Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Academy Festival (5)
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“Everyone’s dressed up quite nicely.”
From inside the carriage, I looked the two of them up and down.
I wasn’t leering, just observing them casually.
Diana wore a deep crimson dress that slightly bared her shoulders.
The design wasn’t over-the-top, so it didn’t feel excessively luxurious.
It just felt like she was dressed appropriately for the occasion.
“It’s the tailor you introduced me to, Master! His skills are incredible.”
“Ah, him.”
Technically, I’d met him through my father’s introduction.
He had a rare sense of aesthetics, so I always ended up requesting his services for important occasions.
“Uncle.”
“Hm?”
“Take a look at me too.”
While I was chatting with Diana about her outfit, Aria spoke to me with a sullen expression.
Did she get upset because I wasn’t paying her any attention?
“How do I look?”
She was also wearing a dress, but hers had wide sleeves and a long hemline.
It didn’t expose her neck or shoulders, either.
It seemed designed to emphasize cuteness rather than sensuality.
‘Feels like a school festival.’
The color was green.
The saturation was low enough to look gray, but golden embroidery here and there kept it from being dull.
A large ribbon tied at her waist drew the eye.
Amidst a calm and elegant atmosphere, a childlike, pleasant liveliness was woven in.
The tailor really is exceptionally skilled.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
When I didn’t answer, Aria asked again.
“Yeah. You’re cute.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I said you’re cute, so what?”
Not seeming to like my reaction, she puffed out her cheeks and turned her head sharply out the window.
“Did I do something wrong?”
I asked Diana, who was right next to her.
“No. The Young Master is always right.”
She’s the type who thinks everything I say is fine, so she’s no help for a proper diagnosis.
Theo, sitting outside with the coachman, couldn’t even see this situation from the start.
‘She’s not at the age for puberty yet, surely.’
No, actually, it doesn’t even go that far.
To a young girl, attention is more important than life.
There are even cases where sisters fight over something so trivial.
I suppose I need to add a few more words.
“Aria, be honest with me.”
She glanced at me without answering, then immediately turned her gaze away again.
But I’m not one to back down.
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Sure you aren’t.”
I tapped the large ribbon hanging at her side with my fingertip.
“What?”
“Golden embroidery and a ribbon. It looks incredibly special. You must have put some effort into it.”
“I did not!”
This time, she was genuinely annoyed and even crossed her arms.
That’s it, isn’t it?
The ‘I’m mad at you’ pose.
I smirked and spoke to her again.
“I thought you’d been cast as the princess in a play or something. If there were such a play, you’d definitely be the lead.”
“Hmph.”
“But what kind of princess would you be? A fairy princess from a mysterious forest?”
As I started tossing out all sorts of playful remarks, she began to take the bait.
“Th-This dress just looked pretty, so I wore it! A p-princess, give me a break!”
She was trying to answer indifferently, but the corners of her mouth kept rising no matter what.
She’s grinning so widely, everyone can see it from the side.
“Wrong. Did the dress just happen to look pretty? It’s special because *you’re* wearing it, Aria.”
“Heh... Hehehe... Ah, well... It’s about time you noticed properly.”
She’s so easy to handle.
Is it okay for a person to be this simple?
However.
“Diana.”
“Yes?”
I called her quietly.
“Is Aria going to be alright?”
Her mental state, or her personality.
Up until now, it’s been cute, but she might need some discipline before she gets older.
“She’s fine. She’s not like that in front of other people. You should see how polite she is to Madam Doris or the butler. But the moment she meets the Young Master, she acts like a child...”
“That doesn’t sound ‘alright,’ does it?”
Still, well...
‘As long as she’s only spilling the bucket in front of me and not outside, it should be fine.’
I don’t think I need to stop her.
After all, I’m enjoying it a little myself.
Lately, watching her reactions has become one of the few joys of my life.
As we chatted about this and that, the carriage sped along.
Before I knew it, we were in front of the Academy’s main gate.
“We’ve arrived.”
The two who got off the carriage let out exclamations.
“Whoa!”
“Geez... There are so many people...”
Theo went with the coachman to the carriage park.
It’s so chaotic that you have to travel in groups of at least two.
“We’re heading to the theater first. Stay close. If you get lost, you’ll be...”
“Am I going to be an orphan again?”
Diana and I both turned our heads at Aria’s words.
Hmm.
‘Was that supposed to be a joke?’
Aria rolled her eyes, looking like she didn’t understand.
It kind of hurts my heart.
Her expression is strange.
Did she think it was fine to say from her perspective?
Where did she learn such a wicked phrase?
Who corrupted Aria’s pure heart like this?
Diana slipped over and whispered in my ear.
“Actually, I’ve been having her read the books the Count left behind as a reading exercise, and since then, the child has slowly started to lose it... Ah, that’s not it.”
“It’s fine. I understand perfectly.”
Well, among the books my father had, there were quite a few secular literary works and cheap magazines full of vulgar words.
It’s not that they were his hobby; they were just things that came along when he bought other things.
People like us can filter them out, but Aria couldn’t.
Since she’s a child, she must have been influenced by the wrong parts unintentionally.
“What kind of books did you even read?”
“I don’t know, either.”
“From now on, Diana, you read them first. If you think it’s fine, then give them to Aria.”
“I’ll be careful.”
And Aria, you.
“You’re forbidden from having late-night snacks for the next month.”
At that, she suddenly crouched to the ground and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. I’ll never use such bad words again. Please, just this once, show me mercy. I beg you.”
“Hmm, fine. Keep up that polite attitude.”
“Ooh! So I can have late-night snacks, right?”
“No, you can’t. You’re asking something obvious.”
“Waaah... Anything but the late-night snacks, please...”
“Aria! Shh!”
Diana stopped her as she whined.
