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Ever since I was a child, I was positively enamored by operas and musicals. When I was taken to my first one, it took no time for me to be enraptured by its every quality, the carefully woven songs, the skilled actors, and the impressive stories that the lit-up stage told.

While I understood that such a thing was old-fashioned, I couldn't help but fall for melodies that filled my heart with exhilaration and appreciation for the aged art form. From a young age, my parents — who were wealthy and deep in these sorts of posh, extravagant activities — I was brought to an impressive assortment of musicals.

My favorites were always the few that included actors and actresses close to my age, and one caught my eye with ease. The youngest in the cast, a chocolate-brown-haired girl, never slipped or tripped over her lines despite her small figure.

In fact, for many of the scenes, she led the way, singing with such a strong, pure voice that I always came to her shows and even learned her name: Dorothea. Over time, I still hadn't grown out of watching the plays, so much that my filthy rich parents bought the place for my birthday one year as a surprise — giving me a front-row seat in every opera, in addition to giving me backstage access.

Yes, that's right... I was able now to meet the songstress who caught my eye all of those years ago. Thankfully for me, Dorothea hadn't left the business, and I assumed she would for a good while, but I was still anxious beyond words when I walked up the platform's steps, knowing I'd meet the girl who could be considered a celebrity in my eyes, but also a crush.

Dorothea was dead-drop gorgeous, no one could deny it if they saw her. She glowed under the spotlight, her pale skin as radiant as her shining emerald eyes, not to mention her voice. It was as clear as a crystal and had the power to project across the entire auditorium, reaching every audience member attending. Hands down, she was the belle of every production.

And now, I had a chance to speak with Dorothea, face-to-face, in-person, and maybe I'd get a chance to... ask her out.

Well, maybe I was getting ahead of myself. If she wanted, Dorothea could be courting a handful of people without a hitch. The probability of her already in a relationship was far too high, so it'd be easier to merely get to know her.

"Hey, I'm (Y/N) (L/N)." I introduced myself with a bow of my head, unable to contain my nervous smile as I finally stood in front of her. "I've been a huge fan of your shows since I was a kid."

The girl of my dreams merely beamed warmly at me, saying, "Dorothea Arnault, although I'm certain you already know that. I'm honored that you enjoy what I've done. But I must say... since you were a child? That was so long ago, I was so inexperienced, it's embarrassing to think I had a fan even then."

"I suppose it's true that you're renowned, a name familiar to many now, but still, your talent for acting drew me into the world of musicals." It felt surprisingly easy to speak with her, the complete opposite of what I expected. I finally am speaking to the one I've been watching from afar, but now we spoke rather simply.

"I'm glad, then, although I was nothing but a street rat when Manuela brought me to this industry," Dorothea admits slowly, surprisingly honest, although her jade eyes slid away from me in what I assumed was slight embarrassment.

"Still, you have to admit, you've had a thing for this." I quickly assured her, not wanting to put her in a tough spot. "Manuela — Casagranda, I assume? She did well, likely spotting your natural prowess. And over the years, you have certainly blossomed like a prodigy in this area of work."

"Thank you, (Y/N), I appreciate the kind words." When her blinding smile returned in full force, my head started to spin.

With yet another small nod, I continued, "It's my pleasure, really." And that was the truth. It felt like those comedic, cliche romance tropes of unrequited life where one side only watches from afar, like a coward. Which was, in this metaphor, me, in the end.

There were so many things I had wanted to tell her. Compliments, and the sort. But also... I wanted so, so badly just to pour out my heart to her — even though it was unlikely we'd meet again, and even more unlikely that she would remember me among her many fans.

And while all of that rampaged through my mind, a lull in the conversation commenced, an awkward silence. Luckily, Dorothea held up her end of the chat and then some, saving me from melting into an embarrassed puddle by saying, "So, what's your favorite of the roles I've played?"

"Definitely (f/character), she wasn't a main protagonist in her musical, but she had a hand in the show's final climax and had an intricate personality for only being in a few scenes near the end," I explained earnestly, then promptly realized I likely sounded way too overeager and was rambling on longer than I had initially intended to.

