After parting ways with Barney, Monica headed for the school gate area. When arrived, she soon found Lana standing there, accompanied by a well-dressed middle-aged man. He must be Baron Colette, Lana's father.
"Monica! Over here!"
Monica trotted over to Lana, who began to introduce her to her father cheerfully.
"Monica, this is my father. And father, this is the girl I always mention in my letters, Monica."
"Oh, so you're Monica. Nice to meet you. I'm Baron Collete, Lana's father."
Baron Colette smiled amiably at Monica while playing with his mustache.
He was a well-built, middle-aged man, and much like Lana, he's also got flaxen hair. He dressed in luxurious but strangely not looked crude. Perhaps he has a knack for matching outfits. Just like his daughter, he's got a sense of style.
Monica was nervous, but she tried her best not to sound rude.
"Um, I've been in Lana's care until now…"
"Please don't be. It's also my pleasure to have you as my daughter's friend… hmm."
Baron Colette stroked his chin and looked at Monica with narrowed eyes. The expression on his face was very similar to Lana's when she examined Monica's clothes and hairstyle.
"I see…she's just like the person I imagine when I read the letter…indeed, I can picture the bright green colored dress that you wore at twelve would perfectly fit for her. Oh, right, I have already delivered the tailored dress to your room, Lana. You can check it out later."
Apparently, Lana had asked her father to tailor a dress for Monica to wear to the ball tonight.
Baron Colette looked at his daughter and gave her a rather proud look.
"The ruffles around the shoulders of that dress were too childish for a girl of her age, weren't they? So I had the seamstress remove the sleeves to give the upper body a sleek design. But in exchange, I added a large ribbon at the waist and made the ruffles and drapes flow diagonally from there to give it more substance."
"Right, right! Dresses with elaborate drapes are more popular these days…"
"I know right? I think I've done a good job for myself. You can expect a lot from it."
"I expect no less from my dad!"
"By the way, I've made a ribbon out of leftover fabric. I think that would be lovely to braid it into her hair."
"That's a wonderful idea! I'll definitely do that!"
Monica could hardly understand the conversation between Lana and Baron Colette, but it seemed that Baron Colette had made various changes to Lana's second-hand dress.
Nevertheless, the excited look on their face when talking about this kind of topic showed that they really are father and daughter.
The way Baron Colette looked at her daughter was very gentle. Just by being near him, she can feel the deep affection that Baron Colette has for his only daughter.
…father.
Monica's father, who was unfashionable and socially awkward, might be different from Lana's father. But, the gentle look they gave at their daughter was similar.
Monica felt nostalgic yet melancholy as she watched the father-daughter exchange quietly.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was decided Monica would watch the outdoor play with Baron Collete and his daughter together. As the play was the main attraction of the festival, most of the chairs were occupied, though there was still some time before the curtain went up. Some of them even were watching from the balconies and windows of the school building.
As Monica sat down in an empty seat, she heard Lynn's voice, who was keeping an eye in disguise as a little bird.
"The Second Prince has taken his seat. He is seated diagonally in front of you."
Monica checked Felix's position, moving only her eyes enough to not be incongruous, and saw Felix had seated in a special seat up ahead along with a group of nobles who seemed to be guests of honor.
But Lynn's words didn't stop.
"Also, about Lord Louis who'll be mingling with the common people as planned…"
What about Louis?
"He's sat right behind you, Miss [Silent Witch]."
"Eh!?"
Someone kicked her chair from behind when she let out a strange yelp. Monica gulped and turned around in horror to find that, just as Lynn had said, Louis Miller, the [Barrier Magician], was sitting cross-legged right behind her. His wife, Mrs. Rosalie, was also sitting next to him.
Louis gave her a beautiful smile when Monica met his eyes.
"Pardon me. I seem to have bumped my foot on your chair."
"N-No, it's okay…"
When Monica turned awkwardly forward, Lana poked Monica's arm and whispered in her ear.
"Hey! Wasn't the person sitting right behind you Louis Miller the Seven Sage?"
"…uh, well…"
"He's known for his title as the dragon slayer, you see! Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I never thought I'd see him in person…"
Lana's voice bounced with excitement.
Louis had been a remarkable magician in the kingdom even before he became one of the Seven Sage because of his outstanding achievements in defeating dragons.
In addition to his ability, his beautiful appearance is said to have attracted the attention of various women.
If you ask people to name all of the Seven Sage, the first or second name that would come up would be Louis Miller. Incidentally, Monica Everett, the [Silent Witch] had the least presence among the Seven Sages to even get questioned, ‘who's the Seventh Sage, again?'
And Lana, who kept saying ‘oh my God' excitedly, had no idea that the person who was sitting beside her was Louis' colleague and also one of the Seven Sages.
Ugh, why was Louis sitting right behind me…
As Monica held her hurting stomach, she heard Lynn's voice.
"Incidentally, Lord Louis had arrived first."
Ugh…!
In other words, the kick on her chair earlier was a message from Louis, "Why are you sitting in front of me of all people, you stupid girl?"
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was a coincidence. I didn't notice iiiiiiit…
Monica stroked her hurting stomach and waited for the play to start.
Eventually, the curtain rose on the stage.
The play was telling a story about how Ralph, the first king of the Ridill Kingdom established his kingdom. A story where every person in this country has heard at least once.
When this land was not yet a "kingdom" and seven tribes were fighting each other. Ralph, a young man of the Earth Tribe, was ordered by Arklade, the Spirit King of the Earth, to unite the seven tribes, which he accomplished after a long adventure. At the end of the story, he defeated the Dark Dragon in the land where dragons live and established the Ridill Kingdom there.
