Night, Tingen City Grand Theater.
With the advancing tide of Loen's industrialization, the city's entertainment industry had also developed rapidly, giving birth to performing arts suited to every social class.
The lower classes preferred folk songs, variety shows, and slapstick comedy. When watching, they didn't maintain any sense of decorum.
Instead, they laughed and cursed freely, applauding and cheering when pleased, or immediately booing and driving performers off when displeased, using it all to unwind from a day's hard labor.
The middle and upper classes, however, preferred attending grand theatres to watch plays.
The difference was that the former saw it as a status symbol, while the latter treated theatre-going primarily as a means of socializing.
Thus, in a grand theatre capable of holding thousands of spectators, you'd often find this scene: the hall audience striving earnestly to appear cultured, while the nobles in the boxes acted far more casually, chatting with their peers in other boxes between scenes to cultivate relationships.
As for how many people's attention was actually on the play itself, well, only heaven knew.
"Sir, your ticket."
The attendant in a red uniform respectfully returned the ticket to Silas, his gaze involuntarily falling to the person beside him, his eyes revealing an expression of amazement.
Not just him, either. Everyone passing by the entrance subconsciously turned their eyes toward the young woman at his side.
Cecilia wore an elegant pale purple gown with a sweetheart neckline that layered at the chest, revealing her fair, rounded shoulders and delicate collarbones.
The dress was perfectly tailored, accentuating the graceful curves of the young woman's spring-meadow-like figure just right.
Her face was so beautiful that it could make people forget to breathe.
Most captivating of all, that exquisite face carried a trace of shyness, which only added to the protective tenderness stirring in everyone's hearts.
"Silas, am I dressed inappropriately? Why is everyone staring at me?"
Cecilia hid behind Silas, asking in a small voice.
Though she usually seemed quite mature, facing this kind of occasion inevitably made her nervous, revealing the unique mannerisms of a young girl.
"Don't worry, it's because my sister is too beautiful. They're mesmerized."
Silas smiled, looking around left and right. He noticed that the ladies all wore necklaces or earrings to varying degrees, and couldn't help feeling a pang of regret.
He'd forgotten about this and hadn't prepared any jewelry for his sister.
What kind of jewelry would suit Cecilia? He'd take her to a jewelry shop in a few days to look around.
While thinking this, Silas extended his hand toward his sister. "Alright, Cecilia, straighten your back. We're going in."
Entering the fan-shaped theatre seating area, the scene was lively and chaotic. The curtain separated the stage from the audience seats.
Only the messy sounds of stage preparation could be heard from inside, while the audience below chatted amongst themselves, the middle class maintaining their dignity with great solemnity.
After some time, the theatre gradually quieted. The performance seemed about to begin.
Just then, a commotion suddenly arose near the boxes, then spread to the ordinary seating area.
"Lady Sharon is here too!"
Someone in the audience shouted excitedly.
The crowd immediately stirred. Many people craned their necks, looking toward the boxes.
Lady Sharon?
Silas seemed to have heard this name before.
She was apparently Tingen's most famous and beautiful widow, pursued by nobles and wealthy merchants, her scandalous reputation widely circulated in upper-class social circles.
In that case, she must be very beautiful.
Silas also looked over curiously.
He saw a lady in luxurious attire wearing a veiled hat that covered her face, entering a box accompanied by servants. She not only concealed that renowned face but also covered her arms and neck with black gauze.
Though her skin was hidden, her graceful figure still attracted countless men's infatuated gazes.
Silas felt Cecilia beside him staring at him, so he shook his head and said, "She doesn't even dare show her face. She must know she's not as pretty as my sister, so she deliberately covered up."
"Stop talking nonsense, brother!"
Cecilia, who had been somewhat unhappy, was immediately amused by him.
After this small interlude, the stage curtain opened. The performance was finally beginning.
This classic comedy by Emperor Roselle was originally titled The Backlund Merchant, meant to satirize the greed and foolishness of Loen merchants.
But after reaching Loen, local playwrights renamed it The Trier Merchant, with the villain changed to a merchant from Intis's capital, Trier.
But Silas knew that Roselle's play was plagiarized from one of Shakespeare's four great comedies, The Merchant of Venice.
This play had one of the most classic scenes: in court, the villain uses the contract's wording as justification, demanding that the indebted male lead cut off a pound of flesh as compensation.
But the female lead, disguised as a judge, uses the rules against him, requiring that the flesh cut must be exactly one pound, not more, not less, with no blood and no margin of error, or else he would forfeit his life.
In the end, the female lead defeats the villain with her wisdom. Everyone lives happily ever after.
Having enjoyed many forms of entertainment in his previous life, Silas wasn't particularly interested in the play itself. But Cecilia was different. This was the young girl's first time watching a theatre.
The gorgeous stage sets, the actors' devoted performances, and the classic plot deeply captivated her.
She appreciated the love between the romantic leads, worried about the difficulties the villain brought, and was overjoyed at the final happy ending, clapping continuously.
Silas felt that watching his sister's reactions was more interesting than watching the play itself. Seeing her so happy, this evening was well worth it.
"Lady Portia was truly amazing! Not only was her legal knowledge so extensive, but she was also so clever, completely toying with that detestable Intis merchant."
In the carriage ride home, Cecilia kept talking about her impressions of the play, clearly deeply affected by the evening.
Silas smiled at his beautiful sister, then suddenly spoke up. "What's so special about that, Cecilia? As long as you graduate from middle school with good grades, you can also take the exams for your ideal university and become someone like her.
I've looked into it. There are several excellent liberal arts universities in Backlund."
"Go ahead without worry. Your brother here is quite wealthy, more than enough for you to live comfortably in the capital."
To Silas's surprise, when Cecilia heard him arrange things this way, she didn't become happy. Instead, she froze.
"But that way, I'd have to leave Tingen, leave you."
She murmured.
Silas's heart softened. He reached out and took his sister's soft hand, smiling as he said, "Cecilia, you should have your own life, not always stay by my side.
During these ten-plus years of my illness, you've already wasted so much of your youth taking care of me.
I can't be so selfish as to keep you in Tingen forever. Otherwise, years from now, the resentment between us might outweigh our affection."
The carriage arrived at 6 Daffodil Street. Silas got out. He felt he'd spoken a bit too sentimentally just now, so, reconsidering, he laughed.
"Besides, you're so smart with such a bright future ahead. Who knows, your brother here might have to depend on you someday."
With that, he walked ahead first, taking out his key to open the door.
Behind him, where he couldn't see, Cecilia, following behind, showed a complex and pained expression. She hesitated, then said, "Silas, brother..."
"What is it?"
Silas asked casually, pushing open the door.
A warm, familiar fragrance greeted him. On the living room sofa, someone was waiting for him. The lights came on, and that person stood with a breathtaking smile.
"Welcome back."
Lady M said gently.