Chapter 60:  The Black Swan (1)

The next day.

The meeting place I chose wasn’t the Erian Hotel.

「Mother’s Table.」

It used to be a lonely little place in the ghost town.

But now, it had become a famous restaurant known even among nobles.

This was exactly the kind of place that suited Gehenna best.

“Thanks for the meal!!”

“Everyone, please put the bill on the tab!!”

Now the place was so packed that they even handled payments in batches.

I looked at the steady stream of customers with satisfaction.

“……”

How much time had passed like that?

From outside the store, a faint scent of perfume began to drift in.

Soon, a woman with beautiful brown hair braided to one side appeared.

She wore a long dress, and her wrists and calves were particularly slender.

“Are you the one from the Luton family I was supposed to meet today…?”

One year from now.

She would rise to fame as the ‘Black Swan,’ the dancer of the century.

“Yes, that’s me. Feel free to call me Roger.”

Gehenna didn’t even sit down.

She took my business card but simply stood there stiffly with a guarded look in her eyes.

“Why did you call me here? I clearly said I wouldn’t be able to perform on stage.”

“I didn’t call you to persuade you.”

I stood up from my chair.

Then I gestured politely, inviting her to sit.

“This is just a regular consultation we offer for artists under contract with our Grand Duke’s house.”

I handed her a hotel business card, not one as the Grand Duke’s secretary.

As the representative of the Erian Foundation.

“Erian Foundation…?”

Gehenna seemed familiar with the name, alternating her gaze between the card and me.

She seemed to think I looked too young to be the president.

“This is the organization that supports artists, right? I’ve heard of it.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m also serving as a temporary secretary for the Grand Duke’s house.”

Hearing that I wasn’t even an official secretary but merely a candidate made the Black Swan tilt her head.

“I heard you helped bring Bennet Tolkien back and support aspiring newcomers?”

“As someone who loves the arts, I’m doing my best.”

I smiled with a look of pure innocence, like a sly fox.

“I thought maybe that’s why they sent me to you, Lady Gehenna.”

“……”

Gehenna quietly fiddled with my business card for a moment.

‘She must be conflicted.’

She now knew I was clearly well-connected in the art world.

And the story of how I brought Bennet back had already become quite well known.

That would make her feel a little more inclined to open up about her troubles.

Creating that kind of atmosphere was exactly what a secretary should do.

“Alright then, what kind of consultation is this supposed to be?”

“Please feel free to talk to me about anything. Things that have been stressing you out lately, for example.”

To give her an idea, I raised my index finger.

Then I lightly tapped my brow and smiled gently.

“Surprisingly, a lot of nobles turn to a third party for counseling. Sometimes, it’s easier to talk to someone you’ll only meet once than to someone close to you.”

“Is that so……?”

The reason Gehenna was this wary was simple.

She had grown up her entire life under the oppressive shadow of her parents and her agency, so other people felt unfamiliar to her.

“Yes, I can’t say a word while I’m at the Grand Duke’s house because I’m constantly on edge, but when I come outside like this……”

I suddenly made a sharp, vicious expression.

Like an angry fox.

“That bastard of a boss, there he goes again……!!”

My voice echoed loudly through the empty restaurant hall.

Then I immediately returned to a calm tone as if nothing had happened.

“Like that, you see.”

“Ha, what was that…….”

At that bizarre shift in expression, Gehenna let out a brief laugh.

And as expected from the dancer of the century, her smile made her look even more beautiful.

“When you want to quit any job, it’s always one of two things.”

I chuckled with her and started talking behind my superior’s back.

Gehenna nodded slightly, as if well acquainted with such a view of others.

“Either the pay is too low, or the boss is garbage.”

Before I knew it, she had naturally taken the seat across from me.

As if her guard had lowered a little, she took a sip of the water in front of her.

After wetting her throat, a touch of moisture lingered on her neat lips.

“Alright, since you’ve made a decent effort, I’ll tell you one thing.”

Gehenna pulled the beautiful brown braid over her shoulder.

Then, stroking her glossy hair, she finally opened her mouth.

“Truthfully, I wanted to perform at Luton Hall too.”

A dancer’s wrists were incredibly slender.

And she was so thin overall, it was clear at a glance that she was under strict physical management.

“The Grand Duke’s house treated me with respect. They allowed me to handle the music and stage direction however I liked.”

Gehenna placed her hand elegantly on her chest.

Then, with her eyes half-closed, she spoke with a bitter expression.

