Opera Theater Murder Case (4)

But neither of them looked like an insane murderer.

‘Of course, the killer isn’t going to put a sign on their forehead, but… the old man at the front is a senior wizard, and the other is a young knight who came with a lover. Let’s check it first.’

Kleio leaned towards Isiel, his voice low despite the noisy atmosphere in the theater prior to the show.

“What do you see? Anyone suspicious?”

“It seems that there are only ordinary etheric sensitive people. However, there will be late arrivals, so it is better to stay alert.”

“From what I see, that gray-haired old man in the front and the tall young man on that stool seat are a little higher.”

“Stool seat?”

Isiel seemed to have found the older man as well, but her gaze turned to see the young man sitting toward the back.

“He’s a member of the Capital Defense Force knights.”

“What?”

Kleio pricked Behemoth’s side to see if they had found anything. Behemoth, letting out a yawn, shook his head.

“Meooow (You’ve seen both in the theater).”

While Isiel and Kleio remained faithful to their original purpose, a courier with a silver tray containing Ecarat Rose Champagne and autumnal raspberries arrived. Dione, who already knew that Behemoth was a drinker, moved the raspberries into a shallow bowl and served them with champagne. Behemoth kicked off of Kleio’s lap to go for it. However, after two sips, he pushed the bowl away with his paws.

“Meooow, meow (What’s this? It’s a famous drink, but it tastes bad. The scent is weak, and the aftertaste is unpleasant).”

“Don’t like alcohol?”

“Meow! (Anyway, such drinks are expensive, and many aren’t worth it).”

“I see; it doesn’t fit in your mouth. Well, what would a royal lawyer, who doesn’t even drink, know about alcohol~.”

The alcoholic cat’s whining meows certainly only sounded like a regular cat, but Dione was incredibly well aware of the beast’s meaning. After lowering the cup, she pushed a raspberry towards Behemoth.

“You two, have you checked everywhere now?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“Although the taste is subpar, would you like a glass of champagne?”

As always, Isiel refused to drink. Kleio hesitated, but Behemoth shook his head violently and complained that it wasn’t worth tasting.

‘I don’t think it’s terrible, but…’

“I have work to do today too, so I will refuse.”

“My word!”

Dione, who tempted her share, adjusted her fur coat as the alcohol warmed her body. As the marten fur fell away, a cream-colored evening dress was revealed underneath. Her earrings with pearls and square diamonds were gracefully hung about her neck, contrasting beautifully with her skin. After a moment, Kleio forced his gaze onto the stage to avoid staring. Fortunately, the show started soon after. The sound of an oboe could be heard from the orchestra seat hidden under the stage, which wasn’t visible to the auditorium. Before long, it gave way to the prelude of an ominous theme.

‘Hey, I can’t understand this. What I heard from the third floor of the Sejong Grand Theater was very different from this.’

He had only experienced an opera performance maybe twice in his life. However, though the world changed, he still couldn’t get into it himself. He hadn’t even opened the book she had bought him, so he didn’t even really understand the opera’s contents.

A plateau in the north where a ferocious eternal winter raged on around a cold and white castle that appeared to be made of ice rose as the stage background. Love sprouted between the thousand-year-old vampire lord and a young girl offered to him as a sacrifice. The two go through misunderstandings and fights but eventually arrive at true love. But when the Lord goes to her, her brother comes to the castle to save her. The Lord, who went to the forest to acquire a wedding present, returns and believes that the maiden betrayed him.

After the second act, the auditorium lit up. Isiel, on Kleio’s left, was already looking to see if any new faces were now in the audience. On the other hand, Dione had a handkerchief pressed to her cheeks wet with tears. Well, since she was a big fan of the original, he could understand her reaction.

“How was the play in your eyes? Did you think it was okay?”

“How was it? How was it?! Beyond imagination! More than expected! Can you see the man in the gray suit over there? That’s Jules Turner, a critic of -Lundane Standard-. He needs to pretend he’s not crying right now; that’s why he’s turned away.”

“It’s amazing, but I don’t know anything… I see.”

“The script for Mrs. Morgan is also a genius script that expresses the original, but above all else, the actor playing Arsenie had elevated the drama to the next level. Unless your heart is stone, how could you not be impressed? Remember the line about the aria of betrayal? I could feel my heart tearing!”

