Though Elina was smiling now, Lumiere found it difficult to smile along.

“Anyway, Diella who ran away from that household that day couldn’t bring herself to come to me right away. She struggled wandering the streets for a while. Then when she couldn’t take it anymore, she took Michael to an orphanage.”

When Lumiere’s eyes widened in surprise, Elina smiled with a grimace and said.

“That child loves Michael. She wasn’t trying to abandon him at the orphanage. That clever thing went to Rosa’s orphanage.”

Lumiere unconsciously let out a relieved sigh and muttered that it was fortunate.

“So that’s how Madam Rosa found out.”

“Yes. We were lucky. It happened to be the day Rosa was visiting. Rosa brought Diella and the child to me without delay.”

Hoo, Elina laughed dejectedly while exhaling thick cigar smoke.

Diella was now in a medical ward.

Though she wanted to keep her close and take care of her, the child seemed to need some time alone.

“No, when I saw Diella in that state, I just couldn’t get on stage anymore. How could I hold my head up? I left my daughter to suffer in hell, saying I would punish her.”

“Elina.”

“Yes, in the end Diella suffered terribly just like I wanted. But you know what.”

Elina muttered with a distorted face.

“It doesn’t feel satisfying at all.”

It couldn’t be satisfying. It shouldn’t be.

Elina realized this far too late.

“I feel so sorry and pitiful. For both Diella and that little one…… What good does it do to maintain pride against my own child. How foolish. I should have reached out first. I should have……”

Elina said this with a powerless smile.

This was Lumiere’s first time seeing Elina like this, so she didn’t know what expression to make.

To see Elina, who was always confident and bold, so drained of energy.

But the situation was completely understandable, making it difficult to add any words.

“……But somehow, I felt I needed to tell you this story.”

Elina extinguished the half-burned cigar and pushed forward a small jewelry box that had been sitting on the tea table.

“Open it.”

“What is this?”

“You’ll know when you open it. Go ahead.”

Lumiere opened the jewelry box she handed over with a puzzled face.

Inside was the green sapphire necklace that Elina frequently wore and treasured.

“Take it.”

She said abruptly.

“……What?”

Why would she give this to me?

“I’m planning to retire from acting now.”

“What?”

Her voice rose involuntarily at the unexpected words.

Elina chuckled as if she had expected such a reaction.

“I missed too many things while singing. Though it’s late, I want to try catching up on them now.”

“But…… But!”

“I know. You were the one who loved my singing the most.”

Elina looked lovingly at the startled Lumiere and said.

“Still, suddenly retiring would be inconsiderate, so I plan to put on one last show after proper discussion.”

“That’s, that’s somewhat fortunate at least.”

What more could she say while looking at that peaceful face?

She respected her choice.

Lumiere added nothing more.

“He waited for me a long time too. From a very, very long time ago.”

The two women’s gazes landed on the middle-aged man playing with Michael.

“Who is that person?”

“Luka.”

Elina rested her chin while looking at the man called Luka.

“The persistent admirer who followed me around since I was ten.”

The foolish man who still waited for her despite her marrying and divorcing another man.

“……Now I plan to hold his hand too.”

Elina’s expression while looking at the boy and man seemed more peaceful than ever before.

Rather than the vague destination in the hazy smoke, she appeared comfortable, having finally found where she needed to arrive.

“I’ve only talked about myself. Right, how have you been, Lumiere? You chose a difficult love too. Karl Winger. He must be quite a challenging man.”

The sudden change of topic momentarily flustered Lumiere.

After brief consideration, thinking this wasn’t something she needed to hide from Elina, she opened her mouth.

“Actually, I have something to tell you too, Elina.”

“Hmm?”

Lumiere took a short deep breath and began her story.

“Last month, there was an accident. A carriage accident, and after that, I lost some of my memories. Especially regarding that man, I lost almost everything completely.”

“That man, you don’t mean……”

“Yes. That’s right. Karl Winger.”

The macaron Elina had been holding to eat for dessert flew from her hand.

Her surprised voice echoed through the reception room.

“……What?!”

* * *

Lumiere conveyed the story with appropriate omissions and additions.

For instance, that she had fallen victim to a high noble’s malicious prank before losing her memories, that the high noble threatened her, and that she knew Karl protected her from behind the scenes.

Elina, who listened intently to her story, remained silent for a while even after everything was said.

She briefly held her forehead, then downed the cold tea in one go.

Then she looked at Lumiere with a complicated expression and asked,

“Are you okay?”

“……What?”

“Even after hearing this brief version, these aren’t ordinary events. I’m asking if you’re really okay, Lumiere.”

“……”

Lumiere felt bewildered.

She realized she had never asked herself if she was okay until Elina asked this question.

‘Am I okay?’

She unconsciously stroked her nape while wondering.

The spot where her hand touched stung.

“Well…… That’s……”

She certainly wasn’t not okay.

But saying she was completely fine felt strange too.

“That is……”

In that moment, gentle hands pulled her into an embrace.

“The very fact that you can’t answer right away means you’re not okay, Miss Painter.”

“……”

“It’s okay not to be okay. That’s allowed.”

They were simple words.

And a simple touch.

Yet Lumiere’s tears suddenly burst forth without her knowing why.

“Ah……”

“It’s okay. I’ll pretend I didn’t see. You’re allowed to cry. I cried all day too after bringing Diella back.”

Why did these comforting pats feel so warm?

Lumiere certainly had people who cared for her around.

She had Cindy, Tamia, Jeffrey and the twins, and Karl Winger too.

Yet Elina’s touch soothed something deep inside her.

“I’m not exactly not okay, I’m actually better than expected……”

“Yes.”

“But why……”

Why won’t these tears stop?

Lumiere rested her forehead on Elina’s shoulder and endlessly shed tears without knowing why.

But strangely enough, after crying for a while like that, she felt inexplicably refreshed.

Though she hadn’t thought her heart was heavy, her head felt clearer like she had shed a burden.

“Thank you, Elina. I must have surprised you by suddenly crying, huh?”

“Surprised? Maybe. Do you feel a bit better?”

“Yes. Much better.”

Elina smiled brightly and patted Lumiere’s shoulder.

“I’m glad to see you after so long too, Miss. People really should meet friends occasionally.”

Lumiere also smiled broadly at Elina’s words calling her a friend.

“Now then, to change the mood, would you like to try on this necklace? I’ve never seen it worn on anyone else’s neck, so I’m curious.”

Elina put the necklace around Lumiere’s neck before she could refuse.

The emerald matched her eye color perfectly.

“I knew it would suit you well, Lumiere.”

Elina nodded with satisfaction.

“I bought this for myself with every penny I had when I first got a leading role. All my pride, joy, and meaning are contained in it.”

“Is it really okay for me to have something so precious?”

“Yes, because I like you.”

Elina answered casually and kissed Lumiere’s cheek.

“Among all the people who envied, were jealous of, and hated me, you were the only one who steadfastly said you liked me. Shouldn’t love be answered with love?”

……Ah, I’m glad I came here today.

I’m glad I came to see Elina.

Lumiere smiled back at Elina in response.

Right then.

Someone uninvited knocked on Elina’s mansion door.