Fortunately, Marie didn't hear Cecily's whispers, but that didn't make things any better. Cecily wrapped her arms around me as if she was no longer hiding it, and rested her head on his shoulder.
If you look at it this way, it may seem like a warm and sweet scene, but the problem is that I have a girlfriend. It also sits right next to it.
No matter how much you like Cecily, you have to deal with it decisively. Marie can be disappointing and this is the bare minimum.
"Sister. I'm sorry, but please release this."
"If you don't like it?"
"Do you think you will hate your sister?"
"… …"
Cecily, too, shuddered, perhaps belatedly realizing her mistake at my firm point. Then she looked at me with a subtle expression and looked at Marie, who was sitting next to me.
Marie purred like a cat, hugging my arm tightly, as if trying to steal it from me. Of course, it is a metaphorical expression, and it is openly showing signs of displeasure.
To her, Cecily, who is aiming for her boyfriend, looks like a desperate fox. Moreover, if her appearance and attractiveness are superior to her own, she is superior.
'But surprisingly, he doesn't say anything.'
If it had been before, I would have shouted that I would fall for Cecily right away, with twin wicks in my eyes, what is this? But right now, I'm just being vigilant and keeping my hair straight.
Maybe there was a change of heart due to the conversation they had during the day? I gently stroked Marie's hair as soon as Cecily released her hold on her arm.
It was a silent sign that no matter how much Cecily seduced me, I was your boyfriend and I would never let you down.
"…I'll see you this time."
Marie looked at my face as I stroked her hair and then muttered a little while avoiding her gaze. Her lips protruded from her jealousy and her cheeks, which were a little red even in the dark night, caught my eye.
How can jealousy be so lovely? I couldn't hide the corners of my vertically rising lips, so I whispered a little so that only the birds could be heard.
"If you don't believe me, can I kiss you?"
"…a real pervert. You are a real red pervert."
I don't know what the red pervert means, but it's probably because of my hair. I pinched Marie's glutinous rice cake once and checked Cecily's reaction.
A normal person would frown on him, saying he was a badass, but Cecily had a curious expression on his face. As if observing the two of us, he is expressing deep interest with his eyes wide open.
What the hell is she thinking? I asked Cecily, who was looking at me without even turning my gaze.
"sister?"
"yes?"
"What do you think?"
Cecily blinked a couple of times at my question before turning her head to Marie. She was now busy calming her cheeks that were burning as Marie was burning.
Moments later, Cecily looked away from Marie, looked directly at me, and opened her mouth with a grin.
"I was wondering if I could feel the emotions Marie is going through."
"… …"
"I'm sure Marie's reaction will make you feel good…"
"Hmm."
It is also her answer. I coughed to hide my embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Marie also fanned her hands to see if she had calmed down and straightened her posture. There was still a slight redness on his cheeks.
"The… do you know how the show goes?"
Marie asked a question to change the topic. I answered her, making one eye contact with her and then placing her gaze on her side of the stage (the plain pretending to be).
"First, the Lyrus Band will play. Then the Matrix will play."
"What time is the show?"
"About 3 hours in total. The Lyrus Band will play for 30 to 40 minutes, and the Matrix will play for the rest of the time."
"It's okay without rehearsal? As far as I know, I've heard that rehearsals are essential for performances like this."
Cecily, who had been listening quietly, asked, looking a little worried. As she said, rehearsal is essential for such a large-scale performance.
You need to know in advance how loud the sound is to be able to adjust it, and lighting is very important in extreme cases. It is a natural setting because you need to illuminate the characters brightly so that you can see each gesture carefully.
However, the holding of the exhibition was decided like a wall, and both the orchestra and the troupe arrived the day before the event.
Even if the two groups that boast the best in the world cannot rehearse, their meaning will inevitably fade in many ways.
"I do. But I've told the Lilus Band that we've had enough rehearsals, so it'll be fine."
