“Oh my.”
Elena opened her mouth slightly when she saw the line of guests bustling in front of the opera house.
She had heard that all the seats were sold out, but seeing the crowd with her own eyes was unbelievable.
Her heart pounded at the thought of showing off her beauty and talent in front of this many people.
“Let me down here.”
Elena deliberately stopped the carriage at the main entrance of the opera house.
As she stepped onto the red carpet leading inside, all the eyes of those waiting in line turned to her.
Someone whistled at Elena, who was dressed perfectly from head to toe.
Suppressing her rising laughter, Elena passed them by lightly.
The inside of the opera house, where the performance had not yet begun, was quiet.
...Maybe, too much.
‘What is it?’
Elena tilted her head slightly.
The hallway leading to the waiting room was strangely quiet.
'Did my brother get upset?'
Edward was a sensitive and nervous person, as expected from an artist.
Because of that, he absolutely hated it when someone was making a fuss.
'I guess he's a bit upset.'
However, it was the first time that the thirty-member orchestra had kept quiet like this.
Well, it's nice that it's quiet. Elena was walking down the hallway with a smirk when she heard him.
"Ugh, ugh!"
A servant came rushing out from the opposite side.
'What, how rude...'
She frowned but suddenly felt uneasy.
Seeing him running like that, did something urgent come up?
'No. Everything has to be perfect today.'
Elena blocked the servant's path.
"Hey. What's going on?"
"Oh, ugh, Miss Elena."
The servant took a deep breath.
Elena's chest murmured a little louder as she met his eyes filled with confusion.
“Yes, huh, the orchestra members...”
The servant shouted with a pale face as if she still couldn’t believe it.
“Not a single one showed up! They’re all absent!”
“...What?”
Elena stumbled and lost her balance for a moment at the shocking news.
“They didn’t show up?... The orchestra?”
It was so absurd that she almost suspected the servant was joking.
“Huh, does that make sense? What time is it and they still...”
It was less than an hour before the performance was scheduled to start.
“Then what about the final rehearsal? You must have had that, right?”
“We didn’t have that either... Because no one came!”
Elena’s mouth fell open in shock.
She had overslept this morning. Her skin was in such bad condition yesterday that she had decided that it would be better to get some sleep and take care of her skin rather than attend the final rehearsal.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
Elena screamed sharply.
“How can you all be late on such an important day?! You should go to their house and drag them here!”
“I already went there! But I couldn’t find them anywhere! It’s as if they disappeared as a group...”
Sweat was pouring down the servant’s forehead as he shouted desperately.
Elena slowly realized that this wasn’t some kind of bad joke.
“What...This is ridiculous...”
Elena stumbled.
“And you’re just going to let it go?! What’s my brother doing? We should find another musician!”
“How can we hire a bunch of geniuses who can memorize the score in a few hours?”
The servant cried with a look of injustice on his face.
“Besides, you know, this stage is full of particularly difficult techniques!”
As soon as she received the score, she heard the members express their discomfort.
Unlike usual, there were so many decorative techniques here and there that even average musicians wouldn’t be able to do it.
Why did they have such difficult techniques in this performance?
As if someone had arranged it that way on purpose...
It was the moment when a strange and eerie premonition came over Elena’s mind.
“The orchestra has disappeared, what on earth does that mean!”
Lucas, the biggest investor in this performance, burst through the door.
Elena licked her lips.
“Whoa, Marquis.”
“Find them! Somehow!”
Lucas shouted with a face distorted like a demon.
There were fifty minutes left until the performance.
“Don’t worry too much, Marquis.”
Edward spoke to Lucas, taking note of his mood.
The expensive suit he had bought was soaked with sweat.
“I managed to find a piano accompanist. And a violinist.”
The veins on Lucas’ temples bulged.
“How can I not worry!”
Lucas glared at Edward, shouting like a wall.
“People are waiting for the performance right now!”
Elena opened her mouth slightly when she saw the line of guests bustling in front of the opera house.
She had heard that all the seats were sold out, but seeing the crowd with her own eyes was unbelievable.
Her heart pounded at the thought of showing off her beauty and talent in front of this many people.
“Let me down here.”
Elena deliberately stopped the carriage at the main entrance of the opera house.
As she stepped onto the red carpet leading inside, all the eyes of those waiting in line turned to her.
Someone whistled at Elena, who was dressed perfectly from head to toe.
Suppressing her rising laughter, Elena passed them by lightly.
The inside of the opera house, where the performance had not yet begun, was quiet.
...Maybe, too much.
‘What is it?’
Elena tilted her head slightly.
The hallway leading to the waiting room was strangely quiet.
'Did my brother get upset?'
Edward was a sensitive and nervous person, as expected from an artist.
Because of that, he absolutely hated it when someone was making a fuss.
'I guess he's a bit upset.'
However, it was the first time that the thirty-member orchestra had kept quiet like this.
Well, it's nice that it's quiet. Elena was walking down the hallway with a smirk when she heard him.
"Ugh, ugh!"
