Chapter 411 The So-Called Reality
The first performance went smoothly. The opera presented by Alena, Nia, and Lily was a rendition of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ adapted by Lolan Hill and Vimya.
Nia wore a small red cloak, holding a basket filled with bread as she set out to visit her grandmother.
Along the way, enticed by the scenery, she took a path filled with flowers but seldom trodden by people, encountering a wolf (Alena). Under the wolf’s temptation, Little Red Riding Hood (Nia) revealed the address of her grandmother’s (Sulis) home.
Thus, the wolf ran ahead to the grandmother’s house. When Little Red Riding Hood Nia arrived at her grandmother’s house, her grandmother had already been eaten by the wolf. The one lying in bed was the wolf disguised as the grandmother (Alena).
“Grandmother, why are your ears so sharp and long?”
“To hear Little Red Riding Hood’s voice better, so I can open the door for you.”
“Grandmother, why is your mouth so big?”
“To eat you up!”
Alena, dressed in a wolf costume, pretended to attack fiercely, tearing apart the little red cloak. Nia, petite as she was, fell down accordingly.
In this manner, the wolf ate both of them and decided to rest in the house after becoming too full.
Soon after, a tailor (Lily) passed by and, hearing the strange snoring, entered the room. There, she discovered the sleeping wolf and used scissors to cut open its belly, rescuing Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother.
Finally, the three of them killed the wolf. The tailor made a warm cloak from the wolf’s skin and gave it to Little Red Riding Hood, replacing the torn red cloak.
The story ended there.
Overall, the story was not complicated, yet lively and interesting, earning applause from many guests, especially the few cute girls among them. Who wouldn’t like that?
An opera doesn’t have to be complex; being simple and interesting is what makes it enduring.
After the performance, backstage in the dressing room.
“I didn’t expect it to be quite fun,” Alena said, taking off her heavy outerwear.
“That’s because the script was simple and interesting, not because of your acting skills,” Letis countered as usual.
“Lily, Nia, well done,” Bumansa entered the room, giving a thumbs-up.
“Hehe,” Lily smiled, showing two dimples, while Nia nodded shyly.
“Now we’ve finished the first show,” Alena said, lying on the sofa and stretching her arms after removing the props.
“Be mindful of other people’s feelings,” Letis tapped Alena, signaling towards Sulis who was also in the dressing room.
Sulis, looking in the mirror and removing the decorations from her hair, replied with a smile, “It’s fine. As long as the young ladies don’t find it boring.”
“In fact, some people have prejudices against performing operas, thinking it’s beneath them.”
Alena jumped up, standing behind Sulis to help with her hair. “No, I think it’s very interesting.”
—
In another room next to the hall.
“The performance of your troupe was unexpected,” the earl’s butler sat opposite Territon, praising the recent show.
“Overpraised, overpraised,” Territon maintained his smile.
After a brief conversation, the butler asked, “What type will the next performance be? We need to know the date to make arrangements.”
“This can be set for three nights later. As for the props and scenery,” Territon recalled the instructions given by the young lady and repeated them slowly.
“Mm, mm, it shouldn’t be a problem. We can manage it,” nodding after hearing the requirements, the butler became increasingly interested in the opera troupe, engaging in continuous discussions.
Her origins and past.
This made Triton, who had joined late, highly tense. His brain raced as he rapidly pieced together his story based on his previous experiences.
In the end, the butler nodded in satisfaction, allowing him to leave. As he walked away, Triton was drenched in cold sweat.
When would this kind of life ever come to an end?
—
Three days later, at dusk, atop the ship.
The wide deck was divided into three symmetrical sections. The middle section towards the rear had a trellis with vines, beneath which hung a swing.
Loran Hill sat on the swing, her white dress hem fluttering in the wind before settling back down.
Her gaze was fixed on the setting sun far away, while the strands of hair by her ears glinted with a light golden hue under the afterglow.
This corner currently had no one else; it was a place specifically chosen by the young lady. Recently, she had developed a fondness for watching the sunset, especially when she could do so alone in the gentle breeze.
Sunset was a beautiful scene, with the evening glow painting the sky. The temperature was just right—neither too cold nor too hot—the sea breeze caressing her body, bringing a sense of comfort.
Come to think of it, sunset always reminded her of her childhood. Because after school, the vast playground would be bathed in the glow of the sunset.
At that time, her mother would come to pick her up, and she would tell her mother about all the things that happened at school that day. This was also the happiest and most joyful moment of her childhood.
Logically, the sun sets every day, but in reality, she hadn’t seen this scene for a long time.
After middle school, with increasingly heavy coursework, school usually ended around 10 PM. In university, she was obsessed with the internet and didn’t want to go out. After starting work, surrounded by steel forests, where could she see the sunset?
