“Even if it turns out that way, I still believe this is the best choice for me right now. So please, I ask you to withdraw your offer, my lord. Please.”
As soon as Maylily Aile finished speaking, the man removed the cigar from his lips and placed it calmly in the ashtray.
“I suppose our conversation ends here. You may go.”
Had her desperate plea worked?
The Earl, who had steadily pressed her with quiet force until now, released her without resistance.
Afraid he might change his mind, Maylily quickly left the office. She bowed politely to the director and the Earl’s secretary, who were waiting in the hallway, then returned to the rehearsal hall.
Rehearsal proceeded smoothly and wrapped up by sunset.
Maylily, worn out from the day’s tension, returned to the dressing room, her body heavier than usual. Just as she began to prepare to leave, she was summoned once more by the director.
“Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come to rehearsals, Maylily Aile.”
As soon as she stepped into his office, the words hit her like lightning. Her face turned pale.
“W-what do you mean, Director? The new season is just around the corner…”
“You were so foolish you didn’t even realize the consequences of your actions. As of this moment, you are no longer a member of the Roden Opera Company. Pack your things and leave the theater immediately.”
Just like that, the tower Maylily had carefully built since last summer collapsed in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion.
Maylily Aile appeared at the performers’ exit behind the east wing of the theater long after the violet dusk had swallowed the sky.
“Lady Maylily Aile has just stepped out, my lord.”
From the other side of the street, near the massive zelkova tree standing beside the theater, a coach was parked in the shadows.
Inside it, David gave his report respectfully.
Seated within the carriage, Hugh slowly turned his eyes away from the papers he was reading and looked out the window.
On the quiet street, emptied after the opera company members had gone home, a woman stood alone. She wore a worn-out coat and a thick scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. Under the glow of streetlamps lining the road, her blonde hair shimmered softly with a pinkish hue.
Holding a heavy bag full of personal belongings to her chest, she took slow, measured steps. Then she stopped. As she turned to look back the way she came, the sorrow and hesitation in her stance made it clear she had not fully let go.
“Did Director Fritz say he would leave the position open?”
Hugh asked as he looked out the window.
“Yes,” David replied respectfully. “He said Miss Aile’s role was small enough that she could be replaced at any time. Honestly, if it meant gaining your support, he would likely create a role from nothing just to offer it to you.”
“Those who bow to money are always easy to handle.”
Hugh’s lips curled slightly as he turned his eyes back to the street. David followed his gaze and this time saw Maylily placing her bag on the ground. She took out a handkerchief and quietly wiped her tears.
Her features were delicate and sharp, framed by a smooth jawline. Her pale skin looked clear and flawless, and her slender figure showed even through her simple clothing.
Even in the fading light, her beauty stood out just as the informants had described. Every source had said the same. She was beautiful.
Victor Heywood is searching for his daughter. The last thing he has left to sell to an aging noble.
When rumors that started in the back alleys of Burheen reached Hugh, it had taken David less than a week to gather a full report on the woman behind the whispers. To achieve such a thing, they had spent money without hesitation, as if pouring water. Even David had quietly thought it was madness.
But after meeting her earlier that day outside the director’s office, his opinion changed immediately.
She was worth it.
Even if the money was not his, but Hugh’s.
They had found her before Victor Heywood did, so everything should have gone as planned. The problem began when she did something no one had expected. She refused Hugh’s offer.
That single decision threw off everything.
The opera world was filled with complicated networks of ambition, power, and quiet deals. It was a place where money spoke louder than talent. Even singers could not escape that truth. Sponsorship was a common and accepted way to survive and succeed, especially for those seeking better roles and financial stability.
Maylily Aile may have been new to the stage, but she could not be unaware of how things worked.
Especially when her income from singing was so little that she had to work part-time at a restaurant. Her aunt’s household, where she lived, was not well off either.
So why did she turn it down?
She had refused the hand of one of the richest men on the continent.
