shc.C43_Chapter 43: The Phoenix Takes Flight Across Thin Ice

Chapter 43: The Phoenix Takes Flight Across Thin Ice

“Please take this…”

After Viktor and Maria-san finished their final rehearsal, I took a small handmade hair ornament from my waist pouch—a tsumami-zaiku clip made from cloth given to me by Her Highness—and offered it to her.

It was adorned with delicate pink blossoms. Maria-san twirled it in her fingers, holding it up to the light with curiosity, before wordlessly placing it in her hair.

“It’s such a lovely hairpin. I’ll treasure it.”

“I’m sorry it’s only a clumsy craft from an amateur…”

“Not at all. It’s a rare and thoughtful gift. Thank you.”

Maria-san gave an elegant curtsy. Now, she said, she would spend some time calming her mind before her performance.

Not wanting to intrude, the three of us—myself, Viktor, and Romanov-sensei—left the room, leaving the guards to maintain security.

Maria-san was scheduled to be the final act. Before her, there would be a concert of instruments—piano, violin, flute, and more.

Thanks to the earlier chaos, we were only just realizing that the show would begin very soon.

Viktor, holding the invitations he had received earlier, led us to our seats in the horseshoe-shaped balcony.

From there, we had a clear view of the velvet-draped stage, adorned with tassels and gilded trim. A magnificent chandelier sparkled overhead, and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement.

But after everything that had happened today…

“…The chandelier isn’t going to fall, right?”

“Eek, don’t say creepy stuff like that! I was already thinking it!”

“Hmm… I mean, I wouldn’t rule it out, honestly.”

Of course not.

The three of us stared up at the chandelier, and just then, murmurs spread throughout the theater.

An announcer proclaimed the arrival of the Second Prince, and a fanfare echoed.

All eyes turned to the grand, central VIP box on the second floor.

There stood a young boy with dazzling silver hair and a striking uniform of blue and black. From his shoulders hung long strands of gold braid, clearly visible even at a distance.

Our seats were off to the side, closer to the stage, so we couldn’t see his face very well.

The crowd erupted into applause as the prince waved and looked out across the hall.

For a split second, it seemed like he paused when looking in our direction. But… maybe I imagined it?

Either way, once he signaled for the clapping to stop, he sat down in a luxurious chair prepared just for him.

Only after that could we, the commoners, take our seats.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the chandelier.

“…Should we maybe cast a protection spell on it?”

“Yeah… let’s do that.”

With that, Viktor looked up and snapped his fingers.

He was skilled enough to cast spells without incantation, or at least reduce the casting time significantly.

Even though Maria-san’s poisoning had only been resolved a short while ago, word had already spread throughout the theater. Romanov-sensei and Viktor were overhearing a number of hushed conversations.

The speed of the gossip suggested someone had spread the story intentionally.

Still, Maria-san was going to take the stage. It wouldn’t be strange if a second attack had been prepared.

Poisoning her voice had been subtle. But dropping a chandelier would be quicker—and could pass as an accident.

If the culprits were the type to fabricate a scapegoat ahead of time, that wouldn’t be beyond them.

Even the person who had supposedly hanged themselves might not have been the true culprit.

Once you start suspecting, there’s no end.

Right now, Maria-san was standing not just on the stage of the national theater but on a metaphorical layer of thin ice.

I wondered if she was afraid.

Then I remembered her words:

“I will show those who dared disgrace me—and His Highness—what happens when you cross the phoenix.”

She knew exactly how dangerous her position was.

And still, she stood tall, proud, and alone on her battlefield—the stage.

All I could do now was pray for her safety and for her performance to be a success. And to offer her all the applause in the world.

“Please, dear Princess… May your blessing be with her.”

In moments like these, there was only one deity I could think to pray to—Her Highness.

After all, she had once told me she would look after humans a little bit, too.

As I pressed my hands together in silent prayer, I suddenly felt someone watching me.

I looked up to find Romanov-sensei and Viktor both staring at me.

“A-tan,” Viktor said, “so that hair ornament really wasn’t just an ordinary accessory, was it? You meant Her Highness’s blessing literally.”

“You noticed too, Viktor?”

“Well, duh. With that many spirits swarming around it, there’s no way it was just a normal hairpin. It didn’t just boost her magic—it even had status immunity on it.”

“Status immunity…?”

What’s that?

I blinked in confusion, and Romanov-sensei gently pinched my cheek—not enough to hurt, just to squish it.

“That cloth you used for the hair ornament… it was a gift from Her Highness, wasn’t it?”

“Yeth, ith wath.”

“Aah… now it makes sense why the spirits were acting like drunk cats rolling in catnip.”

“Hooh,” Viktor nodded. “That explains it.”

I must’ve looked completely lost—because Viktor and Romanov-sensei started to explain.

Normally, spirits can’t be seen. But if you have special eyes, or magical tools, you can see them.

Viktor, being one of those with special eyes, said that when I gave Maria the hairpin, the spirits had rushed to touch it, and when they did, they went all melty-eyed and blissful—like cats rolling in catnip.

Spirits are attracted to the light given off during magic use, and apparently the cloth I used gave off that same magical glow.

As for the status immunity, Viktor was able to confirm it with his Appraisal skill.

Suddenly, the murmurs around the audience ceased.

Down below, the conductor raised his baton, and the musicians readied their instruments.

With a downward motion, the baton swept through the air—and the fanfare that followed sent a powerful ripple through the theater.

The glamorous concert, shrouded in unseen tension, had begun.

And Maria-san’s performance… there’s only one way to describe it:

Absolutely breathtaking.

Whispers of her poisoning had spread ahead of her. So when she walked on stage, the entire audience stirred with shock.

But unbothered by their murmurs, Maria-san stepped forward, grasped her gown, and curtsied with grace.

Straightening her back, she stood tall and proud.

The music began—the same piece I had heard her sing on the day we first met.

Bathed in the glow of the spotlight, the songstress opened her rose-colored lips, and from her throat poured a voice so clear and radiant it defied belief.

Compared to what I’d heard before at Viktor’s home, it was sharper, more transparent, and pierced straight into every heart.

The voice was majestic and unwavering.

If a phoenix were to take human form, it would surely be Maria Crow standing here now.

The voice of the reborn phoenix would burn away those who had hurt her and sought to shame her—and the prince she served.

As the final note of her song rang out, her lips closed.

The audience, frozen in reverent silence, held their breath—then erupted into thunderous applause.

Even though my hands were red and sore from clapping, I couldn’t stop.

No one could.

Everyone in the theater stood to give an ovation to the greatest diva in the empire.

Eun: We're almost there......and I lied. Teehee. GomengoMENgo. It turns out ep 9 of the anime is around the first part of c44. Eheee~ sorry guys. I thought it ends at c49......sobs. BUT hey at least I did a good job catching up right TT_TT

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