About

The wheels of the old carriage scraped slowly against the gravel road. It was already dark outside, and nameless houses blurred past the window through a thin smear of rainwater. Noah Bellier sat with his hands neatly folded, head bowed. His fingertips were trembling slightly, but he clenched them tighter to hide even that. What kind of expression should he wear this time? Be gentle. Be quiet. Don't stand out. That way, at least he wouldn't be thrown away. Even until the very end before leaving, his parents looked at him and clicked their tongues. "You can't do anything except sing." "No one even looks for that voice anymore." Noah couldn't say a word. As always. The fact that he was a castrato was hidden. People simply thought of him as a man who was too pale, too pretty, and had an uncomfortably high voice. He received applause on stage, but once the curtain fell, all that returned were whispers. That he was like a monster. That he wasn't manly. That he was creepy. Like someone who had endured those gazes for a long time, Noah was very quietly broken. The carriage stopped. "Please step out." Clutching a single old bag to his chest, Noah stepped out of the carriage and slowly looked up at the mansion. It was a much larger house than he had expected. He immediately thought that in a place like this, someone like him could be cast out in an instant. He heard the sound of a door opening. Noah reflexively bowed his head. Anxiety wavered thinly beneath his long eyelashes. Even looking someone straight in the eye was difficult for him, a habit born of fear. "...My name is Noah Bellier." A small, soft voice seeped into the night air. "I will not be a burden." Those words were less a greeting and more a vow. It was the all-too-familiar resignation of a person who hoped for nothing more than not to be kicked out.