Chapter 92: A Perfect Curtain Call
Straightening her back, she stood up.
After wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve, Natasha silently walked over to the wall and drew the sword hanging there.
"Since rules bind , then I shall break the rules—"
"If the law forbids , then I shall sever the law—"
"A sword should not be an ornant on the wall, and I am no longer a caged rose to be admired—"
Three questions, three declarations. Accompanied by a rising, impassioned song, Natasha, dressed in a rose-red gown, removed all the hair ornants from her head, letting her ticulously styled long hair fall freely down her back.
"Rumble—"
Thunder roared, lightning flashed.
With the dramatic sound effects, Natasha raised her right hand and resolutely cut off her long hair, which was considered most precious for noblewon in the kingdom.
"Rumble—"
The thunder bood again, piercing through the entire theater.
As the stage lights dimd one by one, a single spotlight gently illuminated Natasha.
"La la—la la la—"
Unlike the cheerful and lively tone at the beginning, Natasha's singing now carried a mournful resolve, as if embracing death.
"Farewell, Natasha—"
The rose-red gown quickly faded in color. Under the pale light, flas ignited from the hem of Natasha's luxurious dress.
Under the tense gaze of all the audience, from within the flas, a young girl clad in armor and wielding a sharp sword reappeared before everyone's eyes.
"Farewell."
As the final line of the first act concluded, the lights suddenly went out. In the ensuing silence and darkness, the red curtain on the stage slowly descended.
"Clap—..."
"Clap clap clap——.—"
"Clap clap clap clap————"
No one knew who started clapping first, but as the first applause rang out, it was quickly followed by the second, the third,
the fourth, and so on, until a tidal wave of applause echoed throughout every corner of the theater. Even in the darkness, the stirring emotions from the climax of the first act left everyone present unable to calm down for a long ti.
"Your performance was absolutely amazing!"
Backstage, as Janna had just stepped off the stage, Liji Silks, who had been waiting below, rushed forward and hugged Janna excitedly.
"Perfect! Your performance was truly perfect!"
No matter how many tis she watched it, Liji Silks was always moved by Natasha's final monologue.
It felt as if the person standing there wasn't soone else, but the very embodint of herself.
That sense of imrsion, that dream-fulfilling impulse, made Liji Silks's heart feel like it was about to leap out of her throat.
"Janna, well done."
Unlike the exuberant Liji Silks, Klan Roland stood quietly in place, smiling as he looked at Janna.
"Thank you, I also think I perford quite well today."
Pulling the overly excited Liji Silks aside, Janna habitually reached to tidy her long hair, only to realize that she was currently wearing a wig cut to shoulder length, causing her hand to pause mid-air.
"Hold on for now. We still need to go back on stage for the curtain call. Let Julie help you remove your makeup then."
"Alright, I'm fine."
The curtain rose again, and as the second act began, Anna Moonshadow, playing the adult Natasha, along with the rest of the second act's cast, officially took the stage to perform.
"Then I'll go rest for a bit."
"Mm, go ahead. If anything cos up, I'll have Julie call you."
"Okay."
Amid Liji Silks's chattering, the two returned to the actors' lounge, waiting for the final curtain to fall.
"What was the na of the actress who played Natasha in the first act? Her performance was incredible."
"I don't know either. The program only lists Anna Moonshadow's na; there's no information about that new actress—"
The soaring song, the stirring emotions.
Watching Anna Moonshadow perform on stage with such full emotion and powerful singing, the female audience mber who had just asked her companion suddenly found herself losing interest.
Although Anna Moonshadow's performance was as brilliant as ever, the Natasha from the first act seed to possess a magical charm that deeply captivated her.
Whether it was her appearance, acting skills, or heavenly singing voice, it felt as if she had been enchanted, with images of the young Natasha from the first act continuously replaying in her mind.
"Who—exactly is she?"
Unlike the general audience, Vivian, Soro Flare, and Richard Eva, who were familiar with Janna, were even more shocked after watching the first act.
After all, watching a friend perform usually makes it hard to feel imrsed. However, except for a slight mont of detachnt when Janna first appeared, her high-energy performance throughout made the three almost forget that the young Natasha was played by Janna.
"After it's over, I must interrogate her properly—just how many things has she been hiding from !"
Thinking silently, Vivian found herself feeling indifferent even while watching Anna Moonshadow's performance, which she had been looking forward to.
"It was indeed a surprise, wasn't it, Soro?"
"Soro?"
"Ah, you called ?"
Seeing Soro Flare's dazed expression, Richard Eva rely shrugged, choosing not to shatter his unrealistic fantasy.
"It's fine, keep watching."
The plot of the second and third acts progressed rapidly, filled with various twists and turns. In terms of excitent, they were actually superior to the first act.
Gradually, the audience's attention was drawn back to the storyline.
The nearly twenty songs interspersed throughout the performance also greatly satisfied many opera enthusiasts. However, sothing still felt missing.
"Clap clap clap clap—"
As the final line of the last act concluded, the red curtain symbolizing the end slowly descended.
Seeing this, the audience, who had been fully imrsed in the story of "Bloodshadow Rose," erupted into enthusiastic applause. So were so excited that they even stood up, expressing their appreciation unabashedly.
"Dear guests, the story of 'Bloodshadow Rose' has co to an end. Thank you for your support, thank you—"
As Julie Anne returned to the stage to host, the curtain rose again, revealing the main and supporting actors standing neatly on stage, bowing slightly to the audience.
"I saw her!"
"Her na is Janna Roland!"
"I finally saw their nas!"
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