She didn't seem to mind my rant in the least. "Oh, so you're into more of a (f/genre) musical? Those are always fun to be in, although the directors are always specific in what they're looking for." Dorothea smiles warmly, pleasantly. "And when I played (f/character), I was sure not many would notice because she's a side role, but it's one of my favorites as well."

"Hey, um... Dorothea?"

"Yes?" Dorothea asked.

What was I saying? Something came over me when I saw her brilliant smile, and I knew it was now or never. I needed to tell her. I needed to tell her how I feel. If I didn't, there wouldn't be another chance and nothing would happened. Hastily rallying my courage, I gulped down hesitancy and opened my mouth to declare, "Dorothea, will you go out with me?"

I knew it was a risky move, one that could end in countless ways, from rejection to acceptance, and I couldn't know which way she'd go. It was a yes or no question, and I was certain this couldn't be her first confession, but my face was reddening as the seconds clicked by.

"Hey, (Y/N), I..." She trailed off, and I couldn't make myself meet her gaze.

"You don't have to give me your reply just yet if you don't want to," I said reluctantly, still unable to pull my eyes to lock onto her luminous verdant ones.

Both of her delicate, slender hands were planted on each of my shoulders, nearly making me flinch had I not caught myself in time and forced myself to look up at her. After a beat of her taking a breath, she spoke steadily. "(Y/N), I know we've just met today, but this clearly isn't a caught-up-in-the-moment one-time thing. I'd like to go on a date with you."

"Really? Really?!" My eyes widened, and I had to restrain myself from throwing my arms around her in glee, but something in her eyes stopped me.

"Really, I mean it." Her pearly-white beam didn't match her eyes. Even her superb actress skills couldn't cover up whatever was holding her back.

I shrugged her slim hands off my shoulders and shook my head slowly. "No, Dorothea, I don't want to make you do this. I will understand if you don't feel the same for me." It was foolish of me to think she would actually want to date me, even though this whole time she didn't know I even existed.

"Oh, it's not that exactly, just... it's..." This time, it wasn't me whose eyes were darting all around the room nervously.

"It's what?" I asked softly, my heart pounding in my chest louder and louder as time flew by, and yet everything seemed to go so slow.

Dorothea sighed. "Do you want the truth?" Did I? From the sound of it, I would be better off in the dark, but when it came to her, I wanted to be on the same page.

"Yes. Please be honest." I felt my tone drop to a whisper as dread crept into my thoughts.

"When I heard your confession, my instinctive reaction was to say no but then my mind brought up your money, and then my heart started going into overdrive..." She wavered for a brief moment, hugging herself tightly. "You were so straightforward and clear with me, no tricks or anything, and I'm truly grateful for it, so it felt like a sin to date you for your family's wealth, even though I've always been sure I'd never marry for love."

I recalled the rumors of her small upbringing, and then how she mentioned she was not much better than a street rat. Anyone with common sense would want the riches I came within a relationship. I didn't blame her. In fact, I knew she wasn't the only one who saw me for my large house and plentiful belongings.

"Dorothea, I'm glad you told me." I forced a small grin. Fake it until you make it, I told myself. "I know you said you wouldn't marry for love, but... if you think you'd be okay with trying to be my girlfriend, just for a bit, just to try to fall for me — like a trial run, I guess — I would really appreciate it."

She took my hands into hers and then squeezed them gently, and my breath was taken away at her more sincere agreement. This time around, she seemed reassured. "If you're able to forgive my original impulse, I want this to change. I want to fall for you, I think we could work. I would really love to go out with you, (Y/N)."

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Author's Note:

Welcome to yet another one-shot! This is another request made for Herosperger

For those of you who have the expansion pass and by chance had paired Yuri and Dorothea together, you'll see that the prompt I got for this was somewhat similar, but still, you got to fall for our songstress here, not the lavender-haired lord of Abyss.

By the way, I wrote this at the airport. I'm currently on vacation, so see you in a week! And no question for today, sorry.

Here's some extra art that goes with this (especially for those who even the finest details of her past that I neglected to mention when writing this):

Thank you for reading! Bye for now,
Lillian

Word count: 1820 words

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