At long last, the first day of the festival arrived. The air was crisp now that fall had settled in, and the sky stretched high and clear, dotted with a few cotton-like clouds—the promise of a beautiful day.
Our play was scheduled for the afternoon. On such a bright, glimmering day, we would need to close the slatted shutters from outside to darken the auditorium. We’d spent a long time balancing light for visibility onstage with enough shadow for Yuri’s light mana to shine, and we knew exactly how to proceed.
We’d done everything possible to prepare. My past work had taught me that no matter how thorough the planning, unexpected issues always arose on the day itself. There was only so much one could prepare ahead of time. No matter what, we would do our utmost to make the play a success!
Or so I had thought.
“Let us enjoy the festival tomorrow morning. We’ll gather in the auditorium at the agreed time for the last preparations,” I’d told everyone yesterday, planning to spend the morning looking at other classes’ displays with Flora.
Now, however, on the morning of the festival, I found myself on a battlefield.
“It’s not long enough! We need more fabric! Where’s the spare roll?!”
“We need more thread here! Hurry, fetch silk thread in this color! Hey, who’s hogging the marking pins?!”
“Wait, her waist is that tiny?! That makes no sense... I’m so jealous.”
“Me too, but forget that—focus on fixing this!”
We’d turned a small empty room into a girls-only changing space, and the mighty warriors of the sewing team bustled around me, taking my measurements and shouting orders. I stood motionless, dazed, holding the costume Olga should have been wearing.
Why have things come to this?
This was a stupid question. I knew the answer. It was the fault of the God of Music!
I hate you! Wait, will divine punishment strike me for thinking that?
I shouldn’t bear a grudge against a god, and I shouldn’t have been surprised that a divine being didn’t care about human circumstances, but this was too much.
How could you take Olga away now of all times?!
The incident had taken place soon after the start of the festival.
Our classmates dashed out of the classroom—some straight to the refreshment booth for snacks they wanted to try, others to explore other classes’ exhibits. Our actors wore their costumes to promote our play and to assist the sewing team in their “husband hunt.”
All, except one: Olga, who was in her uniform. Her costume had been deliberately designed to look extra villainous, clashing with her usual cuteness. It didn’t suit her vibe, and we’d exempted her from advertising duty so she could enjoy the festival without worrying.
Yet she sat motionless in the middle of the room. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move; it was as if she couldn’t.
Worried she might be nervous, I asked, “You’re not going to look around, Lady Olga? I thought you’d walk with Lord Renato.”
Her boyfriend (who also acted as her coach and producer) had hurried off after whispering something to her. They hadn’t fought, so the sight puzzled me.
The classroom was almost empty at the moment. Even Marina had dashed away, almost as quickly as Renato, to check on her brother while he prepared for his matches.
“Today...Lord Renato’s father and brothers are coming to the academy,” Olga said.
Flora and I gasped.
Renato was the third son of the House of Selesar, a branch family of the House of Selesnoa. I’d heard his father, a close aide to the marquess, valued military arts above all else. I’d once seen Renato with a bruise on his face—punishment from his father for opposing Lydia when she targeted me. But Renato and his father had never really gotten along, even before that. A genius musician and a proud warrior found little in common.
Renato would have to face his father today, and his brothers as well. Apparently, they resembled their father far more than Renato did.
“Does that mean he’ll introduce you to them?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
Olga nodded nervously. “They’ll watch the play, and then...” She paused before managing to say, “H-he’ll introduce me to them.”
Oh! She’s meeting her boyfriend’s family for the first time—her future father-in-law and brothers-in-law!
These things were always daunting, but as a branch family of the House of Selesnoa, they would be strict about status. Worse, despite the recent shift, Selesnoa had long regarded Yulnova as a rival. Olga was my friend, and she’d impeded Lydia’s rise by winning the God of Music’s favor... Who knew what they thought of her?
Even as an adult who’d almost made it to thirty in my past life, I would have been nervous in her shoes.
