Chapter 43 – The Last Song

A few days later, Betty came to see me. I was searching for an appropriate venue to perform, other than Canova Hotel, but it turned out I didn’t need to.

“They were looking for you, not me.”

Betty tried to speak calmly, but soon her eyes began to well up with tears. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.

“They registered the performer at the Canova Hotel under my name, so they thought ‘Red Lips’ was Bethany. It makes sense. I did think it was strange when they suddenly asked me to perform.”

I hugged Betty, who was now crying openly. As she wept, she kept talking.

“You’re going to perform, right? Just for one song, they’ll pay at least 500 leads. You said you needed money.”

I did need money, but… would it be okay to perform on such a big stage?

“For someone like me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Plus, commercial singers almost never get invited to perform. If it were me, I’d never turn it down. If you refuse, you’re really cruel. Other singers might lose their chance because you turned it down. Do you get that?”

I sighed. Even without Betty pressuring me, 500 leads for a single song was too much money to refuse.

“Alright…”

“Don’t say it like you’re being forced into it. You have no idea how much of a dream stage that is for me… for us.”

I patted Betty on the back as she cried her heart out. She was just upset. While it might be a burden for me, for Betty, this was a desperately needed opportunity. I understood her. Singing, for me, was just a way to make money, but for Betty, it was her dream and the meaning of her life. As someone who wandered without purpose, I was almost envious of Betty.

“Betty, I’ll do my best. Please don’t cry.”

Betty sniffled a little, but she stopped crying at my words. Thanks to her, a few days later, I met with the opera troupe’s director and the concert planner. The director was surprised to learn that I was ‘Red Lips,’ but soon he started scribbling something on his own, as if struck by inspiration, until our scheduled meeting time.

The concert planner was a familiar face. He was a civil servant from the Ministry of Culture, someone whose skills were recognized and who had been granted the title of baronet, albeit a minor one.

Whenever I attended music events, he would always come to greet me, thanking me for gracing the event with my presence. Before I could even feel glad to see him, I bowed deeply under the director’s pressure. The civil servant politely accepted my greeting and made an unexpected request.

“The last song?”

I asked in surprise.

“But that song is quiet; it won’t carry well on an outdoor stage…”

“Don’t worry about that. The Emperor’s grace will solve it with magic.”

“Magic?”

Our patron, the civil servant, eagerly began to boast.

The gist was this: the Emperor regarded the plaza concert as incredibly important and wanted to ensure that all the citizens of the capital could enjoy the culture. So he planned to use magic to amplify even the smallest sound in every corner.

Cade seemed to be having a lot of fun, finding places to employ wizards these days. It might actually work out well for me. If magic was being used everywhere, perhaps my own magic could go unnoticed.

“This will be a significant cultural and historical leap for the Empire. So, please sing the final song at the end of the second act.”

The pressure was immense… Because of this, I had to throw myself into practicing for the performance so thoroughly that I didn’t even have time to worry about revealing my identity.

Even though I wasn’t part of the troupe anymore, the director insisted I come to practice every day. Bill and the inn’s staff, having heard the news from Greta, even offered to guard the event for free on that day. They probably just wanted to watch the performance from up close.

Anyway, on the day of the concert, I stepped onto the stage with all eyes and expectations from those around me focused on me. If it hadn’t been for the medicine I took beforehand, I might have fainted from the nerves of being watched by so many people. Out of habit, I scanned the audience before starting to sing and froze. Ian was seated in the VIP section with his mother.

Why is he here? Did his mother bring him? Weren’t they both uninterested in attending events like this? I was so shocked that I missed the cue from the staff below the stage.

Thinking I was just nervous, Greta started clapping below. Although the concert staff quickly tried to stop her, the audience began clapping along in encouragement, and they eventually gave up and let it continue. I bowed in thanks once more.

It’s okay. Ian isn’t even looking at the stage. He’s listening to something his mother is whispering in his ear. Maybe she’s taken an interest in music because she’s been feeling lonely. He’s probably just here as her escort. I sighed inwardly and signaled for the music to start. Then I began to sing.

~~Hey, you there,
Why don’t you sit for a while?
Listen to my song.
My last song.~~

Though he usually had no interest in music, Ian looked at the stage as soon as the song began. Afraid of making eye contact, I quickly looked away. Fortunately, my heart was calm, thanks to the medicine. It’s fine. None of the wizards helping with the concert paid any attention to me. No one will notice.

~~How was your day?
Too tired to talk about it?”
Then listen to my song,
Just sit there, that’s all.~~

Even if they suspected me of being a wizard, my identity wouldn’t be immediately revealed. If they found out about my unusual condition of latent magical overload, it might raise suspicion, but I’ll be gone soon anyway.

