Chapter 17 - Doubts

After her tiresome shopping, Malia asked the coachman to take her to where her father was. From where they are, it took barely 15 minutes to get there.

She arrived at the location at exactly 4 p.m. It was a large structure with clean white paint. The area was quiet and had an abandoned feel to it. The name of the company says "Pressy Company."

'Pfftt, hahaha, a company that presses songs onto vinyl sure has a direct name,' Malia thought.

A guard approached Malia and was then guided to the room where her father was.

"Father—Oh, Greetings to the prince of Sorav, blessings from the god Rheas to you."

'Shit this villain is here. I thought he just needed to obtain one copy then leave Erias right away.'

"Is this your genius daughter?" A middle-aged or 35-year-old male spoke. He appears to be overjoyed to see me.

'Do I know this dude? Also, genius is highly exaggerated.' Malia considered objecting but opted to remain silent.

"Malia, come here, the prince here was listening to your additional song and piano pieces. This is Stan, he's the owner of Pressy Company". Her father motioned for her to move closer.

'Pffttt, oh gosh help me with this name'

Malia tried to cough to stop herself from laughing.

"Good afternoon, Sir Stan, you've got a pretty good company name there."

Stan replied, "Thank you," believing her to be sincere. Malia felt bad about what she said and turned to a different side only to face Kai who was smiling at her. Kai looked quite princely today, and his tiny right fang was on display.

"Lady Malia, you seem to be extremely talented at making a new song that's equally good as the previous one. I'm quite surprised" Although Kai's comments were sincere, he was unhappy with either of the songs she produced. He's only developing a deeper hatred for her.

'Ugh, there's that fake look again. If I could just touch him a little bit and read his thoughts. What's wrong with the second song now?'

"Yes! I agree! Although you're not my daughter, I do feel proud of you. You'll, without a doubt, become incredibly famous, and you're making us famous alongside you. Hahaha!" It was Stan who praised her.

"Thank you." Malia thanked Stan shyly, at least his words were genuine.

"By the way, I share with them the names of the two piano pieces and that new song, but prince Kai seems to have some suggestions." The Marquis was smiling but Malia sensed that the prince was about to complain or say something.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Does the title have to be "Yellow"? I don't quite agree with that. I suggest making it "Shine for you"."

'BLAAAARGHH' Malia wanted to puke with the name he suggested.

"Please accept my sincere apologies, your Highness. The color "Yellow" denotes timidity or fear. From this point of view, the singer felt hesitant and terrified to express their love until they "ran across" and "jumped across" for the one they cared about. Eventually, they had the courage to declare their love. I sincerely hope you think about keeping the title as it is because it has a very meaningful intention." Malia protested while fake smiling.

How could she stand by and let this prince in this world change the name that her idol had chosen to go by? And the fact that the word "Yellow" appears multiple times in the song, how dare he try to replace it with something so commonly used?

"Is the song about your fiancé or ex— "

"Nope! I—I mean, it's not about him your Highness. H—He has nothing to do with any of the songs that are currently being written or those that will be written in the future. I actually like someone else." Malia lied, what could she possibly tell this villain prince?

'Gosh, what's wrong with these people always tying me to that hopeless ex-fiancé? Is it impossible to use the phrase "moved on" in this world?'

"I see. I guess we should proceed with everything." Kai motioned for Stan's team to continue.

"Darling, what do you want people to see on the album cover?" Although it would be best to ask his daughter, the Marquis already has some ideas for what to do with the cover.

"Hmmm… I like it to haaaave… this mask" Malia pointed at her mask. "Just this mask, and underneath it the word "Lia". Giving off an air of mystery is good, isn't it?" She gestured with her hands as if there were any surprises as she described.

"Genius! What a genius! I wish I had a daughter like you!" Stan seemed to like her idea.

Malia only smiled awkwardly.

"But don't you want the people to know you? I had intended to use your full name." It was her father who objected.

"The noble families we know used to consider me to be somewhat talentless. I'm concerned that nobody will buy the album. When people start to show interest in me and when I'm well-known, I'll perform on the television, and ultimately everyone will know who I am..."

Malia immediately paused, 'Dang, I forgot television is only used for news broadcast in this world'

The entire room fell silent. Completely taken aback by what she said.

