Chapter 180: The Long-Awaited Opera (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: The Long-Awaited Opera (3)
"Good heavens! Who knew His Highness the Grand Duke was such a stunningly handsome man?"
"My husband told me he was an intimidating man, so I took him at his word!"
Even after taking their seats, the nobles entering the theater could not easily suppress their excitement.
"To think a man who avoided public appearances his entire life would show up in a place like this. It seems His Highness is truly changing now that he has a wife."
"I'm so envious. He must cherish Her Highness the Consort dearly."
"With the Grand Duke standing so firmly by her side, who in the North would dare treat Her Highness with anything but respect now?"
The conversation naturally flowed toward the couple’s attire.
"And his physique! Who knew a lavender cravat could look so masculine? Do you think he had that tailored at Couter as well?"
"I’m definitely making my husband get his next suit from Couter."
"It’s already so hard to get a reservation there. Now, meeting the Madame will be harder than plucking a star from the sky."
‘Even I was shocked when I heard it from Cecilia beforehand. I can only imagine how everyone else feels.’
Sitting toward the front and listening to the ladies' chatter with interest, Viscountess Terito instinctively looked up toward the second floor.
Just then, she spotted the Grand Duchess leaning out from one of the protruding Royal Rooms.
‘So the Grand Ducal couple is seated there.’
As the Grand Duchess leaned forward to look down at the first-floor seating, the Grand Duke suddenly reached out from beside her. He wrapped an arm around her waist as if worried she might fall.
Cradled in his arms, the Grand Duchess shared a brief conversation with him.
‘How affectionate.’
As the Viscountess watched the heartwarming scene, the Grand Duke suddenly tilted his head and kissed the Grand Duchess.
‘Oh, my!’
The Viscountess hurriedly averted her gaze.
‘The honeymoon phase truly is wonderful.’
After making a quick excuse to her husband, the Viscountess spent the time until the opera began frantically fluttering her fan to cool her flushed cheeks.
*
In front of the Carmania Theater.
Dressed in his finest, Cochibiel stared at the full-length poster of Antonel.
‘They put that provincial hack in my spot? A man who was barely doing street performances?’
He didn't know what tricks the troupe had used, but Antonel’s face on the poster looked surprisingly decent. Even a great actor like himself had never had his face on such a massive poster before.
And in a theater this grand, no less.
Cochibiel swallowed a sigh of rising irritation. To be honest, even he knew that demanding an invitation to the Grand Duke’s Castle had been a bit of a stretch.
But still.
‘The Grand Duchess acted so shy in front of me that day! How could she just cast me aside like this?’
He wanted to rip the poster to shreds right then and there. However, seeing the staff guarding the entrance, Cochibiel merely snorted.
‘Hmph. Do they really think the opera can succeed without me?’
Actors like him, who could withstand the pressure of a massive stage while simultaneously capturing the hearts of the audience, were rare. It wasn't a position someone could just take because they knew how to sing a line or two.
‘There’s no way that weakling, who used to tremble at everything, can handle a stage this big. He’ll probably make mistake after mistake from start to finish.’
He could already see the troupe leader begging him to return tomorrow. This would be Antonel’s first and last performance.
Feeling slightly better at the thought, Cochibiel finally stepped into the theater.
"Look, Cochibiel is here!"
"Cochibiel? Where?"
As he entered the seating area, gasps of admiration erupted from the noblewomen here and there.
"Greetings."
"Cochibiel! Look over here!"
Entering just before the opera was set to begin, he took his time walking down the stairs, greeting the ladies with practiced grace. When voices expressed regret that he wasn't on stage, Cochibiel let out a relaxed smile.
"I am here as an audience member today."
He had gone out of his way to secure a ticket for the opening night. When the opera ended in a disaster and the people were venting their fury, their regret would only intensify when they spotted him sitting in the audience.
Once the show was over, he planned to visit the dressing room to see the look of despair on Antonel’s face.
Cochibiel sat down, filled with anticipation.
However, as soon as the opera began, it was Cochibiel whose face turned pale.
The moment the short overture ended, the backdrops hanging from the ceiling and the sides of the stage folded away and vanished in an instant, and a new set slid smoothly into place.
‘W-what is this?’
In the blink of an eye, the setting had shifted from Lady Violetta’s room to a garden. Such a seamless stage transition was unheard of in the history of opera.
The audience gasped in awe.
‘Tch, just cheap tricks...’
Things like this were only surprising for a moment. Once the actors appeared, everyone would soon grow bored.
But contrary to his expectations, the audience’s immersion only deepened as the scenes progressed.
