Translator: Missme
Editor: Aru
‘No way, back then was that person Rina…?’
Perhaps because of the feeling, the two felt quite similar, so I felt like the puzzle was slowly coming together.
If Rina was the woman I saw back then, Rina’s reactions were explained.
“I didn’t know it was you until the end, but I was surprised to hear what Rina said. I didn’t even know you’d come to the Solenia Festival in the first place.”
“I know. I somehow ended up going.”
I smiled awkwardly and sneaked away from Veloca’s gaze.
That’s right because the original Lena always refused when Veloca asked her to go to the festival and was stuck in a theatre, and even if she somehow went to the festival, she returned before the competition of Kitara selection began.
Anyway, that means that Rina was the person I saw back then.
The world is small.
When I saw Rina with curious eyes, she suddenly bowed to me.
“I’m sorry, sunbae-nim.”
“Yes? About what?”
“I spoke informally to you at the festival. I pretended not to know because I thought you would feel burdened if I pretended to be your hoobae in the theatre. But I am indeed your fan. I really like you.”
Oh, because she spoke informally.
Well, that wasn’t something to apologize for.
“It’s okay, and I know you’re my fan.”
I changed my hair colour and even wore a mask back then, I couldn’t believe there’s a person who could recognize me just by looking at my performance.
“Can I call you Rina?”
“Really? It’s an honour if you do that!”
Her bright smile like a flower was really pretty.
Well, since we’re talking about festivals, it’s better to correct the misunderstanding, right?
“And I’m sorry, but I didn’t come because I knew who you were. To be honest, I didn’t even recognize you until I heard the story just now.”
“What? Then the reason why you’re here today…”
“I’m here to see Rael and Veloca. And I wanted to see a reenactment of my performance. I didn’t know Rina was the main character or the woman I saw then.”
“Ah…”
Rina’s expression, which had been in full bloom the whole time, became sullen.
Looking at her expression, I regretted it a little without realizing it.
Should I pretend to recognize her and come here because of her?
But I didn’t have to lie about this.
I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt my conscience anymore.
‘That kind of thing should stop with Caleb only.’
I wiped the bitterness and brushed my lips and smiled broadly.
“And I don’t think I can give you this bouquet because it belongs to Rael. But in return for your good acting, I want to give you a bouquet to you. If it’s okay, do you want to go to the flower shop with me later?”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
As I nodded, Rina’s face widened.
To the extent that I could not have imagined that she was a person who had been gloomy and sullen just a little while ago.
“Then-then I’ll get ready to go out right away! Please wait a moment!”
That way, Rina left the waiting room.
The sound of her footsteps echoed through the door that had not been closed before as if she had not even thought of closing it.
It seemed to be the sound of Rina running.
‘She doesn’t have to rush like that.’
“Doesn’t she look like a good kid?”
“Are you talking about Rina?”
“Then who would I talk about?”
Veloca shrugged, and I gently affirmed, saying, “I know right.”
We didn’t talk much, but in that brief moment, I could say that Rina is a good kid.
“Anyway, thank you for the bouquet. I already received Dahlia flowers in the morning, but I couldn’t believe I also received them from you. I usually only receive roses, so it’s nice to receive a lot of Dahlia flowers.”
“Did anyone else give Dahlia flowers to you?”
“Yes. A woman who looked like a noble lady gave it to me.”
That’s really unusual.
As Veloca said, people usually only present roses to the performers.
Since it’s common.
“I guess it’s because it’s Dahlia season these days.”
Veloca’s addition reminded me of what the florist said earlier.
Come to think of it, flowers with strong colours like Dahlia are popular, right?
Then I guess they just gave it to her because it was pretty.
“And I saw that guy, too?”
“That guy?”
“I mean the guy who came with you before. The tall guy with silver hair.”
I wondered, but when I heard the description, it was Caleb.
Did he come here?
“When did you see him?”
“I said earlier that I received Dahlia flowers from a noble lady before, right? He came with her.”
At that moment, my heart sank.
It wasn’t because Caleb came with a woman other than me.
Rather, because I thought I would know the identity of the woman who came with him.
“Can you tell me more about the woman? Her name or appearance.”
