"Actually, there's no need to put on makeup specially. To me, Miss Benanis is most beautiful without makeup."
Shade stood at the office doorway as he spoke, though what he was really thinking about was getting back early to keep Luvia company.
"Shade, if you want to praise Vanessa, you should say it to her, not to me."
Siris sat behind the desk and said with a smile:
"Don't waste time. Go wait downstairs."
"What exactly is Miss Benanis going to perform?"
Shade asked curiously, and Siris pretended to scold him:
"Knight, don't you know that a lady with secrets is the most beautiful kind of lady?"
Shade's body shuddered. It was some sort of natural reaction. Only afterward did he remember that Desire had said those words outside Osenfott Manor.
"Secrets. I understand."
"But I can secretly tell you that this is a performance Vanessa has never done before."
Siris winked at him.
"You'd better enjoy it properly."
A city-scale grand opera house like the Wilde Opera House generally held performances until nearly midnight. But Miss Benanis had arranged things in advance, clearing out Performance Hall Three for the entire evening specifically to perform for Shade.
Performance Hall Three was also one of the larger halls in the Wilde Opera House. Though it had no private boxes, the audience seating was divided into upper and lower levels, with a total of 1,059 seats.
When Shade walked down the aisle between the empty seats from the rear toward the front row, the stage's red curtain was still drawn. The opera house had excellent soundproofing, and everything around him was silent. After taking his seat and looking at the empty chairs all around him, he reflected that he would probably never again have such an opportunity to watch Vanessa Benanis perform