* * *

“A date? What’s the occasion?”

A personal letter from Gjorn arrived after a week. Satin, after reading its contents, tilted her head in curiosity. It was an invitation for a date before their wedding.

Did someone scold him? Or did he feel sorry for pushing all the wedding preparations onto her because of his injured leg?

Come to think of it, she had only heard sporadic updates about Gjorn’s recovery since his injury. It was rare for an engaged couple to get married without seeing each other even once.

Well, a date sounds nice.

She had been busy since morning, so she figured she might have some free time in the afternoon. Satin wrote a reply saying she would meet him in the afternoon and sent it back to Gjorn.

Originally, Gjorn should have come to pick up Satin from the Del Mare estate, but she couldn’t make someone with an injured leg go through the trouble. Satin arrived at the Sel Wio estate at the agreed time.

Gjorn appeared with a cane. His steps were unsteady, and he limped awkwardly. He was assisted by a servant as he boarded the carriage. Satin held his arm and helped him secure the cane beside him.

“Shouldn’t you be resting more?”

“I’m fine. Besides, walking a little is better for recovery than lying down all the time.”

Gjorn smiled gently. Satin nodded.

“Alright, where shall we go?”

She had only heard about the date but not the destination. Gjorn answered promptly.

“The Grand Opera Theater.”

“Huh?”

“Remember the prima donna we met last time? She sent us box seat tickets to her performance. Since I can’t walk much, let’s watch the performance today. Afterwards, we can have a nice meal.”

She hadn’t heard anything about it, but it seemed Delilah had kept her promise to send the invitation. Given that it was a performance at the grand theater, it was a suitable choice for a date.

But why did she feel uneasy about this?

Satin recalled the singer with the striking red hair. She was a woman who left a strong impression in every way. Her expressions, voice, mannerisms, and gestures. She could vividly remember every detail of that encounter.

Satin laughed at herself for unconsciously reminiscing.

People say you get restless before a wedding, and she was exactly that. Even though she had accepted the engagement as fate since it was arranged by their families before they were born. This must be the power of marriage.

“Alright, let’s go to the opera theater.”

What a silly worry. Watching a famous actress’s performance and having a delicious meal should be delightful, not unsettling.

Satin instructed the coachman on their destination. The carriage bearing the Del Mare crest sped along the road. The Grand Opera Theater wasn’t far.

She had heard about Delilah’s immense popularity, but seeing it in person was beyond imagination. People were lined up in front of the theater, trying to buy tickets at any price. The prices soared sky-high by the minute.

Satin and Gjorn presented the tickets Delilah had gifted them and were guided inside. Contrary to her modesty, Delilah had given them the best seats.

They were in a box seat on the second floor, directly facing the stage. The secluded space was furnished with plush chairs, hors d’oeuvres, and wine, allowing them to enjoy the performance while eating and drinking.

Having grown up together, being alone in a space wasn’t awkward, but such a small, enclosed space was rare. Especially since they had started being conscious of each other as man and woman as they grew older, they often stayed in open spaces to avoid awkwardness.

The box seat was a place where no one could see what was happening inside unless they intentionally looked. In the dim, narrow space with alcohol, she could understand why couples chose these expensive seats.

The tension of being alone. The rising emotions from the music and wine.

However, the problem was that she and Gjorn were too close as friends to get swept up in emotions. There was no tension at all. She was more excited about the performance.

“It’s starting soon, Satin.”

Gjorn was also calm.

Satin fixed her gaze on the stage.

Soon, Delilah, with makeup emphasizing her features and wearing a flowing dress, appeared on stage. Several actors were already singing on stage, so her appearance wasn’t particularly special.

But the moment she dramatically spread her arms and hit a high note, the atmosphere in the theater completely changed.

Delilah perfectly portrayed the role of a princess willing to abandon everything for love. The male actors fought duels to win her heart and knelt at her feet, begging for her love.