Renato! Why did you add this to her plate on top of the stage performance?!
No, he’s shrewd...
I meant that as a compliment. After hearing Olga sing, his father was sure to be moved. He had planned this.
“I’m sure Lord Renato’s father will be touched by your singing, so much so that he’ll be glad to meet you,” I said, hoping to cheer her up.
“I-I’m going to practice a little more,” Olga said, gulping as she jumped to her feet.
Flora and I joined her. Practicing was a good thing, but the play was this afternoon. I was worried she’d overdo it and hurt her voice. Olga seemed to feel guilty for imposing, but I think she knew she needed us too. She accepted our company without argument.
Visitors already filled the corridors, so we left the main building and headed toward the lake on the edge of the grounds. It was private there.
Olga warmed up with a few vocal exercises, then sang the play’s song a cappella.
It was beautiful. Quiet as she was, she had a knack for turning pressure into strength. She had done the same before the retired emperor and empress. It was a shame Renato’s family wasn’t here. I had no doubt they would have been moved to tears.
At that moment, colorful rays poured down from the clear sky, and the God of Music descended.
“A beautiful voice and a curious melody. How pleasing.” He extended a magnificent hand toward Olga. “My dear children wish to listen to this song. Come to my garden, Olga, and sing for them.”
The God of Music’s “dear children” were in fact a handful of humans he liked so much he’d kept them in his garden. He’d given them perpetual youth and doted on them.
Since inviting Olga to his garden once and granting her his protection, he could hear her singing at all times. He must have heard this song a thousand times, but now he’d mentioned it to his dear children, and they’d grown curious.
Overwhelmed, Olga took the God of Music’s hand in a daze. I also felt as though I were dreaming, unable to speak. The most I mustered was a voiceless cry in the privacy of my mind.
Wait!
When I regained control, it was too late. The God of Music had vanished as swiftly as he’d appeared, and Olga was gone.
An uproar followed. Tons of people had seen the colorful lights dancing in the sky and the god himself, and they rushed toward the lake. Flora and I explained the situation to a teacher we saw in the crowd, who rejoiced. To him, what had just happened was an auspicious omen and a great honor for the academy.
Fair enough—but that wasn’t the point! With Olga gone, how were we supposed to put on our play?!
I was finally able to share my woes when Renato and some of our classmates came running. He arrived first; he must have known something had happened the moment he saw the lights in the sky.
Behind Renato were three giants, their attention fixed above us. Their bulky frames contrasted comically with Renato, a slender pretty boy. Upon closer inspection, I realized the two younger men had beautiful features that resembled Renato’s. This group was undoubtedly his brothers and father.
“She was summoned a second time...” Renato’s father said, almost with a groan, but he sounded impressed nonetheless. Relief washed over me. He didn’t seem inclined to reject Olga.
Now’s definitely not the time to feel relieved!
“If she has to sing for the god’s children, it will take a while. Last time, they showed interest in your song and wanted to perform it with us. They debated how they would have sung it. I urged them to let us return quickly because the retired empress was waiting, but Olga has no such excuse this time. I doubt they’ll release her after she sings once or twice, and she isn’t the type to refuse...”
Renato’s words added to the gravity of the situation. The villainess was a key character in the play, and it didn’t sound like Olga would return before the show.
“We must gather and discuss this as a class,” I said.
Renato’s father and brothers stared at me, confused that the lady of a ducal house would bother consulting those beneath her. I ignored them, though, because I had no time to worry about their opinions.
We returned to the classroom, gathering classmates along the way. Before long, we were all there.
“Olga’s role is important, and the song is the highlight of the play. We can’t go on without her... I’m afraid we must consider canceling the play,” I said after explaining everything.
Even I could hear the heartbreak in my own voice. The atmosphere grew heavy.
“It’s such a shame... This should have been a beautiful moment we remembered for years,” Marina said, dejected.