CHAPTER 38
“Well then, esteemed guests. Shall we enjoy a song by Lady Dite?”
Dite parted her lips to sing the first line.
But just as she was about to begin the prepared song, Madam Montmad raised her hand to stop her.
“Wait a moment.”
“…?”
“Just a moment. Not yet.”
The Countess of Montmad turned her gaze back to Etisha. Staring directly at her, she spoke as if trying to persuade the gathered audience.
“Before we begin… there’s something that’s been bothering me. As everyone knows, spring festivals are rather unfamiliar to northerners, aren’t they? We’ve never really celebrated one properly before.”
What was Madam Montmad trying to say?
Wasn’t the plan simply to have Dite sing?
“No matter how well Dite sings, she’s still from the North. Singing the Song of Spring alone might be a bit of a stretch. Unless… someone from the capital, someone more accustomed to spring festivals, were to help her.”
As the noble guests cast curious glances, the Countess of Montmad gave a triumphant smile.
“Oh! As luck would have it, someone from the capital has just arrived.”
“……”
“Baroness Etisha.”
All eyes turned toward Etisha.
“Would you sing the Song of Spring with Dite?”
Etisha’s eyes widened — her pink hair shimmering, the pink diamond Heart of the Angel necklace glinting at her throat.
“Sing… me?”
“Yes. I do hope you’ll accept.”
This was precisely the situation Madam Montmad had been aiming for.
The legitimate wife and the mistress standing side by side, singing the same song.
No one could resist comparing Etisha to Dite.
Not even Duke Kaien.
“And isn’t Baroness Etisha known for being completely tone-deaf?”
It was a well-known story in the capital.
The infamous troublemaker of high society, Larienne Heinz, was such a horrendous singer that people joked their ears bled whenever she sang. And every time someone criticized her singing, she’d always say:
“So what! I sing way better than my sister Tisha!”
To think that Etisha was supposedly even worse than that tone-deaf Larienne…
The Countess of Montmad was genuinely curious about her singing.
“What do you say, Baroness Etisha? Would you help Dite sing the Song of Spring?”
With her encouragement, other noble ladies who had conspired with her joined in to press Etisha.
“Yes, please, Baroness El. Do sing for us.”
“We Northerners don’t truly know what a real spring festival is like. Please show us, Baroness.”
“There seems to be great anticipation for you, Baroness El. Myself included.”
Now it would be embarrassing to back out.
What would Baroness Etisha do?
Everyone looked at her with eager eyes, brimming with curiosity.
At that moment, Kaien, who had been escorting Etisha, frowned.
Even if Dite’s sudden appearance at Montmad’s mansion could be overlooked, the orchestrated pressure on Etisha was intolerable.
“…Haa.”
Duke Kaien stepped in front of Etisha, shielding her. He calmly surveyed the crowd with sharp eyes. His pitch-black gaze radiated with chilling intensity.
“You invite a guest and then subject her to such discourteous demands, Countess Montmad?”
Only then did the nobles remember Kaien’s ruthless nature and look visibly alarmed. They knew things could go badly very quickly.
Only Countess Montmad stepped forward to smooth things over.
“Oh, my… discourteous? Your Grace, that’s rather harsh. As you know, only the star of the spring festival may sing the Song of Spring. I merely wished to bestow that honor upon Baroness Etisha.”
“Honor? You speak well. But can you explain why a commoner like Dite was given that ‘honor’ in the first place?”
“Well, she was recommended anonymously, and they said her voice was like a canary’s—”
“That’s it? You can’t even name the person who recommended her.”
“No, I— I only meant…”
“That’s enough. Spare me the excuses. To my eyes, it looks like you’ve brought out Dite, who knows nothing, to publicly humiliate Miss Etisha. And those who conspired with you are no better.”
“……”
“From beginning to end… your intentions are highly suspicious.”
The party hall fell into an icy silence. No one dared to breathe too easily.
Everyone was watching Kaien and Etisha carefully. It was clear something had gone very wrong.
And then—
Etisha stepped out from behind Kaien.
