?! Lady Doris, I’m so sorry!”
A young blonde lady turned bright red as she bowed. The man, however, laughed good-naturedly.
“She looked like she was about to cry the moment she received this role. But after being taught by you, she suddenly seemed to enjoy herself. And from what I’ve heard, you also took care of her during the hunting tournament.”
“Ah... I wouldn’t call it taking care. If anything, I should be thanking her for trusting me and staying with me until the end.”
“You truly have a graceful heart. I must treat you to a meal sometime as thanks.”
The blonde lady, her face now practically glowing red, hurriedly bowed again before pushing her brother out of the hall.
And just like that, another bouquet remained in my arms.
That wasn’t the end of the unexpected greetings.
“My daughter was in your care throughout the performance...”
“My younger sibling wanted to thank you...”
Strangers—some older, some around my age—came up to offer thanks, handing me small bouquets along with their words of gratitude.
By the time my own family finally found me, my arms were so full of flowers that there wasn’t even room for the bouquet my sisters had brought.
Natalie narrowed her eyes.
“Who the hell gave you all this?”
“They’re not ‘hell’—they’re the parents of the ladies I performed with. They wanted to say thank you.”
“Well, they did exactly what decent people should.”
Grace, my eldest sister, murmured in admiration as she stood beside our mother.
“I heard you worked hard, but I didn’t realize so many people were grateful to you.”
“I was just trying to get by... it’s a little embarrassing.”
“Oh, don’t be. More importantly—are you feeling alright? Tristan suddenly launched himself forward like a cannonball, and then you just disappeared. I only heard later that he had summoned a physician.”
“It was just mild anemia. Nothing serious.”
“Right, you were dieting. Honestly, you look much healthier now.”
Mother nodded approvingly.
Yes, well, this healthier version of me was only lasting until tonight.
Because the moment I got home, I was going to beg the maids to bake me a cake with one kilogram of butter and one kilogram of sugar, and I was going to devour it.
As I tried to escape into that comforting thought, my mother kept talking. Unfortunately, not in the direction I wanted.
“It’s such a shame you wore a mask during your parts! If everyone had seen your face, they would have been enchanted! But if you keep maintaining this—”
“I don’t need any more admirers.”
Someone interrupted my mother.
The words were rude—but the moment she saw who had spoken, she swallowed the rest of her sentence.
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“Your Highness...”
“It has been some time. And Doris Redfield, may I borrow a moment of your time?”