Stepping out of the small villa, the streets outside were bathed in sunlight. People bustled about as usual between the market and the residential areas, still wearing their work clothes. They walked home chatting and laughing, carrying fresh fruits and vegetables. This was a scene unique to this prosperous capital, and within it, Li Yue saw the shadow of a new civilization.
With a faint sense of sentiment, Li Yue walked toward a carriage driver waiting for customers by the roadside. She couldn’t even imagine walking several kilometers in high heels.
The high fare of five copper coins briefly made her reconsider walking, but after remembering that travel expenses could be reimbursed, she chose the carriage anyway.
Li Yue got off at Daffodil Square. From a distance, she saw a large crowd of gentlemen in formal wear and top hats entering the theater. Some were accompanied by their wives, a far cry from the grand theaters of her previous world where commoners could attend.
Li Yue checked her outfit and felt grateful for her foresight. Before leaving, she had changed into a black gown she had worn before, which gave her an air of elegance and luxury.
She wore no jewelry or earrings. Her only adornment was the blood crystal on her chest that represented her life. It was clear, vivid red, and incredibly deep, without a single trace of cloudiness. From afar, it looked mysterious and noble; up close, it commanded a respect that forbade any triviality.
A clown with a beaming smile stood at the theater entrance, performing exaggerated welcoming gestures.
Li Yue stepped into the theater in a pair of black high heels that felt slightly ill fitting. A gentleman beside her politely gestured for her to go first. The clown performing the welcome froze for a moment when he saw her. Whether he was momentarily stunned by her beauty or struck by some other thought was unclear; it was likely a bit of both.
Once inside, Li Yue discovered that her ticket was for a VIP seat on the second floor. She was led by a waiter to the audience section, where richly dressed nobles were seated. In this city that adored flamboyant attire, Li Yue’s combination of bright red and deep black stood out exceptionally well.
Li Yue smoothed her skirt and sat on the long sofa, looking solitary and conspicuous by herself.
She glanced at her gown and heels, then took a mirror from a waiter to examine the light makeup she had applied before leaving. She gently smoothed a few stray locks of hair by her cheek that had become naturally curled from her frequent fiddling.
While secretly admiring her own reflection, she couldn’t help but mock how her behavior was becoming more and more feminine. Still, it wasn’t bad. At least she was elegant and quiet, a normal human girl rather than the monster she often labeled herself as during her pessimistic moods.
The area around her felt empty. Although the adjacent seats were also VIP spots, they looked far more luxurious than hers and were staffed by several permanent attendants. Located right in the center of the second floor, Li Yue guessed they belonged to a high ranking noble of great status.
Well, I hope I won’t be seen as an ignorant fool. I need to be careful with my words and actions.
She tried to adjust her sitting posture, cautiously observing the other women on the same floor and mimicking their poised manner of sitting and chatting.
Absurd.
She cursed inwardly and simply crossed one leg over the other. Ensuring she wouldn’t expose anything, she sat with her legs crossed and her hands folded over her stomach, choosing whatever position was most comfortable.
She leaned back slightly and let out a relaxed breath.
“As expected of someone from the Royal Court, such boldness and authority.” A brisk voice rang out in Li Yue’s ear, startling her into instinctively trying to fix her posture. However, her thigh got awkwardly stuck, preventing her from retracting it in time and forcing her to maintain her original pose.
“I... can’t really say I’m from there.” Li Yue shook her head. She felt like she had been hearing that name a lot lately but still didn’t know where it was. Did she really look like she was from there, or did her past truly originate from that place?
“Many who come from there want to escape their past.” A man in a black robe smiled. He sat down quite naturally in the VIP seat next to Li Yue, followed by several laughing women who took their places as well.
“I no longer remember my past.”
“Mhm, very good.” The man smiled and spread his arms, pulling two of the laughing women closer. “I am Caesar IV, Caesar Alex. You are a truly interesting person. You can just call me Caesar from now on.”
“I am Nolan.” Li Yue silently wondered why he didn’t go by Alex.
“Look, this is the kind of woman from the Royal Court I told you about. Noble, elegant, mysterious, and formidable.” Caesar seemed to be in a good mood, and the women around him began to giggle.
Are these people his wives or concubines? How excessive.
Still, that name sounds impressive. He must be some great noble. Honestly, getting a VIP ticket has only made this feel more like a prison sentence. The trade off wasn't worth it.
Li Yue leaned slightly to the side. The surrounding noise was starting to irritate her, and a hint of annoyance and impatience appeared on her face.
Caesar raised a hand, and the area fell silent instantly. This triggered a chain reaction among the ordinary nobles on the floor, and then even the high income merchants on the lower level obediently shut their mouths.
Li Yue was stunned and instinctively looked at Caesar, who was sitting slightly higher and in a larger stall than her. He smiled and nodded at her, which left her feeling a bit overwhelmed by the attention.
Is this... a corporate boss from the industrial revolution era? I should run away as soon as the show ends. I don’t want any romance novel developments.
