Maylily - Chapter 33

After the performance, in the theater left desolate as the audience departed, a high-pitched voice sharply tore through the air.

“Are you saying I’m being thrown off the stage because of that wretch Maylily? What about all the roles I’ve taken this season?”

To be suddenly notified of dismissal.

Summoned to the director’s office before the echoes of the curtain call had even faded, Vanessa felt as though she’d been struck by lightning while walking. At such a crucial time, when she ought to be making her mark on stage and rising to the top, she’d been brutally excluded from the competition.

Because of no one else but Maylily, that country bumpkin.

Her lips, white as paper, quivered with emotions she could not name—rage or despair. A pitiable sight, but it wasn’t enough to overturn Martin’s decision.

“Filling a few minor roles is nothing. For the time being, you are not to go near the stage or anywhere around the theater. If you defy my words and cause trouble, it won’t end with just this. The discussion is over. Leave now.”

Lowering his eyes to the ledger he had been working on, Martin made clear he had no intention of continuing the conversation. But, unable to meekly accept such an unjust punishment, Vanessa slammed her hand on his desk instead of leaving.

“I told you, I didn’t push Maylily! She slipped on her own and fell down the stairs.”

At her persistent protests, Martin closed the ledger with an annoyed snap and raised his head again. His gaze on his niece was cold, without a shred of affection.

“You had her by the hair, shaking her like pulling out weeds. How could she have kept her footing?”

“I really am being wronged here! She was the one who first belittled my skill and provoked me. Why won’t you consider my side at all?”

It was Maylily who had stained the company’s reputation with her disgraceful conduct, and when she’d offered sincere advice, it was Maylily who had insulted her in return. Why then should she be the one driven out?

What’s more, since that day, she’d felt the stares of the other members upon her grow strangely sharp, and Vanessa’s fury only mounted.

“Whatever wrong Maylily committed, it doesn’t justify your violence, Vanessa. With this incident, you have gravely damaged the dignity of our opera company, and it’s right that you bear responsibility. You should be grateful you were spared expulsion.”

“And you call this being for the dignity of the opera company?”

At his hypocritical words, Vanessa’s shoulders shook with a derisive laugh. He had ignored Maylily’s injury, only to suddenly make such a decision after returning from an outing that afternoon. The reason was plain to see.

“It’s because of Maylily’s patron! I know you met him today.”

For an instant, Martin was struck dumb, his eyes asking, How could you know that? Emboldened that her guess had been correct, Vanessa pressed on with even greater confidence.

“Uncle, have you no pride?”

“What?”

At the impertinent question from his young niece, Martin’s brow twisted violently.

“Even if money is important, do you mean to bow to some foreigner who’s not even a noble, for such a paltry sum?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“The man from Cartia who came to the patronage party last time is Maylily’s patron, isn’t he?”

At her sharp retort, Martin’s face shifted into astonishment, then suddenly he burst into laughter. At the unexpected reaction, Vanessa realized something was wrong.

“Vanessa Fritz.”

Cutting off his laughter, Martin rose from his seat and stepped closer. The cold anger in the eyes looking down at her made Vanessa instinctively hunch her shoulders.

“Did I look like such a worthless fool who would bow even to some low-born man of no standing?”

What was this? At words she couldn’t immediately comprehend, Vanessa blinked in confusion. Martin’s fingertips prodded her shoulder lightly, again and again.

“Did I look like a pig who would sell off pride and everything else for money? Indeed, since you saw me that lightly, you ignored all my warnings and vented your malice on Maylily. Only now do I understand all your insolence.”

“Th-then… are you saying that man is not Maylily’s patron?”

“Foolish girl.”

Martin sneered viciously at Vanessa, still bewildered.

“If I had lost my mind, perhaps I’d have given Maylily such a patron. No matter how you mock her as a country bumpkin and laugh at her, anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear would know that she is the brightest jewel among you.”

