Chapter 273: Never stopped smiling [2]
-A bit before the first performance started.
Marking the true start of the Four Empire Summit was the theater performance that the Theater Society hosted.
A lot had been invested and prepared for the upcoming display.
And it was evident by the grandness of the venue which could host up to 5000 people at a time.
It was a way to showcase the Empire's culture to the guests. It was also a nice way to start the meeting.
Especially since things would become quite tense later.
There were a lot of important matters that needed to be discussed at the upcoming Summit.
*
The ceiling soared high above, decorated with elaborate frescoes and a magnificent chandelier that covered a wide area.
The stage itself was framed by heavy velvet curtains that seemed ready to open at any given time.
On the other hand, rows upon rows of plush seats stretched back to the ornate balconies up above and on the side of the weather.
In one such balcony, four people sat.
"This is quite the nice theater."
They were all relatively young, and they carried a regal aura around them. They were the royal delegates from each Empire.
Because the Emperors couldn't leave their Empire as they wished, the diplomatic relations were handled by the first in line for the throne of each respective Empire.
Representing the Nurs Ancifa Empire was none other than Gael who quietly sat on his seat with his eyes set on the stage beneath.
He had an unusually serious expression on his face.
"How are you doing?"
His attention was broken by a soft voice coming from his right.
It belonged to a girl with light red hair and blue eyes. Her appearance carried a certain innocence that made one feel the need to protect her. But appearances could be deceiving.
Despite how she looked, she was someone to be feared. Not because of her character which was moderately ruthless, but because of her strength.
At age 28, she managed to reach Tier 7, a feat that people who could be described as monsters could achieve.
If not for Delilah, she would've been far more famous.
It was a pity that... she existed.
Verdant Empire Crown Princess - Elysia J. Verdant.
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
With a soft smile, he thanked her. His relationship with her wasn't too bad and they could converse without a problem.
"I'm happy to hear that. It also does look like you're doing better." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Haha, so I have been told."
"....How long until the seal is broken and you can return to normal?"
"One more year."
"Ah, I see. That's nice to hear."
The deal between his father and Delilah had a set time. He had endured enough and was now waiting for his last year before being able to train again.
This was information that only a few knew.
Given her status, Elysia naturally knew. He also didn't mind her knowing given that he was quite friendly with her.
The same couldn't be said to be true for the other two present in the room. In particular, Gael's expression fell on a man with soft yellow eyes and deep black hair. Wearing a black outfit with golden embroidery that matched his eyes, he stood out quite a bit.
....Gael felt a certain sense of repulsion when he set his gaze on him.
It was hard to explain, but it felt primal. As if his own instincts were rejecting the very being sitting not far from where he was.
Aetheria Empire's Crown Prince Theron F. Aetheria.
He wore a thin smile on his face as he looked at the stage beneath. It was as if he was waiting for something exciting to happen.
"Hm?"
As if Theron could sense his gaze, he turned his head.
The moment their gazes met, Theron smiled.
"I can't wait for the upcoming play. I've heard a lot of good things about it. Especially the play by the renowned scriptwriter Olga. It's such a pity that such a writer is not from our Empire, otherwise, I would've gone to watch her plays every night."
"....I am struggling just as much as you."
Gael replied curtly.
Olga was indeed a generational talent that they couldn't do without.
The more famous her play was, the more their influence would spread across the other
Empires.
.....And her current play could be said to be a masterpiece that was known throughout each Empire.
Her play was definitely going to blow minds away.
It was overall great.
Picking up a small leaflet that was provided for all, Theron leaned his head back and read
through it.
"Three plays?"
His eyes opened up slightly as he read the leaflet.
"Hmm. That's quite a lot. I'm curious as to why you're showing three plays. Isn't one
enough?"
Gael asked as he fanned himself with the paper.
"Ideally, yes... but the play is not long enough to fill the entire time slot. At the same time, it's
a rather heavy play."
"Ah, right. I've heard about that."
"Yes, that's why we've chosen to get the audience in the mood before the last play. Otherwise,
it'll be a little too much to take in. It's also our own way to give the other talents a chance to
perform."
"That's a good idea."
Theron nodded as his eyes traced the first part of the page before stopping.
"Oh?"
His brows rose slightly.
"We're starting off with a romance play?"
"Yes,"
Gael lowered his head to stare at a similar-looking leaflet.
".....It's a play by an up-and-coming writer."
"Hmm, that's interesting."
Theron set the leaflet down.
"Never Stopped Smiling. It's a peculiar name, and I don't recognize the writer. I hope it
doesn't disappoint."
"....You don't have to worry about that."
Gael smiled in return.
"I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
While he hadn't seen the rehearsal of the play as they hadn't participated in the event. He was confident in the upcoming performance. After all, his little sister was playing.
