It was dimly lit below the stage. Lucian could feel the children smiling beside him. Feeling curious, he gazed in their direction. The three children were whispering to each other about who knows-what with secretive looks on their faces. Every so often, they would cover their mouths to muftle out their soft giggles.
From beside them, Roxanne was looking at the children with a gentle smile on her face. It was quite a tender moment. However, the moment her eyes met Lucian’s, her loving smile turned stiff ever so slightly
Roxanne lowered her gaze and composed herself before turning her face away so that Lucian could only see her side profile.
Lucian’s gaze darkened. With his brows knitted tightly together, he, too, turned his gaze away.
They were the last ones to perform.
When the second-last performance was about to come to an end, Lucian and Roxanne directed the children backstage and got ready to perform.
They had thought the children would feel at least a little nervous, as it was their first time performing in front of an audience.
Unexpectedly, the three children were buzzing with excitement. A huge grin hung on their faces as their eyes shone in delight, much to Roxanne’s relief.
After the host introduced them, Roxanne led the children onstage.
The first few scenes were flawless. Everything was exactly as they had rehearsed. As they carried oui the scene, the children showed no signs of stage fright. In fact, they were far more confident than all the other children.
Roxanne could even hear the audible gasps of the audience,
When it was Estella’s turn, the crowd erupted with applause the moment her childish voice rang out as she recited her first line,
Everyone was aware of Estella’s condition. She was even known as Little Mute in the outside world. Al that moment, when they heard Estella speak so fluently with their
own ears, they were both surprised and overjoyed.
Likewise, the memory of her first encounter with Estella surfaced in Roxanne’s mind. She recalled how shy Estella had been when they first met and how the former would not even say a single word.
Roxanne looked at the tiny silhouette standing onstage at that moment, her heart swelling with emotions and pride when she saw Estella performing with such confidence in front of so many people.
Before long, it was time for the scene where the princess pricked her finger on the spinning wheel and fell into a deep sleep.
When the curtains rose, Roxanne was lying quietly still on an exquisitely crafted wooden bed. Her long locks, which were originally held in place by a tiara, were now hanging loosely over the bed, fully exposing her perfect side profile to the audience.
The stage light softened, giving the scene a sense of serenity. The warm lights shone on Roxanne’s fair skin, giving it a faint glow. Under the spotlight, she truly looked like a princess from a fairytale-a gentle princess who was in a deep sleep.
When the curtains rose again, Lucian and Estella appeared on the stage. The crowd watched on as the two stared each other down.
Lucian had a tall build and long legs. He was wearing a form-fitting knight costume and was holding a sparkling sword in his hand, showcasing the nobleness of his character.
On the other hand, Estella was glaring menacingly at Lucian. Her stance indicated that she was about to lunge at him.
The pair pretended to fight, throwing fake punches and kicks at each other before Estella ultimately fell to the ground, defeated. Once the girl lay down on the ground, Lucian made his way backstage in huge strides.
The curtains closed gently. When it reopened, only the prince and the sleeping princess were left onstage.
At the sight of the two of them in the same scene, the crowd fell silent. The scene was so breathtaking that the audience almost did not want to move for fear that any motion would disrupt the atmosphere.
Onstage, the prince stood by the wooden bed and gazed at the sleeping princess lovingly. With the sword in one hand, Lucian held the headboard with his other hand and slowly leaned in.
The distance between the two beautiful side profiles got closer and closer. By then, the crowd had held their breath. Their eyes were brimming with anticipation.
As Roxanne lay still on the bed, she could feel Lucian’s breath inching closer and closer to her face.
Even though they had rehearsed that very scene twice, Roxanne could still feel her heart rate picking up as the scene played out at that moment.
On top of her nervousness, Roxanne could vaguely sense that Lucian did not turn away as rehearsed.
Instinctively, Roxanne’s brows twitched. However, at the thought of the audience below the stage, she forced herself to maintain a calm complexion and resisted the urge to open her eyes and see what was happening.
In the next second, she felt something warm and gentle on her lips.