A servant came rushing out from the opposite side.
'What, how rude...'
She frowned but suddenly felt uneasy.
Seeing him running like that, did something urgent come up?
'No. Everything has to be perfect today.'
Elena blocked the servant's path.
"Hey. What's going on?"
"Oh, ugh, Miss Elena."
The servant took a deep breath.
Elena's chest murmured a little louder as she met his eyes filled with confusion.
“Yes, huh, the orchestra members...”
The servant shouted with a pale face as if she still couldn’t believe it.
“Not a single one showed up! They’re all absent!”
“...What?”
Elena stumbled and lost her balance for a moment at the shocking news.
“They didn’t show up?... The orchestra?”
It was so absurd that she almost suspected the servant was joking.
“Huh, does that make sense? What time is it and they still...”
It was less than an hour before the performance was scheduled to start.
“Then what about the final rehearsal? You must have had that, right?”
“We didn’t have that either... Because no one came!”
Elena’s mouth fell open in shock.
She had overslept this morning. Her skin was in such bad condition yesterday that she had decided that it would be better to get some sleep and take care of her skin rather than attend the final rehearsal.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
Elena screamed sharply.
“How can you all be late on such an important day?! You should go to their house and drag them here!”
“I already went there! But I couldn’t find them anywhere! It’s as if they disappeared as a group...”
Sweat was pouring down the servant’s forehead as he shouted desperately.
Elena slowly realized that this wasn’t some kind of bad joke.
“What...This is ridiculous...”
Elena stumbled.
“And you’re just going to let it go?! What’s my brother doing? We should find another musician!”
“How can we hire a bunch of geniuses who can memorize the score in a few hours?”
The servant cried with a look of injustice on his face.
“Besides, you know, this stage is full of particularly difficult techniques!”
As soon as she received the score, she heard the members express their discomfort.
Unlike usual, there were so many decorative techniques here and there that even average musicians wouldn’t be able to do it.
Why did they have such difficult techniques in this performance?
As if someone had arranged it that way on purpose...
It was the moment when a strange and eerie premonition came over Elena’s mind.
“The orchestra has disappeared, what on earth does that mean!”
Lucas, the biggest investor in this performance, burst through the door.
Elena licked her lips.
“Whoa, Marquis.”
“Find them! Somehow!”
Lucas shouted with a face distorted like a demon.
There were fifty minutes left until the performance.
***
“Don’t worry too much, Marquis.”
Edward spoke to Lucas, taking note of his mood.
The expensive suit he had bought was soaked with sweat.
“I managed to find a piano accompanist. And a violinist.”
The veins on Lucas’ temples bulged.
“How can I not worry!”
Lucas glared at Edward, shouting like a wall.
“People are waiting for the performance right now!”
It was already time for the performance to start.
Hundreds of people were staring at the dark stage with puzzled eyes.
Everyone must have found it strange that the performance hadn’t started on time.
And as each minute passed, that puzzlement would turn into irritation, and then anger.
It felt like a rope was tightening around his neck.
“Elena! You go out!”
Edward shouted, looking at his watch anxiously.
“Huh?!”
Elena, who was biting her lips, yelped at those words.
“Right now! You go out there and buy some time!”
“What are you talking about! What do you want me to do without a single musician?”
“Just sing!”
Edward shouted with his eyes wide open.
Normally, she would have obediently followed suit, but this time, Elena fought back.
“What do you want me to sing without a single accompanist! Go out there and do some kind of trick?!”
“Yeah! Do whatever you want! Buy some time until the musicians come!”
“What... How can you say that! I, I’m a clown?!”
Elena’s eyes filled with shame.
A large hand grabbed her shoulder with a violent grip.
“Listen carefully. Elena Lopez.”
Lucas, who was holding onto Elena, said with shining eyes.
“I bet money on this house.”
“Ugh, uh...”
It was the first time she had seen Lucas, who was always so affectionate, act like this.
Lucas barely managed to catch his breath as Elena looked up at him with eyes filled with fear.
The veins on his temples bulged as he held back his anger.
“Money, money. If someone’s stupid mistake ruins that...”
Lucas continued firmly as if scolding a child.
“I might get really, really angry.”
“...”
Elena, who had been trembling silently, soon shut her eyes tightly.
“I’ll get out... Just get out.”
“Yeah, you thought about it well.”
Lucas patted Elena on the back.
“Don’t ruin this stage no matter what you do.”
The curtain on the previously dark stage slowly began to rise.
“Oh, it’s finally starting.”
“Finally.”
Expectant eyes poured into the stage.
However, the audience’s gaze soon turned to doubt.
There was only one woman on stage.
“...Huh?”
“Where’s the orchestra? Why is there only one soprano?”
“Well, isn’t it some kind of stage technique?”
“It seems a bit basic, though.”
“Shh, here we go.”
In the silence, Elena forced her trembling body down.
Soon, the first verse of the aria began to flow from her lips.
"The moment I first saw you, I felt..."
