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Cestlavie was flailing in panic like a boy who just got caught hiding a naughty magazine, desperately trying to cover it up—but really, there was no need to get so defensive. Thanks to memories from my past life, I’m quite an understanding woman when it comes to such matters.

“Ufufufufufu.”
“Quit it with that smug little knowing giggle!”
“Mmm! Lady Clara is so tolerant! So, you’re saying that even if your boyfriend regularly snuck off to places like this at night, you’d accept it as just part of being a man?”

“Oh dear, Coppelia, you do say the funniest things. Of course not. Ufufufufu.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at Coppelia’s usual teasing tone. “I wouldn’t date such an unfaithful man to begin with, and if he ever cheated, I’d twist it right off.”

See? I smiled sweetly at them, and in response, Coppelia, Cestlavie, and even Sechs turned pale and nodded over and over in terrified agreement.

“S-Scary! You’re smiling, but that’s seriously terrifying. Wait—what exactly is getting twisted off?!”
“Shh! Don’t provoke her, you fool! Lady Clara smiles when she’s truly furious!!”
“Nyaooo…”

After that, for some reason, we all fell silent, walking quietly and steadily. Before long, we arrived at the designated establishment—a decently tidy building with the name Opera House: Luminous Butterfly written on the front. The moment we saw it, everyone except me let out a deep sigh of relief.

♢♦♢♦♢

“Here you go~ Lady Shrine Maiden… and everyone accompanying her. Have some western black tea~”

With a light knock, a young woman around twenty entered the guest room we’d been shown to, carrying teacups and a pot.

She introduced herself as Martha, a self-proclaimed “popular dancer” at this establishment. Since it was still early in the day, she had no makeup on, and her outfit was plain—just a cotton shirt and suede-style pants, nothing flashy.

By the moral standards of this world, wearing pants that outline your backside without a skirt over them is utterly scandalous—frankly, only working girls dress like that—but her frank and open personality somehow made it suit her perfectly.

“Thank you.”
“Oh no, thank *you*! I’m sorry to keep Lady Shrine Maiden waiting. If that idiot Dan shows his face, I’ll give him a good smack for you.”

She poured the tea with practiced hands, clearly annoyed. From her tone, it was easy to tell she was quite close to this Dan fellow.

“Forgive me, but… are you and Mr. Dan…?”

Curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself asking. Martha scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile.

“Oh ho~ So even Lady Shrine Maiden is at that age where these things spark your interest, huh?”
“I—I apologize! That was terribly rude of me—”

Maybe it was Coppelia’s teasing earlier, but I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering to such indecent territory.

“Oh, no, no, I’m not mad or anything. Actually, I’m kind of relieved. I mean, with the nature of my job, I get a lot of attention, and I’ve got plenty of fans, so I was reasonably confident in myself. But still, everyone—*everyone*—keeps going on about how ‘Lady Clara is in a league of her own,’ ‘you can’t possibly compare to her,’ ‘like mud and a gemstone,’ and honestly, I was secretly thinking, *‘That damn saint…’*”

“Mm. A fair assessment,” Coppelia nodded smugly before I could scold her.

But Martha herself just chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it’s true. Now that I’ve met you in person, I really get it. You’re so beautiful it’s unreal, like you don’t even belong in this world. So I figured, someone that high up must think totally differently from folks like me. But then, hearing you tease me earlier like that… it was actually kinda comforting. Shows you’re more down-to-earth than I expected.”

It was hard to tell if she was complimenting me or not, and I couldn’t help but glance away awkwardly.

“As for me and Dan… well, how should I put this… He was the first person I ever danced for, six years ago.”
“Oh my, is that so?”

So he was the first customer she ever showed her dance to, and they became regulars afterward—that kind of story?

“…She doesn’t get it, does she.”
“…That’s the Lady Clara quality, so don’t you dare explain it to her.”

Cestlavie and Coppelia were whispering again. I’ve started to suspect lately that these two might actually get along surprisingly well.

“Back then, I was just thirteen, and I was dancing so hard I completely lost myself in it. Even after I finished, my back was just killing me.”
“You must have performed quite the intense dance, then~”

*Was it breakdancing? Or maybe the limbo?*

Right beside me, both Coppelia and Cestlavie started coughing repeatedly. Oh no, perhaps the house dust irritated their throats.

“—Yeah, *yeah*, well, anyway. After that, Dan’s always been looking out for me—bringing me little gifts, stopping by to check in, stuff like that.”

I was about to offer healing magic, but for some reason, Martha quickly brought the topic to a close, and the two of them seemed to recover instantly, as if on cue.

“Well, about five years ago, he lost his wife—though technically, she was a slave he bought, so they weren’t married in the legal sense. Ever since then, he’s gotten more withdrawn, but he’s not a bad guy, Lady Shrine Maiden. He’s been raising his daughter Angie all by himself, doing his best as a single dad… Ah, I’ve said too much. Please keep all this between us, okay?”

Martha covered her mouth and gave a guilty bow. I nodded firmly and reassured her, “Of course. I won’t tell anyone.” I made sure Cestlavie and the others understood too.

“I get it.”
“Of course! I’m a highly reputable automaton when it comes to keeping secrets! My teeth are as hard as diamonds—they could bite through dragon bone!”

I trust Cestlavie well enough… but watching Coppelia thump her chest with pride fills me with more than a little anxiety.

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