Chapter 212 It Seems Singing Isn't Their Thing
"Music appreciation events are typically about having bard performances, don't they? I'm worried Sara might overshadow the event with her playing."
"Well, this is a business move after all. They have a wide repertoire. It's said he's popular even in the royal court, so we've planned to have him publicly record for a music box release. We've already made an agreement to pay him a share of the sales."
"Ah, so you're using the music event to promote Sophia Merchant Guild, huh?"
"I'm trying to make it happen."
Sara's aiming to appeal to mothers who buy sheet music, mostly for their kids. If their child performs at this event, they'll see the benefits of Sophia Guild's sheet music, isn't it?"
And for the wealthy families who can afford it, she's considering selling music boxes as educational tools. They have high-quality recordings now, but soon they'll release simpler versions for the regular albums they sell.
"Afterwards, on the third day, they'll have a mother's tea gathering, where I will be introduced as soon-to-be adopted. Your engagement will be announced at tonight's dinner party, right?."
"Yes, that's what I'm going to do."
Tomorrow night is that dinner party, along with a ball, marking the announcement of Robert and Rebecca's engagement, and Prince Andrew will present Robert with the Viscount title during that dinner.
"Well, I'm supposed to greet the ladies of the main noble families at the tea party hosted by Mother. As part of my self-introduction, I'll play a little bit of the violin. It's a pretty easy piece, though."
"More music, huh?"
"I didn't think Crown Prince Gerhart would be so obsessed with performing. If I play, it reduces the chances of the ladies talking to me, and if they do, I can just talk about music, so I won't slip up, or so my mother and I decided."
"So, it's a big miscalculation for Revi and Sara, then?"
"Exactly..."
Just then, Blaze, with his husky voice, jumped in.
"At this rate, your singing must be pretty bad too, right? I haven't heard it, though."
'Wow, that voice is bad for my heart.'
"Who knows? I can't really tell about myself."
"Why don't you try singing?"
"Hmm. Right now, since I'm Sophia, my voice is probably quite different."
"You can sing a song that fits Sophia's voice."
"Is it okay if it's a song with words you've never heard before?"
"Yeah? That's fine."
Sara started singing a song from her favorite musical in her past life. It was about a girl who loves a man who loves another woman and ends up dying while protecting him.
When she finished singing, for some reason, the men around her were frozen, and Daniel was in a strange state, crying uncontrollably.
"Uh, what? Was it really that weird?"
"I don't get how something can be sad if you don't understand the words. Maybe that song should never be sung in front of Crown Prince Gerhart."
Robert replied with a strained voice.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Even for someone like me who doesn't know much about music, I think that Crown Prince will definitely get hooked."
"This voice can only come from Sophia, so I don't think I need to worry if it's Sara."
"...I don't trust that. You should only sing songs without emotions. Even then, I'm still worried."
"Is that all?"
"If it's not just that, why do you think there's a guy over there silently crying?"
Daniel was still crying. The sight of a big, scary-looking man crying was really frightening.
"Are you okay, Daniel?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I got really emotional. By the way, can I ask about the content of that song? Even though I don't understand the meaning, it feels like my chest is being tightened."
"If you want, I'll translate the song lyrics into Avalon language later, but it's a song about a girl loves a guy who loves another girl. She's alone, and it feels like her world is still spinning even without him in it."
For some reason, just that explanation made Daniel start crying again.
'Huh, so Daniel is this kind of type?'
"Lady Sophia, such a sad song doesn't suit you. But, I really want to hear it."
'Ah, I get it. When Crown Prince Gerhart gets this emotional, he'll probably start talking about taking me back to Roisen again.'
"Father, I'm starting to understand why singing in public is a bad idea."
"I'm glad you understand."
"But what should I do...?"
Sara thought for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I stand out more than I realize. I thought I could just get by as Grandchester's new kid, but I'm definitely recognized by Crown Prince Gerhart and his group, and I'm sure there are others who will notice me for my music too."
"That's true."
"That means the bodyguard will stand out too."
"...That's true."
Robert looked at Daniel and nodded. As a tall knight with a well-trained body, he had a fierce face that seemed to keep everything away. The atmosphere around him was also intimidating. While it was reassuring to have this bodyguard next to Sara, there was no doubt that he was someone you wouldn't forget after seeing him just once.
"Right now, since it's Sophia, it's fine to have Daniel as the bodyguard, but what about assigning a knight to an 8-year-old girl? Even the main Chloe doesn't have a dedicated bodyguard, you know?"
"I get that, but we can't leave Sara alone, can we?"