For decades, Martin had worked in the opera company and dealt with countless singers, and his eye for discerning outstanding talent was exceptional. And because he took pride in that fact, he was cold in his evaluations and never spoke empty words.

Even Martin acknowledged Maylily’s superiority. To thrust that truth in Vanessa’s face—the truth she had tried so hard to ignore all this time—and cruelly tear at the pride that had already been wounded countless times because of Maylily.

Martin was a cunning man who knew how to effectively attack the sensitive and fragile points in the psychology of singers plagued by fierce competition.

Knowing that, Vanessa had still, unable to restrain a moment’s impulse, picked the wrong opponent to lash out at. Her fighting spirit was now tattered like a rag. Nevertheless, Martin’s attack showed no sign of stopping.

“That paltry sum? Do you even know how much was written on the check Maylily’s patron handed me? It was the largest amount of sponsorship money our opera company has received this year.”

“How could that be…”

Finally realizing that behind Maylily stood someone far greater than she’d ever imagined, Vanessa’s face turned blank with despair. To have ruined her career so miserably because of a rash misjudgment… She couldn’t believe it.

“You would do well to cast off the arrogance that you can see through everything with your narrow vision. This incident will serve as a great lesson for you.”

To Vanessa, who collapsed under the crushing weight of despair and sank to the floor, Martin delivered his final blow.

“If you wish to stand on stage again, then find a patron who will pay more in sponsorship than Maylily’s. Otherwise, there will be no chance of return.”

***

Through the window of the carriage running along the Fez River, a cool breeze flowed in. Thanks to the rain that had fallen early in the morning, the air and the sky were especially clear that day.

Turning her body halfway so that her bangs fluttered in the wind, Maylily pressed her face close to the window, and a gentle smile spread across her lips. The riverside embankment was covered in vivid green grass, and the empty places left by cherry blossoms long since fallen were filled with white and red azaleas and fragrant acacia.

It had been pleasant enough to watch spring deepen around the Fez River from inside her home all week, but to slip into that scenery was a far more exhilarating thing. Perhaps it was because today was the day she was returning to the theater after a long rest.

Her ankle still carried a faint ache, but it had healed enough that she could move without difficulty. The wound on her forehead too had healed almost completely, hidden beneath her bangs. Having taken plenty of rest under the excuse of her injury, she was also full of energy.

So now, I’ll begin again with a new heart.

The beautiful spring scenery she encountered on her way to work lent strength to that resolve. Tidying her disheveled bangs and straightening her posture, Maylily hugged the bag on her lap tightly to her chest.

Inside were three small boxes of cookies wrapped with pretty ribbons. They were gifts of gratitude for the troupe members and the infirmary officer who had helped her on the day she was injured.

Though she worried slightly about how the troupe members might take the gifts, she resolved to be brave. For without change, a new beginning couldn’t hold meaning.

Arriving at the theater, Maylily first went to the director’s office to report her return. Perhaps because it had been a week since he had seen her face, he welcomed her warmly.

“I came to greet you since today is my first day back, Director.”

“You’re always so polite, it makes me proud. So, is your leg fully healed?”

“Yes, thanks to your consideration, Director. Thank you once again.”

At Maylily’s words of thanks, the director waved his hand and smiled kindly.

“No need to thank me, it was only what I ought to do. If you’re still not fully recovered, you may rest a few more days.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. I want to get back on stage quickly too.”

“That is the right attitude. Still, take care not to overdo it. If you injure the same place again, it could easily become a chronic problem.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

“If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to say so. Since you’ll have much to do after being away for some time, go on now.”

“Thank you, Director.”

For some time, he had seemed oddly cold, and she had worried she might have done something wrong. Was it only her imagination?

Puzzled by the director’s attitude, treating her like a beloved prima donna, Maylily tilted her head as she stepped into the corridor. She decided to spend the rest of the morning in the practice room.

When she finally arrived and was loosening her throat with scale exercises, an unexpected visitor came looking for her.