“I thought, ‘I can finally have a stage of my own.’ But……”

The dancer clamped her lips shut, as if unsure whether she should say more.

So I quickly continued the conversation.

“Your agency must’ve signed you with someone else.”

The moment I hit the mark, the Black Swan blinked in surprise.

“Huh…… how did you know?”

“It’s obvious. If you couldn’t choose the place you wanted, then there must have been pressure from above.”

I replied leisurely, like a fox stuck close by the swan’s side.

“You’re right. They said it was a guaranteed offer to make me a star, no matter what.”

“Was it a proposal from Director Robert?”

Her lips parted slightly at the unexpected name entering the conversation.

I smiled and continued.

“There’s no way someone in the music industry wouldn’t know him. He’s the power behind Nordique Entertainment.”

Robert Fellows.

He was the director of the agency and held significant sway within the company.

“That’s right. With just a single word from him, I was suddenly headed toward the Imperial Palace.”

Gehenna looked troubled.

Even now she must’ve been going through a lot, but knowing how much more miserable she’d be in the future, I felt oddly conflicted watching her.

“If there’s a better opportunity, of course you should take it.”

“I thought so too…… right?”

Gehenna looked at me with a conflicted smile.

After living under constant pressure for so long, she had half given up on her own dreams.

The way I spoke here could be the key to bringing a change into her life.

“Yes, I’m sure the director meant well for your career as an artist.”

As a secretary, one must always guide the other person down the right path—without offending them.

“I’m not so sure about that……”

Gehenna fell silent at my words.

Then, she turned her gaze to the empty restaurant.

“I don’t know if he really wants what’s best for me.”

“Is there some kind of problem between you and Director Robert……?”

I asked her cautiously.

But the dancer simply shook her head and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

“No. I mean, it’s not like talking about this would do any good.”

Just hearing his name made the future top dancer go quiet.

But I already knew the truth about him.

His corruption had been fully exposed in a newspaper article from the future.

Of course, I couldn’t tell her that—so the first step was to reassure her.

“Well then, since you’re already here, why don’t we have a little dessert before you go?”

“Dessert……?”

Mina approached from the distance.

She brought freshly baked bread, olive oil, and lastly, honey, setting them down on the table.

“Yes, I ordered it since it felt rude to keep you here with nothing while we talked.”

In truth, lunchtime was approaching, and most people would be getting hungry around now.

But what about Gehenna, who was under strict dietary management?

From what I knew, dancers of her level usually skipped breakfast.

Or had something light—like a small salad or fruit.

For someone like her, freshly baked bread would be……

“Would you like to try some? It’s amazing with a dip of honey.”

It could look more tempting than any luxury delicacy.

“……”

In Gehenna’s black pupils, the gently steaming bread was reflected.

She swallowed deeply, then shook her head firmly.

“No, I can’t. I’m in the middle of managing my weight……”

But—

Like an older brother, I added with a sly smile,

“Olive oil doesn’t make you gain weight. And this is rye bread—very healthy.”

The Black Swan shut her eyes tightly.

But soon, the savory aroma made her delicate eyes flutter half open.

Before she even realized it, her fingers were starting to twitch.

“If it’s too much, I won’t insist.”

I apologized with a regretful look.

Then I dipped the bread generously into the honey and took a bite.

Like a fox eyeing a grape……

And in the next moment, I closed my eyes in bliss, savoring the taste of happiness.

“One, then… just one…”

For the first time in her life, Gehenna decided to break the agency’s strict rules.

I watched her with satisfaction, like a wicked courtier luring someone into corruption.

“Here. I thought you might not like the honey, so I just drizzled a little olive oil for you.”

The dancer gently brushed aside her bangs and picked up a piece of bread.

It was clear this warm, steaming bread was unfamiliar to her—her expression was tense.

‘I had a feeling, but to think she’s never properly had even a piece of fresh-baked bread…’

With trembling hands, the dancer took a timid bite.

And as she slowly savored the flavor—

“……”

A wave of soft, comforting bread spread through her mouth.

And the aroma of savory, smooth olive oil followed.

She had spent her whole life eating dry salads and fruit.

The only oily taste she knew came from things like almonds and other nuts. So she quietly closed her eyes.

When she slowly opened them again—

“Huh…?”

Without realizing it, she had eaten all three pieces of bread on the plate.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

“Hold on a moment……”

Maybe it was because she’d shown herself eating so heartily in front of a man around her own age.

For the first time, a flicker of embarrassment stirred in her dark eyes.

“You’re right. It looks so plain on the outside, and yet…”

“Freshly baked bread is always the best. Once it cools, it never tastes the same.”

