After days of buildup, the excitement in the City of Art reached its peak on the final day of the competition.
Opera lovers from across the Empire had come to witness Madeleine claim the Laurel Crown she deserved.
If Madeleine's fame had been useless, Annan would never have steered Everyone's Singer down this path.
He dismissed the "Traitor" only because she wasn't on his side. If she had entered Everyone's Singer, just imagine how lavishly he would have praised Madeleine.
Knight Tarkinson rushed from place to place, looking for people, all to ensure the Singers' Competition ended without a hitch.
So when someone was brought before him, it was a deliberate attempt to put him in a difficult position.
Knight Tarkinson wanted no surprises in the Singers' Competition he had organized himself.
Even if there was to be a reckoning, now was not the time. If the competition failed, he would lose not only what he had now, but everything he had gained before...
Faced with Binn's concerns, Knight Tarkinson said, "I know what matters most..."
He deliberately had his men send the person to Commercial City, without hiding it from anyone.
It was both a warning and a show of weakness: he was telling the old men in the Tower that, for the sake of the competition, he would swallow this once—and only once.
Knight Tarkinson gazed out the window as one splendid carriage after another rolled into the Art Capital.
They had all come for Madeleine.
To heighten the suspense and boost live viewership, the Finals would use on-site voting. Ballots would be counted after all the contestants had performed.
The Finals couldn't run too long, but they couldn't be too short either.
Even allowing eight minutes each for introductions, performances, and remarks, ten contestants plus the