The male protagonist’s singing had swept the stage in a frenzy, even causing the female protagonist to vanish. Kleio flipped over his pamphlet to confirm the singer’s name.

-As Lord Arsenie: Geheim Ginger-

-Luminita role: Lily Rose-

“But why is he wearing a semi-mask? Neither Luminita nor the other chorus actors are wearing such a thing.”

At first, it had even seemed embarrassing that the male protagonist had come out with a hat and mask, but the moment he started singing, no one saw the mask anymore. Dione folded her fan and smiled like a cat discussing gossip.

“According to what I heard, he has burn scars around his forehead and eyes. He’s a commoner, and rumors have circulated that he was caught in a fire caused by the husband of a lady he was cheating with.”

“Ah… yes.”

‘What is that? It’s to hide some burns; he’s not the phantom of the opera.’

Since none of this had been mentioned in the previous manuscript, these new developments were especially confusing.

“His name is Geheim. His northern accent is uncommon in the capital as well; I guess he was born in the cold north.”

“A guess? There is someone the Lady Dione doesn’t know all about?”

“That’s right. Reporters have relentlessly dug into him, but nothing comes out. He’s a mysterious man who suddenly appeared in the capital a few months ago and began to sell astronomical tickets over the past season.”

At that moment, Isiel jabbed Kleio. In the box seats on the second floor, some ladies wearing heavy jewels were gathered at the landing connected to the backstage.

“Do you know why those people are leaving in a hurry?”

“They are going to the waiting room to greet the leading actor. They give gifts, and if they’re lucky, they get more than just a thank you.”

Then, Dione winked. Isiel, unsure of what that meant, blinked a couple of times blankly.

“Please refrain from talking to Lady Dione…”

‘No, what would I do if she tells this innocent seventeen-year-old swordswoman about topics like that?!’

“I was telling you because you were curious, ahaha. Everyone will return to their seats before the start of act three, so don’t worry.”

“I would know if they moved with a clear purpose.”

Isiel returned to her search work without any agitation. It was fortunate she hadn’t noticed anything.

“But it’s amazing. Usually, not that many people go to the waiting room.”

“Geheim is a uniquely attractive singer.”

“Oh, it’s good you’re aware of it. The last person there was Countess Croft.”

“It’s amazing that a man who claims half his face was horribly burned has so captured the hearts of those in the capital.”

“But you heard it too. Listening to that person’s song, even the coldest heart must crack. Since he took on the role of Lord Arsenie this time, his popularity will continue to rise!”

It was something hard for Kleio to follow along, but he understood that the singer and the vampire monarch matched each other very well in the atmosphere.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

The servants began roaming around, ringing the bell to signal the end of intermission. Suddenly, the play was in the third act. The stage background was changed to the black forest. Luminita ran with bare feet through the snow-covered woods, hearing the scream of a monarch cursing their traitorous lover. Even though she trembled with fear, she approached the desperate man step-by-step. The angry monarch violated his oath and tried to bite Luminita’s neck as she hugged him.

“[Immortality to me. Give me an eternity to be with you]”

Luminita tilted the white nape of her neck toward her lover’s lip. The monarch, soaked with regret, tried to release her.

“[Immortality is a curse; mortality is a blessing. Eternity fades the moment, turns fiery love into ashes.]”

“[With you, even fading would bedazzling, and even ash would be sweet.]”

Knowing immortality as a curse, the monarch tried to release the girl, but her arms pulled at her lover. At that moment, the middle-aged soprano with a bountiful body became the poor, young Luminita, and the young tenor became a lord who ruled darkness for a thousand years. Luminita fell over him, her blood drained, but soon she stood up vigorously as she sang an aria filled with joy at being held in the arms of her lover. The duet sung by the two was the culmination of the drama. Kleio fell into the play, forgetting his duty.

Until Promise’s message appeared.

[―Common Skill: Enchanted]

[―Adding a strong attraction to the user’s specific behavior ◈‡‱… ]

‘What?! The message is broken?!’

The singer raised her head fiercely, who let out the last verse of the aria as they stood upright, stared straight at Kleio. The auditorium, completely frozen by the performance, let out cheers a beat later.

“Woaahhhh!”

“Bravo!”

“Whoooo!”

The singer humbly accepted the audience’s cheers, and both the message and the strange hostility vanished. However, Kleio, with his Perception now active, clearly witnessed it.

‘It was just for a moment, but the singer’s eyes were red!’