~~I hope you had a rough day,
So that when your breath feels heavy,
And the alcohol tastes sweet,
This song will taste sweet too.~~

Oddly enough, this is the third time today that I’ve accidentally met Ian. He wouldn’t know that, though. Is he still watching me? Probably not. He’s likely wearing a bored expression, finding all of this dull.

~~I hope your day was lonely,
That in the midst of the crowd,
You felt an emptiness,
So this song can fill it.~~

I pretended to look around the audience while secretly glancing at him. Despite the effects of the medicine, my heart sank. Ian was almost glaring at the stage.

~~Like an indelible scar,
Engrave this in your heart.
Even after the stage is over,
Remember this song.~~

He couldn’t have recognized me. If he had, they would have stopped the performance. Maybe there’s some issue I’m unaware of, or perhaps it’s just my imagination.

~~Hey, you there,
Are you still listening?
Remember my song,
My last song.~~

The song ended. Instinctively, I looked at Ian’s reaction, and finally, my eyes met his blue ones. For a moment, my vision turned black.

This was a sign that my heart was under too much strain. Calm down. It might be just an illusion. How could I possibly make eye contact from such a distance? Fortunately, my vision quickly cleared, and people were clapping.

I bowed and then, before leaving the stage, I saw Ian rising from his seat. I casually turned around and walked off the stage. Greta, who had been waiting backstage, came running up to me with a happy face.

“We need to leave, right now.”

Greta’s face hardened at my words, and she followed me. I hastily removed my mask and threw on the hooded cloak Greta handed me.

We slipped through the people clearing the stage. Thanks to the Red Pub Mercenaries, who had been waiting, I was able to leave quickly. It was a good thing I had prepared a carriage in advance, just in case. As I was almost to the carriage, I heard a commotion behind me. And Ian’s voice as well.

“Stop!”

It’s fine. He couldn’t have recognized me. I tried not to show any reaction and kept walking. But soon, I heard his desperate voice.

“Don’t go.”

Someone grabbed my arm. As I was forcibly turned around, the hood fell off. But my face would still look like Anne’s, yet Ian’s tearful face came into view.

“Don’t go, Liv.”

Stop it. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t pretend to be heartbroken when you don’t even love me. Just before I lost consciousness, my vision darkened again. Feeling his strong arms around my waist and hearing him call my name, I realized I couldn’t hold on any longer.

***

Ian’s hands trembled as he tore off the woman’s necklace. A bright light burst forth, so intense that he could barely open his eyes. When the light faded and his eyes adjusted, he looked down to find the face he had longed to see cradled in his arms.

“Liv.”

He softly whispered her name, but she didn’t move. As soon as he caught her, she had escaped again. Into unconsciousness. Ian held Olivia close, as if he would never let her go again. When Benjamin arrived and quickly assessed the situation, Ian made a demand.

“Take us to the estate.”

Benjamin frowned but, realizing the shocked stares around them, placed a hand on Ian’s shoulder. The next moment, they were standing in front of the estate. Without hesitation, Benjamin followed Ian as he headed inside.

“What do you plan to do?”

“…”

“Dragging her back when she clearly wanted to escape—what exactly are you thinking? Just let her go.”

Without a word, Ian went straight to the Duchess’s bedroom. The estate’s butler, Vanon, and the head maid quietly followed, opening the door and pulling back the sheets on the bed where Olivia would lie.

Soon after, the maids entered with basins and towels, and the head maid turned politely towards Benjamin, indicating that he should leave. Even the household staff seemed overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Benjamin dragged Ian out, intending to question him, but Ian spoke first.

“Liv doesn’t like noise. So, please go make sure everything is quiet.”

“What?”

“Please.”

Benjamin was so stunned that he was at a loss for words. ‘Did he just say please? Did I mishear?’

“I need to stay here. If you can’t handle this, talk to Cade. He’ll take care of it.”

“…What are you planning to do with Liv?”

Again, there was no answer. Benjamin sighed and pressed his temples. It seemed Ian didn’t know what to do either. In that case, it might be best to prevent him from overthinking it.

“If—if Liv had asked me to help her escape, I would have done it. I would have taken her somewhere no one could find her. If that had happened, you wouldn’t have been so lucky to find her now. Understand? Make sure Liv never has to ask me for help. Because if she does, you won’t get another chance.”

Benjamin finished speaking and disappeared using magic. Ian stared at the spot where Benjamin had stood, then saw the maids exiting the room and went inside. Liv was still there, lying peacefully as if in sleep.