A clear sneer spread softly.

“Haven’t you heard the critics? Some people must have noticed. That I only perform certain types of acting. I only do what I know I can do well. What suits me best, what people want.”

Her red lips closed momentarily. Tap tap, her fingers drumming the steering wheel betrayed a faint nervousness. It was an unusual crack in someone who always maintained impeccable composure.

“It hurt my pride, but I thought about settling. No, I didn’t even consider it settling. There was no young actor comparable to me. No one with a shell as decent as mine.”

“That’s right.”

“But then Perry, you appeared.”

The car stopped at the signal just before. Above those eyes that could be compared to violets, amethysts, or fairy wings—yet still fall short—appeared an unremarkable woman. Perry Humble, neither exceptionally pretty nor particularly striking in any way.

Bria Sol spoke to such a Perry Humble with grinding emphasis.

“Do you know how terrible it was?”

Unlike her dry tone, her voice was somewhat moist.

“That your instantly immersed delivery felt more impressive than lines I’d practiced for days. It’s neither coincidence nor miracle—you were always better than me, repeatedly frustrating me.”

“I don’t…… understand.”

“Then let me ask this. Perry, have you ever been jealous of me?”

“Well—”

“Not about the lead roles I got or my impressive background. Have you ever been jealous watching my acting?”

Perry couldn’t answer readily. Because she hadn’t been.

Her focus had always been fixed in one direction, with other aspects being secondary. More honestly, she rarely had the experience of being intensely captivated by anyone’s acting. She observed other actors’ performances in the rehearsal room, but that was the extent of it.

The silence lengthened. Bria Sol continued as if she had already heard the answer.

“During rehearsals, when it’s your turn, everyone holds their breath.”

“That’s—”

“Don’t tell me silence is normal in rehearsals. I’m not such a fool that I can’t distinguish that difference.”

The signal changed. Her snow-white face didn’t turn to look at Perry.

“You don’t know yourself.”

So you’re probably wrong, the concluding sentence was neat.

“You said the non-actor Perry Humble is nothing special, right?”

“……Yes.”

“I certainly am. I have no interest in Perry outside of being an actor. But…… is that man the same?”

“He said…… he was my fan.”

“Was he only a fan?”

One winter, Perry recalled the word established by mutual agreement between them. Friend, my friend, dear friend. Though they decorated it with various modifiers, the essence had never changed. If it hadn’t been for the boy who extended his hand and asked for a dance in late summer, this letter game wouldn’t have existed.

“Not to me.”

“Then probably not to him either.”

“Do you know Yuan?”

“A little.”

He’s Della Bellium’s cousin, she added, her voice pointed as if reluctant to explain further. Perry vaguely guessed the circumstances but changed the subject instead of probing.

“You said you hate me, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why help me? Now too.”

“Because it’s not fair.”

It was an answer that gave her déjà vu. Perry unconsciously stroked her empty earlobe.

“Listen, Perry. I’ve been going to all sorts of theaters with my mother since before I could even read. I had almost everything from birth, received whatever support I needed. No, more precisely, I lived without knowing what deprivation even was.”

“That must have been nice.”

“It was. But you didn’t.”

At this sudden statement of fact, Perry blankly blinked her eyes. The very person who brought it up seemed indifferent, as if she had no intention to attack.

“I understand you started late due to various circumstances…… but I’m not patient enough to wait quietly.”

“What does my starting line have to do with you, Bria?”

“You should at least be in a position to face me properly before we can compete fairly or not. We’ve finally reached the point of sharing the stage as leads, and it would be troublesome if your mind were elsewhere.”

Arriving at the airport, Perry quickly reached the departure gate under Bria’s guidance. As Perry traced the unfamiliar Braille printed on the plane ticket, a plain warmth touched her head.

Long fingers slowly smoothed her unruly hair. Bria Sol tucked the finally settled light brown hair behind Perry’s ear and urged.

“Come back on time. I still haven’t beaten you yet.”

