[center][H1]☆•°♚°∵ 𝒜𝑒𝒹𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝐵𝑒𝓁𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒∵°♚°•☆[/H1][/center]


When Edwin moved toward the registry, Aedrianna lingered a moment longer beneath the Pavilion’s crystalline archway. The crowd’s hum seemed louder now — laughter masking unease, confidence hiding curiosity.

She joined the registration line, smoothing the folded flyer in her hands before tucking it away again. Nearby, two aides spoke in hurried undertones over a clipboard glowing faintly with mana.

[color=#B8E5E8]“Lord Thales still insists on starting on schedule.”[/color]
[color=#B8E5E8]“But one of the judges hasn’t arrived. We can’t open without a full panel.”[/color]

Aedri’s attention flicked their way — her expression polite, neutral. Missing judge. The idea sank quietly into her mind like a pebble dropped into still water. She wondered, for just a moment, whether that absence was part of the strange pattern she and Edwin had been tracing since they’d found that coin.

When her turn came, the clerk looked up with a trained smile.
[color=#E8C468]“Welcome to the Grand Exhibition. Name and category, please?”[/color]

“[color=#f7b6d9]Aedrianna Belmonte. Vocal performance.[/color]”

The pen scratched across the registry tablet.
[color=#E8C468]“Of course, Lady Belmonte. The east wing is reserved for the singers and performers — you’ll find the attendants there. Good luck.”[/color]

She thanked him with a nod and stepped aside — just as a small motion tugged at her hip. The pup, impatient with the confinement of her satchel, had wriggled halfway out, paws on the rim and tail flicking like a wisp of silver smoke.

“[color=#f7b6d9]You little escape artist…[/color]” she murmured with faint amusement, lifting the tiny creature into her arms as she followed the glowing path toward the east wing.

The sound of music grew clearer with every step: voices rising and falling, the metallic ring of instruments tuning, the pulse of mana amplifiers humming beneath the marble floor.

And then she saw her.

Noelle — standing beneath the stage lights, sea-colored hair catching gold and blue reflections from the crystal sconces.

For a heartbeat, Aedrianna forgot where she was. Her breath caught, and a rush of warmth filled her chest so suddenly it almost hurt. The last time she’d seen her friend felt like another lifetime — because, in truth, it had been.

Her throat tightened, eyes stinging before she could stop them. She drew a slow breath, composing herself as best she could, the smile that followed luminous and trembling all at once.

She crossed the distance in a few measured steps, the little mana beast nestled against her arm like a piece of living starlight.

“[color=#f7b6d9]Noelle! I’m so happy to see you again! I could hug you— can I? How have you been? It feels like it’s been… far too long.[/color]”

Her laughter was soft, carried by genuine joy that broke through the Pavilion’s polished veneer. For the first time since entering the grand event, Aedrianna looked wholly, unguardedly alive.