“I can tell you but… I don’t know her very well either. I don’t know because I didn’t ask her name. I don’t know her age either, but I think she looked a little younger than us. Oh, and the colour of her hair was unusual.”
“Was it light blonde? With pinkish hue?”
“How did you know? Do you know her?”
“I do know her.”
I shut my mouth as I recalled my relationship with Vivian. Because there was nothing else to say other than that.
Caleb came with Vivian.
When I learned that they had come together, I remembered the scene in the original story that the two of them were coming to the reenacting play in “The Flower of Elfida.”
‘It’s just like the original.’
I should definitely be relieved of that fact.
It’s something to be happy about because it means my safety is guaranteed, but… my heart ached.
As I clenched my fists invisible to others, Veloca tilted her head.
“Come to think of it, you didn’t wear that necklace today either. Is it just that I can’t see it because your clothes are covering it?”
“Necklace? What are you talking about?”
“There was something you always wore. Is it like a guardian charm? Anyway, it’s something you’ve had since you were born.”
Then Veloca eagerly explained to me the shape of the necklace.
It doesn’t look expensive with only a string attached to something that looks like a stone, but it’s been with me since I was abandoned at the orphanage, so I always wore it like a guardian charm.
But it was my first time hearing it.
Even if I looked through Lena’s memories, it was the same.
I don’t know what Veloca’s talking about.
But to deny it, Veloca’s explanation is too detailed…
What if Veloca’s words are true? I’m sure she’ll think it’s weird if I say I don’t know.
“Sunbae-nim!”
Then Rina opened the door and shouted as she came in.
“I’m ready!”
“Rina is here. You should get going now, right?”
“Yes, I guess… But I have to give this bouquet to Rael, too…”
“I’ll deliver it for you, so go ahead.”
“May I ask for your help then?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Veloca. See you next time.”
I handed over the bouquet of flowers to Veloca, and I left the theatre with Rina.
And I stroke my chest, thinking that it was fortunate Rina came in just in time.
* * * * *
Rina has been smiling over as if it was really good for her to be with me.
It would be false to say that unconditional favours are not burdensome.
But I didn’t hate it.
Rather, Rina, who likes me, was cute, so I wanted to be nice to her.
“Oh, Rina!”
While talking to Rina and walking down the street, a man called out to Rina.
Is he her friend?
But he looked much older than Rina.
And the guy didn’t look like Rina to be called her father but…why does he look so familiar? Where did I see him before?
That was when I was staring at the man whose belly was sticking out like a tadpole.
“Hello, Viscount.”
“How have you been? I was going to visit you once, but I still didn’t have the time. I heard you got the lead role this time? Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
The man naturally put his hand on Rina’s waist.
Rina flinched and moved little by little as if she were uncomfortable.
I remembered for a moment. About where I saw this man before.
It’s because there was a time when this man did that to me.
‘Veloca said that he rarely visits the theatre anymore, but I could see his habits really didn’t change.’
While I was looking at the man, the man also stared at me.
But because I was wearing a bonnet, he couldn’t see my face well.
“By the way, who is this woman? Is she an actor too?”
“She’s my senior.”
“A senior? But why does it feel like I’ve never seen her before? I’ve been in and out of the theatre in my old days.”
The man smiled insidiously and looked up and down at me.
“So what’s her name?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Rina glanced at me.
It seemed to ask if she could tell him my name.
I smiled as if not to worry about that.
And I opened my mouth faster than Rina.
“My name is Lena.”
“Oh! Lena! Your name is pretty…?”
The man paused while talking.
And the man’s expression became white as if saying ‘no way.’
“Le-Lena!?”
“Hello, Viscount Casaro.”
I smiled, slightly raising my bonnet up.
The face of the man who confirmed my face turned more white like a ghost.
At the same time, the man quickly covered his legs.
Well, with this it’s clear.
This man is that person from then.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
As I approached, spitting those words out, the Viscount took a deep breath and stepped back.
And without saying anything, he turned around and ran away.
“He’s gone.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t hide my regret.
In the past, I heard that Viscount Casaro made a false rumour that I was a yobu on the street of the market.
‘I was going to rebuke him.’
