Chapter Six

Aria continued to fidget, so I looked around for a place to sit. Fortunately, there was a small bench not too far away. I walked to the bench without a word.

Aria followed, mincing in her stiff shoes. “Where are you going, my lady?”

I sat down. “Seeing you so restless almost makes my own feet hurt.”

“Oh, thank you, my lady.”

“You have nothing to thank me for. My feet hurt as well.”

Aria’s grateful smile was adorable. Even though I spoke in such a brusque tone, she seemed to have understood my intention. Sitting next to me, she gestured around us. “It’s so beautiful here. I never thought I’d get to see the imperial garden.”

“Why not? All nobles are invited to the Emperor’s birthday celebration.”

“Even with an invitation, you still need to prepare proper attire. I never had enough time or a suitable dress.”

Aria continued, spilling out her history, although I already knew much of it from the novel. She was practically the sole breadwinner of her family. Her father was a ruffian who’d used his noble status to cause problems everywhere he went, and Aria’s days were mostly spent cleaning up her father’s messes. At least he could no longer gamble; he had no money or reputation left to wager.

Growing up in a house like that, Aria had learned to make a living. On weekdays she took in sewing jobs, and on weekends she played the piano for local churches and gatherings. Fortunately, many of their neighbors took pity on her and offered a steady supply of work, but it was barely enough to keep food on the table, even for just her father and herself. She had never dreamed of attending a party like this.

I remembered from the novel when, one day, her father had come home holding an invitation. He’d never taken an interest in the mail before, so it surprised her.

He had grabbed her shoulder. “Aria, the day has finally come to prove your usefulness. You have a pretty face, thanks to your mother,” he said. “Go and find a nice man. There’s no one in this filthy town who can afford your looks—but at the imperial palace, there might be.”

His intent was obvious. He wanted to marry her off to some rich family and leech off their fortune. But his transparent words had still enough to get Aria excited. She’d never believed she would get the chance to attend one of the Emperor’s celebrations. She had given up an entire day of sewing to attend the event tonight.

Finally, Aria had told me enough.

“I always wanted to come to something like this,” she finished, “but thought I didn’t deserve it. My father pressured me into coming. I felt happy enough merely entering such a grand hall.”

Only after hearing her story did I notice that her hands were covered with many small cuts. “Don’t repeat that story to anyone else. A noble with no money or connections? How shameful.”

“I know. But I still wanted to tell you.” She took off her heels and stood barefoot, taking a long breath of the cool air before turning back to smile at me. “My lady, I’ve been thinking. Since there’s nothing that I can give you in return—”

“You don’t have to. What would I do with a gift from you?”

“There’s nothing better than a song on a happy day like this.”

A song? My ears pricked up at her offer. As her name and the title Beneath a Beautiful Melody implied, Aria had been born with a heavenly voice. Applause erupted from every corner of the room whenever she sang. Moved by her singing, her listeners bestowed all manner of praises to tempt her to sing once more. The male characters were captivated by her voice.

To think that I could hear Aria sing.

I opened my mouth, hoping that, for once, my lips would allow me to speak with sincerity. “Do so if you want. I suppose I could do with a song.” Fortunately, I wasn’t forced by my lips to reject her. I waited for her to begin with my arms crossed.

She cleared her throat and began to sing.

***

“Was it all right?” she asked bashfully when she’d finished.

Aria’s face should have been envious of her voice. She had the face of an angel, but her voice... It was more beautiful than any angel’s. Nothing in the world could express my astonishment. Considering where we were, the song she’d chosen was fairly unexciting, yet she made it seem more captivating than any song ever sung before.

I answered without hesitating. “It’s acceptable, I guess.” Aria, your voice is sweeter than the heavens themselves. It’s not just acceptable! I want to hear it again! Unable to voice my thoughts, my opinion remained my own.

Aria sat back down. She was still not wearing her heels; her feet must have still hurt too much. “It was a bit stronger when I was a child. I was still learning to play the piano and used to enjoy singing along. But now it seems I’ve become rusty.”

Rusty? If this was rusty, then I must already be dust. But Mary’s body would not allow me to compliment Aria in such an eloquent way. Instead, I was forced to answer curtly. “It didn’t offend my ears. I suppose you’re not too rusty.”

“Really? Thank you. It’s been so long since I sang for someone. I’m glad.”

Aria, I wish you could sing for me alone forevermore. But I’m afraid the plot of this novel won’t allow it. I was gazing at Aria and considering these strange ideas when I heard a rustling nearby.

