Chapter 155 Split reality
Tonight was actually the best time Celeste could have chosen for this cruel stunt.
Well, worst for her, but best for me. Because my choreography became my shield.
My hands dangled in front of me, my wrists hanging lifelessly. And with a forward tilt in my head that made my hair fall all over my face like a curtain, I could have been a corpse hanging off the wall.
This shielded me from the flashlights that pulsed nonstop. The audience clapped as my form came into full view.
At that moment, I spotted a movement in the crowd. Even from this height, I recognized Mordaine. And there could be only one reason why he would move so suddenly. He was about to rain hell on the press.
At the last second, another figure stopped him. Hale.
I was certain it was him because Mordaine was returning to his seat. If that were Finn, he would only stop him so he could join in the violence.
The orchestra swelled then, their haunting music making the hair on my body stand, making my act almost feel like reality. I let my wrists uncurl, slowly, like a flower opening to the touch of sunlight.
And then I lifted my head.
The air that kissed my neck and caressed my face as I started to lean away from the wall was oddly cool.
More applause. Click, click, click.
Rhea bristled, and began to pace. I forced my attention away from her. Mordaine said I was her mistress, so I convinced myself I was. I convinced myself she could not control me, that she was just a wolf throwing tantrums.
I pushed completely from the wall, my feet standing on air for a few seconds. Then I started to slide my foot along the wall behind me, giving the illusion that I was drifting, a lifeless doll hanging from an open window on a windy evening.
The ballerinas made their entrance then. Like ghosts, they floated down the wall, caressing my face with ribbons of their flowing silk gowns, turning their limbs to tree vines that had overgrown around my body.
I stiffened suddenly. Someone was watching me.
It was an odd realization because everyone was staring up at this performance. But something intense had its eyes on me at this very moment.
I frowned, and goosebumps coated my skin at the feeling… the feeling of a strong presence in the crowd.
The music was charged now, and ballerinas circled me, drifting. Their flowing gowns caressed my body, brushed my hips, shoulders, throat.
I let my body soften again and my head drop forward with my hair all around my face, as we began to descend in harmony.
The audience faces became more distinguishable, and with my hair covering me, I could peek anywhere undetected. I stared in the direction that intense gaze was coming from.
Finn. Finn was seated at the exact spot, and Cedric Claire next to him was speaking even as Finn appeared enraptured by my performance, staring right at me.
A dancer jostled my body, a part of the choreography.
I let my body spin around like a weightless doll hanging by a thin thread. The melancholic music from the Orchestra pulled at even my own heart as I spied people dabbing their eyes below.
My head dropped backward, my eyes staring up at the grey clouds of Seoul pressing low while my body continued the lazy 360 spin. Below me, there was nothing but air.
More applause.
The ballerinas were leaving, retreating towards the dark sky again.
Coincidentally, the flashlights flared just as I began to turn sideways. That was when I saw it.
At first, I could not move, the anchor holding me up was doing all the work.
And then, I blinked repeatedly, my heart racing to this absurdity. But the image never changed.
Night take me, was I going insane? It was the light, it had to be. These bright lights must have affected my brain, triggering hallucinations.
But then they went off again, and the image remained.
Finn. It was him, but at the same time, it wasn't. His hair was longer, as long as Mordaine's, but it was all blonde instead of his normal honey-colored hair. And his outfit…
Where had I seen that before? It was not an uncommon sight in historical movies or paintings. But this one managed to be a little different still.
My heart stopped.
The dragon, his vault. That was where I saw this.
In one of the paintings of his queen, I had seen a man who was dressed exactly this way. One of the royal guards: knee-length black leather boots, white pants and a deep royal blue coat. The headgear, however, was not on his head, but balanced on his knee cap where he sat.
From the end of my vision, I caught someone in the crowd glance in Finn's direction, and then cup their lips to whisper something to their neighbor. I looked away immediately. I had been staring for too long.
…
“Excellent.” Tamar caught me immediately I got backstage. “That was wonderful,"
“It was teamwork, Tamar.” I hugged her, hoping she would not notice how badly my body was shaking. “But thank you.”
“Aren’t we modest now,” Kade moved towards me, the silk of his sleeve sweeping the surrounding floor.
Tonight was my only solo performance. Tomorrow we will return to being a couple again.
“It’s not modesty. Did you hear how well that orchestra played?” I placed my hand in the one he offered, and we turned towards the elevator. “Where is Caroline?”
“Here,” a hand curled around my waist. “The orchestra plays for all the top performers at this summit, but I just heard from a reliable source that our performance is the only one everyone goes quiet to watch.”
Tamar spun around, her brows jumping.
Without another word, she turned in the other direction with a haste I sort of understood.
She was going to milk this new opportunity the moment she confirmed this rumor. That meant even more work for me, and traveling away from the men.
My hands were shaking, and I quickly wrapped them around myself in a sort of hug before my friends noticed.
They smiled at me and I smiled back, nodding to the movement of their lips even though I could not hear a word of what they were saying.
What I saw just now was the craziest thing I ever had in my entire life. Almost like the universe split and I caught a glimpse of an alternate. Or was it?
That royal guard looked like Finn, but was also not Finn. Almost like his present body was peeled off to reveal the man within. A French guard from hundreds of years ago.
“Looks like you are about to be in real demand,” Kade said as we crowded into the elevator.
I smiled tightly. I was running mad.