However, Viscount Casaro had already fled.
But is this way better than that?
He’s just one of the unpleasant people to me, but he may be a good supporter of Rina.
“I’m sorry, Rina. What if the sponsorship is cut off because of me?”
“What? No. It’s okay. And rather than blaming you, I’m more grateful, sunbae-nim.”
Rina shook her head hard.
“Actually, Viscount Casaro was a person who I was uncomfortable with. He says he’s sponsoring the play because he likes it, but as you can see…”
“……”
“If I said I don’t need it, he gets angry and makes a fuss about the sponsor, so it’s hard to cut him off.”
I felt relieved after hearing her explanation.
He was definitely the worst of the worst.
“The theatre owner said that our theatre doesn’t need this kind of support so we should cut it off if we can. But the opponent is the Viscount. I’m afraid that it might cause harm to the theatre because of me.”
Rina said, holding her other arm tightly with one arm.
“This is because the previous emperor ascended to the throne and cut off the Imperial Family aid if they just continue to support us… Oh, I complained too much, right?”
“It’s okay. It’s true that the current emperor hated the play and cut off the aid, so the theatre industry declined. If we don’t understand each other, who will sympathize and understand?”
“Sunbae-nim…”
Rina looked at me with a face full of emotion.
Oh, my. Her eyes look brighter than before.
“Well, let’s forget about it and eat something delicious. Let’s get a bouquet when we part ways. That way, it will wither less.”
“Yes! I like that!”
Rina’s lively answer made me laugh without realizing it.
After that, we wandered here and there.
After shopping together and eating delicious food, time had passed and time to part ways had come closer.
Finally, when it’s time to buy a bouquet of flowers, which was the original purpose and give it to Rina.
It’s a shame that we have to part ways.
“Thank you for today, Sunbae-nim. I had a lot of fun. Thank you for the bouquet and dinner.”
Rina bowed to me with the bouquet I bought for her.
“I had a lot of fun, too. Then go home safely.”
“Yes, have a safe trip home, Sunbae-nim.”
I was about to turn around to break up like that.
“Su-sunbae-nim!”
—————
Translator: Missme
Editor: Aru
‘No way, back then was that person Rina…?’
Perhaps because of the feeling, the two felt quite similar, so I felt like the puzzle was slowly coming together.
If Rina was the woman I saw back then, Rina’s reactions were explained.
“I didn’t know it was you until the end, but I was surprised to hear what Rina said. I didn’t even know you’d come to the Solenia Festival in the first place.”
“I know. I somehow ended up going.”
I smiled awkwardly and sneaked away from Veloca’s gaze.
That’s right because the original Lena always refused when Veloca asked her to go to the festival and was stuck in a theatre, and even if she somehow went to the festival, she returned before the competition of Kitara selection began.
Anyway, that means that Rina was the person I saw back then.
The world is small.
When I saw Rina with curious eyes, she suddenly bowed to me.
“I’m sorry, sunbae-nim.”
“Yes? About what?”
“I spoke informally to you at the festival. I pretended not to know because I thought you would feel burdened if I pretended to be your hoobae in the theatre. But I am indeed your fan. I really like you.”
Oh, because she spoke informally.
Well, that wasn’t something to apologize for.
“It’s okay, and I know you’re my fan.”
I changed my hair colour and even wore a mask back then, I couldn’t believe there’s a person who could recognize me just by looking at my performance.
“Can I call you Rina?”
“Really? It’s an honour if you do that!”
Her bright smile like a flower was really pretty.
Well, since we’re talking about festivals, it’s better to correct the misunderstanding, right?
“And I’m sorry, but I didn’t come because I knew who you were. To be honest, I didn’t even recognize you until I heard the story just now.”
“What? Then the reason why you’re here today…”
“I’m here to see Rael and Veloca. And I wanted to see a reenactment of my performance. I didn’t know Rina was the main character or the woman I saw then.”
“Ah…”
Rina’s expression, which had been in full bloom the whole time, became sullen.
Looking at her expression, I regretted it a little without realizing it.
Should I pretend to recognize her and come here because of her?
But I didn’t have to lie about this.
I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt my conscience anymore.
‘That kind of thing should stop with Caleb only.’