How could it not be good?
Even if it wasn't good, it was good.
But...
'Something's off."
Gael couldn't quite explain it, but Theron seemed to be unusually enthusiastic. Gael didn't know him all too well, but from the little interactions he had with him, Theron didn't strike
him as a guy who was interested in plays.
...... It was a little out of character.
"' .....'
Gael's eyes narrowed for a split second before he took a small breath and leaned back on his
chair.
While he wasn't sure what Theron was planning, he didn't think too much.
He highly doubted he planned anything dangerous. They were in the heart of Bremmer. What
could he possibly do?
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Whatever he had planned, if he had anything planned in the first place... was probably
something small.
He could relax under such thoughts.
'I also don't have to worry much about the last guy.'
Gael's gaze fell on a tall and burly man. Sat on his seat, he rested his cheek on his propped-up
hand. A wild pressure exuded from out of his enormous body as his ginger hair gently fell over
his face to cover his green eyes.
Unlike everyone else, he was dressed in less formal clothing. With a white shirt and shorts to
expose his muscular thighs, he stood out differently compared to the others.
Lucian R. Eldmor.
The Crown Prince of the Aurora Empire.
While Gael's relationship with him wasn't great, he could at least not worry about him
playing tricks.
He wasn't the type of person that liked petty tricks.
If he wanted to kill someone, he'd kill them. If he wanted to scheme something, he'd do it on
a massive scale. This was how his mind worked, and was also the reason why Gael was wary of
him.
Another reason why Gael felt like he didn't have anything planned was because he looked
rather disinterested in whatever play was going to be shown.
But that could also be a ruse.
After all, the quieter someone was, the more dangerous they were.
"....
||
In silence, he shifted his attention away from the group and focused it back on the main
stage.
It was currently empty, but it was almost time.
At the same time, he quietly murmured,
'Good luck.'
***
The theater was starting to fill up.
All sorts of important figures appeared throughout the venue as they sat in their seats.
Because of the importance of the event, there was a high demand to see the plays. Everyone
couldn't wait to see the new and improved version of Olga's masterpiece.
It was all everyone was talking about.
'...I heard that the new actor is out of this world.'
'There's rumors that say that it's way better than it was in the past.'
'Wow, it can be even better?'
'We will see.'
Leon sat in his seat while he quietly listened to the conversation around him. He was currently
sitting next to a few people he didn't know, and thus, he could only stare ahead without much
of an expression.
'So Julien will be performing soon...'
Leon could still distinctly remember Julien's first performance.
It was rather mind-blowing, and while Leon hated to admit it, Julien was an incredible actor.
Or at least, in the performance he was great.
He wasn't so sure about how his current performance would pan out.
"Right, his current performance."
Leon felt his mouth grow dry as he licked his lips and cleared his throat.
"Khmm."
From what he heard, it was a unique script.
A romance script.
A...
...Romance script.
"Kh."
A weird noise suddenly came out of his mouth.
Several heads flicked to face him. Blinking, Leon kept his face straight and pretended to have
nothing to do with the noise.
Or at least that was until...
"....Kh!"
He let out another strange sound as he bit his lips.
"Excuse me, are you okay?"
Wondering if there was something wrong, the person sitting next to him asked.
However, just as his hand reached out to touch Leon's shoulder, he noticed that something
was off with Leon.
His shoulder...
"Eh?"
....It was trembling.
"Excuse me, are you-"
The stranger stopped halfway through his sentence. He suddenly found it hard to speak as he
noticed the peculiarities in the young man before him.
From his trembling shoulders to his bloodshot eyes.
He was...
"Pftt."
***
At the same time, in another area.
"...Is this my seat?"
Kiera glanced at the guest card in her hand. It said [B57] which was presumingly where her
seat was. There was only one problem...
"Oy, you're sitting on my seat."
Someone was sitting in her seat.
Kiera couldn't quite see their appearance but they appeared to be a girl with their long blonde
wavy hair.
||
"1
Her words were met with silence, prompting Kiera to frown.
"Oy? Did you not hear me?"
Kiera tried again, but just like before, she got no response.
As a result of this, Kiera's frown tightened as she pressed her hand against the person's
shoulder.
"Bitch, did you not hear what I said? Get out of my fucking seat before I-" Kiera's voice came to an abrupt halt as the figure's head slowly turned to face her direction.
The moment it did, Kiera felt her mind grow blank as she felt her breath leave her body.
That...
It couldn't be...?
"....Ah."
Cli Clank-
It was right then that the lights turned off.
But despite the sudden darkness, Kiera's gaze never left the smiling figure before her.
"It's been a while..."
A familiar voice reached her ears.
One that she could never forget in her entire life.
"....Ki."
