Chapter 43

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"This..."

After Viktor and Maria finished their final lesson, I handed Maria the hairpin I had made from the fabric given to me by the princess.

Maria, who seemed intrigued, twirled it and held it up to the light, then deliberately inserted it into her hair.

"It's a lovely hair accessory. I'll take good care of it."

"I'm sorry, it's just a simple handiwork of an amateur."

"No, thank you for such a rare item."

Maria, who performed a beautiful curtsey, was about to focus her mind until her performance.

Not wanting to disturb her, we handed over the security to the guards and left the dressing room together.

Until Maria's performance, there were concerts of instruments like the piano, violin, and flute, and Maria was to be the finale.

Thanks to the hustle and bustle, we realized there was only a short time left before the performance began.

Viktor, holding the invitation, guided us to the horseshoe-shaped audience seats.

Below us, the stage was spread out, decorated with velvet curtains and tassels, and the chandelier sparkled from the ceiling.

The luxurious space was filled with the heat and energy of the gathered people.

But, after that incident.

"...The chandelier won't fall, will it?"

"Oh no! Don't say such scary things! I thought about it too!"

"Hmm, it's not impossible... I guess."

Of course.

Feeling a bit uneasy, we all gazed at the chandelier, and the audience below and in other seats began to murmur.

Then an announcement was made about the arrival of the second prince, and a fanfare sounded.

The audience's gaze focused on the second floor, the widest box seat in the horseshoe, and a young boy appeared.

With his dazzling silver hair, a uniform-like outfit in blue and black, and a golden braid hanging from his shoulder, he was visible even from a distance.

Our seats were arranged at the end of the stage side from the VIP box where the prince was, so we couldn't see his face clearly.

The prince, greeted with applause, waved and looked around the center and sides.

For a moment, it seemed like he looked at us and stopped, but maybe it was just my imagination.

In any case, after signaling for the applause to subside, the prince sat down in the luxurious chair prepared for him.

After confirming his presence, we, the commoners, had to take our seats.

Once seated, I still couldn't help but worry about the chandelier.

"...Should I cast a spell to prevent it from falling?"

"Ah... yeah, let's do that."

Viktor, looking up at the chandelier, snapped his fingers.

As a skilled magician, he can cast spells to some extent without much incantation.

The commotion caused by Maria earlier had spread to everyone in the theater in no time, and both Mr. Romanov and Viktor could hear various things.

The news spread so quickly because someone was intentionally spreading it.

However, Maria would still be able to perform on stage. It wouldn't be surprising if there were more attempts.

It would be simpler to drop the chandelier and make it look like an accident rather than poisoning her and burning her throat.

If the perpetrators were the type to create a scapegoat in advance, it wouldn't be surprising for them to think that way.

Even the person who was found hanging might not have been the real culprit.

There was no end to the suspicions.

Maria was not only standing on the floor of the national theater but also on thin ice.

Was she not afraid?

I shook my head.

'I'll show those who tried to belittle me and, by extension, the prince, what I'm made of!' Maria had shouted.

She knew how dangerous her position was.

Despite that, she stood on her battlefield—the stage—alone, with pride in herself and the person she needed to protect.

So, all I could do was pray for Maria's safety and the success of the performance, and give her enthusiastic applause.

"May the princess's protection be with her."

At a time like this, the only deity I could pray to was her.

The princess had said she would also look after humans a little.

As I clasped my hands in prayer, I suddenly felt a gaze and looked up.

Mr. Romanov and Viktor were looking at me.

"Ah-tan, if you're talking about the princess's protection, that means the hair accessory wasn't just a regular one, right?"

"Vitya thought so too?"

"Of course, with so many spirits gathered around, it couldn't be a regular hair accessory. It not only boosted magic but also had status effect immunity."

"Status effect immunity...?"

What's that?

As I looked puzzled, Mr. Romanov's white fingertips touched my cheek and pinched it gently, not painfully.

"Was the fabric used for the hair accessory a gift from the princess?"

"Yes, it was."

"Ah... that's why the spirits were like cats high on catnip."

"Wow" or "Oh," Viktor nodded.

More importantly, what does it mean for spirits to act like cats high on catnip and gather around the hair accessory?

My confusion must have shown on my face.

According to Viktor and Mr. Romanov, spirits are usually invisible, but they can be seen with cursed tools or by those with special eyes.

Viktor, who has such special eyes, said that the spirits were eagerly touching the hair accessory I gave to Maria, and once they touched it, they became as mushy as cats high on catnip.

Spirits help with magic because they like the light that comes from the use of magic, and the fabric from the princess emitted the same light.

Moreover, Viktor, who has the "Appraisal" skill, could tell that it had status effect immunity.

Suddenly, the audience, which had been murmuring, fell silent.

The conductor raised the baton, and the musicians prepared their instruments.

The baton was smoothly lowered, and a fanfare vibrantly shook the air of the theater.

The glamorous concert, with an ominous atmosphere behind it, began.

In a word, the concert, especially Maria's performance, was breathtaking.

Due to the information about the poisoning, the audience murmured when Maria stepped on stage.

However, ignoring the audience's unease, Maria stood proudly, holding the hem of her dress and bowing, then straightening her back.

As she stood with her chest out, the prelude of the song she sang on our first meeting played.

Bathed in the spotlight, the beautiful lips of the singing princess opened, and a wondrously beautiful voice overflowed from her throat, carried by the music.

It was even more refined and transparent than when I heard it at Viktor's house, deeply penetrating the hearts of the listeners.

Proudly, strongly.

If a phoenix were to take human form, it would undoubtedly be Maria Crow right now.

Her revived voice would burn those who had hurt her and belittled the prince she supported.

As the melody ended, the beautiful voice also ended, and her pink lips closed.

The audience, enveloped in an indescribable comfort, fell silent for a moment, then was instantly enveloped in thunderous applause.

Everyone stood up to give enthusiastic applause to the empire's top songstress, not even noticing that their hands had turned red from clapping.

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