“Do you want to go too ?”

  The instructor was pointing to Coline, still having fun.

  “No, I’m fine with watching. The sunlight is warm, it’s quite nice here.”

  The man nodded.

  “You can let the reins loose, Ariane isn’t the type to run away. Let her graze for a bit.”

  Cyrielle did as told, and the bay mare lowered her head to feast on the grass of the clearing.

  “It’s a peaceful pce. Do you come often ?”

  The instructor shook his head.

  “We don’t own the property. They let us go since we come once in a while, but we must go away if we hear something like that.”

  He pointed to his ear, prompting Cyrielle to listen. In the distance, the sound of engines was getting louder.

  “Those are the motorcycles. Let’s get moving.”

  He called Coline back, and they continued their outing on the forest trails. An hour ter, they were back at the stable’s entrance, and were greeted by a panicked Julie. She almost ran to them, but stopped in front of the horses, intimidated by the big animals.

  “Cyrielle, there is someone here who wants to talk to you.”

  “Who is it ?”

  “You’ll see for yourself.”

  Cyrielle tilted her head in confusion, but still nodded. She came down from Ariane while the instructor and Coline were moving away, and was about to lead the mare to her stall when a red haired woman caught her eye. She froze.

  ‘Am I dreaming ? This person shouldn’t be here right now !’

  [You are not dreaming, so this woman is real.]

  ‘Crazy…’

  Not letting her panic show, she simply nodded. The woman responded with a small smile.

  “Hello, nice to meet you. I came because I wanted to take a break while I was creating my next album, but I didn’t know you would be here too. Oh, my name is Manon Sarmer.”

  “Yes, I am aware. Nice to meet you too, people call me Mademoiselle Cyrielle.”

  “I heard a lot about you.”

  ‘Manon Sarmer heard about me ? No, this is definitely a dream !’

  Cyrielle was grateful for ‘nerves of steel’, otherwise she might have lost her mind. It wasn’t just anybody, she was talking with the favorite personality of french people, Manon Sarmer. And that famous singer knew about her.

  Oblivious to her inner turmoil, the red haired woman continued the conversation.

  “I heard the a cappel covers of my songs you did st year. It was really good, to the point where you got noticed by Lady Crazy ! I met her in person, she is really nice and a great artist. If she compliments you, she really means it.”

  Cyrielle was nodding, but her brain was malfunctioning.

  “It’s an honor. Singing is a hobby I quite like, it means a lot if someone of your caliber finds my skills to be acceptable.”

  Slowly, Manon Sarmer was getting infected by the misunderstanding.

  ‘That level of singing is only a hobby ? It’s something I never even considered. If she isn’t trying to make a career out of it, will she even accept the featuring on my album ? I pretended to come by chance, but I’m afraid it will be for nothing… No, let’s just ask.’

  She cleared her throat and casually put her hair behind her ear.

  “What do you mean, someone of my caliber, I’m only a person who likes to sing. I also feature smaller artists on my albums when I like their voices.”

  Cyrielle patted Ariane’s neck, who was getting impatient.

  “Yes, I saw. The results are always good. It was my dream to get that sort of opportunity before.”

  Manon Sarmer’s lips twitched.

  “Before ?”

  “Yes. I recently decided to focus on being happy. If I get featured on the album of a nice person and only get good reviews, it will be great. But there is no chance of that happening.”

  The singer nodded. She had been in France for some time, and had immediately used her connections to investigate Mademoiselle Cyrielle. She had heard a few rumors : she might be from a noble dynasty, she fled from her home to be an artist, or on the contrary she was chased out… But the more prominent rumor, and the one who seemed to hold the most weight, was that she had once been a part of the entertainment industry, but unsavory things happened to her and she had to quit to protect herself. In those circumstances, it was normal for her to wish to work with a ‘nice person’.

  Manon Sarmer nodded. She knew what she had to do now : try to not be forceful, and prove that she was a ‘nice person’. With that, she made way for Cyrielle to bring Ariane to her stall.

  “I hope your projects will go well. I look forward to meeting you again. By the way, do you come here often ?”

  “I am very busy, so I don’t come as much as I would want to. I enjoyed our conversation. Well then.”

  Cyrielle bowed elegantly and walked away with the mare. Manon Sarmer looked at her for a while, before quickly walking back to her car.

  ‘A nice person… What does a nice person do ? Donate to charities ? I already do it, and it’s not a proof of anything since celebrities donate to avoid taxes. Should I look into her surroundings ? Maybe I’ll get an idea… Oh !’

  She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

  ‘She was friends with the men from that band, right ? What was their name… ‘Heavy Protector’ ? I happen to have some contacts with a metal bel, should I make a phone call ?’