"The problem is that Daniel is recognized as Sophia's bodyguard, not mine. Anyone watching both Sophia and Sara must notice their similarities. They probably think Sara is related by blood, but if the bodyguard is the same..."
"I see."
Daniel knew he stood out and understood that his size and tough appearance were effective as a deterrent. However, he had never considered that there could be situations where he wasn't suitable as a bodyguard.
"I'm sorry. I'm a bodyguard who stands out too much..."
"It's not your fault, Daniel. It's just my double life that's the problem."
While following Daniel, Sara thought about the future.
'I need Daniel to keep doing his best as Sophia's bodyguard. But I need a bodyguard during the hunting tournament...'
"The bodyguard is only needed during the hunting tournament, right?"
"No, even after that, there's a risk of kidnapping and such."
"Honestly, I think it's fine if regular 'bandits' attack. The real problem is when people with official status, like Roisen's knights, go wild."
"Hmm?"
"It would be good if I could handle the people who might have problems if I 'dispose' of them without permission later. If there's always a knight near Sara during the tournament, that should act as a deterrent. Since there might be people who take advantage of their status, it might be better if the knights are from noble families. Those with public status shouldn't be able to do anything foolish in front of others."
"That's true, Sara would never lose to normal bandits anyway."
But Daniel felt down after hearing Sara's words.
"So you're saying that even without me, Milady Sara wouldn't lose to anyone, right?"
"Daniel, you know that just having you by my side gives me peace of mind, right? Sara may worry about being kidnapped, but she doesn't have to worry much about being killed. But Sophia is different. If she's hated by her business rivals, she could suddenly be killed just like that. Even with the blessings of fairies, she doesn't become immortal. She could be killed before she can use healing magic. That's why I need you to protect me."
Imagining that Sophia could be killed shocked Daniel deeply.
"I got lost in my feelings and said something boring. I will protect Milady Sophia with all my strength from now on."
"Thank you, Daniel. During the tournament, I plan to be in Sophia's form as much as possible. I will only turn back into Sara when absolutely necessary, so it seems like I will need you to guard me for a longer time than usual. Is that okay?"
"Not a problem at all. I will protect you with all my might."
Straightening his posture, Daniel regained his serious atmosphere, but he was giving off a more intense vibe than usual.
"Ah, Father, I'm late. I have to go to the Merchant Guild's main store."
"Ah, okay."
Sara quickly got up to hurry Robert along.
"Scott, I'll be back here once I'm done with my Sophia duties. I have a piano performance scheduled with the Crown Prince tonight, so I won't be able to stay as Sara. But can I ask Sir Jeffrey to let me stay here afterwards?"
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
"Thanks. And Blaze, if your original form's magic has recovered, can you lend me some magic to Noir so that I can use it and increase my magic power?"
"Ah, that's a possibility."
Noir also appeared and replied, "Understood."
With that, Sara, Robert, and Daniel left the Jeffrey estate in a hurry.
* * *
Scott and Blaze were left alone, looking at each other.
"Blaze, I've thought so for a while now, but you're quite the handsome one."
"But isn't Sara's type more like our father? Scott has the absolute advantage. And as for just looks, Mister Thomas can't be beat."
Scott's face turned bitter as he thought of Thomas's face, which he had seen at the Maiden's Tower library today.
"That face is unfair, isn't it?"
"I think the contents of his head are unfair too. When I see him talking about work with Sara, it's obvious that he's on a different level from us."
The two of them let out a simultaneous sigh.
"It's uncertain whether I can catch up to him intellectually, but as a knight, I have to be able to protect Sara."
"I wonder what I should do. I want to improve my sword skills, but I also feel like it's important to get better at using magic. After all, I became Scott's brother because I'm a magician."
"I don't think Father adopted Blaze just because he's a magician."
"Yeah, I get that. I'm sure even if I wasn't a magician, Sara would have helped me, and Father would have still accepted me as his son. But because they are those kinds of people, I want to become an amazing magician and repay them. I want to be a man who can protect Sara and also be useful to the Grandchester territory."
"Then you need to study more. I hear the magic department at the academy is tough."
"I heard the knight department is crazy too, right?"
Scott and Blaze both smirked at the same time.
"We just have to do our best. But I won't let Sara go."
"I definitely won't give her up either."
"No hard feelings, no matter who gets chosen."
"There's also a chance neither of us will be chosen, though."
"If that happens, we'll just drink together. By then, we should be adults."
"Will we get in trouble for drinking Elma brandy?"
"It should be okay, at least when we get dumped."
The brothers bumped fists, making a vow as men.
"I hope no more rivals show up."
"That's impossible. It's Sara we're talking about."
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
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