But none of the men who desired her satisfied her heart. Delilah sang with longing, flamboyance, seduction, and resignation.

Every line of the lyrics, every note interwoven with her vocal techniques, revealed her emotions.

There was a reason people were enthusiastic about her.

There was a reason people couldn’t help but be enthusiastic.

Satin was genuinely impressed. Beyond her looks and voice, Delilah was undoubtedly a talented actress.

“…Amazing, isn’t it? Gjorn…”

Satin started to speak, turning to Gjorn in her amazement, but then she fell silent.

The man who had no particular interest outside of studying was staring at the stage, entranced. He seemed to have forgotten Satin was sitting next to him.

If it weren’t for the box seat, he looked as if he would run up to the stage any moment. He couldn’t take his eyes off Delilah.

Satin turned her face away, feeling awkward.

She understood. It was a performance worth that reaction, a song worth that reaction. But seeing a side of Gjorn she had never seen before also made her feel strange.

For the first time, Gjorn felt a bit unfamiliar to her.

“Remarkable. It’s incredible how much emotion someone can convey through acting and singing. I’ve never felt this way in my life.”

“……”

“Wasn’t it an amazing performance? I felt like I was one of the people on stage worshiping her, not just an audience member.”

“……”

“I’m glad I could help her. If I hadn’t met her and missed this performance, I would have regretted it for life.”

“……”

“Don’t you agree, Satin?”

“…Yes. Not every prima donna of the grand theater has such talent, but she certainly leads the trend.”

Praising Delilah was natural, but hearing it continuously from the end of the performance, in the carriage, and even during dinner, was exhausting.

Satin listlessly cut her meat.

It wasn’t strange. Many people admired Delilah. People gathered in alleys to duel or sing serenades, all because of Delilah. Gjorn had simply become one of those admirers.

While men mostly admired Delilah, many women also aspired to be like her. Men immersed themselves in the male actors opposite Delilah, while women projected themselves onto Delilah.

Some even asked their lovers to sing a song for them, making them feel like actors on their own stage if they matched well.

“Gjorn.”

Satin stared intently at Gjorn.

“Earlier, Delilah was… huh?”

Gjorn reacted a bit late.

Whatever he said, it always started and ended with Delilah. Satin thought about pointing it out but decided against it.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m getting my dresses made next week. If you’re free, can you come and help me choose? I’ve had twelve dresses made because I couldn’t decide which one would look best. There were about fifty designs, and even after narrowing them down, there were still twelve. So, I decided to have them all made and try them on.”

“Sure. If my leg’s okay, I’ll come. So, about Delilah…”

Unbelievable.

Satin shook her head internally. Seeing this unfamiliar side of Gjorn was strange, but it was also fascinating.

Well, he’s a bit off right now, but it’s probably just the excitement from seeing such a great performance. Once his passion for Delilah cools down, I’ll have something to tease him about for about a year, Satin thought.

* * *

Twelve wedding dresses were brought into the Del Mare estate by carriage. Each dress was meticulously crafted, even down to the jewel decorations, so several carriages were needed to transport them without damaging a single strap.

The estate’s servants rushed out to carry the dresses. Satin waited in the parlor for the dresses to be brought in.

Gjorn, who had promised to come and help choose the dresses if his leg felt better, did not show up today.

Choosing a dress that the bride loves is most important, but Satin secretly hoped it would also be the dress that looked best to the groom. She remembered how Gjorn always responded with, ‘If you like it, I like it too,’ no matter what she showed him and lowered her expectations.

“This way. Be careful not to damage the dresses!”

The servants displayed the dresses one by one.

Each dress had a different design. Some had voluminous skirts, some had tight waists with large decorations on the back, some had deep necklines, and others had long, trailing skirts like veils.

As Satin watched the various dresses being brought in, she noticed a man following the last dress inside and widened her eyes.

“Huh?”

It was Rublier.