Money, Power, Glory

Sneering at her behaviour but not saying a word, she immediately grabbed the pants and left.

"When you grow up and feel great, you won't even listen to us anymore," Stephanie smiled and said to Harmony, who was clicking her tongue at her behaviour.

"She's already a grown girl. She's seventeen now," said Harmony.

"That's why I'm worried. An opera is a dangerous place for a seventeen-year-old girl. No matter how hard she tried to hide her appearance, no one didn't want to chase after the girl who was in the blooming era. I'm afraid the guys keep glancing at Este," Stephanie said.

Harmony hoped Este could do her job peacefully in the backstage supply room. But instead, she enjoyed walking around the opera like a boar chased by a torch. And Harmony was also worried that she wasn't doing her job well.

Working on Lisa's dress, Stephanie sighed, "If it's just the male actors, I'm not too worried because they have to get permission from Maeve, of course. Moreover, Lisa loved her so much that the actors wouldn't be able to do anything rash. I'm more worried if the nobles see the girl walking around a lot."

Having lived in opera since just five, Este is always hidden by Maeve, the opera owner. The girl always wore makeup to cover her clear white skin. Maeve also disguised Este's blonde hair with a brick red wig so no one would recognise her.

In addition, Este was always told to wear clothes three times her size to hide her figure as best as possible. But unfortunately, it can't completely cover up her natural beauty. As a result, Harmony and Stephanie, who had cared for the girl since she was a kid, were always worried.

"I thought I had to do something sooner or later. I asked Este if she wanted to be on stage because the girl kept her eyes on the actresses. Unfortunately, she said no when I asked. I want to find a good young man to marry her." Stephanie could only shake her head at Harmony's concern.

"Yeah, but I'm also worried that her life will be flat when she gets married. To the common person, that appearance resembled that of poison. I thought this was Maeve's attempt to take advantage of the girl's beauty early on. The previous owner of the opera was the one who betrothed Sarah to Marquis Khan Wald. Well, since Sarah is an actress, she won't be able to avoid such a harsh life."

"So, is she going to hide the child? It seems impossible," Stephanie sighed as if she couldn't believe it.

"That's scarier. It's even weirder if Maeve raises a five-year-old just out of pity. I'm more worried that woman has huge plans, and that's why she's been hiding Este since she was little."

"Why don't we tell this to Marquis? He was indeed an asshole, but still, it was his daughter. He wouldn't pretend to know her, would he?" said Harmony trying to make a suggestion.

"You think so? Unlike in the past, nowadays, their lovers and illegitimate children tend to be mistreated. She could only be protected as a noble if he was officially registered in their family, but it was a pity that the man she called father never did. He knew Este had grown up in opera, but that man had never been here, and he seemed to feign ignorance. I didn't think he would suddenly come to pick up his kid anymore. If Este caught the attention of Marquise Khan Wald, she might end up only getting horrible treatment or becoming a noble family's game. You know how scary that man's legal wife was when Sarah died," explained Stephanie shaking her head and lowering her voice sadly, a heavy silence coming into the buffer room.

After gossiping with each other about the issue of Sarah's death, which was still questionable, Stephanie, who had been deep in thought for a long time, was now patting her face, trying to hold back her tears with a cloth.

"You know what? This year is Este's ceremony time because she is a teenager now. But, still, I worry because she still doesn't look mature, and that girl is always careless and reckless. I see a child still playing with the sewage water."

Harmony sighed as she stuffed the last repaired dress into a basket. An ordinary plain-faced girl with no parents or family will quickly become the target of games and love for one night, then end her life as a woman of the night. Even if Este were lucky enough to be the lover of a noble like her mother, a girl like her would be abandoned when she grew up or started to age.

Few people knew that Ellie was a girl who was only sixteen when she joined the Opera Empress. Starting as an assistant, now the girl has played several roles directly.

Unfortunately, the girl seems to have been sexually assaulted in the private waiting room of Marina, another artist, a few months ago. When Este watched Ellie, who came into the support room with torn clothes and blood between her legs, Este realised that being an artist was not as beautiful as she had heard before.

"They treat her like this. What a shame! However, they would be sweet when she became a popular actress, even sending gifts. The compliments will never stop."

Este realised how sad it was to be someone who didn't have the money, power, or glory to live in the world after seeing what had happened to Ellie. The girl couldn't even protest even after she was mistreated.

From then on, Este had no problem hiding more thoroughly in a quiet place. Harmony often scolded her for running around and being so careless and reckless, but the girl tried to avoid as many people as possible.

"I'll never be someone like Ellie or my mother, Sarah." I've had enough of a life ruled by others since I was a kid.

**To Be Continued**