The Magical Holy Woman Seraphina - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Magical Saint Seraphina
Chapter 20
“Sisters, look at this!”
Ellie, who’d returned after a brief absence and seemed to wake up happy every day since, spread a theater poster across the counter of our costume shop. Our talented youngest was practically glowing.
The poster, large enough to cover half the counter, showed the upper half of a woman gazing upward, draped in an amber-colored dress.
Large eyes, a small mouth, naturally flowing red-gold hair—she was beautiful in a way that made you sigh just to look at her.
“Wow….”
Our coworkers crowded around, letting out gasps of admiration.
“She looks like a princess.”
“A friend who works at another costume shop once helped with her costume fitting. She said the real thing is even more beautiful.”
“This is that actress, right? The one from Opera Cernien—Rozena.”
“That’s her.”
“Hmm.”
I studied my target’s face carefully for the first time. My coworkers chattered away beside me.
“She must have been born beautiful, I bet. She probably hasn’t had a single ugly moment in her whole life.”
“Look at her wrists. So delicate. How does she do anything with hands like that?”
“Born with talent and beautiful on top of it—what must that feel like?”
“Isn’t her beauty just another talent? The talent to perfectly express every gift she possesses.”
“I’d love to make a dress for someone like her.”
Ellie, who dreamed of becoming the Empire’s Greatest Costume Designer, pressed her hands together in rapture.
“I want to see her in person.”
“It must feel like the whole world lights up, doesn’t it?”
While my coworkers prattled on, I studied the poster with Rozena’s portrait in thoughtful silence.
‘If she’s that beautiful, it makes sense she’d be talked about.’
But beauty as talent?
A talent that inevitably fades with time? That seemed unbearably sad.
“I wish I could go see the performance like you, Seraphina.”
“Want to come along?”
“I’d love to, but I’m working late today.”
“Oh right, Seraphina—Madame Oblonski said you should wear something appropriate to Opera Cernien, and told us you can borrow one of the sample dresses from the warehouse.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! The sample has a few minor issues, but….”
“Where are you headed?”
“Arden.”
He’d come again. I turned with a small laugh. As always, Arden stood before me in his knights’ uniform without fail.
“Nice weather today, isn’t it? It was warm outside.”
“Yes. But, where are you going?”
“Oh, right. To see the performance at Opera Cernien.”
I gestured to the poster still spread across the counter.
“Tonight’s performance is at eight. Madame Oblonski said she’d let me leave early—I’m off at seven, so I can make it to the show.”
“I see….”
Arden’s gaze drifted across the poster, as if barely interested.
‘He’s not fooling anyone with that look.’
Perhaps he was a fan of Rozena’s after all.
“What about you, Arden? Do you like this actress? I heard she’s ranked number one among men in their twenties across the Empire—the one they’d most want to meet privately.”
Rozena’s performance was already legendary; people were going mad, paying extra just to secure tickets. I was offering him a spare seat if he wanted one.
“Do I look like someone who’d ask an actress to meet privately?”
“No, that’s not—”
“I don’t use my position to meet actresses personally. Not ever.”
Besides, he didn’t even have real authority.
But Arden stood firm.
His expression hardened as he spoke with finality.
“I have no interest in this actress whatsoever. Not the slightest.”
“Oh.”
“Not a single gram. Not a grain. Not a speck of dust. Not one bit.”
“That much?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a shame. I was going to invite you to come along if you were interested.”
Since all our friends here said they were too busy. I added this as Arden’s mouth snapped shut.
“Well, if you’re not interested, there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Then I’ll see you next time! Arden pressed a handkerchief bundle into my hand and waved goodbye.
“…….”
“Goodbye!”
Night fell. I’d ended up coming to Opera Cernien alone.
I threaded my way past the line of carriages stationed in a row before the grand entrance and stepped inside.
“…This is uncomfortable.”
The sample dress I’d borrowed today was a Dark Green Dress with a rounded neckline that dipped gracefully off the shoulders. A black ribbon was tied at my waist, cinching from behind.
It was fashionable enough. The problem was.
‘This is just a sample dress.’
The ribbon that trailed from the back of the dress was absurdly, impossibly long. At the Costume Shop it hadn’t seemed worth noticing, but the walk here had made it abundantly clear.
‘Something’s wrong with this dress.’
The ribbon was far too long. More than once on the way over, people had nearly trodden on the trailing end and sent me stumbling.
I wanted to cut it off right then and there, but borrowing something meant I couldn’t exactly do that.
“I’ll just have to be careful.”
If it came down to it, I could always use Transformation and jump across the rooftops to get home!
Too short or too long—why was my hemline always so extreme?
I grumbled my way into the central lobby of Opera Cernien.
And immediately gasped.