※※※

The moment the plane took off, Perry realized two things.

One, when you sit in first class, the captain comes to greet you personally.

Two, airplanes…… are essentially Perry Humble’s trauma condensed into physical form.

“Ma’am? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine— uh…… maybe not so fine……”

High, unfamiliar, enclosed on all sides. The round windows, of course, don’t open. The environment Perry had been too dazed to recognize when taking her seat now pressed in on her.

“Ma’am? Do you need medical assistance? Do you take any medication?”

“No, um, it’s……”

Her clasped palms were slick with cold sweat. Perry barely whispered while biting the inside of her mouth until she tasted blood.

“I’m, I’m fine. Could I…… have some water please?”

She couldn’t stop here. If there were a passenger requiring medical attention, the plane would return to Priton Airport without delay. Perry squeezed her eyes shut and gulped down the water the flight attendant handed her.

The seat arranged by the person who claimed to hate Perry was more comfortable than the practice room she had temporarily rented in the past. Perry leaned against the plush backrest and tried her best to distract herself.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

This is a space where that man must have spent hundreds, thousands of times. The cautious man’s choice of workplace wouldn’t harm Perry from such an unexpected angle. Perry embraced this logic full of holes and breathed deeply.

“Yuan……”

He’s injured. He was found in a distant foreign country. Everyone else returned to the kingdom safely, but not him.

Her eyes reddened at the rushing thoughts. Her tightly clenched palms slipped with sweat. Perry slowly closed her eyes.

[If there’s any misfortune, I’ll take it all on that day.]

His voice, resonating unusually low, flickered like an auditory hallucination. Even though she had never directly heard those words, even though they were merely written words in a letter with no discernible temperature or inflection.

They say words have power. The man occasionally said he would give his luck to Perry.

“So……”

So is that why this happened? Because I took too much of his luck, because I took more than I could ever return, because the luck I wished for him was too insignificant……

The aircraft in orbit was quiet. The flight was excruciatingly long.

※※※

What unfolded before her eyes was a city of massive snow. Perry was momentarily overwhelmed by the white scenery with no discernible direction. A different kind of cold from her hometown crept through the gaps in her clothes. The foreigner, whose only possessions were a passport, return ticket, and hastily exchanged Radam currency, moved her feet carefully.

Her breath shattered coldly with each step. It was her first visit to this country. A place she had only imagined, never daring to venture to. But Perry had come. She had finally come.

The hospital was not far from the airport. Perry, who had repeatedly called out only the hospital name to the taxi driver, cleared her throat, which had become hoarse in the meantime, as she crossed the cream-colored entrance.

Finding the hospital room wasn’t difficult. Perry climbed the ramp, reciting the address on the note Bria had given her like a mantra. Only after reaching the sixth floor did she notice there was an elevator, but she wasn’t frustrated. She just wanted to see the man.

Upon reaching the floor, there was no need to search for the room separately. There was only one hospital room on that floor. Perry, as she always did before meeting the man, tidied her hair and smoothed the wrinkles in her sleeves and coat hem. While habitually fixing her appearance, the hospital room door swung open.

“Who are you?”

The kingdom’s language.

Perry exhaled in relief at hearing her native language for the first time since arriving in Radam. She hadn’t come to the wrong place. Since Perry couldn’t read Radam characters, she had no choice but to believe that the hospital where the driver dropped her off was the right one.

The wing-shaped badge on the other person’s chest added credibility. Perry recalled a story once shared in a letter. That when you complete a solo flight without an instructor, you receive a wing-shaped badge. Her black eyes briefly looked at the faintly glinting silver ornament.

“I’m, Pe, Perry Humble……”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Perry realized her mistake. Perry Humble? This wasn’t a stage, and a few syllables of a name wouldn’t verify her identity!

But the other person’s response was unexpected. It wouldn’t have been surprising to hear “So what if you’re Perry Humble?”, but the man, clapping his hands, spoke in a noticeably softened tone.