Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The Empress Dowager smiled at Ekaterina, who was glancing back at the stage, worried about Olga and Renat.

“The God of Music said ‘Once more.’ He must have taken a liking not only to those two, but also to that piece of yours. If you play it for him, he’ll let them return here. He surely doesn’t intend to keep those two by his side forever.”
“Thank you for telling me. I’m relieved.”

Since she speaks from experience, it must be true. Relieved, Ekaterina returned a smile to the Empress Dowager.
“It was a fine song. Both the melody and the lyrics are profound and rich in meaning. I think your talent is wonderful as well.”

AAAAA
It’s not my talent at all!!

“N-no. Actually, Lord Selezar helped me revise it quite a bit. It’s certainly not due to my own talent…”

The Empress Dowager cast a warm gaze at Ekaterina, who was trying to brush it off with a laugh, but then her expression suddenly changed.

“Ekaterina… That girl—was her name Olga? Is there anyone among her relatives named Irina?”

Startled by the unexpected question, Ekaterina’s eyes widened. She shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the details about Lady Olga’s relatives…”
“I see. I startled you by asking so suddenly. Don’t let it trouble you.”

.

When she returned to the VIP section with the Empress Dowager, the former Emperor and Mikhail greeted her with smiles.
They must have been alone for a while—what could grandfather and grandson have been talking about? Though she wondered about this, Ekaterina bowed to Their Majesties and Mikhail before taking her seat.

“I offer my sincerest apologies for leaving my seat earlier without permission. Such discourtesy in the presence of Your Majesties… I am deeply ashamed.”
“It is all right. Lydia is a relative of the Empress Dowager and a young lady who has visited this summer palace often, so I am pleased with your conduct. After all, this is a private gathering; please feel at ease.”

The former Emperor Valentin smiled.

“But it is good to be polite. In that respect, you are quite like Aleksei.”

Yay, he said I’m like Onii-sama!
Ekaterina, who was always a bit of a brother-obsessed sister, was instantly elated.
I wonder if Onii-sama used to meet His Majesty the former Emperor here from time to time before he inherited the dukedom. No, wait—after Grandfather passed away, he was basically working in the Jurnova domain. He must have met His Majesty when he was still Emperor, back when Grandfather was still alive.
Even back then, Brother must have acted in ways that made people wonder, “Is he really just a child?”—behaving in a way that put adults to shame. He must have been so cute. Hehe, I’d love to see that.

“I’ve heard that you and Aleksei were raised apart…”

A note of concern mingled with the former Emperor’s voice. Ekaterina instinctively glanced at Mikhail.
What did you tell him?
Mikhail simply returned her gaze with a gentle smile.
After a moment’s hesitation over how to respond, Ekaterina spoke.

“Yes, we were raised apart, so I am very happy to be living together with him now.”

She thought she had given a safe answer, but the Emperor remained silent. Then, he let out a deep sigh.

“The last time I saw Aleksandr, I instructed him that now that my brother-in-law is gone, he must be the one to protect his own wife and children… but I could not interfere in the internal affairs of Jurnova.”

At those words, Ekaterina’s eyes widened.
Had His Majesty the former Emperor been concerned about my mother, my brother, and me? If he meant the last time he saw Father, that must have been right before he abdicated and moved to this detached palace. After the abdication, he surely never met with Father, who was a duke.
Really… if only Father had followed those words.

My and Mother’s life wasn’t so bad when Grandfather was still alive. That said, since Mother stayed with me at the duke’s country estate the whole time, the fact that the duchess—who should have been with her husband—never appeared in public must have been the subject of rumors.
Life truly became miserable some time after Grandfather’s death. By then, His Majesty the former Emperor was living in seclusion here and no longer met with influential nobles, so he likely had no way of knowing such things.

To begin with, domestic abuse is difficult for outsiders to intervene in. That was true even in 21st-century Japan. If Mother had given up on Father while Grandfather was still alive, things might have been different… but Mother was still in love with Father and refused to leave him, so no one could have helped her.

Actually, Grandmother is the one who’s really to blame, more so than Father. If His Majesty were to find out that his own sister had been acting so wickedly, he would surely be shocked.
But it seemed the former Emperor favored Grandfather Sergei over Grandmother. Right after Grandfather passed away, his beloved horse Zephyrus was killed, and Grandmother showed no sign of remorse… Perhaps there was hardly any contact between them after his abdication.

“I am deeply delighted that Your Majesty would take such an interest in me. …I am truly happy now.”

The former Emperor nodded.

“You are a kind girl. This visit, too, was for a friend’s sake, was it not? The way you take pleasure in discovering and nurturing talented people—you much resemble my brother-in-law very much. It brings back memories… Please feel free to visit whenever you wish. Keep in mind that, on Sergei’s behalf, I wish you happiness.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”

Bowing her head, Ekaterina glanced briefly at Mikhail.
What did you tell His Majesty? You’re so smart—maybe you noticed more than I let on while you were in the Jurnova domain.

Mikhail met Ekaterina’s gaze and whispered.

“Just then… I thought you were going to leave me. It scared me.”

……
……
……
……
W-w-what is this feeling?
Ah! That’s right! Of course he would be sacred! If I were to suddenly vanish from here, who knows what kind of outburst my overprotective Onii-sama would have! That would be scary, wouldn’t it!

Ekaterina is desperately averting her gaze from something. Well, it’s pretty certain that Aleksei would have an outburst.
In any case, Ekaterina couldn’t bring herself to reply, and just kept shifting her gaze nervously.
Mikhail watched her with a wry smile, yet a gentle look in his eyes.

And the former Emperor and the Empress Dowager watched this exchange between their grandchildren with warm, fond gazes.

.

When Lydia returned after changing, Ekaterina felt a sense of relief.
It seemed she had borrowed one of the Empress Dowager’s old dresses, and the simple, high-quality gown seemed to suit Lydia better than the one she had been wearing just moments ago.

“It’s as if I’m seeing myself in my youth. Lydia, I shall give you that dress,”

The Empress Dowager said gently.
Lydia thanked her for the gift, apologized for her earlier outburst, and took her seat. After that, she sat with her eyes cast down, quiet as a doll. Only occasionally did she seem to steal a glance at Ekaterina.
It didn’t seem to be a look of anger or hatred, and while Ekaterina felt relieved, she was still at a loss as to what to do. Should she speak to Lydia first? What should she say? And if she were to offer encouragement, should she summon the daily calendar after all?

Just as her thoughts were starting to wander off in a ridiculous direction…
A kaleidoscope of light erupted on the stage.

The light formed into a sphere and swelled to enormous size. As big as an adult’s embrace… no, even bigger.
And then, it burst.
A whirlwind of color and light. As it faded, Olga and Renat had returned to the stage.