"Then I'm glad…"
"Have you ever heard of the Lilus Band?"
I was talking with Cecily, who looked a bit anxious, and suddenly a question came to mind. She is a demon, and she hardly ever came out of Helium until Zeno's biography was published.
So far, we have not heard of the fact that the Lyrus Band or the Matrix Troupe also entered Helium. In the beginning, Helium had been designated as a country banned from entry, so even if you want to enter, you cannot enter.
So it means that Cecily has no contact with the two groups.
"It's not like that. However, there is an orchestra in Helium, so I have some common sense. I also know that the Lyrus Band is the best orchestra in the world."
"Then why are you so anxious?"
"Anyway, I'm afraid they won't be able to perform at their best. The music that the Lyrus Band will play in the future is the life of Sakran. The life of Sakran revealed the life of our demons in a fragmentary way."
I think I know what Cecily is worried about. The content of the music that the Lyrus Band will play is the life of Sakran.
In Xenon's biography, Sakran showed the tragic yet noble fate of the demons in a fragmentary way, and at the end imprinted the reader with the magnificence of ending his life as a human rather than a demon.
In a word, it is safe to say that it represents the life of the demons. Cecily is concerned that the Lyrus ensemble will not be able to articulate it properly.
"I think I know what your sister is worried about. But you don't have to worry too much. This is not about listening to music and inferring the meaning contained in it, it's about listening to music while you know the content."
"What do you do when exciting music comes out?"
"Um… It won't happen, but the original music feels different depending on the content, right? You'll understand when you listen."
Like adding sad music to a funny situation to make it more fun, like adding uplifting music to contrast with a sad scene to further emphasize the unfamiliar tragic nature, music has a subtle charm.
Of course, it would be a different story if the Lirus Band released music such as Turkish March because they were crazy, but you don't need to worry too much about it as it has a reputation for being the best in the world.
'I think the time has come now…'
On the plain masquerading as the stage, the instruments the Lyrus Band will play in the future are arranged side by side. The feeling of being one with nature is elegant and nice to look at.
Besides, I didn't know what kind of magic was being used on the side of the Imperial Palace, but I couldn't hear any noise from outside. Even though the festival is in full swing in the village.
It was prepared in a hurry in a way that almost squeezed the time, but it seems to go smoothly thanks to Leort and Lina's crazy hard work. In particular, the fact that they arbitrarily designated the plain itself as the stage without erecting a building was a choice that showed their sense.
"Isaac. Look over there."
"yes?"
As time passed and people were slowly coming in, Marie tapped my arm and pointed in one direction. He turned her head in the direction Marie had pointed with her finger.
When I turned my head, I saw Lina, Leort, and the Teres royal family sitting side by side, which I had seen before. They are not VIP level, but VVIP level, so they are sitting in a more suitable place to watch the stage than us.
As I glanced at them, who radiate various charms, Lina looked at me, perhaps feeling my gaze. Lina's eyes widened slightly as if she had found us too.
As soon as Lina saw us, I silently waved her hand. Lina also glanced at the royals Leorth and Teres sitting next to her, then nodded her head to greet her.
'It's not an easy place.'
At first glance, the princess may seem like a position where she can wield power as she pleases, but a closer look reveals that she is not at all.
What would you do if you had that power in your hands? It is a corporation that can be used properly to be a real strength. Above all, in such a place, you have to wear a mask and act so that you don't fall behind.
As I said before, I prefer someone who reveals their true feelings from the start rather than someone who uses a mask to understand the other person's intentions. So I'm dating Marie.
"Well…"
It reminds me of Marie. I stared at Marie, who was sitting next to me.
She was startled as I stared at her, then asked me in a stammering voice.
"Why, why are you looking at me like that?"
"number of animals."
"yes?"
"I just called."
"…what, really."
Marie grumbled with a look of Kim San-da at my pointless words. I smiled softly and took her hand without saying a word.