I wiped the bitterness and brushed my lips and smiled broadly.
“And I don’t think I can give you this bouquet because it belongs to Rael. But in return for your good acting, I want to give you a bouquet to you. If it’s okay, do you want to go to the flower shop with me later?”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
As I nodded, Rina’s face widened.
To the extent that I could not have imagined that she was a person who had been gloomy and sullen just a little while ago.
“Then-then I’ll get ready to go out right away! Please wait a moment!”
That way, Rina left the waiting room.
The sound of her footsteps echoed through the door that had not been closed before as if she had not even thought of closing it.
It seemed to be the sound of Rina running.
‘She doesn’t have to rush like that.’
“Doesn’t she look like a good kid?”
“Are you talking about Rina?”
“Then who would I talk about?”
Veloca shrugged, and I gently affirmed, saying, “I know right.”
We didn’t talk much, but in that brief moment, I could say that Rina is a good kid.
“Anyway, thank you for the bouquet. I already received Dahlia flowers in the morning, but I couldn’t believe I also received them from you. I usually only receive roses, so it’s nice to receive a lot of Dahlia flowers.”
“Did anyone else give Dahlia flowers to you?”
“Yes. A woman who looked like a noble lady gave it to me.”
That’s really unusual.
As Veloca said, people usually only present roses to the performers.
Since it’s common.
“I guess it’s because it’s Dahlia season these days.”
Veloca’s addition reminded me of what the florist said earlier.
Come to think of it, flowers with strong colours like Dahlia are popular, right?
Then I guess they just gave it to her because it was pretty.
“And I saw that guy, too?”
“That guy?”
“I mean the guy who came with you before. The tall guy with silver hair.”
I wondered, but when I heard the description, it was Caleb.
Did he come here?
“When did you see him?”
“I said earlier that I received Dahlia flowers from a noble lady before, right? He came with her.”
At that moment, my heart sank.
It wasn’t because Caleb came with a woman other than me.
Rather, because I thought I would know the identity of the woman who came with him.
“Can you tell me more about the woman? Her name or appearance.”
“I can tell you but… I don’t know her very well either. I don’t know because I didn’t ask her name. I don’t know her age either, but I think she looked a little younger than us. Oh, and the colour of her hair was unusual.”
“Was it light blonde? With pinkish hue?”
“How did you know? Do you know her?”
“I do know her.”
I shut my mouth as I recalled my relationship with Vivian. Because there was nothing else to say other than that.
Caleb came with Vivian.
When I learned that they had come together, I remembered the scene in the original story that the two of them were coming to the reenacting play in “The Flower of Elfida.”
‘It’s just like the original.’
I should definitely be relieved of that fact.
It’s something to be happy about because it means my safety is guaranteed, but… my heart ached.
As I clenched my fists invisible to others, Veloca tilted her head.
“Come to think of it, you didn’t wear that necklace today either. Is it just that I can’t see it because your clothes are covering it?”
“Necklace? What are you talking about?”
“There was something you always wore. Is it like a guardian charm? Anyway, it’s something you’ve had since you were born.”
Then Veloca eagerly explained to me the shape of the necklace.
It doesn’t look expensive with only a string attached to something that looks like a stone, but it’s been with me since I was abandoned at the orphanage, so I always wore it like a guardian charm.
But it was my first time hearing it.
Even if I looked through Lena’s memories, it was the same.
I don’t know what Veloca’s talking about.
But to deny it, Veloca’s explanation is too detailed…
What if Veloca’s words are true? I’m sure she’ll think it’s weird if I say I don’t know.
“Sunbae-nim!”
Then Rina opened the door and shouted as she came in.
“I’m ready!”
“Rina is here. You should get going now, right?”
“Yes, I guess… But I have to give this bouquet to Rael, too…”
“I’ll deliver it for you, so go ahead.”
“May I ask for your help then?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Veloca. See you next time.”
I handed over the bouquet of flowers to Veloca, and I left the theatre with Rina.
And I stroke my chest, thinking that it was fortunate Rina came in just in time.
* * * * *
Rina has been smiling over as if it was really good for her to be with me.
It would be false to say that unconditional favours are not burdensome.