"Oh! That wicked man!"
"How tragic."
At every dramatic turn, groans of sympathy echoed through the hall.
The highlight came when Lady Violetta, having resolved to seek revenge, sang her oath on a snowy cliff. The cliffside, created by layers of backdrops extending deep into the stage, looked dizzyingly high.
Whoosh!
As the solemn music played, the sound of a howling wind suddenly filled the air. For a moment, the audience looked around, seemingly forgetting they were indoors.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Lady Violetta raised a wine glass high as she sang her aria of vengeance.
"I shall drink the snow falling into this cup of vengeance and claim the soul of the world's coldest winter! Yet my heart alone shall blaze with fury, and before the snow can melt, my flames shall consume you all!"
The moment she drank the liquid from the wooden wine cup, a flash of light erupted from the ceiling accompanied by the roar of thunder.
"Eek!"
One of the noblewomen in the audience shrieked in surprise.
Cochibiel, who had instinctively flinched, closed his eyes tight in a fit of self-loathing.
‘I’ve never seen an opera this incredible.’
It would have been a relief if Antonel had at least messed up his part. But perhaps because the production was so realistic, the actors' performances were flawless.
The opera concluded with Lady Violetta’s final cry.
Clap, clap, clap!
A literal thunder of cheers and applause erupted. Cochibiel, unable to hide his bewildered expression, clapped along dazed.
Finally, the actors came out one by one to take their bows. When Antonel stepped onto the stage, shouts broke out from the noblewomen.
"You scoundrel!"
"You absolute philanderer!"
What is this?
The ladies were clearly hurling insults at Antonel, yet those insults were somehow laced with undeniable affection. Antonel, seemingly delighted even by their resentment, smiled broadly and waved.
It was the same when the prima donna, Isadora, came out last.
"Lady Violetta, we're rooting for you!"
"I'm so proud of you!"
The noblewomen cheered with such intensity it was as if they had forgotten Violetta was merely a fictional character.
To have an audience so immersed that they confused the actor with the character... Cochibiel had never heard such reactions during his own performances.
Even as they rose to leave, the ladies' complaints didn't stop.
"My goodness, isn't he just the worst? How could he cheat on such a wise wife?"
"I know, right? Is it because he has such a handsome face? No, even his voice sounds like that of a playboy, doesn't it?"
"I felt like my ears were melting! I simply must see it again soon."
"Me too! Lady Violetta’s final aria is still ringing in my ears."
At that, the ladies agreed they should come back as early as tomorrow.
When he had entered, everyone had been calling his name. Now, even as he walked right past them, not a single person stopped him.
"I must buy that wooden wine cup Lady Violetta used for her revenge on the way out."
"I'm going to buy one of every item. Oh, and I have to get the Snow Wine too."
"Didn't they say they only sell 150 bottles of Snow Wine a day?"
Hearing that, the noblewomen scrambled past Cochibiel.
Walking like a defeated soldier, Cochibiel made his way back to the lobby.
"Give me one of everything!"
"Two sets for me!"
"I'm terribly sorry. The wooden wine cups are already sold out..."
"What? No!"
"Five bottles of Snow Wine for me! The Opera Package!"
"My apologies. The Snow Wine is completely sold out, including the basic packages."
The staff at the merchandise booth were shouting, drenched in sweat from the sudden surge of customers.
"Currently, we only have the stationery sets, the poison vials, and Lady Violetta’s novel left. We don't know when the other out-of-stock items will be replenished, but you can purchase Snow Wine again if you visit the theater tomorrow!"
A poison vial?
Cochibiel walked toward the merchandise booth as if possessed. Pushing through the crowd, he saw the description for the 'Poisoned Vial' on display.
[The poisoned vial used by Lady Violetta for her revenge. Specially crafted for the opera by 'Dakaruna,' a craft specialist in Gold Lane. Contains limited edition rose water created by 'Rosan,' the perfume shop on the banks of Valpid Lake.]
"If you're not buying anything, excuse me."
A lady waiting impatiently for her turn nudged Cochibiel aside and grabbed an item.
What on earth was happening?
Wasn't an opera supposed to be a place where noblewomen fluttered their fans, admired the actors with suggestive glances, and then quietly vanished in their carriages once the show was over?
He had never seen an opera with such vitality.
Stepping out of the theater, Cochibiel looked back at the large poster. Isadora was still there, but the male lead was Antonel.
‘Did I... make a huge mistake?’
A chill ran down Cochibiel’s spine at the terrifying thought that his spot might never be returned to him.