The story itself was fairly long, so the play was divided into two parts: the adventures leading up to the unification of the seven tribes, and the final battle against the dragon.
The main character, Ralph, was played by a tall, blond male student. Actually, the role was supposed to be played by Felix, but he turned it down because he was too busy working as the student council president.
"Oh, Lord Ralph, please take me with you. For even though it would be against the laws of my Water Tribe, I still believed in the ray of light I see in you."
The one speaking to the protagonist Ralph was the heroine Amelia, who would later become Ralph's future wife. Her role was played by a somewhat fragile and dainty young lady. She had skin that was white as fine porcelain, wheat hair that a soft and fluffy, and large eyes that were a pale blue-gray. She was Eliane Hyatt, one of the three most beautiful women in the academy, alongside Bridget and Claudia, or so Lana told Monica in a whisper.
Her petite and lavish figure gave a somewhat fleeting impression, which was different from that of the graceful Bridget and the mysterious Claudia.
Eventually, the play progressed and the main protagonist, Ralph, united the seven tribes and gained the blessings of the Seven Spirit Kings.
However, the more the play went on, the more dull the audience's response became, and all of it became apparent as time goes. Not a few of the audience got lost in chatting and laughing, while others had left their seats.
Although it was a long play, the script of the play itself was not bad at all. They managed to summarize the long original story very well, and the scenes were easy to understand.
The stage setup was elaborate and the fireworks were gorgeous. Even the old-style costumes were beautifully arranged in a modern style.
—However, the characters themselves were lack of impression.
The male student who played the main protagonist, Ralph, was reasonably good at acting, but the way he spoke his dialogue was bland. He spoke poorly, and his voice lacked intensity. As a result, he did not reach the public's image of a heroic king.
The same can be said for Eliane, who played Amelia.
Amelia was a strong, noble, and beautiful woman. However, Eliane, who played her role, was fragile and delicate, a well-raised young woman you wanted to protect.
It's not that Eliane was bad at acting, but she was far from the image of the strong and noble Amelia. In other words, it was a complete miscasting.
Soon, the first half of the play came to a close and the audience applauded. It was not sparse applause, but it also was not because the audience was moved by the performance.
The applause came because the son and daughter of a famous noble family performed out a story that everyone knew by heart.
—I knew it, His Highness should be the one to play Ralph.
—The role of Queen Amelia should have been played by Lady Bridget.
—I think Lady Eliane would have been better suited to play the priestess role.
—Oh, I wish I could have seen Ralph played by His Highness!
Such voices can be heard all over the place.
As I thought, His Highness and Lady Bridget are a perfect match…
Felix and Bridget, with their gorgeous good looks, even just sitting side by side were a picture in itself.
Above all, Felix's imposing bearing and Bridget's dignified atmosphere both fit the image of Ralph and Amelia perfectly. If those two had been on stage, the quality of the applause would have been different in scale.
"Monica, there's a little time before the second half of the play, shall we go get something light to eat?"
"Uh, okay."
Monica stood up at Lana's urging and turned her head to look for Felix, but he was completely blended in with the crowd and was nowhere to be seen.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Young Lady Eliane, it was a wonderful performance."
The servants approached Eliane as she went backstage.
Eliane gave a short "yeah" with a somewhat absent-minded expression and pushed the veil she was wearing to the servant.
From the top of the stage, she could see the audience clearly. The person she's most fixated on —Felix Ark Riddile—was naturally in her sight.
Eliane was constantly following Felix with her eyes during the performance. Even when she acted on the scene where she confesses her feelings to Ralph, she turned her head towards him, ignoring the instructions of the director.
Felix certainly looked at Eliane from the audience… but his eyes only saw Eliane as an actor on stage. It was the same look he gave to Ralph and the rest of the cast. He didn't put all his attention just to look at Eliane.
This is strange. After all, he shall be the one who will eventually become my husband.
Eliane sighed sadly with a somewhat dreamy expression on her face.
I can't allow it to end like this. Lord Felix should only look at me… he should only love me more and more.
Eliane wanted to perform the play together with Felix, so she repeatedly asked the director to make him the main protagonist, unfortunately, her wish could not be granted. Her wish responded with a curt reason that he was busy with the student council duties.
Great uncle said I should be loved more. So, Lord Felix should love me even more. He should be.
Eliane dismissed the servants and went to the edge of the stage alone. At the edge of the stage was a set that resembled a balcony. There was a ladder at the end of the stage, not visible from the audience, which could be climbed to reach the balcony.
Eliane put her hand on the ladder and chanted a short spell. It's not some kind of complicated spell. Just a little bit of wind spell to make a few cracks in the wooden planks.
Eventually, Eliane took her hand off the ladder, pulled out the hair ornament from her wheat-colored hair, and threw it onto the balcony above the stage.
Then, when the male student playing Ralph passes by, she let out a scream.
"Kyaa!"
The male student who acted as Ralph, noticing Eliane's scream, immediately rushed over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Eliane pointed over the balcony, her eyes moist with tears.
"A bird… took my hair ornament… and put it on the balcony."
"Oh, well, I'm sure that bird was just playing a trick on you to get your attention, Miss Eliane."
The boy smiled cheerfully and started to climb the ladder leading to the balcony. He was probably trying to show Eliane his good side.
However, just as he was about to reach the balcony, a crack appeared in the ladder on which the boy had placed his feet.
"Aaaaah!"
The boy reached out his hand in the air as if to ask for help. But no one grabbed his hand, and his body slammed headlong into the floor.
Eliane put her hands on both cheeks and let out a shrill scream.
"Kyaaaa! Somebody, please come here!"
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