Episode 11
“As you already know from the earlier introduction, allow me to greet you once more—
I’m Nick Delgadora.”
With a perfectly polished gesture, he offered a courteous bow and then suddenly extended his right hand.
Not understanding what was happening, I glanced back and forth between his hand and his face. A moment later I grasped his intent and hurried to take his hand.
“I’m Amber. Um… what is this about…?”
“This isn’t something I should discuss here. Would you mind moving somewhere else to talk? It won’t take long.”
“Oh, yes.”
As soon as I answered, he smoothly escorted me toward a different exit.
Following him, I cast one last glance toward the stage.
Caroline Dees was engaged in conversation with the judges, and Gilbert Klein stood beside her, simply watching her.
It looked like a perfect illustration—like a scene marking the beginning of history.
I faced forward again and followed Nick a half-step behind.
He led me to a small reception room not far from the hall.
Pulling the bell cord by the door, he asked over his shoulder,
“Coffee? Tea?”
“I’m fine.”
I declined instinctively, but he immediately said to the maid who answered the knock,
“Bring us some tea.”
Then he strode to a sunlit table by the window, pulled out a chair for me, and met my eyes.
“I’ll be the one drinking it. Please, have a seat.”
Being treated like this for the first time, I hesitated before taking the seat he offered. He sat across from me with an easy, unforced smile.
“I’m sure being called over so suddenly must have startled you. Thank you for agreeing to talk.”
I knew very little about him. I knew plenty about the Klein Theater, of course—news from the capital always spread quickly.
But as for the director himself, nothing memorable came to mind.
I studied him again.
What could he possibly have to say to me alone? I couldn’t even begin to guess.
As I was thinking that, he held my gaze and smiled a bit wider. Then he straightened, placed his hands—fingers interlaced—on the table, and said:
“You may already suspect this, but to get straight to the point—I’d like to invite you to join our troupe, Miss Amber.”
I froze, mouth slightly open. Even though I had heard him clearly, I couldn’t immediately understand.
I hadn’t even begun to think of a reply when a knock sounded at the door.
Nick gave a casual wink.
“Well, the tea is here. Why don’t we talk slowly while we drink?”
After the maid set the tea set on the table, he told her,
“I’ll take care of the rest. You may go.”
Then he rose from his chair to pour the tea himself. Watching him, I had to suppress the old instinct that wanted to jump up and serve it for him.
Serving tea to guests had always been my role as a former maid. I clasped my twitching hands under the table.
“Your singing was very impressive, Miss Amber,” he began.
“You haven’t been studying long, have you?”
“No.”
“And why did you choose that particular song?”
“It’s the one I’m most confident in.”
“I thought so. Are you currently working somewhere?”
I hesitated before I answered.
“…I work at a dress shop during the day, and at a tavern at night.”
He smiled, lashes dipping over his eyes.
“Who taught you to sing?”
“I sang briefly in the temple choir back home. Then, after coming to the capital, a fellow singer helped me.”
“So you’ve never had formal training.”
There was no mockery in his voice, but my neck still grew hot. Nick poured tea into his own cup and sat down again.
“I like you, Miss Amber. How do you feel about this theater?”
“Of course I—…”
Of course I liked it. He could never know how badly I had wanted to come here.
But I couldn’t finish the sentence. There was no reason at all to refuse. It was an incredible opportunity.
And yet… accepting it so easily felt strange. The questions I’d had since the moment he greeted me came to the surface one by one.
“Then… what about the audition results?”
He answered immediately.
“Miss Dees received the highest score. But we saw potential in you. That’s why we decided to make you a separate offer.”
“Was that… your decision, Mr. Delgadora?”
His brows narrowed neatly. He shrugged and sighed.
“To be honest, it was almost entirely the theater owner’s decision. I’m just the one tasked with making the invitation. He’s probably busy handling the reporters by now.”
Then, as if realizing he’d said too much, he quickly added,
“Not that my opinion is any different. My words carry a lot of weight here, whether for Miss Dees or for you. But the truth is—he found your singing more striking than I did. It took him thirty minutes to convince the other judges…”
He went on, rubbing his chin, but I barely heard half of it.
Only one phrase echoed in my head.
The owner’s unilateral decision.
Gilbert Klein… found my singing impressive.
“Frankly, your current skill isn’t exactly outstanding,” he continued. “But that’s only because you’ve had few opportunities to learn—not because you lack talent. On the contrary, we saw great potential.”
“I… I see.”
I couldn’t even remember how I’d looked on stage, but he nodded firmly.
Then, sensing the moment, he continued praising me.
“We’re sure you can grow even more. And we think you’ll fit well with our troupe’s direction. Of course, I know it’s difficult to decide so quickly.”
“I’ll do it.”
