The Curtain Rises
Perhaps what surged within Ezekiel was not anger, but lust. He felt a sense of agitation, as if something were slipping out of his control.
As he stepped out of the carriage and entered the Schwaben Duchy, Roella hurried to follow him. She had cowered in the carriage, unable to speak, but after being ignored to this extent, she could no longer hold her tongue.
"Ezekiel, what’s wrong? Did something upset you?"
"……."
"Did you receive an urgent message? Why are you so angry?"
Striding toward the bedroom, Ezekiel took off his gloves and tossed them to the butler. The quick-witted butler immediately relieved him of his coat. He even loosened his own tie and threw it aside carelessly.
He was exhausted, and at the same time, his eyelids felt heavy. It felt as if a mass of heat were coalescing in his gut. The silhouette of that woman, who had seemed like a shadow, the neckline that appeared even whiter against the black, and those pale pink lips—they were all vividly etched into his mind. The moment she had taken off her hat, he had even forgotten to breathe.
At that moment, he had inadvertently recalled an old folktale about a monster popping out of a box. Though her figure was surprisingly graceful, he had believed that her skill in adorning and revealing herself would be even more exquisite.
But what had emerged was a face that was innocent and lovely. It was different from what he had imagined while she was behind the curtain, but now that he had seen it for himself, it was a beautiful face that seemed destined to belong to that alluring body.
Thinking that, he felt flustered. It was the first time he had ever been so captivated by thoughts of a person's appearance. No, it would be more accurate to say his mind was completely filled with her.
That annoyed him.
'Fearing, and expecting.'
The song the actress had sung in a voice that seemed to crawl across the floor came back to him. It was an absurd thought. What on earth did he have to fear?
"Ezekiel!"
Roella was being noisy. Ezekiel finally turned to look at her.
His tightly engorged member had not yet subsided. He suddenly realized that it had been half a year since he had last been with a woman, including Roella.
This intense lust must be because of that. Not because of the woman herself, Lady Layla. It was possible to feel stimulated by a new atmosphere.
Ezekiel slowly approached Roella. He could see both expectation and fear dwelling in her eyes. It was a truly easy emotion to understand.
His hand cupped Roella’s cheek. As he rubbed the corner of her eye with his thumb, her cheeks flushed red.
"What brings you to… Mmm."
He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.
Roella forgot everything—that Ezekiel’s behavior had been strange, and that they had just stormed out of the Imperial Palace’s music salon.
A sweet tremor enveloped her entirely. Her body grew hot in an instant as Ezekiel’s tongue parted her teeth and curled around her own.
She wrapped her arms around Ezekiel’s neck. Ezekiel’s hand reached behind her back, unfastening the strings of her dress to touch her bare skin.
The butler and servants who had come to attend to them retreated in unison and closed the door. Gasping for breath, Roella looked up at Ezekiel with sorrowful eyes.
He touched her lips with his thumb. A simmering desire boiled in his blue eyes. Knowing what he wanted, she gladly knelt before him.
As he unfastened his trousers, his terrifyingly erect member sprang out. Roella grasped it with both hands as if touching something precious and pressed her lips to it.
"Hnn."
Ezekiel let out a short groan and grabbed Roella’s hair. Even then, he thought of Layla’s delicate, compact lips.
Inside, she must be just as wet. Once you hold a woman, they are all the same in the end.
Thinking that, he thrust himself into Roella’s mouth, violently aroused.
It was ten days later that Janet, the daughter of Count Andex, burst into the annex.
Olivia, who was resting in the living room while drinking tea, smiled bitterly as she looked at the bundle of envelopes in Janet’s hands. Ever since their visit to the music salon at the Imperial Palace, Janet had been like this every day.
The Curtain Opens had been a massive success. Invitations poured in like a mountain for both Lady Layla and the Marel Troupe. Nobles wanting to host music salons and theaters wanting to turn it into a full-scale opera and put it on stage were all reaching out.
Of course, there were also many invitations sent out of interest in Lady Layla as an individual.
Janet seemed unable to get enough of the excitement. As an ordinary noble daughter, she had never received this kind of attention, even in the year she debuted in high society.
She was not jealous of Olivia. The gap between them had been too wide from the start, and she was well aware of Olivia’s special position as the troupe owner.
"Did you find an interesting sender?"
Olivia asked with a laugh. Janet set down the bundles she had divided into three, one by one, and spoke.
"This one is for the troupe owner, this one is for the music salon, and this one is an invitation for Layla."
"Have you read them?"
"No. But you can tell just by looking at the sender, right? Though I was worried about which pile to put the Marquis of Zallier in."
He had been sending letters for ten days straight. He seemed unable to bear not talking about the opera.
Although Olivia was the troupe owner, she wasn't actually well-versed in music or opera itself, so it was becoming a bit burdensome.
'I should just connect him with Director Marel.'
Even as she thought that, she was worried he might try to poach her people.
"And this."
Janet, who believed in saving the best for last, handed over one letter she had set aside separately. Olivia looked at her, puzzled.
"It’s a letter from Count Zeppelin!"
"Oh."
"Why is your reaction so dull? It’s Count Ferdinand Zeppelin!"
Janet said, excited.
Ferdinand was a handsome man. He wasn't an overwhelmingly beautiful man like the Duke of Schwaben, but his appearance was such that if you threw him into any theater troupe right now and mixed him with young male actors, there would be no sense of incongruity.
Moreover, he had become the head of his family at a young age and was still unmarried. The Zeppelin family itself was a declining house, but he was by far the most popular man among the noble daughters of the same pro-royal faction.
However, Olivia just chuckled.
"It’s not what you’re thinking."
"What is it that I’m thinking?"
"That Count Zeppelin fell in love with me at first sight and is asking for a meeting."
"……."
"I told you, it’s not that. He asked me to contact him because he wanted to talk about theater business."
"Theater?"
"He owns a theater. It’s a business inquiry."
Janet could not hide her disappointment.
Olivia opened the letter. The reason she hadn't spoken to other theaters until now and had refused invitations to music salons was because she had been waiting for this contact. It wasn't that she needed to perform at the Lichi Theater, but wouldn't that be a natural way to meet Ferdinand?
The letter was written neatly, stating only the business at hand. He said he would visit if she permitted it, but if she was reluctant to create unnecessary gossip, they could meet at the Lichi Theater. He added that she could designate another location if she preferred.
Since the music salon, Layla’s beauty had become an even greater topic of conversation in high society, so it seemed he was trying to be considerate. In fact, at this point, just a young, unmarried noble man visiting her would inevitably lead to noisy rumors about who proposed to whom or who was having an affair with whom.
Olivia wrote a reply immediately. She set the meeting place at the Lichi Theater and wrote that they should avoid being seen by others.