Shade had already learned a great deal about the various versions of "Clock Tower Lovers" from Dorothy and Leisha during their Saturday studies. This piece performed by the Golden Dawn Opera Troupe was closer to the earliest version of the fairy tale recorded in ancient documents excavated from the Fifth Epoch.
The earliest versions of fairy tales generally had nothing to do with descriptions like "innocent and kind." On the contrary, they were extremely realistic and even contained elements of horror. Perhaps young witches of the Fifth Epoch were thought to need exposure to such stories from an early age.
Though such stories were unsuitable for children in the current Sixth Epoch, they were indeed quite suitable for adults.
While Shade and the Blonde Princess shared a tender moment in the darkened box, the grand performance below had already drawn wave after wave of applause. The Golden Dawn Opera Troupe's reputation was not supported solely by Miss Benanis, who had not performed onstage for many years. As Shade embraced Margaret and contemplated this ancient fairy tale, he truly felt that every Great Witch must possess exceptional talents beyond her own power.
"Gather white snow atop the snow mountain, behold the sun in the depths of the desert."
"If you can meet us, dear girl~~"
"Please softly call our names, please ask us your doubts."
"Among lilies in bloom, or where sunflowers face west."
Margaret paid no attention to the performance below. Instead, with her arms around Shade's neck, she softly hummed the witches' ballad. Seeing Shade look at her, she smiled and said:
"These days are wonderful. Why aren't you running a Detective Agency in Wilundell?"
"From my experience, wherever I go, something major happens. The people of Wilundell wouldn't welcome me."
Shade spoke very cautiously, then lowered his head