"I'm… I'm just—uhm, isn't it okay to have dreams sometimes? Ha-ha"

"No! Everything you stated made perfect sense. Who said that television broadcasts should only feature news?" The Marquis thought Malia's idea was brilliant. "Don't worry darling, I'll buy you some airtime without a doubt."

"Oh no, no, no. Not right now, we are not yet sure that people's musical preferences are the same in this wo—for Erias or other Kingdoms as well. Ha-ha-ha, right?"

'Arggh! this stupid mouth!'

"Right, but I think everyone will enjoy these songs and piano pieces," Her father and Mr. Stan smiled in agreement. They are optimistic about Malia's future.

"Haha, okay." She continued smiling awkwardly.

Kai was keeping a close eye on her. She appeared suspicious and unsure.

'Isn't it natural for anyone to want to brag about their amazing achievements? She doesn't appear to be someone who just created something remarkable.'

"Did you have help writing these songs?" Kai tried to probe, not wanting to be entangled in scandals and court cases.

Malia gulped. "No?"

'Don't panic, don't panic, just smile, just smile… was that the right answer? First, I didn't write the songs. Second, how could I have some help creating it when it's not even mine in the first place? Third, original composers do not exist here! So, I guess my answer is fine?'

"I don't think so. Malia doesn't have many friends who share a great interest in music. And who doesn't want to be famous in their own right? Wouldn't they want to produce the song themselves if it was written by them?" The Marquis was sure that Malia had written the songs she sang because it was by chance that he happened to catch her playing the piano.

"I agree, if someone else wrote it they would at least want some share for profit as well. I also heard that Malia performed them right on the spot. It would be hard to do that if you don't know the songs by heart." Stan added.

'Oh nooooooooo, I hate being grilled like this. Although I'm not entirely lying it is still a lieeeeee'

Malia chose to take control of the situation and disregarded Kai's accusations.

"Be at ease, Your Highness. Just have faith in me." Malia cannot think of something else to say.

"That's good, I only wanted to make sure this investment won't have any issues in the future."

"Mhmm." Malia nodded and smiled awkwardly.

They spent another half-hour there before calling it a day.

Malia was completely worn out. She will 100% avoid Kai in the future regardless of his involvement in her albums. Malia dozed off throughout the entire ride back home while hugging her first album copy.

̉•••••••••••••••

The 28th of July, 596 of the Imperial year.

It was finally Thursday, and Malia was holding her mother's hands while gazing into her teary eyes. Behind the Marchioness, her father was holding her by the waist.

Finally, the day has come to go for the kingdom of Sorav. All of the orders Malia wanted to bring to Sorav arrived on time, and she enjoyed her remaining days in the manor while cooking for her family and teaching the chef new cooking styles and recipes.

Everything appeared to be ready. They will utilize two carriages, one of which will be for her clothes and daily necessity. There were roughly 12 pieces of luggage, but Matthew only had one since he had previously left all his belongings in his dorm.

It was Matthew who reminded Malia that they needed to leave early so that they would perhaps get to Sorav early as well. The female servants who were outdoors were drawn to Matthew because he was tying his long, silvery gray hair. They are merely preventing their squeals from escaping.

"Sweety, could you write to me at least once a month? Do not be afraid to let us know if you are having problems; we will support you. Or you can ask your brother for assistance." The Marchioness doesn't seem entirely at ease. Malia would be isolated, difficult to contact, and far away from them for the first time.

"I know, mom; you've been saying that for the past three days." Malia laughed, trying to lighten the mood as much as she could to prevent herself from crying as well. She cannot deny that the love and support she had received from her new family made her miss her first family less.

"Lia, I know I advised you to avoid harming any noble girls as much as you can, but if you absolutely must do it for personal defense, then do it. If you require proof, use your recording orb. Okay?" It was now the Marquis' turn to offer advice.

"Got it! Please avoid any misunderstandings between you two as well." Malia smiled at them and entered the carriage, saying, "Learn from your previous mistake. No fighting, just love!"

Her comments made her parents giggle. Malia waved at her parents through the window as the carriage began to move, then sat down once they were no longer visible.

"Are you excited?" Matthew asked her.

"Of course, I'm excited!" 'How can I not be excited? I wanted to see the female and male leads in person; this is definitely a bookworm's dream!'

Malia indulged in her wildest fantasies. She just wants to munch popcorn and watch the main leads in person!

.

.

--- end of chapter 17 ---

.

.

.