Chapter 113
The Lady of the Theater
A few tens of meters after they were on their way, Martell noticed that they were not going in the direction of the castle. So, he knocked at the coach window and asked.
“Are we not going to the castle?”
A cheerful answer came from outside. “Oh No. My Master has a more fitting venue in mind. I am sure that it will be to your liking.”
Martell turned back to see Nick nervously shifting in his seat.
“Stop moving, Nick. You are making me restless,” Illumca scolded him in irritation. Arms folded as she sat like a statue.
“Are you nervous?” Martell sneered.
“Nervous? Of course, I’m nervous! Do you know who Prince Elhart is?”
“Just from the rumors,” Illumca commented. “He is very high on the target list in the Assassin’s Guild. But no one have ever succeeded in assassinating him. He’s a bit of a legend in the profession, it seems.”
“Exactly! Look. Do you know who the second richest person in Courandhel is?”
“Prince Elhart?”
“No, It’s the King,” Nick answered. “And the number one is…the person we’re going to meet.”
Martell whistled. “Whoa. You mean he is richer than the ruler of Calendia? That is amazing!”
“Yeah. They say he has assets all over the world. Even beyond the Alliance! And you know, people don’t get that rich by being easy to talk to.”
“Nevertheless, we’re already here,” Illumca said eyeing Connie, who was half asleep. “If it looks dangerous, we have to protect Connie.”
Martell nodded silently as he patted his box.
Not long after the conversation within the carriage halted, a voice called out from outside. “We are here, Milady and companions.”
The door opened and a footman dressed in red came over. He put down a small step and laid a carpet over it. Martell jumped down first, followed by Connie, who stretched as she got outside.
When she saw where they had been taken, she shook her head with a smile.
“Well, I did not expect this.”
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The Royal Theater of Courandhel.
Built by the legendary Colin Brookspire’s best student, Herman Grott. The building had a more grandiose design compared to that of his Master’s. A great arch guarded by two statues of dragons leads to the entrance, a richly decorated iron door. Its exterior, made of gray stone, was covered by a conglomeration of sculptures and statues and carvings of mythological creatures.
It was more of a work of art rather than a building.
“Please follow me,” Jorge lead them into the Theater. Akula groaned as she had to carefully navigate the narrow steps.
Though it was quite cold outside, it was warm inside the lobby. A hearth tended by a young servant crackled cheerfully at the center of the building, their shadows dancing on the walls.
When they entered the Theater Hall, they could not help but gasp.
It was a menagerie of red and gold. Carvings of deer and majestic birds on the balconies. It was very different from the all-blue colors of the rest of the Kingdom. As if separating the world within and outside the theater. Plush, red chairs were lined neatly to create a hundred rows, all facing the stage, where a few men and women in costumes were enacting a play.
Illumca sensed gazes looking at them from the lush balconies. Which were quickly withdrawn when their eyes met. She sensed no hostility in them, so she did not react.
The chairs were empty, which was odd for such a popular venue. The Theater was a noble and cultured pastime, And as such, it cost a lot of money. Other than for entertainment, the ability to be there was also a show of status and power.
And yet, there was on one there save for a large figure sitting in the middle.
Without looking back, the figure gestured to them.
“Come, sit with me,” the obese man said. “This one is a classic. You may sit anywhere, I have reserved the Theater for tonight.”
His guests knew that he meant for Connie. She accepted the offer and sat beside him. As she did so, she noticed that the man was occupying three seats by himself.
Prince Elhart was pleasantly surprised to see that the young girl was unaffected by his appearance.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
However, in Connie’s part, she had seen worse. Thus she had no particular feeling about the obscenely obese man except for the fact that she wondered how much indulgence had caused him to balloon so much.
The others proceeded to sit freely. Illumca sat right behind Connie while Martell and Akula sat at the front. Nick stayed far to the back, wanting to stay as far away from the giant ball of fat that was Prince Elhart.
Illumca had never seen a play before. As such, despite her attempt to stay aloof, she could not help but pay attention to the play on the stage.
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“
A good man has died today. And we all should mourn for him,” The tall woman in white said.
“Glenda of the Briar, you speak of him so fondly still? Though he hast returned to the Great Will?” An enamored man spoke in a loving tone as she caressed her hair.
“O, Grynn the Sun-touched. Spring-blessed. Wherefore those eyes look upon her, whose womb bore the fruit of your enemy?” A young girl looked forlornly from behind a pillar, dressed in blue. “If you would but speak my name, I would gladly greet my end with a smile.”
Akula had little love for the Stonemen’s ways of life, but what she saw on the stage was another world. Her gaze was transfixed on the stage as the actors sang their feelings. It was the first time she had ever felt such wonder.
Martell too was listening intently, yet he found that something was missing. He loved it but he wanted something more. Ever since the day he defeated the Thunderclap Witch, he felt unfulfilled, as if something was about to burst inside him but there was no outlet. So, he busied himself with reading and listening to Alugor. Music. Yes…it’s close. But what am I looking for?
While he was pondering this matter, Akula paid rapt attention to the play, wishing that it would never end.
