Secrets of the Villainous Empress

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Une Nuit en Ville IV

-This…this has to be why they don’t trust me!!-

Lucy thought after wandering the ill-familiar streets for all of ten minutes. Even the soothingly cheerful music from the bars and stalls seemed to be ill-equipped in handling her emotional turmoil.

…is what she had thought, but when the music suddenly halted, emphasising the nights' chatter and vibrancy, her heart dropped.

-Oh, gods, is it closing time? There are so many cases about people wondering alone…-

-I shouldn't have run away-

She realised slowly, as it dawned on her, that running was not what the reliable do. Instead, they sat down and talked…or something along those lines.

Gods, but if she were to get into trouble after running, that would further solidify her brother’s distrust in her.

“Greetings! Come one come all. The impromptu grand play is set to begin!” a feminine voice announced.

The woman’s announcement was followed by a gentle but enticing riff of a piano, and Lucy found herself following the melody, which led her to an open themed theatre.

Lucy realised then that the music from all the other places had been dulled to prioritise the play.

As if on cue, the streetlights themselves began dimming.

All the seats at the front were filled, perhaps hinting that wonderful actors and actresses would make appearances; she took a deep breath then walked to the second last row of the lined-up seats.

Lucy had to make a choice, either go back to her brothers, who were probably going mad with anxiety or sit down and watch a play while they think about what they had done.

She nibbled her bottom lip gently to quell her anxiety.

- Screw it, I can't be that wrong.-

she reasoned as her back found a cold metallic chair by the edge, you know…just… just in case the choice she had made was the wrong one.

A few minutes after she had settled herself down, a voice jolted her.

“Psst! You have to pay admission.” A raggedly dressed girl with bright orange hair that seemed dulled by the night said as she handed her a hat, as though it was meant to act as a deposit box.

“Excuse me?” she replied, a little frazzled because she had half expected to be attacked by the scary people from the unknown part of the world.

“The admission fee? For the play?” the girl repeated.

She looked much younger, much, much younger than she, but her eyes held no fear, just a calm resolve that almost unnerved her.

“Oh, right, the…” she cleared her throat in an attempt to get herself off her mind, “right, the fee,”

“Wait, umm, how much was the fee?” she asked as she began rummaging her pocket for spare change.

“Five kerris.” The girl replied.

“Five kerries,” Lucy repeated absentmindedly. “Wait? F-five? That’s insane! Especially considering that this is an open theatre, literally, anyone can watch it for free if they stand…oh I don’t know far enough?”

“Do you want to watch it from the street?”

“No, it's just-,” Lucy began.

 “Just what? It’s a good show, and people worked hard for this impromptu gig!” The ruggedly dressed orange-haired girl defended.

“Alright, fine, fine.” She replied because a part of her did not wish to get into yet another argument.

“I hope, for gods’ sake, that it is at least fascinating.”  She muttered as she retrieved a coin worth ten kerris.

“So, should I just drop the coins in your hat?”

“Yap,”

“Okay, change?” she asked, and the girl handed her five separate and old coins.

“Enjoy the show.” She said, then walked off seemingly into the darkness.

-Five kerris? That’s insane!-

However, she did not have enough time to ponder that, as the stage curtains were raised, introducing an actor who performed a below-average monologue.

Several dreadful minutes later….

“You know, I never wanted to raise a monster like you!” an actor dressed as the former Emperor said, pointing to a young girl with black hair and red eyes, who apparently was portraying the young Empress.

“Then leave!” the girl screamed over her mother's ‘body’, “Leave! I shall take the crown from you and be like the great Allios.”

“You were never meant to be Emperor anyway!”

The man dressed as the former Emperor had a stupefied expression on his face as he exited the stage, and a few minutes later, the young girl got on her knees then looked to the sky.

“By the power granted by the old gods to the ancestor of the Cur… Blama Emperor.” She began, having obviously messed up one of her lines.

In theatre, as soon as the writer declared that the material was ‘fiction’ or ‘made from the author's imagination’, no matter how much the film matched reality, there was nothing to be done.

After all, there were no rules that bound imaginations.

That was one of the respected freedoms that granted the Cursix empire total domination over the arts instead of other continents like the Dian continent, which valued strength, or the Aquellian, which valued…well, no one was quite sure where their values lay. Still, the entire continent was nearly fully occupied by non-humans, almost similarly to Akonia.

Of course, there were limitations. However, for the most part, rumours can be passed through the theatre. But, with that allowance, there was also the increased cases of ‘missing’ authors, especially in the South where Duchess Alivai dominated the theatre.

The woman on the stage continued.

“Please, ghost of Allios!! Cease killing those within the walls for the people of the nation are blaming me…” she proceeded, “I wish to drain your demonic blood from my veins!!”

Apparently, because Allios, the first emperor, had been half-demon and half-human, the crimson shade of all imperial family members' eyes bore close resemblances to the vampires in the North, and that allowed them to be possessed by his ghost and kill aimlessly. Or at least that is what the townspeople were convinced.

The scene of the Empress ended, and the focus returned to the Emperor.

“How tragic is thine outcome! My wife taken by my seed!”

A beautiful blonde actress meant to portray the dowager’s new bride came into the scene.

“I told you we’d be late.” A deep voice whispered behind Lucy, followed by the scrumptious aroma of fried meat.

“We are not that late. Plus, you still had time to grab your kebab.”

“Oh yeah? A five-second stop as opposed to your commune with the dead at that haunted cemetery!!”

As their conversation was more fascinating than the dull play meant to incite only politically with no accuracy or validity, Lucy turned her gaze towards the couple behind her.

Both were blonde and…stunning.

The woman seemed to have noticed her gawking, and rather than scowl, she offered her a breathtaking smile that touched her beautiful russet eyes.

“Shh!” she whispered to her companion, then leaned forward towards Lucy's though she had wished to share a delightful secret, “Did we miss much?”

“No, we are still at the beginning.” She replied, and though her response had been a lie, Lucy had gotten the feeling that the beautiful woman had wished to appease her grumpy companion.

“See? Calm your knickers. We arrived at the perfect time.” She breathed to her companion.

“Oooh….women unite?” he mocked, and an unexpected giggle erupted from her throat at the couple’s playfulness.