Everyone must have caught the meaning behind that look.
"Lady Redfield did this…?"
"The workers prepared it. I just found what was needed for the thirsty ones. Don't overthink it, just drink."
"Thank you for your consideration!"
The ladies raised their glasses and thanked me.
What? I just asked for it because I was about to collapse from hunger.
Thanks to Natalie's Spartan-style diet, I didn't even have the energy to complain.
The ladies, who had been as exhausted as a puppy after a walk, regained their sharpness. I, too, felt a bit better after filling my stomach. I had enough energy to go home.
The healthiest-looking lady raised her voice.
"Thank you, Lady Redfield. Thanks to you, we'll be able to practice a little more—"
"You're going to practice again? Haven't you all gotten tired?"
Maybe it's because I'm young?
Having the mindset of someone in their late 20s, buried in work, I looked around in surprise. The lady who had stepped forward hesitated and spoke.
"Of course, it's hard. But like the teacher said, the road ahead is long."
The others nodded.
"Just memorizing the lyrics is difficult."
"It's not just one or two songs, and the scales are complicated…"
That's true. To succeed in this performance—no, at least to get through it without being criticized—requires a lot of practice.
'But it doesn't make sense that they gave us such difficult pieces in the first place!'
As another lady mentioned earlier, aristocratic charity concerts usually feature easy songs. The purpose of this event isn't a talent show, but just for society people to gather, enjoy themselves, clap, and collect money.
Still, the reason we got opera songs is—
"Eek!"
The maid carrying the empty trolley screamed. It seemed like she bumped into someone, and I could hear the loud clattering of a tray falling. But above all that, a loud, strong woman's voice rang out.
"Oh my, do noble people in the royal palace just walk over commoners with trolleys?"
"I'm so sorry! It was a mistake…"
"No, I'm really asking because I don't know. What's the answer?"
The maid quickly tried to move the trolley away, but the "victim" wasn't budging. Does she really want to be run over?
Unable to watch any longer, I stepped forward.
Of course, I didn't step forward to argue.
I can't argue.
"The trolley can only pass along the path. Even in the royal palace, the rules here aren't any different from a regular restaurant. Sometimes, you might bump into someone blocking the way by mistake. You should be careful when passing in front of doors."
"..."
"Do you understand now? If you need further clarification, feel free to ask."
Instead of being overly sweet, I acted as polite as I could!
If this were a library, I might've received a complaint about how the librarian mocked me, but thankfully, there's no complaint box here.
The beautiful lady with snow-white skin narrowed her brow.
Why? You're the one who said, "I'm really asking because I don't know," right?
The lady who looked uncomfortable was Pearl Snow.
She was Percival's lover, whom I had encountered in the hallway when Tristan came to visit.
In the meantime, the maid hurriedly took the trolley and ran away. Pearl tried to catch her but gave up and answered my question.
"No, it's fine. By the way, there are quite a lot of people in the practice room."
"Yes. What brings you here?"
"Well, it's a music room, so of course I came to practice music. Haven't you finished yet?"
"I didn't hear that the next person has a reservation. Did you make a reservation?"
"Oh, do I need a reservation? I heard that for the success of the concert, we can practice anytime, anywhere…"
She gracefully lowered her eyes. That was also a look of dismissiveness towards us in the music room.
"If you all need practice, there's no helping it. I understand. I overheard in the hallway that it sounds like you still have a long way to go."
Someone behind me let out a rough "Hah!" I understand. They probably wanted to grab her by the collar.
But what would grabbing her do?
I kept my tone calm as I said, "Oh, what a stroke of luck running into Miss Snow here."
"Huh?"
"You said we have a long way to go. How about helping us with our practice from now on?"
"Wait, I came to practice for myself…"
"Prince Percival said that even our lack of skill could become a new harmony with Miss Snow. Oh, I feel so relieved."
"Wait a minute! We're not doing a choir! It's just the parts…"
"Harmony doesn't only mean the literal definition, does it? The combination of our efforts and Miss Snow's technique can also be considered harmony! Please come in. First, we'll sing a song each, and you can listen—"
"I'll come at the break time!"
Pearl took two steps into the music room but immediately backed out.
Goodbye. It was a nuisance, and I hope we never meet again.
I closed the door and turned around.
"You came to be run over by a trolley, I see. Quite an unusual preference."
A few ladies laughed at my joke. But most of them sighed loudly, like "Ha, haa, sss, ee…"
Of course, those sighs were directed at Pearl Snow.
"She's really shameless. Does she think everything in the palace is hers?"
"Acting so proud even though she's not an extraordinary singer!"
"To use the concert for her own benefit… Prince Percival is really…"
As soon as Percival was mentioned, everyone fell silent. This is the royal palace. Even though Percival is the root cause of everything, we can't directly insult the prince.
But I'm sure everyone's cursing him in their minds.
He's the one who chose complicated songs for the charity concert.
'If ten people are stuck with easy songs, it's a waste of both the ladies' time and talent, don't you think? The audience must be tired of it as well. Since we've received several opera pieces that just wrapped up, let's try singing a few of them here.'
Of course, the opinions of those who would actually be singing were not considered.
The high-ranking officials seemed to nod, thinking, 'Ah, the young ones are so enthusiastic,' while any practical concerns like 'Isn't this going to be difficult?' were swiftly brushed aside by Percival's true plan.
'The most difficult parts will be left to the singers. The ladies can handle the easier pieces.'
How generous of him to pretend! But we all know what his true intention is!
He's leaving the 'real' parts for his singer lover!
We're just here as supporting players.
But it's hard to point that out.
'Percival, that sly b*stard.'
Anyway, Percival cleverly relieved the crown princess of one of her responsibilities and proposed improvements for the event. At least, from a societal standpoint, he did his part.
If I were to say, 'Isn't he using the ladies to make his lover shine?' the sycophants would just say something like, 'Heh, why are you worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet?'
If that b*stard says, 'Oh… Were you jealous that entertainers are getting all the attention? But remember, you ladies are here for the charity event,' I'd have nothing to say.
It's obvious.
Exactly what it is.
'A smooth-talking, annoying middle manager.'
Ugh, damn it.
I thought I wouldn't meet this type of villain in a romance novel.
"Pearl Snow types are typical, so at least they're cute…"
A lady nearby flinched.
"Who, who did you say was cute?"
"…No one."
Soon, people resumed practicing. But after Pearl's unpleasant glare as she left, the atmosphere noticeably sank, and the practice ended in a lackluster way.
That was a relief for me. I was honestly about to collapse from hunger.
"Good job, everyone…"
As people walked past me, they whispered,
"It felt a bit better earlier, Lady Redfield. Thank you."
"I just did what I could."
At least here, I was an elder, and my fiancé's position was somewhat higher.
The problem was, I couldn't just lash out at Percival, the main culprit.
'I'm not even a princess, and he's my fiancé's older brother.'
This is my limit.
But…
I still don't want to keep seeing teenagers in their late teens, early twenties, sulking like this.
The last lady to leave the music room turned around.
"Lady Redfield, will you stay?"
"Yes. I have something to do at the palace for a bit."
"Then I'll see you at the next practice. …Of course, it would be even better if I could see you at a tea party as well. I had such a great time at the last hunting competition."
After the familiar faces left, I glanced at my music score as I left the music room. The melody was complicated, but the most difficult part was the lyrics, which were hard to memorize.
'This isn't easy.'
I don't want to accept it as it is.
…Then I suddenly thought of something I could do.
'Which way is the palace library?'
Books might have the answers.
I asked the maids for directions.
Thinking about going to the library after such a long time made me feel a little better.