The thought that such a development might lead to her waking up in a man’s arms in the future sent an immediate chill down her spine, making her feel physically uncomfortable.
I always thought not crossdressing was the bottom line, but it turns out sexual orientation is the real one...
Li Yue was speechless at her own imagination and inner monologue. She turned her head away, feeling rather awkward. Fortunately, the performance began at that exact moment.
A group of flamboyantly dressed dancers skipped onto the stage. They danced in circles, and though their movements were a bit strange, Li Yue could see traces of ballet in them.
The dancers formed a ring, holding hands as they danced. Just then, a richly dressed man stood up from among the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon! I am your master of stunts, Kieran!” The man, his face painted with a brilliant smile, stood and bowed in every direction. Props at the edge of the stage spewed fire and ribbons, and the dazzling display prompted a thunderous round of applause throughout the theater.
The dancers gradually exited the stage. Kieran performed acrobatics on a bicycle, followed by a series of acts similar to the performances Li Yue had seen on computers in her past life—trapeze acts, sticking his head in a tiger’s mouth, jumping through flaming hoops...
She felt an inexplicable surge of irritation and boredom. She gripped the blood crystal at her chest, and her eyes gradually shifted into blood-red vertical pupils.
“Miss Nolan, how is the performance?” Caesar leaned over the left side of his sofa and asked Li Yue loudly.
“I must truly be bored to have come to watch a clown’s performance...”
Li Yue froze, her expression instantly returning to normal. What was that just now? An uncontrollable surge of negative emotion?
“Good!” Caesar stood up abruptly and made a “look at that” gesture to the attendants around him. “What an interesting woman. Even her speech carries that royal flavor.”
He climbed onto the railing, looking down at Kieran, who was receiving applause, with a slight smile on his lips.
“Mr. Kieran! A lady here is dissatisfied with your performance! Can you give us something more exciting!” Caesar’s smile turned into something more arrogant and wild.
“No problem, Your Highness!”
Kieran made a gesture, and his assistants brought out a bow and an arrow. Two assistants tried to pull the longbow, but both failed.
“Next, I shall perform the feat of catching an arrow with my mouth.” Kieran reached out an inviting hand toward Caesar. Caesar understood the signal and threw off his somewhat cumbersome and stuffy black robe, revealing tight fitting martial attire underneath.
He leaped from the second floor to the ground, picked up the longbow, and tested its tension.
Li Yue felt a spark of interest. From their brief interaction, she could tell both of them were ordinary people, though Caesar’s aura was somewhat strange. She guessed it might be due to consuming potions containing magic, though there could be other reasons.
The surrounding nobles began to whisper. With her keen hearing, Li Yue caught some of their remarks, such as jokes about him going on stage just to win a beauty’s smile, as well as praise for Caesar’s boldness.
He didn't seem to be a foolish noble. Many of the whispers held Caesar in high regard, with the general consensus being that the man was perfect in every way except for his weakness for beauties.
Li Yue felt that was fine. She loved beauties too, though she felt nothing for handsome men.
She reaffirmed her decision to flee as soon as possible. She felt that if this happened a few more times, or if there were any intimate contact she couldn't refuse, she might be forcibly turned.
I don’t want to be bent like a coil of incense...
While Li Yue was lost in thought with her chin resting on her hand, Caesar had already drawn the bow and fired. The powerful arrow streaked through the air with a sharp whistle. Kieran, who was struck, was sent flying backward.
The hall fell silent instantly. After a deathly hush, Kieran stood up, the arrow clenched in his teeth. He wore a bizarre smile, and applause immediately thundered through the entire hall.
Li Yue stood up as well, looking at Kieran on the stage. In that moment, she felt it—the sensation of magic.
Without a doubt, Kieran had used an extremely subtle bit of magic. However, that aura instantly triggered a surge of blood-red memories in Li Yue.
A blood-red scythe appeared in her mind.
The forbidden magic the Captain mentioned?
Li Yue stood up slowly, quietly slipping off her pure black high heels. She drew a short sword from her inner thigh and hid it in her sleeve.
“Truly miraculous!” Caesar threw down the bow. The moment his hands moved to applaud, a blood-red shadow, so fast it was almost a blur, lunged toward him with giant claws extended.
With a loud clang, a short sword infused with magic flew in front of Caesar, blocking the heavy strike. Li Yue gripped her swords and leaped down from the second floor.
An inexplicable hunger, perhaps coming from the blood crystal within the blood demon's chest, made Li Yue feel a surge of excitement, which in turn seemed to multiply her strength.
She pushed off with her feet, launching herself like a projectile the moment she landed. She slammed into the somewhat staggered blood demon, plunging both swords into its abdomen. In an instant, her palm pierced through the blood demon’s chest, and she pulled out a clouded blood crystal.
The paint on Kieran’s face still held that bizarre smile. He spat out the arrowhead, revealing a throat that had been shredded but was already regenerating. He looked at Li Yue, wearing the same expression he had when she first entered the theater, but now, Li Yue understood what it meant.
Amusement and playful interest.
Rate on N.U.
