Chapter 64

“What? No, wait. I’m going to ask the workers.” Dylan eyed the people around us and called a noble woman passing by. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

I watched them interact and my eyes grew wide at Dylan’s words.

“I’m sorry, but you see, I think Miss here got lost. If you don’t mind, would it be alright if you bring her to the private lounge? I know it’s a big request. But I’m afraid no one else could bring her there.”

The brown-haired lady was dressed in green. She blinked her eyes at Dylan’s sudden request and smiled broadly, waving her hands in front of her. “Oh my, Lord Fortis! This is not a problem at all. I’ll show her the lounge, so don’t worry.”

Goosebumps crawled my skin from hearing her cute and tiny voice. While I know how popular he is in the book, I didn’t think people would actually oblige to his wishes happily just like this lady has. Isn’t that the way you treat celebrities?

And did they say private lounge? If I go there I would be totally screwed! I felt like bolting away. I needed to go back to the palace!

The lady approached me and introduced herself, “I’m Lebrina Cecid. You must be worried about being lost.”

“Thank you for your help, Mrs. Cecid. Fortunately, I was able to get out of trouble all thanks to your kind help.”

I tried so hard to appear like I’m a noblewoman just like her. Impersonation as a noble was a criminal act that would result to death penalty, but it was better than being caught as the emperor’s puppet. I forced myself to laugh alongside her as cold sweat dripped down my back.

Seeing the lady and I greet each other, Dylan seemed to be relieved. “We’ll, I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you for your help, Lord Fortis.”

He nodded at my appreciation and turned around. He was already several steps away from me when he stopped mid stride, like he just remembered something.

“I’m looking forward to the song.”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure.” I tried to sound as casual as I could but I have no idea what he was talking about. It was only after he left when I realized what song he was referring to; the choir for goddess Theres that was sung by women. He probably thought I was a choir member.

I was wearing Liliana’s dress and an expensive cloak was draped over it. My hair was well-maintained, and so was my skin.  I had a gentle demeanor as well, minus the first impression he had of me earlier today. No wonder no one questioned me as a noblewoman.

I was crying internally, not sure if I’m lucky or not.

“I’m in Reffield’s class. Reffield is always the first, so it’s too early to practice now.” Luckily for me, Mrs. Cecid was a walking chatterbox who doesn’t give anyone the chance to talk. At first she seemed to be interested in what I have to say but then she talked about everything and our conversation eventually shifted to the choir.

“What’s your number, by the way?”

I threw her a forced smile, “I was told I’m in class number 2.”

“Oh, that’s Ocrateus’ class. I guess it wasn’t that long when you joined the team. I understand it is quite hard to memorize the names.” She replied.

I can’t believe she fell for it.

How long do I have to stay here? All I wanted was to look for Lina and go back to the palace as soon as possible. While being in the bedroom was suffocating, being here in the temple wasn’t all that different.

I didn’t see a single person in the main hall earlier when Dylan and I passed by, so it was really surprising to see the temple packed and crowded with people as if it was a bus terminal.

The interior space of the main hall was filled with people that were scurrying about; some had their hands full of cleaning materials, others were tasked to organize the decorations, and there were also priests and people of high ranks. Everyone was occupied with their own thing.

Mrs. Cecid and I walked up the stairs as she led me to the second floor. She waved her hand to the crowd, saying, “Everyone’s going crazy for this year’s prayer ritual. I heard that the emperor had bestowed quite a generous donation for this year’s event, so I’m sure this is going to be huge. I can’t wait.” Mrs. Cecid giggled in excitement and covered her mouth demurely.

The Lopras choir of the Temple of Theres was known for its immeasurable talent and finesse that not only they were invited to perform at temples, but they were also invited to more important events such as the imperial banquets. The wedding song played at the festival was particularly famous and being a slave for ten years had granted me the chance to hear it up close.

The more the choir gets invited to prestigious events, the more its reputation soared into great heights, and she was no less than thrilled about it.

Oh, it’s Lina! I spotted a scarlet-haired maid hanging a familiar decorative fabric at a near distance. I’m tempted to call out for her but of course, I couldn’t do that with Mrs. Cecid standing beside me. I subtly glanced at Lina and saw she was wearing an imperial maid’s uniform, the ones worn by the maids of the royal family. Calling for her would undoubtedly warrant some gossip so I kept my mouth shut.

“It’s this way. By the way, you haven’t told me your name yet.” Mrs. Cecid said, looking at me expectantly.

I can’t tell her my real name, so I blurted out the first name that came to my mind. “I’m… I’m Eris Cia Deron.”

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