As a child, she had many dreams, dreaming of becoming a great person in the future, but reality seemed always filled with obstacles and mistakes, making her veer off course time and again.
Disappointment and frustration constantly intertwined, and her heart grew more anxious. Sometimes she even suffered from insomnia.
Things were never as she wished.
She felt the sensation of the breeze passing through her calves, and memories of the past seemed to float back into her vision.
Sitting on a night bus, the interior was dimly lit, neon lights shining into the carriage, faces sliding past under sparse light spots.
She always heard various voices urging her, telling her to do this or that. Otherwise, you’ll fall behind, you’ll become outdated, people will look down on you, and so on.
These voices seemed to lay out a perfect life trajectory, and if one didn’t follow it, their life would collapse like an explosion. This made her uneasy and anxious.
Was there really such a thing as perfection in this world? She didn’t know.
Just like she didn’t know which of the conflicting principles were right or wrong, just like she didn’t know whether the incessant news was true or false, just like she didn’t know which of the complex explanations was the correct answer.
Countless pieces of information and opinions filled every corner, like cutting up a scroll into confetti and mixing them together.
Until one day, she suddenly woke up to this realization.
“Is this Miss Loran?” a voice sounded from the side and behind.
After Triton asked others for Loran Hill’s location and spent some time finding this place, he slowly approached and stood still, looking at the white-dressed girl under the sunset.
The golden afterglow dyed her skirt with a light golden hue. The strands of the young lady’s hair fluttered gently in the wind. Even if he could only see her back, this girl’s posture still made Triton feel a special kind of beauty.
Though she was in the mundane world, she seemed to transcend it, unaffected and unpolluted by it.
“Yes.” The girl’s voice came from ahead.
“About tonight’s performance,” Triton first asked, then slowly relaxed after getting a confirmed answer.
Come, it seemed that as long as this young lady agreed, there would be no more worries.
At this moment, he felt that it might have been impolite to disturb this solitary young lady, so he prepared to take his leave.
“Not to disturb Miss Lolan then.” After taking a few steps away, as if some idea had come to him, he stopped again.
Just as he was hesitating whether to turn back and continue asking the young lady, Lolan希尔’s gentle voice reached him.
“Is there anything else?”
Hearing this voice like a heavenly song, Triton turned his body around and returned to the arbor. He looked at the young lady gazing at the sunset sea and asked.
“I’ve encountered many things recently,” he paused for a moment, deciding to speak up. “Perhaps I was too naive in the past; many developments didn’t go as I expected.”
Triton sat on a nearby stool and slowly recounted the past few days. After the initial novelty wore off, he found that living as someone of high status wasn’t what he imagined.
Lying once required countless more lies to cover up, the more he spoke, the more afraid he became of being exposed. When talking with other guests, he had to constantly focus his attention to avoid being exposed or looked down upon.
He also wanted to get to know other beautiful girls his age but was afraid of being seen through by them. Even if they didn’t see through him, they might only like the mask he created.
The more he wanted to become the ideal person, the more restless and anxious he felt.
“Perhaps I’m just not cut out for that kind of life.”
“How do you define your ideal self?” The young lady gently swayed on the swing, her voice carried by the breeze.
“Surely it’s confidence, strength, knowing everything, and solving all problems,” Triton listed numerous qualities, which were also vague impressions deeply rooted in his heart.
But as he spoke, he gradually fell silent. This seemed impossible to achieve.
“Do you want to become a deity?” The young lady’s swing slowed down.
“Oh, no, I don’t have such aspirations,” Triton seemed to understand something.
“In the past, I had many thoughts, just like many children, dreaming beautiful dreams like fairy tales,” Lolan希尔’s voice was filled with nostalgia.
“But I could never work as hard as a machine, nor did I have strong willpower or perseverance. Sometimes, I even secretly escaped.”
“I detested and despised myself for that, feeling uneasy and anxious.”
“It wasn’t until one day that I realized I had been lying to myself all along. In fact, not everyone has such grand ambitions to pursue those flashy things. Actually, as long as they have a small corner, they are content, like a hamster, peacefully hibernating in their little nest.”
“Those things everyone chases aren’t necessarily what everyone wants; it’s just inertia from the environment making people believe they need them too.”
“In fact, everyone craves different things. For some, a stable life is the greatest happiness.”
“Since then, I gradually discovered that many things weren’t what I truly needed; they were just influenced by others’ ideas.”
“Perhaps, doing what you truly enjoy will make you happier.”
Thank you to Ash, Reader20200726120524266, Narl, Wind-like Rabbit, Devouring Eclipse, Determined Lettuce, Reader20210307095621701, Reader160913132910622, Nalan Han, Sword Dance Cherry Song, WYZREW, Sakura Yurisa, Reader20191204233403639, Reader20210307145516976, and other readers for their support.
(End of Chapter)