She wore a vivid scarlet dress, perfectly suited to the spring festival’s theme. Her expression, too, looked bright and relaxed—out of place in a hall filled with tension.
She even looked… a little excited.
“Um…”
Etisha gently tugged on Kaien’s elbow.
“Your Grace, Countess. If it’s alright, I’d like to sing.”
“…What?”
“The Song of Spring. You’ve given me the opportunity, so I’d like to take it.”
Etisha’s blue eyes sparkled. She looked like a mermaid who had returned to water.
“Oh, right. You said I should sing with Dite? Who should start the first verse?”
“…You’ll sing? Now?”
“Yes. Dite, would you like to begin?”
“……”
“I’ll follow your lead when you do.”
At Etisha’s unexpected proposal, Dite — who had been standing off to the side — stammered in surprise.
“Y-Yes. Then I’ll begin.”
She was a bit suspicious whether this was what the Countess had planned, but she couldn’t back out now. She had practiced for this.
“…Hoo.”
Dite steadied her nervous breath.
Despite the drama, the stage she had longed for had arrived.
All the Northern nobles were gathered — even Duke Kaien. If she could shine brighter than Etisha, the future Duchess…
Etisha would be humiliated, and Dite would become the star.
Dite began to sing.
Her clear and delicate voice spread across the party hall.
Then, Etisha joined in.
“…!”
The moment Etisha’s voice rang out, the atmosphere changed.
Some people fluttered their eyelashes, others covered their mouths.
“Oh my…”
There was one thing Countess Montmad had gotten wrong.
Etisha was not tone-deaf.
“…Unbelievable…”
In fact, singing was Etisha’s favorite hobby.
Etisha was a gifted singer. Larienne was not.
That was why Larienne had often sung obnoxiously in front of her sister, trying to annoy her and steal away the only joy Etisha had.
And that famous line about being the better singer? Just another lie to hurt her.
“…………”
It felt like time had stopped.
No one dared make a sound. Everyone was frozen in place.
No breathing, no blinking — nothing.
The only thing that filled the wide hall was Etisha’s song, as if it had descended from the heavens.
High and smooth, low and powerful, soulful and moving—yet clean and soaring.
It was a voice that felt like it possessed the whole world.
Unmatched. Incomparable.
Countess Montmad’s plan had never had a chance of succeeding.
Etisha’s voice was so overwhelming that even Dite, who had started the song, closed her mouth mid-verse.
She stopped singing and simply stared.
Yet no one even noticed her voice had dropped out.
They were all entranced by Etisha’s Song of Spring.
Even Countess Montmad was openly dazed.
A long while passed after Etisha finished, yet no one moved. The enchantment hadn’t faded.
Then, blinking dazedly, someone began to clap.
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted, shaking the party hall.
Was the song already over? It had been so long — it had taken Dite days just to memorize the lyrics — and yet it felt like no time had passed.
“Incredible, Baroness Etisha…!”
“To think you hid such talent! Truly amazing!”
“I can’t wait for next year’s spring festival. Please, please sing again.”
“I agree completely. If next year’s festival is held at the Duke of Wintel’s estate, it would be absolutely perfect, wouldn’t it?”
Etisha waved graciously in response to the endless praise.
Just being able to sing without Larienne’s interference made her happy. But now, receiving such recognition — it slowly began to restore the pride that had long been buried.
“Baroness, how are you so talented? Did you train?”
“No… I just love singing.”
“You love it?”
“Yes, ever since I was little…”
Then, a realization sparkled in Etisha’s heart.
“Oh…”
That’s right.
“I love to sing.”
Singing — the one thing Etisha both loved and excelled at.
“I had completely forgotten… Even after leaving the Heinz estate and coming to the North, I forgot.”
She had finally found freedom but hadn’t thought to look inward.
Etisha had spent too long belittling herself, living under the shadow of the Heinz name.
“I love singing…”
Her emotions surged unexpectedly.
It wasn’t like the joy of tasting candy or seeing snow in the North.
This felt different.
As if… she had just rediscovered a piece of herself she had lost.
The self that had curled up quietly in the dark, waiting, forgotten — was finally brought into the light.
