The Regressed Maid Becomes A Prima Donna - Chapter 4

Mrs Sierra’s dressmaker’s shop was located in the middle of the capital, on the capital’s busiest street.

 

It was close to the Royal Palace, but it was the exact opposite of the townhouse where the mansions of nobles were gathered.

 

And the Central Temple, located on the other side of the Royal Palace, was so huge that it was incomparably larger than the provincial temples, and I could see the bells of the towering towers from anywhere in the capital, but the window of the room where I was staying was facing the temple exactly.

 

<“Whenever you come to the capital, come to the temple. I am always there.”>

 

I will probably find Martin in the Central Temple. But I didn’t want to visit the temple.

 

Of course, from time to time, I missed him madly and felt the urge to visit him, who didn’t even know me.

 

If I had completely shaken off my guilt about him, he might have done so, too.

 

I was saved by him, but I was poison to him. So this time, I decided not to even start anything.

 

‘It’s okay if he doesn’t remember me. Because I remember. Him and everything.’

 

I could vividly recall all the conversations I had with him.

 

Martin and music gave me a reason to live, and affirmed my daring to live.

 

It didn’t matter if it was my second life.

 

So I left the Lord’s castle and left Haron that way.

 

Before I am bound by the land again, before the things that tied me up catch me again. Before the courage close to impulse disappears. I didn’t even try to think about what was right and wrong.

 

I just decided to go to the capital.

 

I decided to go to the capital and sing.

 

***

 

“Sing?”

 

“Yes, it’s Mrs Sierra’s favourite song.”

 

Mrs Sierra put down the scissors she was cutting the fabric and smiled.

 

“Where’s the time to hear that?”

 

“Then would you like to listen now? May I sing you a song?”

 

All I knew was hymns and masses, and I could not sing properly without going to the temple.

 

Secretly, I sang in front of Mrs Sierra, but unfortunately, she had no hobby of listening to music as her husband died early and she lived a busy life alone without her children.

 

She didn’t go to the temple, so she wasn’t very inspired by hymns, and she didn’t like folk songs too much.

 

In addition, her house was located inside the main street, and the houses were close to each other, so it was not possible to sing the hymn to fill the space.

 

“Boy, I don’t know. If you like to sing that much, why not go to a tavern somewhere?”

 

She immediately realized that I was looking for a place to sing and that the ‘thing I wanted to do’ on the first day was also singing, and she advised me like that.

 

“At the tavern?”

 

“Yes. A tavern where people can listen to music while drinking. You don’t know?”

 

In her words, several of the capital’s many taverns even have singers singing on stage.

 

“Have you been to one, Mrs Sierra?”

 

“Oh my, boy. Why do I go there? Oh, maybe Teyla knows. Because she likes to drink. We ran out of fabric. Would you like to go and order some?”

 

Mr Teyla was the owner of a textile store that Mrs Sierra frequented. I gave her a quick nod and took off the apron.

 

“It’s dark blue velvet, right?”

 

“Yes. It’s almost time, come home right after placing the order.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

I looked away, waved my hand absently, and went outside the store. She seemed quite strict in my first job interview but was surprisingly not strict with her staff.

 

We lived together in the same house, but she doesn’t particularly care about her employee’s private life, and when she wakes up in the morning, she makes hot coffee that burns my mouth.

 

After I got used to her routine, I got up a little early and prepared breakfast for her as well.

 

That’s how I sat with her every morning, ate meals, and drank coffee with her.

 

The dressmaker’s work wasn’t too busy either. Although her store was not very famous, it belonged to a sincere store that steadily increased its regular customers.

 

<“I just have to earn enough to live on. What am I going to do when I’m rich?”>

 

Unlike other stores, even though it was the height of the socialite season, Mrs Sierra did not advertise much.

 

Let’s worry about it later, she said so.

 

Thanks to this, I was able to leave the dressmaker’s shop with light steps, even if it was a little earlier than work hours.

 

The capital, located south of Haron, was already warm like spring.

 

As I walked to the Teyla Textile Store, three blocks away from the dressmaker, my gaze naturally turned to one place.

 

A building was standing tall not far away.

 

It was still under construction, so the outline could not be seen properly, but it revealed a magnificent and overwhelming presence for its size.

 

I knew how the building would be finished and how it would be used.

 

It was called the Klein Theatre.

 

The building, which was completed in a previous life and soon became the most famous theatre in the Kingdom, was featured on the front page of the newspaper and the news reached Harun.

 

I had a brief chat with Martin about the Klein Theatre.

 

<“Martin, what if I want to sing something other than hymns? Could that be a sin?”>

 

Then, like a calf just beginning to walk, I would leave all my actions to Martin to tell the difference between right and wrong.

