Not a Villainess but a Maid

#007 Concert 上

Finally, the day arrived.

It was the annual aristocratic exchange concert and the awakening event for Ruby that happened once a year.

Ruby, dressed in a black dress, sat next to me, waiting for her turn.

“Miss, don’t be too nervous···!”

“…It seems like Amber is more nervous.”

Today, in preparation for any accidents that might occur, I made thorough preparations.

Since Ruby’s magical ability was fire, I filled a bucket with water to immediately suppress any fire that might break out and hid it under the chair.

But most importantly, Ruby’s condition.

I handed her the candy that I had put in my pocket.

“Miss, it’s for replenishment.”

“Yeah.”

In case her muscles cramped up during the performance, I was prepared to do everything I could.

“I can give you a massage for your arms.”

“No, there’s no need for that…”

“Come on, give it to me…”

Today, there was a reason to be proactive.

For her, today’s incident could be considered a turning point in her life.

To prevent Ruby from turning into a villain due to the accident, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down even for a moment.

“Amber, please be gentle…”

“No, I can’t. You don’t exercise enough, so it tends to cramp up even more.”

Starting from the upper arm, I massaged her palm and fingertips with great care.

Since I learned it from the maid manager, Merilda, it would surely have an effect.

While massaging her fingers, Ruby made a slight sigh-like sound.

“…Hm.”

“Ouch, did it hurt?”

“…No. Keep going.”

After massaging the other arm for about five more minutes, they concluded.

“It’s done.”

“…Thank you.”

I inspected Ruby’s condition, hoping it had improved a bit.

However, her face seemed even redder than before the massage, and her breathing appeared much faster.

“No, why does it seem like your condition got worse than earlier?”

“…,” she remained silent, avoiding eye contact as I expressed my concern.

At that moment, the announcer’s voice echoed from the stage.

“The next performer is the Diamond of the Osteon family.”

Naturally, the audience’s attention shifted to the stage, and a diamond, adorned in a white dress, walked towards the piano.

Though she looked like a 13-year-old girl, the aura around her was nothing less than that of an adult.

“So beautiful… She seems to shine.”

Perhaps this was what they called the protagonist’s charm.

Playing this game made me understand why the heroines favored the diamond.

Compliments towards the diamond started to resonate from the audience.

“Is she really a diamond? How can someone be so beautiful?”

” I heard that you are very polite.”

‘Quite popular, Dia···.’

Amidst everyone’s warm attention, Dia finally began to play.

The song she played every day in the room before I became close to Ruby flowed out.

‘I understand why Ruby changed the song.’

Until she changed the song, Ruby was troubled by the overlap between Dia and the song.

Dia’s performance went beyond simply playing well.

The rhythm and intensity were so precise, almost as if it were mechanical, eliciting admiration from the onlookers.

Before I knew it, her performance entered the climax, and I sensed that Ruby’s turn was coming.

“It’s the next one, Miss. Get ready slowly···.”

Looking to the side, I noticed that her white hands, raised above the seat, were trembling slightly.

“Miss?”

It seemed like Ruby couldn’t hear any sound in her mind.

‘···She’s too nervous.’

Quietly, I approached Ruby’s side and whispered into her ear,

“Hoo.”

I gently blew a breeze into her ear.

“Eek!?”

Upon that, Ruby shrank her shoulders and turned towards me.

“Amber, what are you suddenly doing···.”

“Now, are you not nervous?”

“Huh?”

Ruby, who had been bewildered, looked around her body before responding.

“Yeah, I guess…?”

The fact that she was nervous was evidence of how deeply she was immersed in the current situation.

Ruby must have constantly thought to herself.

Can I do well? What if I make a mistake?

So, diverting attention with an unexpected action naturally led her away from such thoughts.

As someone whose head turns blank with tension, I could empathize more than anyone else.

“It would be a shame not to show what you prepared for. It’s better not to leave any regrets, don’t you think?”

Ruby, who had a stiff expression until then, finally smiled slightly.

“Amber sometimes seems like there’s an adult inside her when you look closely.”

I flinched as if I had been exposed for a moment.

“hahahahaha, just kidding…”

Sometimes, she had such a good sense that it was scary.

The host announced her turn.

