The God of Music looked part-human and part-bird and reminded me of the Buddhist depictions of Kalavinka I’d seen in my old world. Kalavinka had the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a bird. The God of Music, however, had legs like a human’s. He was an androgynous beauty with colored wings sprouting from his back, and his hair was adorned with feathers, while a long, feathery tail flowed from the small of his back. His outfit had an Asian feel to it, with countless necklaces, bracelets, and anklets decorating his body.
Among the audience seats of the outdoor theater was a section reserved for honored guests. Positioned where the acoustics were at their best, it was furnished with special chairs and tables so one could enjoy drinks while watching concerts or plays. There awaited the former emperor and empress.
“Mikhail, my dear grandson, I’m glad to see you,” Valentin said, with a dignified smile.
The former emperor was sixty-three years old, two years younger than Sergei would have been if he were still alive. In his prime, his hair had been a springlike light blue, but it was now pure white. His eyes, however, were still a vibrant blue. In his early portraits, which had been painted soon after he ascended the throne, he looked so beautiful you could almost mistake him for a woman, but the years had turned him into an elegant old gentleman. I’d heard that, while Valentin was wise, he had never been very strong, and that seemed to have been true. He didn’t look particularly muscular, and both his height and build were less than those of his son, Emperor Konstantin. Regardless, his eyes gleamed with intelligence.
“You look healthy! That’s good,” Clementina said. “You grew up some, did you not? You’re almost as tall as Konstantin now.”
In the portraits I’d seen, Clementina had the same silver hair tinged with blue as Lydia, but her hair was now pristine white. Although time had changed its color, it had done nothing to dim its shine. With her hair arranged in a sophisticated updo, Clementina was the picture of sophistication. She was so slender that she appeared tall, but she wasn’t actually. Her height matched the emperor’s, so they looked good beside one another.
Clementina had been born the second of three daughters, and I’d heard she’d been treated poorly in her youth because both her older and younger sisters were far more beautiful than she was, but I had the feeling that if the three sisters were compared now, Clementina would come out on top. Every year she’d spent as the most exalted lady in the nation had added to her brilliance, little by little, until she’d become the radiant woman in front of me.
“I still haven’t caught up to him, but I’m not far off,” Mikhail replied with a little laugh. “My father urges me to eat less these days—he’s not too fond of the idea of me outgrowing him, you see.”
The former emperor and empress both smiled fondly.
“Your visits are the highlights of our life here,” Valentin said. “And you’ve brought such lovely friends today.”
His good-natured expression didn’t change one bit as he turned to Lydia and me.
“They’re exceedingly talented, so I wanted you to meet them. This is the daughter of the House of Yulnova.”
I performed a curtsy. “It’s a great honor to make your acquaintances. I’m Ekaterina Yulnova.”
“So you are my dear brother-in-law’s granddaughter,” Valentin said.
“What a beautiful young lady you are,” Clementina added.
They were both smiling.
“Your accomplishments have reached my ears, Ekaterina. Those glass pens of yours seem rather interesting. I’d love to have one of my own.”
Oh, another perfect billboard to advertise my products!
No, no. I’ve got to calm down. I’m not here to make a profit. But maybe I could still mention it to Halil and Lev... They’d love the idea.
“I’m honored to hear that, and I’m sure my brother will be too.”
“Do pass my greetings to Alexei,” the previous emperor added before turning to Lydia. “You’ve often helped quell our boredom, Lydia. I heard you’ll be singing for us today. I’m certainly looking forward to that.”
“Knowing how diligent you are, I’m sure you’ve made much progress since the last time. I anticipate hearing your improvements,” Clementina said.
Lydia curtsied beautifully. “I’m still inexperienced, but I shall do my utmost.” She then shot a challenging glance my way.
Tea and cakes were brought, and we sat at the same table as Valentin and Clementina to chat before performing. However, I couldn’t calm my nerves. I was incredibly worried about Olga and Renato, who were on standby somewhere else.
Will Olga be okay? She must be incredibly nervous.
She’d probably had no idea she’d be performing in such a grand theater when she’d challenged herself to earn Clementina’s compliments. Olga was timid by nature. Would she manage not to let the size of the theater and its atmosphere overpower her? What about Renato?
He’ll be in an unfamiliar place, playing on an unfamiliar piano...
Huh? Yeah, no.
The moment my thoughts turned to Renato, I stopped worrying so much—I couldn’t worry about him. He was the sort of guy who bragged he could play anything that made sound. While he looked like a little cutie, he was incredibly self-assured. I’d even discovered he was a lot like that fiery tennis player from my past life, so there wasn’t anything to worry about with him, was there?
Speaking of which, there was a big chance Renato was one of the potential love interests in the game, but I wondered what he was like there. He couldn’t have been so prickly, right? Had his personality changed somewhere along the way?
“Ekaterina?”
Ah! I started when I realized Mikhail had been calling my name. My goodness! How could I lose myself in my thoughts in front of the former emperor and empress?!
“I-I’m terribly sorry,” I blurted out.
“Are you all right, Lady Yulnova?” Lydia asked, a worried expression on her face. “I heard you have a weak constitution and even collapsed on the day of the entrance ceremony.”
Oh, right. I’d almost forgotten I’d been pretending to be sickly. Welcome back, sickly setting!
Lydia thought of me as a rival in the race to become empress, so she was making sure to point out the biggest disadvantage I had in front of the previous emperor and empress.
Have at it, Lydia!
“How kind of you to have remembered that! I’m most thankful for your concern,” I replied with a bright smile.
Lydia’s eyes flickered in surprise, but she soon forced her expression into one of selfless worry.
“As the young lady of the noble House of Yulnova, you are the center of everyone’s attention, my lady. You are a popular topic of conversation among my classmates, just like your mother once was among the social circles of the capital. She herself had a feeble constitution, did she not? The ladies all used to worry about her, since she was always in her territory to rest. I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but I often heard she was a great beauty. When I met you, I knew for sure she must have been. You inherited your breathtaking beauty from her, no doubt.”
At these words, Lydia smiled as though she were being so kind to me. I, on the other hand, felt my face twitch. She was trying to say that I’d inherited more than beauty from my mother! What a masterful way to diss me. I wouldn’t have minded it if she’d done so in any other way, but I didn’t want her to bring my mother into this.
Right then, Mikhail spoke up. “Come to think of it, you almost collapsed after fighting that monster with Alexei and me, Ekaterina. You’ve been so full of energy recently that it slipped my mind. What I do remember vividly, however, is your masterful mana control. I was so impressed by the massive golem you created, and by your ingenuity in mixing your earth mana with water. When I told my grandfather about it last time, he remarked on your bravery.”
Valentin nodded.
“They say demonic beasts often appear in the Yulnova Duchy, but I still cannot help but admire a lady so young for rising against one such beast to protect her classmates. Sergei often led his men to subjugate demonic beasts in his duchy, you know. His tales sounded like great adventures to my ears, and I admired him greatly in my youth. You take after him so much. To think that such a beauty was behind the stellar accomplishments Mikhail has recounted to me.”
“Your gracious praise is more than I deserve,” I said, bowing.