Chapter 41: Signing the Contract
Inside the "Floral Covenant" private room, there was a smaller lounge of less than forty square meters, designed by the Feathered String Tavern for guests to hold more intimate discussions.
"Hmm? Why are you here alone? Where are the troupe leader and Anna?"
The décor of the lounge was consistent with the main hall, only with the addition of a small tea table and two dark brown sofas.
At that moment, Klan Roland was the only one sitting on the sofa, head lowered, fiddling with the parchment scroll in his hand.
"There was a bit of a situation at the performance. The troupe leader and Anna just left through the side door to go ‘put out the fire’."
Seeing Janna and David Berg enter, Klan Roland also stood up with a smile and courteously invited Janna to sit directly across from him.
"Is it serious? Do I need to head back?"
"It's not serious. The two of them can handle it... Right now, your most important task is to stay here with me—and with Miss Janna."
After pulling David Berg to sit beside him on the sofa and getting up to securely close the lounge door, Klan Roland sat down again opposite Janna, smiling as he looked at her.
"Miss Janna, may I ask—pardon the intrusion—are you also a student at White Coral Academy? Please don’t misunderstand, I just want to know more about you."
Glancing at David Berg seated next to Klan Roland and seeing him merely shrug, Janna responded with a smile:
"Yes, I’m a first-year apprentice at White Coral Academy, so I suppose that makes me David’s junior."
Upon hearing this, David Berg, who had already graduated from White Coral Academy, said to Janna:
"I didn’t share too much information about you with the troupe beforehand… After all, I trust my own judgment and wanted to give them a bit of a surprise."
"That surprise was certainly not a small one."
Following David Berg’s words, Klan Roland also pushed the contract scroll on the tea table toward Janna.
"To be blunt, Miss Janna, you are by far the most talented opera performer I’ve ever seen. Even if you’re not quite polished in some areas of experience and technique, I trust David’s judgment—and also the judgment of myself and my father..."
"His father is Roman Roland, the troupe leader—you knew that, right?"
Hearing David Berg’s interjection, Janna nodded.
"Thank you for the recognition, and thank you, Senior David, for giving me this opportunity."
Looking at the contract scroll pushed in front of her, Janna naturally understood that they had now entered the negotiation phase. But the more it reached this stage, the calmer she needed to remain, without revealing too much.
"Your excellence is apparent to everyone present, so I won’t go on about it. The reason I had David persuade you to stay is that I hoped we could finalize the contract details in advance… Of course, this was also discussed with my father beforehand."
Now that they were on the main topic, Janna picked up the contract scroll from the tea table and carefully reviewed each clause.
"Contract duration: five years. Fixed monthly salary: one thousand Gold Surrels. Year-end profit share: three percent..."
She silently recited the contract terms in her heart.
When she saw the compensation details, her eyelid involuntarily twitched, but when she noticed the contract lasted for as long as five years, her brow furrowed deeply.
"Must participate in ten performances weekly. For working hours exceeding eight hours per day, additional compensation is calculated at ten Gold Surrels per hour..."
After reading through the entire contract, Janna’s expression returned to calm.
"I'm sorry, Director Klan, but I cannot accept this contract."
Hearing Janna’s response, Klan Roland, well-accustomed to the push and pull of negotiations, was not surprised at all.
"It’s alright. If Miss Janna thinks any part needs to be revised, feel free to mention it. After all, if we want a long-term collaboration, the details must be clearly settled."
Seeing that Klan Roland wasn’t angered by her rejection, Janna’s smile became more genuine.
"Then I’ll be candid. I’d like the contract term changed to a one-year renewable agreement. Also, as you know, I’m currently a student at White Coral Academy, and my weekly coursework is very intense. So I can only perform on weekends—no more than two shows per weekend. Furthermore, if special circumstances arise and I need to take leave, I hope the troupe can approve it."
After voicing her requests, Janna maintained a calm expression, though her heart was pounding.
After all, for a major troupe like the Nightingale Opera Troupe, offering a newcomer a year-end three percent profit share was already exceedingly generous.
"Tick-tock—tick-tock—"
The pendulum on the wall swayed back and forth, and the ticking of the clock emphasized the quietness in the room.
After hearing Janna’s terms, Klan Roland kept his head down and didn’t respond right away.
Seeing this, Janna and David Berg quietly waited without speaking.
"Alright, I can agree to your terms… However, the fixed monthly salary will be reduced to five hundred Gold Surrels, and the year-end profit share to two percent. Also, for the contract renewal next year, you must give the Nightingale Opera Troupe priority. Otherwise, only seventy percent of the year-end profit share will be paid… Is this acceptable to you?"
"No problem."
Although the compensation was sharply reduced, a monthly salary of five hundred Gold Surrels and a two percent year-end bonus was already a considerable income for Janna, who currently received only ten Gold Surrels per month as an apprentice subsidy.
Moreover, the clause that limited her work to weekends matched her apprentice schedule perfectly.
The workload wasn’t heavy and wouldn’t interfere with her daily witchcraft training.
All in all, Klan Roland was already showing Janna a great deal of respect.
"I hope you understand—training a newcomer at the Nightingale Opera Troupe isn’t easy. The early investment in resources is all sunk cost… After all, no one wants a rising star they just nurtured to be poached by a rival troupe in the following year."
Klan Roland was still young, but everything he said was grounded and honest.
"Since both parties have come to an agreement, let’s sign the contract."
Seeing that the negotiations had concluded smoothly, David Berg let out a long sigh of relief and began urging the parties to sign.
As Janna’s talent scout, if the negotiation had fallen through, it would have meant not only a loss of talent for the Nightingale Opera Troupe, but no commission for him—an entirely wasted effort.
"Whoosh—"
The text twisted and shifted.
As the issuer revised the contents, the writing on the magical scroll changed in accordance with what had been agreed upon between Klan Roland and Janna.
Light shimmered.
Under the witness of the contract laws, the magical scroll, now bearing both parties’ signatures, split in two—one copy each for Party A, Klan Roland, and Party B, Janna Roland...