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“This is a famous play, “The Songbird and the Princess”. It is a tragic tale of kindness paid with evil,” Elhart said. “The lead is Havi the Songstress. Played by the woman in blue. While the antagonist is Glenda of the Briar. Played by the woman in black.”
“Are you inviting us just to watch this?” Connie asked dismissively.
“Do you not like the Theater?”
“I quite like them. But when you have plays happening all around you all the time, one grows weary of it,” she replied.
“Ah, but what is life without a bit of drama to spice up the day? I for one, think that you would make a great actress,” the man said. “Your performance during the Trial was absolutely stupendous. You sold your narrative to the audience and they are eating them up like they were on sale.”
“I speak only the truth,” Connie said. “It has nothing to do with performance.”
“It has everything to do with performance, Lady Steelheart. A good product could only work so well if it is not attractive. It’s how you package it. How you sell it,” the man paused. “Even this play, if it is held not inside the Royal Theater but a Tavern, if they wore rags instead of brightly colored costumes, I would not be able to charge 50 Gold per person. Ah, but I digress, I invited you and your companions here for a talk. Nothing else.”
“Oh? It’s been a long time since people actually try to have a talk with me. Usually they just outright go for slander or murder.”
“I am a merchant. I like things peaceful. If I can resolve a problem with a talk, then all the better,” the man said. “And if not, there are other solutions.”
“The privilege of the blood.”
“If you say so," the man whispered. "Though, I don’t think it matters to you.”
Elhart could not see Connie’s expression clearly due to the dim light, but she felt that she must have smirked. After that brief exchange, the two did not say anything more and directed their attention to the stage.
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Once the play was finished, the actors bowed to the audience. Akula and Martell clapped furiously.
“Now then, friends!” Elhart said, “Did you enjoy the play?”
“Very much!” Martell said excitedly. While Akula was all smiled as she agreed.
“Very good. Then can you tell me, which one do you think is the better actress between the one playing as Glenda and the one acting as Havi?” He asked. “What do you think, Lady Steelheart?”
“To be honest, I did not follow much of the play. I will defer to my Illumca, Martell, and Akula for this.”
“W-why not me?” Nick asked.
“I could hear you snore, Nick. Don’t think anyone here did not hear your snore,” Illumca said. “And I’ll go with the woman in black.”
“Same for me,” Akula said. Which was agreed by Martell.
“What?!” A shout made everyone in the theater turned their attention to the stage. “How can that be! I am better than her!! I know I am! They are just ignorant Beastfolks! How can they understand our play?!”
“And that’s why you are still green, little girl. You are good, no one can deny that,” the lady in black said with an upturned nose. “But you lack what makes a great actress great. No matter if you act in front of a beggar or in front of a King, you become the character. If you cannot convince someone that you are the character you play, then you are still an amateur.”
“No! I won’t accept this! Lord Reinnes!!” The girl threw her gaze towards one of the balconies, but there was no answer.
“It’s no use, Miss Crayne. You may hold sway over Reinnes, but it is I who owns this Theater. My decision is final,”
“You lost, that is the truth. Now be a good little girl and return to your room. We adults have matters to attend to.”
“Then the bet is settled.”
Realizing that she had lost, the young girl fell to her knees and did not fight back when the other actors pulled her behind the stage. The lady in black walked down the stage with an air of superiority, throwing her wig at a nearby actor. She ruffled her short hair, drew her shoulders back, straightened her shoulders, and changed her slow and seductive gait to brisk, confident steps. She was not especially beautiful, but those bright, blue eyes were the bane of men.
Within seconds she transformed from the tragic antagonist to a confident and free woman. This change caused Connie to be unable to react.
“Well, little niece. It has been a long time.”
Niece? Connie looked at the stranger before her. She searched into Cornelia’s memory and found little. However, she remembered one night when Geno Steelheart told her about his older sister, who was disowned for going against their father.
He told her that If there was one person who embodied the name Steelheart, it would be this woman in front of her.
“Aunt Clarice?”
The woman laughed as she greeted her. “Ah, did my brother told you about me? It is a pleasure to meet you, little Connie,” She then did a playful curtsey. “Or more correctly, Lady Steelheart.”
“Why are you curtseying?”
“I have been disowned, so I am no longer a Noble. It is only right that I greet you with reverence.”
“Please don’t do this. You are still my aunt.”
“Hmm?” Clarice made a small laugh, causing a small dimple to appear on her face. “It was just a little joke.”
" But it has indeed...been a long time,” Connie said slowly, with emphasis.
It turns out the long lost aunt of Cornelia has been here all along. And yet why had she not come to the girl's rescue? It seems things aren't so simple.
Her aunt ignored the statement and simply smiled. Connie could not gauge this woman’s intention. Was she friendly or spiteful? It was the first time she met someone so…complex.
“Now that this little reunion is over, let us head over to my room. I have prepared libations and morsels of such sumptuous delight that it would be the envy of Saints!” the man clapped his hands and servants appeared from the entrance. They all bore candles that lit the way as if in procession. “Tonight, we shall feast and make merry in celebration of our hero, Cornelia Asterium Steelheart!”