  The singer smiled. She had found a way to be a nice person.

  ***

  Coline and Cyrielle were in the van, in their smelly riding clothes. Julie was driving while talking about their schedule.

  “You are free for two more days, but after that it will get quite hectic. Cyrielle, are you sure you are alright ? I can extend your break, you know ?”

  The elegant woman replied by shaking her head.

  “I’m fine. In fact, I want to start working again, I’m having trouble sitting still.”

  “If you say so… We’ll start with Coline, you have been offered a cover for a magazine, and an ad for hair products. I’ll send you the contracts to review them.”

  “Am I allowed to refuse ?”

  Julie raised an eyebrow, looking at the blonde model through the rearview mirror.

  “Of course, why ask ?”

  Coline shook her head with a big smile.

  “Nothing, I’m just happy !”

  Julie shrugged and continued.

  “You also should announce the change in agency, now that your previous contracts are finally settled. I’ll arrange an interview with a reporter I know. He won’t ask any sensitive questions, rest assured.”

  The model nodded, still exhibiting a happy face. The treatment definitely felt different compared to her previous agency.

  “And Cyrielle… I wanted to let you have a break for longer, but I should tell you this : You received an offer for a guest appearance in ‘Noble mayhem’. You know the show, right ?”

  ‘Oh, is that why I received the ‘acting’ ability ?’

  On the outside, she appeared as calm and elegant as ever.

  “Yes, I know it. Which role am I to py ?”

  Julie continued to drive, but her head was full of question marks.

  ‘She doesn’t seem surprised at all ! Did she expect it ? Wait, that’s not the problem, why isn’t she freaking out ? She never acted before, she should be nervous. Unless… Was she an actress in the past ?’

  The misunderstanding was deepening once again.

  “You are to py the queen. It fits your image, so it should be fine.”

  Coline gasped.

  “Cyri will be the queen ? That’s so cool !”

  “I know, right ? She only has a few lines, but the impact will be crazy !”

  Cyrielle was listening to her two friends while looking out the window.

  ‘It’s just a minor role anyway, it’ll probably take less than a day to shoot.’

  [It will still be shown on TV, in front of the entire country.]

  ‘Not really. It’s a bad comedic show, it has fallen off so much that I only know one person who watches it. I won’t get noticed. But either way, it will be a good experience to test my ‘acting’ ability. I look forward to it.’

  [If you say so.]

  Cyrielle felt that the system was skeptical, but she shrugged it off. It was a fun opportunity, but it surely won’t change her life.

  Julie dropped her off in front of her apartment, and Cyrielle went home. She first took a nice and long shower, throwing her riding clothes in the washing machine. When she felt refreshed and clean again, she put on some light clothes and headed to her atelier. It was a mess, there were portfolios everywhere and fabric on the floor.

  ‘Now that the models are confirmed, I can finally make the rest of the collection !’

  Humming, she pinned the models' pictures next to the drawings of the outfits she wanted them to wear. Her wall was quickly becoming like the boards you see in a detective movie. After arranging her vision, she started working.

  [If you continue to work at your current speed, your collection will be finished in a month.]

  ‘A few weeks before the runway, then. It’s a good thing, the models will have some time to try it on, and I would be able to fit it perfectly to their bodies.’

  [You also have the queen role.]

  ‘It doesn’t require any preparation, they will brief me on set since it’s a minor role.’

  [You are quite free, then.]

  ‘Are you joking ? I have so many goals to achieve !’

  Cyrielle giggled, happy with herself. She had a lot to look forward to.

  ‘Oh, I almost forgot ! Now that things are settled and my career is on the right path, I should send money to my family.’

  She took out her phone and opened her banking app.

  [Me : Cyrielle Laporte has sent you an instant transfer. Amount : 3,000€. Message : Just a little gift for you mom. I’m living well and I have enough for myself, don’t worry.]

  [Mams : Princess, you shouldn’t have ! Save your money on a savings account, you never know what can happen. And buy yourself a lot of gifts and good food, alright ? I’m listening to your album everyday, you are so talented ! I love you so much, take care.]

  After her mother, she selected her brother.

  [Me : Cyrielle Laporte has sent you an instant transfer. Amount : 500€. Message : Pocket money for you, because I heard you wanted to go to Paris for a videogame tournament. Don’t forget to study or I’ll report to mom.]

  [Léo the bro : Shut up, I’m not a beggar.]

  [Léo the bro : Thanks, don’t take it back.]

  Reading the messages with a big smile, Cyrielle put the phone back in her pocket and started working again.

  AmbreaTaddy