“The next in line is Miss Ruby of the Sarka family.”

“I’ll be back.”

Ruby gracefully walked onto the stage.

Even though only her name and family were mentioned, people murmured in awe.

“That child? The darling of the Sarka family?”

“Bold, isn’t she? Would you like me to introduce her face to you?”

“Hush, someone might hear us.”

The reputation of the Sarka family in this game was not good.

They were not a family that had built up wealth in an upright manner, so they were feared and envied even by the nobles.

There weren’t many families that came across as friendly, but there were hardly any families that could be ignored due to their immense power.

…

Seated in a chair, she placed her hands on the keys and concentrated quietly.

Originally, she should have played a piece like a diamond, but this time she had prepared her own composition.

In the silence, Ruby pressed the first key.

And then, as if asking when she had become tense, she began to play like flowing water.

When a more distinctive introduction flowed out than any other piece she had heard before, the nobles murmured.

“A piece we’ve never heard before?”

“Is it her own composition?”

Ruby’s piece was much more refined than when I first heard it.

The relatively free melody without restricting rhythm gradually overwhelmed the audience.

Playing with a fast pace, yet feeling completely natural, it was a performance that fully showcased Ruby’s unique style.

If Dia’s performance was a restrained and well-crafted gem, Ruby’s performance was like looking at an unknown rough gemstone that instinctively caught people’s attention.

Pouring her emotions into the piece and expressing them fully, she gave the illusion of playing different instruments all by herself.

“She must have worked really hard…”

…

As the concert approached its final moments, a sudden change in the piece would have given her much less practice time than others.

Moreover, as she had mentioned, her original composition was an uncertain factor without guaranteed scores.

However, to the extent that such things didn’t seem to bother her at all, it appeared as if the audience was overwhelmed by Ruby’s performance.

After the performance, applause poured from the audience.

Ruby quietly returned to her seat next to me.

“···Well done. It was an excellent performance! Miss.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

She said with a refreshed expression.

After all the turns were over, people who seemed to be judges murmured with unusual expressions.

Judging by the situation, it seemed like they were about to announce the winner.

‘Stay alert. It’s dangerous from now on.’

If it followed the past of the original game, Ruby would lose to Dia here and awaken the power of fire magic from that sense of loss.

While waiting for the results, I tightly gripped the handle of the bucket of water hidden under the chair.

Keeping an eye on Ruby, guarding against a possible fire, she spoke to me.

“Thank you, Amber.”

“Yes?”

“If I had chosen the same piece as Dia, I probably wouldn’t have been able to focus on the performance.”

Because I had praised Ruby’s piece, she was talking about the change in her song selection.

“···It was nothing. I just listened by your side.”

“No, that’s enough.”

Before I knew it, the judging panel, having concluded the meeting, conveyed something to the emcee, who then took the stage and shouted loudly.

“Then, I will announce it. The winner of this year’s aristocratic exchange concert is…”

As if time had come to a standstill, the interior of the concert hall fell silent.

I gripped a bucket of water tightly under my chair, focusing all my attention.

And then, the results were announced.

“The winner is Lady Ruby of the Sarka family.”

“···Huh?”

It was an unexpected call.

The audience, including myself, and even Ruby, wore expressions of surprise.

“She demonstrated the most distinctive performance among the musicians this year.”

She received high praise for presenting original compositions that stood out from the existing pieces and delivering a performance filled with emotions.

I let go of the bucket, looked at her, and exclaimed, “Miss, you won…!”

“···.”

Ruby, too, spoke as if she couldn’t believe she had won.

“I can’t believe it…”

***

No one raised objections to her victory.

The award ceremony passed smoothly, and I ended up attending a small after-party with Ruby.

Various aristocrats, impressed by her unique performance, gradually let down their guard and approached Ruby.

“I enjoyed the performance. It left a deep impression.”

“It was the best performance I’ve heard this year.”

“…Thank you.”

It was when Ruby was engrossed in conversation with other nobles.

“Congratulations, Ruby.”

As someone called her name, a familiar voice, Diamond, dressed in a white gown, appeared in the crowd.

“…Diamond?”

As the two from renowned families faced each other, the attention of the surrounding nobles naturally shifted towards them.