Chapter 53
A voice that wasn’t forced like opera singing, but clear and strong.
We finally found it!
Sabrina and Lilianne seemed to agree, nodding at me.
I made up my mind and stopped the girl mid-song.
“That’s enough, thank you.”
She looked disappointed, thinking she had failed.
But I smiled and continued.
“Come to work starting tomorrow.”
The girl blinked, confused.
“What?”
“It means you’re hired.”
As I spoke with a slight smile, her face lit up.
“Really? Are you serious?! Oh my gosh!!”
She started jumping with joy, making Sabrina laugh.
Then, Lilianne, who had been curious, smiled gently and asked:
“By the way, your application only had your first name. What’s your family name?”
The girl scratched her head like she just remembered.
“Oh, it’s Luciano. Edith von Luciano.”
Von Luciano…? That’s a noble name.
“I didn’t include it because I didn’t want to be judged. I may be a noble by name, but I’m actually from a fallen family. It won’t affect my work.”
Fallen noble…? Wait… Edith von Luciano…? That name sounds so familiar…
Suddenly, all three of us looked at each other at the same time.
“Edith von Luciano!”
She’s the main character of the novel!!
My mind went blank.
Why is she here??
In the original story, Edith enters the imperial palace as a maid and catches the crown prince’s eye.
But now she’s suddenly auditioning to be a singer?
What about her maid job?!
Worried, I asked, “Are you doing any other job right now?”
Edith confidently replied, “No!”
Then added with pride, “Don’t worry! Even if I’m struggling to eat, I’m not shameless enough to take on two jobs!”
“Actually… if you’re struggling, it’s totally okay to take another job…”
I mumbled to myself. She looked confused.
Then I remembered—
In the novel, the crown prince falls for her when he hears her quietly singing while working as a maid.
But now she wants to be a singer?!
While I stood there looking troubled, Lilianne stepped in.
“Well, thank you for today. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”
Edith smiled brightly and replied, “Yes! See you tomorrow!”
We silently stared as she happily skipped out.
Lilianne asked, “What do we do now?”
Sabrina shrugged.
“Just because her job is different, it won’t change everything, right? She’s still the heroine—she’ll naturally end up with the crown prince and the second lead.”
Her casual answer helped calm my nerves a little.
“Yeah… I guess?”
Our whole plan had been to pass off the male leads— the crown prince and Mathieu— to the heroine, and live peacefully.
We’d been waiting for her to show up while the guys kept hovering around me!
But what if she never meets them?
I rubbed my arms, feeling a chill.
“What if the story only moves forward if she becomes a palace maid?”
Lilianne nodded in agreement.
“If it starts off wrong, everything else might change too.”
Realizing that, I sighed deeply.
“We need to talk to her again tomorrow.”
Sabrina looked guilty.
“But… she was so happy about getting in…”
Lilianne and I stared at her.
Startled, Sabrina cleared her throat.
“Ahem. I mean, her voice was just what we were looking for… it’s such a shame.”
“I agree… but we have no choice.”
***
The next day, at Clina Salon.
“What??”
Edith had come in excitedly, but now looked like she’d been hit by lightning.
“You’re saying… I can’t work here?”
She looked like she was about to cry.
We felt guilty, but there was no helping it.
“I’m really sorry, Edith.”
Lilianne apologized gently, but Edith still looked confused.
“Why? Why all of a sudden?”
She looked like she would burst into tears, so I tried to be kind.
“Well… actually, we had someone else lined up. We just remembered last night.”
Hearing that someone else had already been chosen, Edith looked crushed and her shoulders drooped.
Seeing her so down with that sweet face made me feel worse, so I added:
“I’m really sorry. But I’m sure you’ll find something even better soon! Like… maybe working at the imperial palace as a maid…?”
I even tried to hint at it, but she didn’t seem to hear me—too shocked.
While we exchanged worried looks, Edith suddenly lifted her head.
“Then I’ll work as a cleaner!”
All of us froze in place.
“What?”
“I’m good at cleaning! I’ll take any job, just please let me stay!”
Her sudden offer stunned all of us.
“I mean… if you want to clean, there are better places… like the palace…”
Still trying to push her toward the maid job, I muttered again.
Lilianne gently patted my arm to calm me and asked Edith:
“Why do you want to stay here so badly?”
Edith lowered her head and hesitated before softly speaking.
“I happened to hear a song from here. When I heard it… I just knew.”
Then she blushed, looked up, and said clearly:
“I’ve fallen in love with this music!”
No, no! That’s not who you’re supposed to fall in love with!!
When I held my forehead and swayed from the shock, Sabrina quickly supported me.
I barely pulled myself together, holding my aching head, and spoke.
“Sorry, Edith, but we already have enough cleaning staff.”
“Th-then what about kitchen work? I’m good at cooking! I’m great at washing dishes too! I’m strong! I can carry heavy stuff, so even as a porter…!”
Just how rough has her life been…?
While I stood there stunned, Lilianne walked over to Edith and gently comforted her with a soft smile.
“I’m sorry, Edith. I think it would be best to look elsewhere.”
She was smiling, but her tone was firm.
Edith’s shoulders dropped sadly.
She looked like a puppy caught in the rain — it was pitiful, but we had no choice.
***
I thought that was the end of it…
But Edith was more persistent than we imagined.
“Claire, what should we do? It looks like she’s camping out in front of the salon again today.”
Lilianne sounded troubled, and Sabrina rolled up her sleeves.
“Should I get the staff to just remove her?”
Her cold tone made me sigh and rub my forehead.
“She’s not an object, Sabrina. We can’t just toss her somewhere.”
It wasn’t like she was interfering with business — she only stayed by the entrance during off hours.
She was showing such dedication that using force to drive her away felt too heartless.
We thought she’d give up after a few days, but she was stubborn.
Like a fan madly in love…
Even now, I looked out the window and locked eyes with her sparkling gaze — it gave me chills and made me rub my arms.
She might even show up in my dreams at this rate.
“The staff said she even curls up near the entrance at night.”
What if someone kidnaps her in this dangerous world?!
As I massaged my pounding forehead, Lilianne spoke up again.
“The Crown Prince and the young duke often visit the salon, right? If Edith works here, maybe she’ll naturally cross paths with them.”
Well… she is the heroine, after all.
In the novel, the Crown Prince and Mathieu were said to fall for her at first sight.
Maybe it’s better to just let things happen than to have nightmares about it.
I sighed deeply, as if accepting my fate.
Then I pushed open the salon doors and stepped outside.
Edith looked nervous, thinking I might kick her out again.
I looked at her and spoke in a resigned voice.
“…Come on in.”