“There’s a preliminary contract here—wait, what?”
He had just begun to take out the documents when he jerked his head up.
It was a major decision, and I should review the contract carefully.
But if Gilbert Klein had listened to my singing and suggested I join…
Then there was no more thinking to do.
It meant I had permission to stay in this theater. That the owner himself was telling me I belonged here. That I was allowed to stand on the Klein Theater stage.
In my right mind—or even out of it—I couldn’t refuse.
“I’ll join.”
When I repeated myself, shock flashed across his face and then bloomed into delight.
“Good. Still, please look over the contract carefully. And feel free to ask anything.”
I skimmed through the stack of papers.
“After signing… what happens next?”
“The members are on their way up to Belfern now. They should arrive next week—they were on a tour. You and Miss Dees will probably meet them officially then, assuming both contracts go through.”
“I see.”
“News about our first upcoming performance will be out soon. Until then, feel free to use the theater however you want. We have plenty of practice rooms. We’ve never had apprentice singers before, and roles are always assigned by internal auditions, so what comes after will depend entirely on you. But you’ll start with the basics, so don’t worry about that yet.”
He also explained things like profit distribution and future plans—questions I might reasonably ask—before wrapping up the conversation.
I stood and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Mr. Delgadora.”
When I straightened, I saw him smiling brightly with the window behind him.
Until now, his smiles had felt politely practiced. But this one seemed truly joyful.
“No, thank you for joining the audition, Miss Amber.”
For a moment, the cold knot inside my chest warmed again.
After his cheerful send-off, I stepped outside. The courtyard was quiet. Enough time had passed that the reporters were gone.
The sky had turned reddish. Standing alone before the theater, the tension finally drained from my body.
A warm breeze brushed my cheek. My throat tightened, and I could hardly breathe. I clenched my fists.
Gilbert Klein had heard my singing and recommended I join the troupe.
I had to tell someone—right away. Mia and Lady Sierra’s faces flashed through my mind.
I was just about to leave the grounds when a voice came from behind.
“Leaving already?”
I jumped and turned. A large shadow fell over me.
“Must have been quite a long talk.”
It was the first time I’d seen him this close. I met Gilbert Klein’s eyes once, then quickly lowered my gaze.
“Yes.”
I barely managed that small answer. He glanced back at the theater.
“So, you made your choice? I hope the director explained things properly.”
“I decided to join.”
“Did you? Good.”
He nodded briefly. I stole a look at him. Because he stood with the sun at his back, his face was cast in deep shadow.
Only his golden eyes shone vividly.
I fought the instinct to shrink; he was at least a head taller than me. I hadn’t realized how tall he was from afar.
“You must’ve already heard the evaluation. So—when will you be joining?”
“Next week. Um, but I didn’t hear it.”
“Hear what?”
“The evaluation.”
He scowled.
“They didn’t tell you that even while asking you to join?”
Nick had spent a long time praising me. But that was the director’s evaluation—not Gilbert’s.
“Mr. Delgadora said he saw potential in my voice and that’s why they made the offer.”
“Anything else?”
“Sorry?”
“What else did he say?”
“Um… that my current skill isn’t great, but with proper training I’d improve.”
“And?”
Flustered by his rapid questions, I dug through my memory of that conversation.
Feeling embarrassed repeating praise about myself, I lowered my head further. He didn’t seem to mind.
“Is that all?”
So I said without thinking,
“He also said you found my singing impressive. And that’s why you suggested I join.”
“The director said that?”
I nodded slightly. My grip on the sheet music tightened. His sharp features tilted to one side.
“Well, it’s all true. What didn’t you hear?”
“Whether you… truly liked my singing.”
“Ah.”
Realization flickered in his eyes. He met my gaze directly and smirked—the same expression I’d seen from the stage.
“I did.”
He admitted it easily. The stiffness in my face melted. That alone was enough.
But he continued.
“There are three reasons I chose you.”
He raised three fingers.
“One, quick learning. You completely changed your vocal technique in just a month.”
My eyes widened. I had never imagined he’d remembered me.
Unbothered, he folded down one finger.
“Even if you’d always known both styles, switching so cleanly is hard. There are usually traces of the previous technique left, which makes it sound unpolished.”
Silently, I listened as he folded down another finger.
“Two, a unique tone. You already know that. People are born with a certain voice, and yours is a good one.”
I was grateful twilight hid my face—because it was definitely turning red.
But I couldn’t control my quickening heartbeat.
“Three—and this is the most important.”
He folded down the last finger and made a loose fist, smiling wide.
“It was just… pleasant to listen to.”
At first, it sounded like a flimsy reason. But when I met his utterly serious eyes, I understood—
for him, that simple pleasant mattered more than all the rest.
