The Curtain of Obsession
Lillian was initially flustered, assuming the woman was about to make a plea. But in the next moment, the woman sprang up as if launched and tossed aside the red silk scarf that had been wrapped around her wrist.
Flap!
While the audience’s gaze was drawn to the scarf, the song began. A rich, resonant voice filled the space, instantly capturing everyone’s eyes and ears.
The woman sang of being a maid to a noblewoman. She had been a girl raised innocently in the countryside, only to catch the eye of a noblewoman who had come to the village to recuperate, eventually following her to the city. The pay was decent, and her mistress was kind. Her joys were simple: wearing pretty clothes and going to see plays on her days off. She loved to dance—here, she performed a truly magnificent dance solo, even without a partner—and she often visited dance halls with men.
Then, one day, she happened to run into a boy from her childhood neighborhood at the theater. He had grown into a remarkably handsome young man.
With a gesture full of longing, the woman turned back toward the door from which she had appeared and reached out her arm. A murmur of sighs rippled through the female guests as a handsome man with honey-colored curls appeared, cradling an armful of lilies.
The man did not walk like an actor, but with the casual gait of a guest. Yet, with every four or five steps he took toward the center to meet the woman, his movements gradually transformed into a dance.
Finally, the two fell in love. A duet singing of eternal sweetness began, and the woman’s fluttering sleeves and sky-blue skirt swirled around the man like a wind spirit. Every time they circled, the man handed her a flower, tucking them into her belt and collar. It was as if he intended to cover her entirely in blossoms.
It was a fine love song and a beautiful performance, but Roella thought it was dull. To be invited to the Imperial Palace, one had to do better than this. The male actor was a rare beauty, and the female lead was impressive, but that was all.
She glanced sideways at Ezekiel. He was merely sipping his wine with a bored expression.
‘Can’t I make him jealous?’
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the singing stopped, and the orchestra’s music thinned. One lily remained in the man’s hand.
The strings trembled as if to conclude, then began to play an entirely different melody.
“Then, she appeared,” the actress narrated.
“That woman, whose identity was unknown. She appeared as if she had drifted in, cloaked in the mist of the night.”
The white muslin curtains moved.
The man, who had been looking at the actress until that moment, turned toward the curtain and fixed his gaze upon it as if nailed to the spot.
His expression—lips slightly parted as he stared—was entirely different from anything he had shown before. Even though one wouldn't normally be able to see such nuances in gaze and expression unless seated in the front row, every single member of the audience could feel the man’s heart trembling.
What could possibly be behind that curtain? It was a spectacle that forced such a thought upon everyone.
The actress hugged the man from behind. The man sang in a low voice.
“Fearing, raging, mocking, and hoping.”
The woman softly echoed the same lyrics.
Layer by layer, the curtains opened.
“Yet I cannot help but look, cannot help but desire, and I wish to be eternal. This cannot be love.”
“Love is what we do.”
“I love her. Therefore, this is not love. Yet I cannot help but look, cannot help but desire.”
As the tenth layer of curtains was drawn back, a silhouette appeared. Even from that distance, one could tell she was a woman of breathtaking beauty.
The man reached out his hand as if bewitched. The audience felt the same. They were dying to know what the woman behind the final two curtains looked like.
The actress hugged the man tighter, but he moved a few steps forward as if he hadn't even noticed. The actress lost her strength, her arms falling limp as she collapsed to the floor.
Finally, the last curtain opened.
The woman standing there with her head slightly bowed was suffocatingly beautiful. Even though she wore a wide-brimmed hat that obscured her face, her exposed lips and chin were enough to imagine the beauty of the hidden parts. The black silk dress that clung to her body was simple in design, yet intensely sensual.
Roella instinctively glanced at Ezekiel once more. And then, she found herself snapping her head toward him.
Ezekiel did not notice. He was staring at the woman with unfocused eyes, as if under a spell. No, it wasn't that his eyes were unfocused—it was as if, in the entire world, only that woman had become sharp and clear.
Parched with thirst, he drained his wine glass without even realizing what he was holding.
“Ezekiel.”
Had Roella not called out, he might have stood up. At the sound of her sharp voice, Ezekiel realized he had been staring at the woman, utterly lost.
“Knowing it was foolish, knowing it was a sin, I could not tear my eyes away.”
The male actor’s song was not yet over.
He slowly approached the woman behind the curtain and handed her the last remaining lily. At the same time, the music concluded.
The lights went out. In the darkness, the actress’s final narration rang out.
“And so, that woman had bewitched my fiancé.”
That seemed to be the end of the performance. When the lights came back on, the three of them were standing before the Empress.
A brief silence dominated the salon. The emotions the man had evoked in them had not yet faded, leaving a lingering resonance.
“Bravo!”
The Marquis of Zallier, an opera enthusiast, was the first to leap to his feet and applaud.
“Magnificent! It was only two songs, but the level of perfection was sufficient!”
“Wonderful!”
Only then did the others seem to come to their senses and join in the applause. Empress Lillian also clapped, offering words of praise.
The woman who had appeared last slowly removed her hat and bowed to her with an elegant grace.
“I am Laila of the Corer family from Lanier. Thank you for kindly enjoying my humble performance.”
The face beneath the hat was as beautiful as everyone had hoped. Gasps of admiration rose from all corners.
“A beauty just as the rumors said!”
“Excellent!”
The skill of the Marell Troupe was excellent, but Lady Laila’s conduct was even more so.
Many knew that she might be insulted today. The fact that Princess Roella had specifically invited her to a music salon made her intentions clear.
However, Laila had neither sung nor danced. She had simply stood behind the curtain and accepted the flower offered by the male lead. Even while participating in the performance, she had not acted as a performer. It could be said she had navigated the situation very wisely.
The guests observed Princess Roella with curious eyes. But far from being angry, she was staring at Laila with a face as pale as a sheet.
Empress Lillian, seemingly unaware of this, offered more praise.
“I had heard rumors that Lady Laila possessed a fine troupe, but I did not know it would be this spectacular. Is there, perhaps, a sequel?”
“It is a small music salon, so we did not prepare one this time, but our troupe’s playwright and composer are already working on it.”
“I should like to see that as well.”
The Empress said, looking at the two actors standing behind Laila. Laila smiled.
“Of course. There would be no greater honor than to present it to Your Majesty first. Furthermore, there is one thing I wish to request…”
“Speak.”
“It would be the greatest reward if you would permit our actors to offer their greetings to Your Majesty personally.”
The Empress nodded, her face flushing slightly.
As Laila stepped aside, the two actors stepped forward. First, the actress bowed, bending her knees politely.
“I am Luna of the Marell Troupe. It is the honor of a lifetime to be able to offer my greetings in this way.”
Then, the male actor stepped forward. When he had managed to retrieve it, no one knew, but a single lily was in his hand.
“I am Sion Miller of the Marell Troupe. I offer my greetings to Your Majesty.”
His demeanor was not as perfect as Luna’s. His attitude—lifting his head slightly and smiling brightly as he offered the flower, as if expecting to meet the Empress’s eyes—seemed somewhat impudent, yet charming.
Lillian did not rebuke him and accepted the lily. Her heart felt as if it had plummeted.