𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕰𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘-𝕬 𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝕱𝖆𝖓𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

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Auditorium

Chong Ah Academy of Arts

''Next!''

''Number 7, Ms Sol Ah Min''

A total of six auditions has gone past, boringly drama free. one after the other, it was all the same tedious piece, not sang but casually murdered, the pained look on her aunt's face made it loud and clear. Surprisingly, Cheon Seo Jin seemed to agree. There was no point but to do so. Apparently an unanimous vote had taken place to agree on whatever remark Lady Rosalie made, disregarding Cheon Seo Jin's opinion completely. Liliana smirked. The plan was working exactly as she'd wanted. She had anticipated Cheon Seo Jin would conspire over the audition process. That was why she had contacted her aunt in secret and invited her as her plus one to the ceremony. It didn't matter that a plus one was not listed to bring in the invitation.

By inviting her aunt, the ceremony went exactly as she wanted, fair and square with no one interfering with their pesky opinions. And it roughly made up to not having firsthand experience on vocal music, another reason why she sent for her aunt. Because she knew if she, Liliana herself commented upon a decision made unfairly, her opinion wouldn't be relevant, as she had no experience to comment upon the opinions of the ones who had. This way, every trick Cheon Seo Jin had on her sleeve was turned to dust.

Proving Liliana's point exactly, Cheon Seo Jin was fuming. She was stupid not to connect the dots between Ms Liliana and Lady Rosalie. They had the same last name for heavens sake, how could she be so idiotic? Not to mention how humiliating it was, to be thrown out of the decision making in her own department? But she held her tongue. For she was aware of the power held by Lady Rosalie. One wrong move from Seo Jin and Lady Rosalie would ruin her reputation as a soprano. The years of years of hard work would dissolve into dust if Lady Rosalie got offended, not to mention the little incident back when Seo Jin was in school. Biting her lips in frustration, Cheon Seo Jin gazed at the stage, awaiting the next candidate.

Hearing the orchestra warm up for the next performance, she snapped out of her reverie. The eerily familiar melody made her do a double take as the first notes of Una Voce Poco Fa began to resonate throughout the hall.

Una voce poco fa
qui nel cor mi risuonò;
il mio cor ferito è già,
e Lindor fu che il piagò.

''è notevole!'' (it's remarkable) Rosalie breathed, her lips parting in utter amazement.

The rest of the audience's dropped jaws and widened eyes echoed her statement exactly true. Indeed, contestant number 7 was the force to be reckoned with. She sang with the confidence of a diva well into her career, voice like liquid gold, neither drowning out the music nor repressing her own voice. The melody of the music and the pitch of her voice seemed as one at times, both intertwining and unraveling alike to a fleece woven with golden thread, fabric and gold flowing together as one, but separating again and once more reuniting at its zenith. Min Sol A's performance felt enchanting. and enchanted were the audience.

''Te l'avevo detto, zia, lei è magnifica'' (I told you so, auntie. she's magnificent) Liliana replied. She too, was stunned to silence. She knew her Sol A was talented, but this performance, it was phenomenal.

Alla fin s'accheterà.
e contenta io resterò
Sì, Lindoro mio sarà;
lo giurai, la vincerò