Chapter 93: A Perfect Curtain Call
Straightening her back, she stood up. After wiping the tear stains from her face with her sleeve, Natasha silently walked to the wall and drew the sword hanging there.
"Since rules constrain me, I will break the rules--"
"If laws forbid me, then I will sever the laws-- A sharp sword should not be an artwork hanging on the wall, and I am no longer a caged rose to be admired--"
Three questions, three confessions. Accompanied by a high-pitched song that grew louder with each line, Natasha, dressed in a rose-colored red dress, directly removed all the hair ornaments from her head, allowing her meticulously styled long hair to fall loose behind her.
"Rumble--"
Thunder roared, and lightning flashed.
With the accompaniment of stirring sound effects, Natasha, drawing her sword, swung her right hand and resolutely cut off her long hair, which was most precious to noble women of the kingdom.
"Rumble--"
The roaring thunder once again pierced through the entire theater. As the lights on the stage went out one by one, a beam of light gently fell upon Natasha.
"La la-- la la la--"
Unlike the initial joy and liveliness, the song sung by Natasha at this moment was more of a mournful cry, like facing death without regret.
"Farewell, Natasha--" The rose-colored red dress quickly faded, and under the pale light, a Flame blazed fiercely from the luxurious skirt around Natasha's body.
Under the anxious gaze of all the audience, from beneath the Flame, a young girl, clad in armor and holding a sharp sword, reappeared in everyone's sight.
"Farewell."
As the last line of the first act ended, the lights suddenly dimmed, and in the silent darkness, the red curtain on the stage slowly descended.
"Clap clap--..."
"Clap clap clap--.--"
"Clap clap clap clap----"
No one knew who started clapping first, but as the first clap sounded, it was followed by the second, the third,
and the fourth, until finally, applause like a tide echoed continuously in every corner of the theater. Even in the darkness, the surging emotions after the climax of the first act still left everyone present unable to calm down for a long time. "Your performance was truly amazing!"
Backstage, as soon as Jia Na stepped off the stage, Liji-Xiaosi, who had been waiting below, directly pounced on her in excitement and hugged Jia Na.
"It was perfect! Your performance was truly perfect!"
No matter how many times she watched it, Liji-Xiaosi would always be shocked by 【Natasha】's final monologue. It was as if the person standing there was not someone else, but the image of herself in her heart. That sense of immersion, that impulse to fulfill a dream, made Liji-Xiaosi's heart feel like it was going to leap out of her throat with excitement.
"Jia Na, you performed well."
Unlike Liji-Xiaosi, who was jumping up and down with excitement, Crane-Roland stood quietly in place, smiling as he looked at Jia Na.
"Thank you, I also think I performed very well today."
Pulling back the overly excited Liji-Xiaosi, Jia Na habitually prepared to tidy her long hair, but when she realized that she was currently wearing only a wig that had been cut to shoulder length, she couldn't help but stop her hand.
"Just bear with it for now. You still have to go on stage for the curtain call. You can have Zhu Li help you remove your makeup then."
"Okay, I'm fine."
The curtain reopened, and as the second act began, Anna-Moonshadow, who played the adult Natasha, along with all the actors in the second act, officially took the stage and began their performance.
"Then I'll go rest first."
"Okay, go ahead. If anything comes up, I'll have Zhu Li call you."
"Okay."
Amidst Liji-Xiaosi's chattering discussion, the two also returned to the actors'lounge, waiting for the final curtain call of the performance.
"What was the name of the Natasha in the first act? Her performance was truly excellent."
"I don't know either. The flyer only has Anna-Moonshadow's name, and no information about that new actor--"
High-pitched singing, surging emotions.
Looking at Anna-Moonshadow, who was singing loudly on stage with extremely full emotion, for some reason, the female audience member who had just asked her companion next to her suddenly felt deflated.
Even though Anna-Moonshadow's performance was as wonderful as ever, the 【Natasha】 from the first act seemed to possess a magical quality that deeply captivated her.
Whether it was her appearance, her acting, or her voice that sounded like heavenly music, it made her feel as though she had been hit by a Charm Witchcraft, causing images of 【Young Natasha】 from the first act to constantly surface in her mind.
"Who-- exactly is she?"
Unlike the ordinary audience, Vivian, Suo Luo-Lie Yan, and Richard-Eva, who were familiar with Jia Na, were even more shocked than the average audience after watching the first act's performance.
After all, watching someone you know act is something that makes it difficult to feel immersed. However, aside from being slightly taken aback when Jia Na first appeared, the high-energy performance throughout the rest of the act made the three of them almost forget that the actress playing 【Young Natasha】 was Jia Na.
"After it's over, I must question her properly-- how much more is she hiding from me!"
Thinking silently, but as she looked at Anna-Moonshadow's performance on stage, which she had originally greatly anticipated, Vivian unexpectedly felt a sense of tastelessness for a moment. "It was indeed a surprise, wasn't it, Suoluo?"
"Suoluo?"
"Ah, did you call me?"
Looking at Suo Luo-Lie Yan, who seemed lost in thought, Richard-Eva merely shrugged and did not venture to break the other's unrealistic fantasy.
"It's nothing, you continue watching."
The plot progression in the second and third acts was actually quite fast. The various twists and turns and ups and downs in the plot were, in terms of excitement, far better than the first act.
Gradually, the audience's attention in the theater was increasingly drawn to the plot, and the nearly twenty-plus songs interspersed throughout also greatly satisfied many opera lovers, although it ultimately felt like something was missing.
"Clap clap clap clap--"
As the last line of the final act ended, the red curtain representing the curtain call slowly descended. Seeing this, the audience, who had been completely immersed in the story of blood shadow rose, applauded wildly. A few of the excited ones even stood up,
freely expressing their appreciation.
"Distinguished guests, the story of blood shadow rose has come to an end. Thank you for your appreciation, thank you--"
As Julie-Ann returned to the stage to host, the curtain opened, and the main actors and supporting actors stood neatly on the stage, bowing slightly to everyone.
"I saw it!"
"Her name is Jia Na-Roland!"
"I finally saw their names!"