As the smiles faded from their faces, the three of them had almost finished tidying up.
Varesa removed her makeup and restyled her hair; Odette changed into her everyday clothes and carefully put her stage jewelry back into a box.
Bai You You's lipstick mark wasn't wiped off, and Varesa's pink mark was still there. The two looked at themselves in the mirror again, but ultimately didn't do anything.
"Let's go." Varesa picked up her coat.
" Columbina should still be down there."
The three of them left the dressing room and walked down the corridor toward the stage.
The theater was much quieter after the show ended; half the lights backstage were dimmed, and only a few staff members were tidying up the props.
Walk through a corridor to the area under the audience seats.
The spotlight on the stage went out, and Bai You followed behind Varesa, her gaze sweeping across the empty audience seats.
Then, she saw it.
Two people were standing in the open space in front of the stage, near the front row of seats.
Columbina had her back to them, but was tilting her head to the side, talking to the person next to her, and gesturing with her little hand.
Standing next to her.
It was Sandrone.
As if sensing the footsteps, they slowly raised their heads and looked in their direction.
The moment Varesa and Odette saw her clearly, they paused slightly, their expressions turning serious.
Harbinger " The Marionette " Sandrone? What's she doing here? Wait, I almost forgot that Columbina is also Harbinger.
So the two of them took half a step forward, bowed slightly, and spoke respectfully.
" The Marionette Master."
Sandrone's gaze lingered on Varesa and Odette for a moment, then she gave a soft "hmm" in response.
Then, her gaze slowly shifted to Bai You's face behind her.
When I saw the faint red lipstick mark on Bai You's cheek that hadn't been wiped off yet.
Her eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, glancing again at Varesa's face beside her—the pink mark was still clearly visible.
Sandrone's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Bai You, standing behind, also stopped. Columbina immediately smiled and happily greeted her.
"You've finally arrived!" she said.
She saw the lip prints on their faces, suppressed a laugh, and was too embarrassed to say anything in public.
Sandrone's expression gradually became more serious.
She turned to look at Columbina beside her, her tone becoming slightly more serious, as if discussing important matters.
(Pretending)
Columbina.
"Huh?"
"You've been gone from Snezhnaya City for some time now," Sandrone, looking at her.
She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "I came here in person for this very reason."
"You... you should go back as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Columbina's smile faltered slightly.
She stood there and blinked.
"I understand," she said softly. "I just think it's quite lively here, and I'd like to stay a couple more days."
Columbina looked at her, then at Bai You and the others, and finally slowly nodded.
"Okay," she said, a slight smile returning to her face. "Then I'll go back tomorrow."
Sandrone's tense face relaxed almost imperceptibly.
Her gaze first swept over Columbina, then slowly moved to Bai You's face, lingering for a moment on the pale red lipstick mark.
Then, she looked at Bai You and said calmly:
" Water Nymph," Bai You?
Bai You was taken aback when she suddenly spoke to her, and paused for a moment. "Hmm?"
Sandrone looked at her.
The little guy is fair-skinned and clean, with big, round eyes. He looks so innocent and cuddly. How did this seemingly harmless fellow manage to dispose of the Doctor's slice?
You can't judge a book by its cover.
On the surface, he simply left a faint sentence:
"I'm sorry, I disturbed your private time."
After saying that, she didn't linger and turned to walk towards the theater exit.
Columbina stood there, watching her figure disappear into the corridor lights, before turning around and saying:
"Okay, okay, let's go back now."
Odette went in first, lit the lamp, and added two more pieces of firewood to the extinguished fireplace, making the living room warm and cozy.
Varesa went to the kitchen, heated up a small pot of milk, and poured a glass for everyone.
Several people sat around the fireplace, holding warm cups.
"Tomorrow... are you really leaving?" Bai You asked softly, holding her cup.
"Hmm." Columbina nodded.
"I've been here for several days now, and I'm so happy! Thank you!"
After Columbina went upstairs, Varesa looked at Odette and Bai You, a gentle smile in her eyes, and said softly:
"How about we get up a little earlier tomorrow morning and make a big breakfast to send Columbina off?"
The next morning.
When Bai You woke up, it was already daylight outside the window.
Bai You stirred and looked at Varesa beside her.
Varesa's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes and looked down to meet Bai You's gaze.
"Awake?" Her voice was still a little hoarse.
"Mmm." Bai You snuggled closer to her.
"Aren't we making breakfast today? Let's get up."
"What's the rush? It's still early. I didn't expect you to wake up so early."
Varesa smiled and pinched her cheek, but still lifted the covers and sat up.
"Okay, get up."
After getting dressed and tidying themselves up, the two women went downstairs side by side.
Downstairs, there was already some noise coming from the kitchen.
Odette got up even earlier than them. Wearing an apron, she stood in front of the kitchen counter, taking out the prepared ingredients one by one and arranging them neatly.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, glanced at the two people, and her lips twitched slightly.
"You're awake? You've come at the perfect time."
She gestured with her chin towards the apron beside her.
"Come and help me."