Chapter 74: Chapter 74

The perfectly fitting water-colored dress marked the end of the hellish diet.

As soon as I put it on, the maid couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow..." in awe. Even my sister, upon seeing me, let out a short compliment. Of course, that was followed by a long string of mixed praise and criticism.

“Definitely, his taste is much better than yours—no, even comparing your taste in clothes to his would be an insult to him. It suits you perfectly.”

I couldn’t really argue, as other concerns took precedence.

“But sis, I’m glad the diet is over, but don’t you think it’s better to wear the clothes Tristan bought for when we’re alone together?”

“This is an important occasion, so you wear your best dress. And Tristan is a narcissist. He’ll be satisfied when the beautiful things he chose shine in front of others.”

“‘Beautiful things’… Does that mean me, too?”

“Yep.”

“Tr-Tristan wouldn’t think that!”

“If he doesn’t, his eyes are broken. But anyway, I’ve been wondering, is it okay to wear a dress as part of the costume for the role?”

“Yes, we’re all playing the role of noble ladies.”

My sister raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of play is it that has such lazy role assignments?”

I explained the play we were performing.

The original opera was a love story between a pure noble youth and a young beautiful actress, with three songs sung by the noble ladies and the heroine's song taken over by us.

The first to third songs were typical, with lines like “the social scene is lively,” “the beautiful actress is famous,” “the actress captivated a nobleman,” and, of course, jealousy.

My sister’s expression twisted after hearing the explanation.

“I get it. The fourth song that the singer will perform will be one where the actress sings, ‘You are ugly for not understanding the purity of our love.’”

“That’s correct.”@@novelbin@@

“Hahaha! At this point, I can only admire Percival’s audacity. Tristan won’t be able to use himself as a shield much longer.”

“Pardon?”

Why is my fiancé coming up in the middle of talking about the performance?

“Using himself as a shield?”

“Oh, you probably didn’t notice because you’ve been busy with your own thing. Did you know that the second prince messed up his match-making?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“He had quite a lot of problems with women. Honestly, the problem was with him, but it’s frustrating that they call it ‘women issues.’”

“I agree. But I’ve never heard about his problems with women being this famous.”

“Well, it’s because the third prince took all the heat. Don’t you think a guy who’s constantly seen with his mistress looks worse than one who chases after beauties while having a fiancée?”

“Ah...!”

I instantly understood.

Especially since Tristan was the youngest with the least political backing. It was easier for people to gossip about him.

My sister chuckled.

“But recently, Tristan seems to have gotten his act together. I thought the arrows of criticism would start shifting toward Percival, but it seems like that day might come sooner than expected.”

“…”

“People don’t pay attention, so he thinks he’s doing well. You finish your performance, and when people start criticizing Percival, jump in and clear things up. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

“Why do you look so unhappy? I guess my sister doesn’t like the idea of criticizing someone.”

That wasn’t it.

It was just hard to agree with the idea that Tristan had “gotten his act together.”

What would have happened if Maria had been on stage today? Would Tristan have openly stared at her and gotten scorned again?

“Dori, are you really okay?”

“Oh, I was just lost in thought for a second—”

“It’s not about thoughts. Why are your lips like this?”

My sister shoved a hand mirror in front of me.

“Your lips used to have the color of almandite garnet. But now they look more like rhodolite garnet, don’t they?”

“I’m not really into gemstones, sis.”

“You’re pale. Don’t you feel dizzy? Look.”

My sister pulled her hand away from mine. Without anyone holding me up, I had trouble keeping my balance.

“Dori, hey!”

“I’m fine. It was just a little dizziness, really…”

“Did you diet too hard? You’ve been worrying too much about practice and leading the ladies… Just wait a moment. Hey, you. Go roast a duck in the kitchen—”

“No time! I’m fine, really, I just want to drink a cup of hot chocolate before we go.”

The maid, who had dashed off earlier, was now eyeing us. My sister thought for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. Dori, don’t overdo it on the stage. If you feel dizzy, just mumble.”

“Yes.”

“If it gets bad, I’ll go on stage and sing for you.”

“You don’t know this song, though.”

“Wouldn’t the audience rather watch me struggle through the song than listen to you sing?”

“…Now I understand why Prince Percival didn’t call you. If you were on stage, no one would pay attention to Pearl Snow.”

“Of course not. I’ll see you on stage later, little sister.”

After drinking a generous amount of hot chocolate, I began to feel discomfort in my stomach. How small must the original Doris’s stomach have been when she was debuting?

My stomach hurts... This dress is beautiful, but I’ll only wear it today.

The participants in the performance gathered one by one at the venue. The grand hall at the entrance of the kingdom was open to the public.

A young lady who recognized me shouted.

“Lady Redfield has arrived! You look so beautiful today!”

“Thank you. It’s my first time wearing this dress, and I like it too.”

“Hm? No, I wasn’t talking about the dress—”

Another lady next to her interrupted.

“You look a bit pale. Have you eaten?”

Of course, I ate. I only managed to eat about 13 bites because of the hellish diet.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

“I think it’s because I’m nervous. My stomach has been aching for a few days.”

“I know that feeling. I haven’t slept a wink. At least it’s the last day, so it’s a relief!”

The youngest lady nodded, trembling with nerves. Soon, the other participants’ attention shifted to her. I was thankful.

It was good while I was laughing with my sister… But my hands are shaking now.

I shouldn’t be nervous. The other performers are looking to me as their leader.

“Alright, everyone, let’s quickly go over the lyrics again while the earlier performers finish their sets.”

“Yes!”

We gathered in the waiting room, murmuring the lyrics. Meanwhile, on stage, the crown princess—the tired civil servant—announced the start of the charity event.

As is customary with public events, the beginning was filled with long, boring speeches from those who had just shown up. Our performance was set to be much later in the program.

It seemed like the tension had eased a bit, and the youngest lady, seizing her break, leaned toward the audience.

“My family’s here. And some others… I can’t tell because they’re all sleeping.”

“Really? Are they already asleep?”

That fact actually made some of the ladies feel relieved. I too suppressed a smile.

I wonder if my family is sleeping too.

It wasn’t hard to spot Natalie in the audience. The most glamorous beauty was lying down in a relaxed pose. Beside her, my eldest sister, Grace, was also asleep, her head resting on Natalie’s.

Humans.

Then something else caught my eye…

“Huh?”

The royal seat where Tristan should have been sitting was empty. At first, I thought he had just stepped away, but when I looked for Maria, I saw him standing right next to her.

Why is he there?

Was there a reason for him to go see Maria during a break?

I tried to force the thought that “it’s fine, it’s like the original,” but it didn’t work.

So many things were already diverging from the original.

There was no guarantee Tristan would act like he did in the original.

The fragile belief that had been holding all my anxieties seemed to break apart at that moment.

I…

“...Lady Redfield?”

Yes, I should go. Just one last time, I’ll go over the lyrics.

“Lady Redfield.”

Why are they calling me again…

No.

What I should be focused on isn’t hearing.

I was looking at the audience a moment ago, but now my gaze was falling to the floor.

My legs were giving out.

When did my fingers start trembling?

My stomach was burning…

“Ah…”

In the moment I thought I was staring at the ceiling…

With a crashing sound of heavy footsteps, someone caught my faltering body.