A handsome man was staring in our direction. He must have been drawn by the sound of her singing. I could see who he was by his distinctive features: dark hair, violet eyes, and a handsome face. He wore different clothes than what he’d worn at the party, but it was definitely Crown Prince Edville.

I rose to greet him. “Your Royal—”

“Stop.”

It was unusual for an imperial household member to cut off a greeting, but I had an idea why.

“I followed the sound of your song,” he said to Aria.

“I didn’t know anyone else was listening. How embarrassing.” She covered her face with both hands.

I stood anxiously by the bench. This was obviously the historic first meeting of the two main characters in the novel. Should I be standing here between them? The third wheel should make herself scarce about now.

At the risk of appearing rude, I made my excuses. “Lady Aria, I’ll leave you to enjoy the party now. You can come find me whenever you like. Good evening.”

I curtsied deeply to Prince Edville, who obviously did not want Aria to know who he was, and hastened away.

Behind me, Aria called out. “Lady Bell, it was so nice to meet you. I’ll be sure to visit you. Take care!”

How kind and adorable—and exactly why I had to get out of her way, so she could end up with Prince Edville. It was the right thing to do. But... I didn’t want to say goodbye to her, and I hoped I truly would see her again.

As I walked back to the celebration, wilting inside, I could hear Prince Edville introducing himself to Aria—as Ed.

***

“Why are you back by yourself?” May was waiting for me with a typically acerbic greeting.

“Of course, I’m alone,” I snapped. “Should I be with somebody?”

“You left with Lady Aria. You didn’t bury her somewhere, did you?”

“Get away from me if you’re just going to keep spouting nonsense.”

He seemed genuinely worried about Aria. Maybe they had talked while I was changing my dress. How had he ended up in the novel, anyway?

“You’re acting strange today,” he said.

“You’re always acting strange.”

“Don’t play games with me. Look at me straight.” Maybe it was a twin thing, but May seemed to sense something different about me. A brother who thought it strange that his twin sister was more well-behaved than usual? It was obvious what kind of relationship these two had shared in the past.

I glared at him. “Satisfied?”

He ruffled his hair in frustration. “Now you seem like your usual self.” He grabbed my hand. “Is it because of your ruined dress? If you ask father, he’ll buy you the exact same one—and ten more, if you like. Let’s go home.”

I was ready to leave right now. Still. “Are you insane? It’s only a dress. Why are you so concerned about me?”

“Why?” He spoke quickly, eyeing those around us. “This isn’t the first time you’ve pretended to behave, only to make more trouble later. You’re not angry, and you’re not cursing. What are you up to?”

I understood why he was acting this way. Mary had a reputation for consistently malevolent behavior. Once, she pretended to overlook a maid’s mistake, only to later trick her into making another and then punishing her double the amount. And when her parents once commanded her to stop obsessing over Aria and to stay in her room, she pretended to obey but then ripped down the curtains and escaped the room to make more trouble. That’s who Mary Bell was. But I don’t want to do anything of the sort.

“I did as you wanted, and you’re still not satisfied? Enough. You’ve ruined my mood. Let’s go home.”

“Truly?”

Yes, I want to get home safely, too.

“You want me to yell?” I held out my hand to May, who was still eyeing me with suspicion.

He took my hand and escorted me away.

It wouldn’t have been polite to leave without a word to the Emperor after all that’d happened. After all, thanks to him; I could spend time with Aria.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Imperial Majesty,” I said, “but we would like to take our leave.”

“Ah, why not stay a bit longer?” the Emperor said, raising his glass. He was happily drunk. I would have frowned if it had been red wine in his glass, but fortunately, it was white.

“I was able to change my dress, thanks to Your Imperial Majesty’s gracious gift, but the experience seems to have taken its toll.”

He nodded at my pretense of exhaustion. It wasn’t a total lie; I still felt somewhat soggy even after changing into a new dress.

“All right, then. Have a safe trip home.”

“Your Imperial Majesty, through whom should I return the dress?” May asked. He seemed worried I would get it dirty and was eager to return it as quickly as possible.

“That dress doesn’t belong to anyone here now,” the Emperor said. “There’s no need to return it. She may wear it or keep it stored as a gift from me. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” May said as he bowed his head with a bitter expression. “We’ll be leaving now.”

I, too, paid my respects for the last time that night, and finally, we were able to return to the mansion.