Thanks to His Highness the Prince Mikhail, Lady Olga has been invited to sing in front of Their Majesties the Previous Emperor and Empress. Therefore, I ask that you devote as much time as you are able to guiding Lady Olga in the coming weeks. Should you incur any loss by refusing to take on other students for that reason, I hereby promise that the House of Yulnova will compensate you in full. I also request that you keep this matter quiet until after Lady Olga has performed for Their Retired Majesties.
I’d written this myself, but there were so many references to members of the imperial household that the sight of the letter made me dizzy.
Regardless, I entrusted the letter to Mina, who delivered it with haste. When she returned, she told me that Madam DiDonato had made her decision and given her an answer on the spot. It read:
What a glorious privilege Lady Olga has received! I shall do everything in my power to aid her in this endeavor, so that she and Their Exalted Retired Majesties may enjoy the best performance possible.
Madam DiDonato’s handwriting was encouraging and powerful, but the letters were a tad crooked here and there, as though she’d been shivering while writing. If Olga received commendation from the former empress, Madam DiDonato’s prestige would rise as well, since she was her teacher.
I also asked the school for permission to use the auditorium after school. When I explained to the teachers I was to sing in front of the previous emperor and empress and needed somewhere to practice, they okayed my request without question. The auditorium, which was used for our entrance ceremonies, was huge and featured an orchestra pit along with a piano. I’d requested it and not the music room so the other students wouldn’t realize that it was actually Olga practicing, not me.
The next day, Renato came to school with a score written up. Apparently, he’d written the arrangement after speaking with Olga, while I was talking to Mikhail and dealing with the other details. Arranging the music in his head without using a single instrument had been an arduous task, and it’d taken him all night. He slept like a log through most of our classes that day.
Olga could play the piano, and she could read sheet music too. Thanks to the score, she could practice alone when Renato and Madam DiDonato weren’t available.
While she practiced her singing, I tried to think of more things I could do to help. With Flora’s help, I made her honey and ginger syrup—good for the throat—brewed her thyme herbal tea—also good for the throat—and gave her tricks to keep her room’s humidity level high—which was, you guessed it, good for the throat!
If Renato was her devilish coach, I was slowly turning into her manager.
“Lady Ekaterina, you don’t need to do all this for me...”
Olga seemed ashamed that she was “troubling” me so much, but I didn’t mind at all.
“I’m benefiting from all this,” I told her. “The more time we spend together, the more I get to hear your beautiful voice.”
I wasn’t flattering her; I genuinely loved her voice. And this whole thing reminded me of my choir days, so that was fun in and of itself. If it was at all possible, I just wanted Olga to relax and enjoy singing. I told her that, even if the previous empress didn’t praise her, if she wanted to become a singer, the House of Yulnova would support her.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing for me, Lady Ekaterina. I’ll do my absolute best to repay you for your kindness!”
It had the opposite effect!
Or so I thought, before I noticed Olga was practically glowing.
“Somehow, the thought of having the former empress compliment me doesn’t feel like a distant dream anymore. If it happens, I’m sure my grandmother’s spirit will be overjoyed,” she said.
Olga’s grandma had been a huge fan of the former empress. From what Olga and Renato had told me, the popularity of the former empress in the Selesnoa Marquessate was still sky-high. In particular, the generation of their grandparents adored her. They felt pride that a lady from their territory had married into the imperial family, and there was also the fact that her love story with the former emperor seemed straight out of a romance novel. Regardless of rank, everyone loved and respected her, but Olga’s grandmother had been an especially big fan of hers.
“One day, we were on a walk and passed a group of people talking about the former empress. My grandmother rushed back to them and demanded to know if what they’d said was true. She didn’t know any of them—she was just that interested. Another time, she heard someone speak ill of the former empress. She rebuked them while in tears! ‘She’s not that kind of person!’ she said.”
Yeah, she really was a die-hard fan.
“My grandmother loved music too. She was good at singing and... You know, I take after her a lot. I’m sure she’s watching over me and cheering me on. She must be looking forward to hearing me sing in front of the former empress.”
It was too bad that Olga’s grandmother had passed away two years ago.
“You inherited your grandmother’s beautiful voice, then,” I said softly.
Olga reminded me of a small woodland creature, and if she resembled her grandmother, the latter must have been an adorable old lady—the complete opposite of my old hag. The thought brought a smile to my lips.
On the weekend, Madam DiDonato came to our residence to teach Olga how to improve her technique.
Marina was also cooperating with us, so she picked up Olga with one of House Krymov’s carriages. Meanwhile, Flora stayed at the academy to clean Lydia’s room and do a couple of other chores to make sure Olga’s alibi was foolproof.
“I’ll get to hear beautiful music, drink delicious tea, and eat delectable snacks! I can’t think of a better way to spend my weekend!” Marina exclaimed. She was saying this for Olga’s benefit, but I could tell she meant it.
However, Mikhail arrived discreetly not too much later, which made Marina suddenly turn tense. She couldn’t even swallow the sweet treats she’d been anticipating.
I get it. It’s hard to let your appetite go wild with a handsome prince in front of you.
Marina started channeling her inner five kittens, and soon she was just as prim and proper as when I’d first met her. I left her to that while I greeted Mikhail.
“Thank you for joining us despite your busy schedule, Prince Mikhail. Please, take a seat and relax.”
My way of showing him hospitality was to stack snacks in front of him, just like an Osakan grandma would.
Mikhail laughed. “I always ask for some of your cooking, so you think I’m always hungry, don’t you?”
“You’re growing. It’s only natural you’d eat a lot.” A genius idea suddenly popped into my mind. “To thank you for everything you’ve done, I shall cook you something you fancy for lunch when we return to the academy. Please tell me your favorite dishes.”
Mikhail’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’ll make my favorite food for me?”
“It’ll be my brother’s lunch as well, so I’d rather avoid things he hates, but anything else is fine,” I replied. As an Alexei fangirl, I couldn’t yield on that specific point.
Mikhail nodded and quietly whispered, “I figured.” He seemed relieved, for some reason.
After tea, we listened to Olga sing. When she was done, Mikhail let out a deep, admiring sigh and clapped.
“I can’t wait for my grandparents to listen to you. I’m sure they’ll be delighted.”
Another day, Renato reported to me that Lydia was practicing day and night.
“However,” he said, “she seems to be in a bad mood. Her father, the marquess, isn’t very enthusiastic about her singing for the previous emperor and empress.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s not feeling well. I heard he barely drinks a single glass of wine anymore these days. It could be that the House of Yulmagna said something. After all, they’re trying to put Lady Elizaveta on the empress’s throne, so her ladyship is a thorn in their side.”
“Oh, that is a possibility, indeed,” said I, a far bigger thorn in the Yulmagnas’ side.
Our days of preparation went by in a flash, and before I knew it, it was time to visit the former emperor and empress.