“Oh my.”
The octagonal ceiling was divided into delicate panels, each one painted with intricate detail, and a chandelier hung suspended from the very center like a jeweled teardrop.
“The venue itself is a performance.”
I could wander through here admiring the building alone and never tire of it.
‘When would I ever get another chance to come back here?’
I wandered the corridors before the opera began, wanting to take in every corner.
And that’s when I ran directly into Arden in the hallway, dressed in his knight’s uniform…….
“…….”
“…….”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested?”
Arden answered my question with an annoyed expression.
“I’m here on duty.”
“Duty?”
“The Capital Security Division requested support due to concerns about the crowds.”
“Ah.”
I see.
“So that’s how it was. But why didn’t you mention it earlier?”
“It was a last-minute assignment.”
“I see.”
“By the way.”
Arden stared pointedly at my dress. “What is that you’re wearing?”
“I borrowed it from the Costume Shop. They said I needed to wear a dress to come here.”
“There are footprints on the ribbon.”
“Tell me about it. I must’ve been stepped on a dozen times getting here…….”
I complained that I’d need to clean off the ribbon somewhere before heading home. Arden, listening to my lament, fell into thought.
“There’s a powder room next to the restroom on Basement Level 1. It’s not crowded.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s in a quiet corner, so most people don’t know about it.”
“Good to know.”
Arden knew the layout of this place perfectly. Since he was working, he must have familiarized himself with it.
I asked casually.
“Arden, where are the makeup room and the actors’ lounge?”
“Why do you ask?”
I wanted to spy on Rozena.
“I’ve never been here before, so I’m curious what the building looks like. And I’d like to see what the actors’ lounge is like too.”
Maybe I’d even get to see the performers themselves? I clasped my hands together eagerly, eyes gleaming.
Arden, who’d been watching me with narrowed eyes, acquiesced readily.
“Follow me. There’s still time before the performance, so I’ll show you around.”
“No, just tell me the way. You need to work anyway.”
“My shift hasn’t started yet, so I have time.”
“Really?”
Well, in that case, I wouldn’t refuse.
“…the dress suits you beautifully.”
“Thank you.”
We were trading pleasantries when we turned into a hallway that had grown sparse of people.
“Sorry!”
Someone burst from the Costume Shop as though fleeing, rushing past us. I stepped aside to let them through.
As they stumbled, they trod on the ribbon trailing from the back of my dress.
The ribbon that had been cinching my waist came undone in an instant.
The problem was that I’d just lifted my foot to move out of the way.
“Oh!”
By shifting my body while the dress was pinned beneath their heel, the ribbon came completely loose.
I managed to catch disaster by quickly gathering the fabric, but—
the ribbon had already come undone.
“What the—!”
At the same moment, an angry shout erupted from inside the Costume Shop.
The person who’d vanished.
The ribbon that had come loose.
Arden, gripping my startled elbow, opened the door to a supply closet beside us.
Creak!
“If you get caught, I’ll kill you…!”
As another person burst from inside the Costume Shop, we barely managed to shut the door and hide.
“…….”
“…….”
“Arden.”
“Yes?”
“But why did we hide?”
There wasn’t a single reason to.
“That’s true.”
“…….”
“…I didn’t think about it.”
“…….”
“Should we go out?”
“No.”
If we hadn’t hidden in the first place, fine—but not now.
That person who just left seemed to have caused some kind of incident in the performers’ dressing room. We could end up taking the blame.
Why would a man and a woman be suspiciously hiding together in an empty supply closet?
Especially with the woman’s dress waistband already undone.
“Let’s wait a moment, then go.”
“All right.”
“…….”
“…….”
“But Arden.”
“Yes?”
“There are three problems.”
First, the waist ribbon on my dress is still undone.
Second,
“Where are you!”
someone who appeared to be a staff member, cursing in frustration, was still wandering the corridor outside, not giving up.
And the last problem was that where we’d ducked into wasn’t actually a supply closet at all, but more like some kind of wardrobe—a space so cramped that two people could barely squeeze inside.
Suddenly trapped face-to-face with Arden in that narrow space, I blinked rapidly.
‘I’m going crazy—there’s not even any light in here.’
All I could feel was Arden’s warm arms wrapped around my waist, the floral scent drifting from the chest that I’d inadvertently pressed my nose against, and his breath falling down from above my head.
Thump-thump.
Ah. Even the sound of his heartbeat.
“…….”
“…….”
This was incredibly awkward.
Not knowing where to put my body, I could only move my eyes.
Then I felt Arden tilting his head down slightly from above.
With his lips drawn so close they nearly brushed my hair, Arden asked,
“…is this all right?”
“Hmm?”
“…What did you say?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“Could you give me some space?”
…….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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