Marie took my hand softly as if she was used to it now. The soft feel of his hand warmed my heart.
'By the way, what the hell happened to Marie and Lina, so it's like this?'
Apparently, there is a circumstance in which Lina betrayed Marie, and I hadn't asked about it until now because I was afraid that it would provoke some sort of trauma. But when she sees the future, it would have been good for me to get to know Lina, but it's not a bad choice.
If Xenon's biography is serialized again, it will be much larger than it is now, and there is a strong possibility that he will be under pressure from various places. Until then, he will hide his identity, but nothing is eternal.
Therefore, it is unavoidable to have to work with authority figures like Lina and Cecily. Even if Marie's family was Duke of Requilis, there was a sense that it was not enough to intervene in the conflict between countries.
I quietly stared at the side of Marie, who fixed my gaze on the stage where preparations were in full swing, and then opened my mouth.
"number of animals."
"yes?"
"Can you give me some time after the festival is over? I have something to tell you."
At my request, Marie blinked her blue eyes and asked me the other way around.
"It doesn't matter, where are you going? Maybe again…"
Marie mumbles with a sinister expression and then taps my arm with her fist. I glanced at Cecily in some sense of embarrassment.
Fortunately, Cecily was busy watching the band prepare. Actually, on stage right now, he was simply playing to maintain the instrument, so it deserves attention.
I thought it would be okay, so I put my mouth to Marie's ear and whispered softly.
"It's not that, there's something I want to talk about with you. It's important."
"Yeah? Where are we going?"
I pondered where to go to her question and came up with an answer without thinking.
"Would you like to come to my bedroom? I think we can talk over a cup of coffee for a while."
"… …"
"Because it has something to do with you."
"… …"
As soon as he said that, Marie's reaction was a bit unusual. At first, she blinked her eyes and gave an expression that seemed less understanding of the situation, and then she quickly turned her face red from the nape of her neck.
He had a blank face, but only his skin turned red, and it felt like something was broken. But for me, I wondered why he was reacting like this.
As I tilted my head in doubt, Marie took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. Her ears, shyly exposed through her white hair, were blushing red.
"Really… it drives people crazy…"
"number of animals?"
"The mansion's bedroom is basically soundproof… What were you thinking of saying that… Besides, coffee in the middle of the night… Like the last escort, I don't think you really know… What should I do?"
He covered his face with his hands and mumbled, so he couldn't understand anything. But it was clear that I had made a mistake.
The reason I called her to the bedroom was because I thought it wouldn't matter if my parents and Marie's parents were there anyway. That's why Cecily called me to the bedroom.
I grabbed Marie's shoulder and shook it, calling her one after another. However, Marie was busy washing her face dry, brushing her shoulders as if to let her go.
"Ladies and gentlemen! You've been waiting for a long time. The Lirus Band's performance will start soon, so please take a seat!"
While I was singing Marie, a loud voice from the stage stimulated my ears as if everything was ready. It was loud, as if using a microphone.
When he turned his head forward, a middle-aged man in a neat uniform was standing proudly in the center of the stage. The conductor of the Lyrus Band that I saw this morning, is Lyrus.
I fixed my head toward the stage, hoping that the long-awaited performance would finally begin. Meanwhile, Marie muttered a little beside her.
"…Shall we just pretend we don't know?"
"number of animals."
"Whoa. Yeah. It's unavoidable. Cancer. It can't be helped."
It's not too late, but it's true.
"Isaac."
"yes?"
"I'll accept the 'invitation', okay?"
The words I brought out were an invitation that exactly matched 'Would you like to eat ramen?'.
However, I've never been to a social gathering, and I've had interpersonal relationships relatively recently, so I lack basic common sense.
Even drinking coffee in the middle of the night is in the same vein as not going to sleep.
That men and women don't sleep alone in the bedroom… you wouldn't have to tell me.
"okay."
I nodded my head without thinking.