It was so cute that I snickered.
Am I the bad guy here?
Truthfully, the punishment was a joke.
Anyway, this is less Aria’s fault and more my responsibility.
I neglected her because I was busy.
‘This is also a form of attention.’
I heard something like that once.
Children sometimes act out or say negative things to seek affection.
The cure is simple.
You just keep praising them, show interest, and express your love.
Raising a child to be a good adult is entirely the parent’s job.
“Aria.”
I called out to her, still crouched with her head hung low.
“Get up. You’ll ruin that cute dress.”
“Ugh...”
Are you going to make such a sad face?
‘What do late-night snacks even mean to this child?’
Surely they haven’t become more important than singing.
She looked at me with watery eyes.
“If you promise to use only pretty words from now on, I’ll cancel the punishment.”
“I promise! I’ll promise!”
And one more thing.
“It’s fine to joke around sometimes, but don’t say things that hurt yourself.”
“Hmm...”
“Aria, the one who can understand you best is you. Other people will love you too, but the important thing is for you to make up your own mind.”
Aria nodded and her eyes sparkled.
I felt a little embarrassed saying it myself, but it wasn’t wrong, and it was for Aria’s own good.
“Then the people around you will realize you’re a precious existence too, won’t they?”
“Hmm... I guess so.”
I gently stroked her head.
If you believe in yourself, you won’t get lost even in the dark.
It’s the truth.
“I’ll use pretty words more often from now on... and... well, I’ll try my best.”
“That’s good enough.”
“I promise!”
Aria smiled brightly, looking satisfied.
She’s growing every day.
Diana took Aria’s hand and followed behind me.
We headed straight for the theater.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The newly built theater has a secret space.
It’s located right in the center of the back on the third floor.
It’s separated from the other seats, quite spacious and comfortable.
Plus, it’s not visible from the outside.
The acoustics are great.
Just because it’s far from the stage doesn’t mean the sound is distant.
That flaw was researched and nearly perfected by Edward and Professor Brossia with their heads together.
They used a combination of existing amplification magic and Juvel’s synergy to create a speaker-like artifact and installed it on the ceiling, apparently.
However.
Nothing could be done about the view.
Even if the seats are tiered, the location is what it is, so there are some things you just have to give up on.
We can’t make a large screen right now, either.
This world doesn’t even have the concept of photography, so there’s no way to implement video.
By that logic, the only advantage this place has is that it’s an independent space from the outside.
The only thing it has going for it is the sound.
At this point, a question arises.
‘Then why did you make it?’
There’s only one reason.
This was never meant to be a seat in the first place.
It’s more like a sound booth.
A place made to check the overall sound and the performer’s movements.
It also allows you to check the audience’s reactions in real time.
Being at the very back makes that possible.
But today, for once...
“Think about it. I own this theater, so shouldn’t I be allowed this much?”
I decorated it as a box seat.
In short, it’s a VIP room just for me.
Being isolated from the outside helps in this way.
It’s very convenient.
“Strictly speaking, the owner is me, isn’t it?”
Edward countered me sharply.
Is that more important?
“Anyway, that’s what I meant.”
The reason I bothered to get his permission is simple.
If it were just me, it wouldn’t have mattered, but Diana and Aria were with me.
The two of them aren’t performing today.
Instead, they’ll be watching the opening ceremony with me.
“Whoa... It’s so big...”
“Can I eat this?”
Diana marveled, and Aria reached for the snacks on the table, having somehow found them.
Right.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
It’s fine.
I’ll just have her run ten laps around the mansion tomorrow.
Satisfied, I had the two of them sit in the chairs I’d prepared in advance.
“Just relax and watch. I’ll go down, say a few words, and come right back up.”
I am the face of this Academy, after all. I should probably go up on stage at least once.
On my way down, I ran into Victor.
“Phew... So you were here.”
“Were you looking for me?”
“I’m glad I found you quickly. The concert is about to start, so let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
I must be running a little late.
I went with him through the passage and headed backstage.
The audience was already packed into the seats, and the students who were performing today were preparing in the waiting room.
“Erdi, you’ve worked hard.”
“Haha. It’s nothing. It was enjoyable.”
“Don’t get nervous just because it’s starting.”
“Ah, yes.”
I asked him to give a motivational speech to the students for me.
They’re all about to play piano in front of a large audience for the first time in their lives.
They must be nervous.
They’ll need courage.
“Well then.”
I left the rest to him, and Victor and I crossed the curtain and walked onto the stage.
“Woooooah!”
“Ooooh!”
I worried for a moment that my eardrums might burst.
It was that tremendous a roar.
This is insane.
I quickly composed myself and scanned the audience.
I saw familiar faces.
Count Rosley, Aiolin... and so on.
They all seemed to have arrived early and found their seats.
“Victor.”
“Yes.”
I whispered in a voice low enough for only him to hear.
“Has... Duke Dresel arrived?”
“I haven’t seen him yet. He seems to be running a bit late.”
That’s strange.
I thought he’d be the first to arrive and look for me.
I’ll think about that later for now.
After taking a breath, I bowed to everyone.
Then.
“Esteemed guests and dear students. It is a great pleasure to share this night of art with you all.”
Applause erupted.
Now it’s Victor’s turn.
“I extend my gratitude to all of you who have traveled a long way to grace this occasion with your presence. I also pay my respects to the young artists of the Academy who have poured their passion into preparing this concert day and night.”
It was a solemn greeting.
“I pray that today’s concert will bind us all together as one, and I declare this festival open!”
“Ooooh!”
“Woooooah!”
“Anton! Anton!”
Why are they chanting my name?
Anyway.
“Now, let’s welcome the first performer with a round of applause!”
After shouting that, I quickly slipped back behind the curtain.
Azella, fidgeting nervously, took our place.