A phrase where she begins to feel lust for her friend’s husband.
The audience tilted their heads ambiguously.
‘Well, your voice is nice to listen to, but...’
‘It’s boring without accompaniment.’
‘How much is the mark, and how long are you going to fill it with just one soprano song?’
The puzzled gazes soon turned cold and irritated.
Elena, who was thrown into the middle of them, shrugged her shoulders.
It was the first time in her life that she had received such gazes.
Since the moment she first stood on stage, she had always received compliments for her beauty and voice.
‘I... I’m a pro. I can do unaccompanied singing.’
Maybe this was actually an opportunity.
If she can sing an unaccompanied aria to the end, Lucas will be deeply impressed.
He will acknowledge that she is a woman with great wit, worthy of the title of Marchioness.
It was the moment when she opened her mouth, somehow, while brainwashing herself.
The audience member sitting in the front row slowly crossed her legs.
At that grand gesture, Elena’s gaze unconsciously turned in that direction.
“...!”
Elena’s eyes opened wide.
“If I can only have you, I... gasp.”
Her voice cracked as she took a deep breath.
However, Elena couldn’t think of anything at that moment.
‘How, are you...’
For several days, Lucas had searched everywhere for Ariana, but she had not been able to catch even a single shadow.
Because she was sitting in that seat right now.
Hundreds of people were staring at the dark stage with puzzled eyes.
Everyone must have found it strange that the performance hadn’t started on time.
And as each minute passed, that puzzlement would turn into irritation, and then anger.
It felt like a rope was tightening around his neck.
“Elena! You go out!”
Edward shouted, looking at his watch anxiously.
“Huh?!”
Elena, who was biting her lips, yelped at those words.
“Right now! You go out there and buy some time!”
“What are you talking about! What do you want me to do without a single musician?”
“Just sing!”
Edward shouted with his eyes wide open.
Normally, she would have obediently followed suit, but this time, Elena fought back.
“What do you want me to sing without a single accompanist! Go out there and do some kind of trick?!”
“Yeah! Do whatever you want! Buy some time until the musicians come!”
“What... How can you say that! I, I’m a clown?!”
Elena’s eyes filled with shame.
A large hand grabbed her shoulder with a violent grip.
“Listen carefully. Elena Lopez.”
Lucas, who was holding onto Elena, said with shining eyes.
“I bet money on this house.”
“Ugh, uh...”
It was the first time she had seen Lucas, who was always so affectionate, act like this.
Lucas barely managed to catch his breath as Elena looked up at him with eyes filled with fear.
The veins on his temples bulged as he held back his anger.
“Money, money. If someone’s stupid mistake ruins that...”
Lucas continued firmly as if scolding a child.
“I might get really, really angry.”
“...”
Elena, who had been trembling silently, soon shut her eyes tightly.
“I’ll get out... Just get out.”
“Yeah, you thought about it well.”
Lucas patted Elena on the back.
“Don’t ruin this stage no matter what you do.”
***
The curtain on the previously dark stage slowly began to rise.
“Oh, it’s finally starting.”
“Finally.”
Expectant eyes poured into the stage.
However, the audience’s gaze soon turned to doubt.
There was only one woman on stage.
“...Huh?”
“Where’s the orchestra? Why is there only one soprano?”
“Well, isn’t it some kind of stage technique?”
“It seems a bit basic, though.”
“Shh, here we go.”
In the silence, Elena forced her trembling body down.
Soon, the first verse of the aria began to flow from her lips.
"The moment I first saw you, I felt..."
A phrase where she begins to feel lust for her friend’s husband.
The audience tilted their heads ambiguously.
‘Well, your voice is nice to listen to, but...’
‘It’s boring without accompaniment.’
‘How much is the mark, and how long are you going to fill it with just one soprano song?’
The puzzled gazes soon turned cold and irritated.
Elena, who was thrown into the middle of them, shrugged her shoulders.
It was the first time in her life that she had received such gazes.
Since the moment she first stood on stage, she had always received compliments for her beauty and voice.
‘I... I’m a pro. I can do unaccompanied singing.’
Maybe this was actually an opportunity.
If she can sing an unaccompanied aria to the end, Lucas will be deeply impressed.
He will acknowledge that she is a woman with great wit, worthy of the title of Marchioness.
It was the moment when she opened her mouth, somehow, while brainwashing herself.
The audience member sitting in the front row slowly crossed her legs.
At that grand gesture, Elena’s gaze unconsciously turned in that direction.
“...!”
Elena’s eyes opened wide.
“If I can only have you, I... gasp.”
Her voice cracked as she took a deep breath.
However, Elena couldn’t think of anything at that moment.
‘How, are you...’
For several days, Lucas had searched everywhere for Ariana, but she had not been able to catch even a single shadow.
Because she was sitting in that seat right now.
A New Series, Traces of Moonlight was out now! For you who are tired of regression stories, you can check it out.You can check it HERE!
The New Series, Reincarnating As My Husband's Mistress is out now!
You can check it HERE!
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