 

<“Why do you think that way?”>

 

<“Another article about the Klein theatre and Caroline Deese. See. It’s the highest sales ever.”>

 

The newspapers carried a large picture of the exterior of the Klein theatre and a portrait of Caroline Deese.

 

I was staring at the newspaper when I heard Martin laugh next to me.

 

<“Isn’t that your voice, Amber?”>

 

When I turned my head, I saw a shady face with its back to the sun. My favourite, infinitely gentle face was the source of my courage.

 

<“God loves you, so you can do anything.”>

 

The spring wind blew once again. The hair that fluttered in my ears tickled my cheek once again.

 

Before my eyes was the Klein theatre surrounded by steel frames.

 

An indicator of new music, standing tall in the middle of the capital city of Belfern, which never lagged behind any theatre in Diena, a city that loves art.

 

Having learned to read from Levistan, I borrowed my neighbour’s newspaper and read the Klein Theatre performance with Martin.

 

At that time, I was having dreams every night.

 

It would be wonderful to sing, standing in that theatre. How nice it would be to listen to a Prima Donna sing.

 

Until then, I never thought that I would be able to see the Klein Theatre with my own eyes.

 

<“You can do anything.”>

 

Martin’s voice rang in my ears again.

 

<“It’ll be even more amazing when it’s finished.”>

 

The exterior of the theatre, which was only seen in pictures, was much larger and more magnificent. To put it like Martin, it was definitely a beautiful theatre.

 

As I walked through the theatre, I found myself in front of a textile store before I knew it. It was the moment when I put my regretful heart behind me and grabbed the doorknob of the store.

 

A familiar face passed by my sight.

 

I momentarily turned my head again.

 

In the distance, in front of the construction site, I saw a man holding a large piece of paper and giving instructions. I immediately remembered his name.

 

‘Gilbert Klein.’

 

How could I know know that face?

 

It was the face I saw in the newspaper every day without getting tired of it. He was obviously the owner of the Klein Theatre.

 

It was the first time I had seen him in real life, so I scanned his profile absent-mindedly.

 

The sharp lines of the delicately crafted features and the intense golden eyes that never left the theatre.

 

His shiny dark hair, as if it was absorbing sunlight and shining again, was a bit dishevelled, but it must have been neatly styled by morning.

 

I felt like I forgot to even breathe. Newspaper portraits did not fully capture his appearance.

 

I had never seen a man more handsome than Levistan.

 

To me, whose only standard of beauty was Levistan, Gilbert’s face was quite a refreshing shock.

 

So I couldn’t take my eyes off until Mr Teyla’s face called my name when he found me standing at the door.

 

“Amber? What’s happened?”

 

Only then did I hurriedly turn my head.

 

“Oh, hello, Mr Teyla. I’m here on an errand for Mrs Sierra.”

 

And I quickly entered the store.

 

“I’m running out of velvet.”

 

It didn’t take long to finish business with Mr Teyla. I hurriedly said my greetings and left the store, but Gilbert Klein was nowhere to be seen. He must have left already.

 

I put my regret behind me and looked down at the paper I received from Mr Teyla.

 

As Mrs Sierra said, Mr Teyla introduced me to some good taverns. I moved my steps to the nearest tavern.

 

***

 

The inside of the bar was darker than expected and quite a few customers had entered from early evening.

 

I sat at a table in the corner, ordered food and drinks in moderation, and looked at the stage.

 

The stage was at the front and was high so that it could be seen well from behind.

 

A piano and some unknown instruments were placed on one side, and lights were shining in the middle of the stage.

 

Moments later, a woman with dark hair and tan skin came onto the stage. The name of the singer exploded with applause from all over the place.

 

The singer took a leisurely look around the audience, then pulled the corners of her mouth in a grin. Soon the piano accompanist came up and she began to sing a song to her accompaniment.

 

It was the first melody I had ever heard. It wasn’t a hymn, of course, and it wasn’t a folk song either.

 

But it was never something I didn’t want to hear. I slowly listened to the unfamiliar melody and put it in my head.

 

As the night progressed, the song gradually became more cheerful. The instruments also diversified.

 

They made sounds by blowing on an unknown golden musical instrument, and another instrument by sitting down and striking it.

 

Then, the drunken guests stood up one by one and danced or sang along.

 

I sat still and watched the whole scene.

 

The next day, another singer came on stage and the next day, another singer sang.

 

As soon as I finished my work at the dressmaker’s shop every day, I went to the tavern to have dinner and returned home in the middle of the night.

 

By the time I got used to the thick cigarette smoke in the air, the sticky tables, and the noise of middle-aged men talking wildly, I went to the front table and said to the clerk.

 

“I’d like to meet the owner here.”

***