But I didn’t hate it.
Rather, Rina, who likes me, was cute, so I wanted to be nice to her.
“Oh, Rina!”
While talking to Rina and walking down the street, a man called out to Rina.
Is he her friend?
But he looked much older than Rina.
And the guy didn’t look like Rina to be called her father but…why does he look so familiar? Where did I see him before?
That was when I was staring at the man whose belly was sticking out like a tadpole.
“Hello, Viscount.”
“How have you been? I was going to visit you once, but I still didn’t have the time. I heard you got the lead role this time? Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
The man naturally put his hand on Rina’s waist.
Rina flinched and moved little by little as if she were uncomfortable.
I remembered for a moment. About where I saw this man before.
It’s because there was a time when this man did that to me.
‘Veloca said that he rarely visits the theatre anymore, but I could see his habits really didn’t change.’
While I was looking at the man, the man also stared at me.
But because I was wearing a bonnet, he couldn’t see my face well.
“By the way, who is this woman? Is she an actor too?”
“She’s my senior.”
“A senior? But why does it feel like I’ve never seen her before? I’ve been in and out of the theatre in my old days.”
The man smiled insidiously and looked up and down at me.
“So what’s her name?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Rina glanced at me.
It seemed to ask if she could tell him my name.
I smiled as if not to worry about that.
And I opened my mouth faster than Rina.
“My name is Lena.”
“Oh! Lena! Your name is pretty…?”
The man paused while talking.
And the man’s expression became white as if saying ‘no way.’
“Le-Lena!?”
“Hello, Viscount Casaro.”
I smiled, slightly raising my bonnet up.
The face of the man who confirmed my face turned more white like a ghost.
At the same time, the man quickly covered his legs.
Well, with this it’s clear.
This man is that person from then.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
As I approached, spitting those words out, the Viscount took a deep breath and stepped back.
And without saying anything, he turned around and ran away.
“He’s gone.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t hide my regret.
In the past, I heard that Viscount Casaro made a false rumour that I was a yobu on the street of the market.
‘I was going to rebuke him.’
However, Viscount Casaro had already fled.
But is this way better than that?
He’s just one of the unpleasant people to me, but he may be a good supporter of Rina.
“I’m sorry, Rina. What if the sponsorship is cut off because of me?”
“What? No. It’s okay. And rather than blaming you, I’m more grateful, sunbae-nim.”
Rina shook her head hard.
“Actually, Viscount Casaro was a person who I was uncomfortable with. He says he’s sponsoring the play because he likes it, but as you can see…”
“……”
“If I said I don’t need it, he gets angry and makes a fuss about the sponsor, so it’s hard to cut him off.”
I felt relieved after hearing her explanation.
He was definitely the worst of the worst.
“The theatre owner said that our theatre doesn’t need this kind of support so we should cut it off if we can. But the opponent is the Viscount. I’m afraid that it might cause harm to the theatre because of me.”
Rina said, holding her other arm tightly with one arm.
“This is because the previous emperor ascended to the throne and cut off the Imperial Family aid if they just continue to support us… Oh, I complained too much, right?”
“It’s okay. It’s true that the current emperor hated the play and cut off the aid, so the theatre industry declined. If we don’t understand each other, who will sympathize and understand?”
“Sunbae-nim…”
Rina looked at me with a face full of emotion.
Oh, my. Her eyes look brighter than before.
“Well, let’s forget about it and eat something delicious. Let’s get a bouquet when we part ways. That way, it will wither less.”
“Yes! I like that!”
Rina’s lively answer made me laugh without realizing it.
After that, we wandered here and there.
After shopping together and eating delicious food, time had passed and time to part ways had come closer.
Finally, when it’s time to buy a bouquet of flowers, which was the original purpose and give it to Rina.
It’s a shame that we have to part ways.
“Thank you for today, Sunbae-nim. I had a lot of fun. Thank you for the bouquet and dinner.”
Rina bowed to me with the bouquet I bought for her.
“I had a lot of fun, too. Then go home safely.”
“Yes, have a safe trip home, Sunbae-nim.”
I was about to turn around to break up like that.
“Su-sunbae-nim!”
—————