Gehenna looked down quietly at the fluffy piece of bread.

Then, as if something had clicked, a bittersweet expression spread across her face.

“So that’s it. Everything I’ve had until now was cold bread.”

Cold bread—scraps of meals grabbed between the agency’s brutal schedule.

She must have longed for a warm meal made by her mother’s hands.

“This place is known for its food. Like the name says—it tastes like home-cooked comfort.”

The dancer lifted her head to check the name of the restaurant.

Then, murmured softly as she looked at the small sign by the entrance.

“Mother’s Table……”

“Come by sometimes and eat here. I’ll ask the chef to prepare something healthy just for you.”

I stood up, saying I’d go ask the kitchen for their consideration.

Gehenna surely wanted to decline, insisting she was fine—but perhaps it was the restaurant’s warm, nostalgic atmosphere.

She simply stared at my back as I left the table.

“……”

While I was away—

Mina brought over a tray with green tea and coffee from the kitchen.

“I didn’t order anything……”

“President Roger always drinks coffee after a meal.”

A girl who looked no older than eighteen.

At an age when she should still be attending the Academy, working so diligently—Gehenna quietly looked at her.

“You must be close with him?”

“Not close, exactly. He’s… he’s a savior to me and my mother.”

Savior.

That word caught the dancer’s attention.

“A savior…?”

“Yes. He saved us—and this place, Old Luton.”

Now she’d saved a city, too?

The more Gehenna learned, the more her curiosity about me deepened.

“I heard he saved the hotel, but I didn’t know he revitalized the whole city.”

“This used to be a ghost town. But after President Roger invested here, it changed overnight.”

Mina explained calmly to her.

She sounded proud of how Old Luton had transformed before her eyes.

He’d filled the empty city with factory workers and struggling students.

Then, to help change how they were perceived, he even held a fashion show himself and created uniforms for them.

“That’s when I realized—he’s not someone who’s just after profit. He really thinks about the people who live here.”

Gehenna’s lips parted slightly at what sounded like something from a novel.

“And he even wrote me a letter of recommendation for the Academy, just so I could study what I wanted. Honestly, I’m satisfied just working at the shop…”

The restaurant girl gave a soft smile.

But Gehenna looked quite serious at the idea of such unbelievable kindness.

“Is it really possible for someone to be that nice? He’s not some weirdo who expects something in return… right?”

Gehenna looked the girl over from head to toe, concerned.

As if checking whether the man who’d just walked into the kitchen had done something inappropriate.

She must’ve experienced such things often, working under Nordique.

“Or maybe… does he make you give him free meals every day or something…?”

But her worries quickly dissolved.

Because Mina replied with the pure smile of a typical teenage girl.

“No, I haven’t seen him in a long time. He actually doesn’t come here that often.”

The girl with black hair tied to one side rubbed her cheek sheepishly.

“That’s why I wanted to take extra good care of him today.”

“…I see.”

Gehenna was at a loss for words, hearing that all of this had come from nothing but pure goodwill.

And while she was still turning over the man’s intentions in her head—

“They say if you don’t do what you want when you’re young, you’ll regret it later.”

Mina said this while watching me walk out of the kitchen with a pleased look.

“Once you get to his age, you can’t do it even if you want to.”

“…?”

Gehenna wrinkled her smooth brow slightly at the girl’s comment.

“He said he’s twenty, right?”

“Yeah, at most he’s only two years older than me. Funny, isn’t he?”

The dancer let out a soft laugh.

“Yes, his way of speaking is oddly mature.”

“Sometimes I get confused too. Feels like he’s one of my dad’s friends.”

I returned to the table, brushing off my suit jacket sleeve.

“Aigoo, sorry about that. You just keep feeding me—”

With tomato sauce smeared on my cheek, I wiped it off smoothly with a tissue.

Then I sat back down at the table and spoke.

“They said from now on, whenever you come by, they’ll prepare rye bread and low-sodium meals for you.”

Gehenna stared at me with her dark eyes.

But her gaze had changed from earlier.

“Roger.”

When we first met, her eyes were murky like a pitch-black swamp. But now, they gleamed like black pearls.

To that look in her eyes, I offered a gentle smile.

“Yes, go ahead.”

In the near future, she would be celebrated as the Black Swan, the dancer of the century.

And then, just as she reached her prime, she would die in tragedy.

“May I talk with you a little longer?”

She looked at me seriously as she spoke.

“I’ll arrange a meeting for you with Director Robert.”

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