Empress of Otherverse

The moon was still bright, but it was slowly disappearing as morning approached.

A man and a woman slowly walked out of the garden.

Lucretius picked out a leaf stuck in Bina's hair and asked worriedly, "Is your dress okay?"

"Don't worry, I took care not to get it dirty, but just in case, check it for me."

Bina turned around so Lucretius could confirm. Afterward, he nodded.

"It's all good."

Bina fixed her wig and murmured, "Good. If I returned with dirt on my dress, I would feel so embarrassed in front of Samantha and Agnes."

Lucretius chuckled. "Why would you be embarrassed? They all know you came to the ball with me."

Bina lowered her voice and whispered, "That's why I would be embarrassed!"

Bina fanned herself. The weather was still very warm and in her big ballgown dress, Bina was sweating hard. Lucretius took her fan and started to fan her.

"Is that better?"

"… Not really. It's too hot."

Lucretius thought for a second before offering.

"Umm, then should I go in and get a cool drink for you?"

Bina seemed interested but shook her head.

"I don't think I should be alone in the garden, with the way people are behaving here tonight."

"… I agree."

Everyone was acting like a cat in heat and they could still hear moaning from different places. It didn't seem right to leave a woman alone here.

Lucretius looked at Bina worriedly. She did look like she would be very hot. Her already long hair was put up, and she was wearing a wig with even longer hair. She was also wearing much more foundation than usual to hide her unique skin color.

They also danced vigorously, making it even worse for her. When Lucretius tried to wipe off her sweat from her forehead, Bina stopped him.

"If you do that, your clothes will be smudged with foundation and my makeup will be ruined."

There was a reason why Lucretius felt nervous whenever he saw Bina feeling hot. When she was pregnant with Beatrice, it was an unusually hot summer, and she had a difficult time coping with it. Seeing Bina sweating reminded him of that time.

"Should we just go back to your room? We don't have to stay. People won't even know we came or left."

However, Bina shook her head in determination. She had a good reason for wanting to stay.

"No. The performance hasn't started yet."

"…"

She looked very serious.

"I have to see this show with my own eyes. I'm going to see it to the end." Lucretius continued to fan her as she added, "You spent so much money on it. I better watch it. I have to!"

Lucretius learned a valuable lesson today. From now, he decided not to do anything complicated like this. It was better to order a straightforward show or go out on a secret date to a theater.

***

Ding-Dong, Ding-Dong.

The bell rang twelve times, announcing that the highlight of the night was about to start. People who were strolling in the garden or around the nearby buildings returned to the hall.

"Who is the male lead for this show?"

"A different guy from the last performance. The female lead is still the same."

"You mean Amarince Toul? She is an amazing soprano. I am so excited."

"Christian Boceti is the most popular composer now."

"I personally prefer Jusepe Loano's style…"

"Oh, I remember him. Where is he now? I haven't heard of him for a long time now."

Before the show began, people started to talk about the popular performers and composers.

Bina and Lucretius were hidden among everyone in their masks. Standing in his arms, Bina's heart beat fast.

'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I get to see Christian Boceti and Dilma Parent's newest piece by!'

When Bina was still in Korea, she couldn't understand her friends raving over the K-pop idols. She used to scold her best friend Somi who often skipped school to go see a concert.

However, now, in this strange world, Bina finally understood how Somi must have felt.

'I'm sorry I was not an understanding friend back then, Somi!'

She was finally a fan of someone, and she couldn't contain her excitement.

Finally, the show was about to begin.

All the lights dimmed and the darkness fell onto the hall like a blanket. Everyone quieted and they could only hear the sounds of people breathing.

Just then, a beam of light suddenly appeared, and a beautiful voice started to sing.

"Ohhh~ who will help me with my loneliness tonight~"

Everyone knew whose voice this was.

'Amarince Toul!'

It was the female lead of the performance. Someone exclaimed.

"Oh my, so it is true that the show is to be performed in the middle of the masquerade…"

People were getting excited. They had never seen this kind of show where the performance took place among the audience.

The female lead continued to sing as she walked slowly towards the center of the stage. People moved aside as she walked to create a path for her.

Suddenly, another beam of light appeared to an area in the audience as a beautiful baritone voice started to sing. He sounded desperately in love as he sang to the female character, who was about to enter a loveless marriage.

"My cruel Kalita.~ Does she know how I feel about her!?~"

The male and female characters sang to each other. The storyline was about two people falling in love during a masquerade and ended up marrying each other in the end.

That was the beginning of the piece "Masquerade," which later became one of the most legendary operettas in Rombrook's history.

***

Bina couldn't help her tears. It was an incredible show.

'I'm so glad I didn't read the script ahead!'

She was very patient and she somehow managed to control herself until tonight. She put away the script Lucretius gave her as a gift and didn't read it. It was very hard to resist, but it was worth it. Now, she planned on reading and studying the script thoroughly when she returned to her room.

She turned around and looked at her husband.

"Thank you so much, Luc. It was the best show ever! I am so happy."

Lucretius smiled in return. "I'm glad you liked it. It was worth using my [slush fund]."

Bina giggled and hugged him tightly. "From now on, I will pretend not to know about your [slush fund], so you can do whatever you want with it."

"I feel… pressured. It sounds like you want me to plan another event like this."

"Haha, you're very smart."

They laughed together.

Just then, they heard someone's footsteps. Bina and Lucretius were hiding in a secluded hallway, so they tensed. They were still wearing their masks, but they didn't want anyone to find them. They quickly hid behind a nearby spot just as a couple entered the empty hallway.

When she saw the woman, Bina had to hide her shock. She could immediately guess who it was by her dress and her mask. It was the singer who was singing stunningly just a moment ago.

'Amarince Toul!'

The best female singer on the continent.

Amarince said to the man who stood nearby, "Christian, how did you get here?"

Bina thought in surprise.

'Christian? Christian Boceti? No way!'

He was the composer of the show tonight and also the most popular creator in the kingdom. His music was also Bina's favorite.

Bina lowered her voice and asked Lucretius, "That man, is he really Christian Boceti?"

"I don't know."

"But you are the one who ordered this performance. You hired Christian."

Lucretius shrugged his shoulders. "This show was prepared by the owner of Banau theater. When I heard it was in production, I got my assistant to contact the theater owner and they arranged everything."

This was why Lucretius' plan to use only female casts didn't happen. Even though he was the one who ordered the show, it was unnecessary for him to meet with the producer or the composer in person. Bina decided that she should thank Lucretius' assistant later in person for arranging such a wonderful night.

It seemed that her favorite soprano singer and composer were in a relationship. It was a well-known fact that no one truly knew who Christian Boceti was. No one had ever seen him in person.

Bina felt excited as she continued to eavesdrop. Lucretius did the same.

"You were amazing, Amarince. You are definitely the best soprano in the world."

Bina's eyes widened like a rabbit.

'Huh? This voice?!'