And now, after daring to stand against someone she should never have challenged, she was left sobbing in front of the theater that had just thrown her out.
Even from a distance, the shaking of her shoulders was clearly visible.
As sympathy began to rise in him, David quickly looked away and adjusted his glasses. It was better to cut off that kind of emotion before it could grow.
Only after Maylily wiped her tears and began walking again did Hugh finally take his eyes off the window. In the soft evening light, his blue-gray eyes looked even darker than usual.
“Will you visit the restaurant tomorrow?”
“No. I will wait a few days. I want to give Miss Aile enough time to fully reflect on today’s lesson.”
Hugh ended the conversation with a cool smile and tapped twice on the wall of the carriage. The coach began to move, leaving behind the woman who had not yet fully stepped away from the theater. It rolled slowly into the deepening night.
As spring’s social season approached, Roden became more crowded each day. For the people living in Cryer District, home to commoners and workers, the social season felt like something from another world. But since Cryer sat just across the Pez River from Averk District, the heart of the capital’s high society, even this side of the city became livelier than usual.
Because of that, the restaurant in central Cryer was flooded with customers today. In the middle of it all, Maylily Aile rushed around in her white apron, taking orders and serving food.
Oddly enough, the busy pace felt like a relief. It gave her something else to focus on besides the heavy thoughts that had been weighing her down lately.
It had already been six months since she started working as a waitress. The income from singing in the chorus was not enough to live on in the city. She had once dreamed of earning a solid position at the opera company, where she could focus entirely on singing.
But instead, she had been pushed off the stage and now worked full-time in this restaurant.
“Go to Lord Everscourt tomorrow. Apologize and accept his offer. That’s your only way back.”
On the day she was dismissed, the director had pressured her to accept the Earl’s sponsorship.
But Maylily had no desire to get personally involved with nobles. She didn’t want to repeat her mother’s mistakes, which had left her with the lifelong mark of being born out of wedlock. That was a path she had always promised herself to avoid. It was also something her aunt, who had raised her, had always hoped she would stay away from.
In the end, Maylily decided to audition for another opera company this summer. Turning back so close to her dream was painful, but she reminded herself that sometimes stepping back was necessary to go forward.
She planned to continue her vocal lessons and prepare steadily for the audition.
To do that, she needed more than just living expenses. She also had to cover lesson fees. So the very next day after leaving the company, she asked Mr. Hosier, the restaurant owner, if she could work more hours.
“If you’re willing, I’d be more than happy to have you.”
Mr. Hosier had been short on staff, and good workers like Maylily were hard to find. She was reliable, polite, and hardworking.
Since then, she had worked every single day without rest.
“Lily, table by the window. Some guy who looks like a prince is asking for you by name. He doesn’t seem like he’s from around here. Maybe word about you reached the upper district.”
Nora whispered teasingly as she gently tapped Maylily’s arm while passing by with a tray.
“Oh, come on. I’ll go check. Thanks, Nora.”
It wasn’t unusual for a few regular customers to ask for her specifically, so Maylily answered without much thought. She pulled her notepad and pencil from her apron pocket and started walking over.
But then she froze.
She had seen the side of the man’s face seated at the window, and it stopped her in her tracks.
The man, who had been looking out the window toward the street, slowly turned his head as if he had felt her gaze. Their eyes met in the air, and in that moment, it felt as if all the noise in the restaurant had vanished. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, loud and unsteady.
What is the Earl of Everscourt doing here?
His hair was neatly brushed, shining with a healthy gloss. His calm eyes remained unbothered by the chatter around him. His black coat was perfectly tailored, and his posture was straight and composed. Leather gloves covered his hands, and his shoes were spotless.
He looked completely out of place in this humble restaurant.
The other customers seemed to think the same. They were stealing glances at him, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe.
Why had he come here?
With her mind full of questions, Maylily slowly walked toward him, unsure of what to expect.
