* * *

‘That dog.’

Madame Rosa watched with narrowed eyes as Marquis Evoque shamelessly expressed his expectations about Duke Tartien’s new opera house.

“It will become a cultural and artistic hub far beyond comparison to the Cissus Opera House! The whole world will focus on ‘La Foudre,’ and they’ll shower endless applause on the prima donna who performs there! Isn’t it amazing just to imagine?”

He was so enthusiastic that his chubby cheeks shook several times while speaking.

His curly bangs trembled along with it, looking disgustingly like a shaking pig’s tail.

‘Greedy pig.’

She had devoted 15 years of her life to him.

A commoner actress.

A lowborn unsuitable for him—a noble.

He demanded devotion and chastity from her, yet he married a noble woman.

‘But I promise, you’ll be the only one I’ll love forever. My muse!’

Though he lost his wife to an unfortunate accident just a year after the wedding, he still demanded meetings with her even after his marriage.

Back then, she tried everything to escape from Evoque, but he obsessed over Rosa with frightening intensity.

After becoming widowed, he never met any other woman.

And he consistently courted Rosa.

Perhaps she was swayed by that.

Or maybe she just resigned herself to never escaping him anyway.

Either way, he was a high noble, and he was passionate about her.

When she finally let everything go, Evoque began trying to control not just her private life but her acting career too, using orphanage sponsorship as leverage.

‘You’re different from other vulgar actresses. You’ll be my muse alone. Oh, my beautiful Rosa!’

……Did she love him?

No. It wasn’t that.

But…… she believed his praise for her.

She believed in him who worshipped her beauty and was enraptured by her singing.

‘……It was just a relationship of mutual use.’

It wasn’t meant to be permanent anyway.

It’s amazing that it took 15 years to reach its end.

But that was that, and being angry was being angry.

‘You dare deceive me with the orphanage?’

Rosa smiled brightly and linked arms with Evoque, speaking as if excited.

“Really, it’s so wonderful! I can’t wait for it to be completed. Of course, I’ll be performing the first show there, right, Marquis?”

She had lived her whole life acting.

She couldn’t reveal her emotions yet.

“Ahem! Well, that’s not my decision to make, and I suppose it depends on who becomes the new director there? But with your skills, it should be certain!”

Ha, look at this?

If Schultz Tartien builds it, Marquis Evoque would definitely become the person in charge.

Both he and she knew this, yet he pretends not to know.

‘……Looks like he wants to give that girl the first chance.’

Of all people, that woman.

The very woman who came to the opera house on the same day when Lumiere Lashantia came with Elina’s portrait, complaining about old performers not retiring.

‘Anastasia, was it?’

She had no particular grudge, but this still left a bad taste.

“Hmm, I see. I’ll have to work hard too. But I’m so happy that I can sing at your mansion today, Marquis. It’s been such a long time. I prepared a lot, you know.”

Rosa smiled brightly as if truly excited.

Perhaps because she had dressed up carefully after a long time, Marquis Evoque’s eyes wouldn’t leave Rosa.

Rosa touched the necklace he had given her and spoke as if regretful.

“Such a beautiful necklace, but I heard there were matching earrings originally? It feels a bit empty wearing just this. Marquis, if you’re satisfied with today’s performance, will you get me the earrings too?”

“O-Of course! What’s there to be stingy about, for you!”

Rosa smiled sweetly and pushed away his shoulder as he approached shamelessly.

Perhaps because her feelings had faded, she wanted to stay away from him as much as possible.

“Then, will you give me some time to practice so I can give a wonderful performance? Oh right, I think guests are arriving downstairs, shouldn’t you go check?”

“Ahem! Is that so? I could watch you practice though.”

“No way. I want to appear with a surprise, like a gift. So please go down and wait.”

The Marquis’s eyes sparkled as if moved by Rosa’s words, and he left the reception room saying he understood.

Rosa pretended to clear her throat several times to buy time, then quietly checked outside.

All the servants had gone downstairs to prepare for the party on the first floor.

Rosa knew exactly where everything was in Marquis Evoque’s mansion.

After 15 years, of course she would.

She smoothly slipped out of the reception room and into his study.

The unnecessarily large study was packed with unread books.

Among them, she pulled out the only book the Marquis regularly reads.

“……Bingo!”

A small key lay neatly in the middle of the book.

Rosa smiled slightly and inserted the key into the bottom drawer of his bookshelf.

“Sure enough, it’s here.”

Various documents were organized inside.

Among them was the very sales contract that sold the orphanage at a high price.

Her hands searched beneath it as she looked down at the sales contract with cold eyes.

Though she wanted to tear it to pieces, she couldn’t.

That wasn’t her purpose for searching this drawer now.

“……Is this it?”

Her eyes lit up as she flipped through several documents.

The contract between Duke Tartien and Schultz.

And beneath it, documents for a mansion in the most remote neighborhood of the capital.

It was an unsuitable location for two high nobles.

Rosa carefully checked for other similar documents several times, then gathered the papers.

Then she locked the drawer, put the key back in the book, and carefully left the room as if no one had ever entered.

* * *

“Phew.”

Maria let out a tense sigh in front of her father’s study.

In her hands was a well-prepared tea set.

Though she had never served tea before, she brought it anyway to try to make a good impression on her father.

‘Ugh, I’m nervous.’

While she hesitated, the day of Karl Winger’s invitation had approached to just two days away.

Just in case, she sent another invitation with the date written again, and for the first time, received a reply.

With a splendid yellow bouquet to accompany it!

[Thank you for the invitation.

I look forward to that day with joy.]

This clearly meant he had been waiting for her invitation too.

‘I can’t miss this chance. This might be my last opportunity.’

She felt so overjoyed when she discovered his note hidden in the neat, fragrant yellow bouquet!

Maria had jumped on her bed screaming and trembled, stomping her feet.

Gulp.

She swallowed hard and knocked on Schultz’s study door with a stern expression.

“Father, it’s me. Maria. May I come in?”

After two or three seconds, permission came.

“Come in.”

Maria carefully entered the study while tightly gripping her skirt.

Countless papers covered Schultz’s large mahogany desk.

While most nobles lived comfortably off inherited wealth or tenant farming, her father had never lived such a life.

He stayed busy as always, always chasing something.

Since childhood, Maria found such a father somewhat frightening and incomprehensible.

Now she felt nothing but gratitude that such efforts had brought House Tartien to the highest position.

“Well, what brings you to my study? You never visit.”

His eyes glanced at the tray Maria carried. He looked surprised.

“Are you very busy? You look overwhelmed.”

Maria placed the tray on the rest table with her brightest smile.

Besides the work desk, the study had a table and sofa for brief rests.

“I found some tea from the Eastern Continent recently that’s quite nice. You liked tea from the Eastern Continent, right?”

“This is unusual. Yes, I’m thirsty and need a break anyway.”

Schultz rose from his desk, looking at Maria with approval.

Having been poring over additional design documents for La Foudre and factory reports from the provinces all morning, his eyes felt strained and his neck stiff.

Maria quickly poured tea and massaged Schultz’s neck while speaking.