Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this fic, just doing this for fun!
Chapter 7
Lena's eyes narrowed as she read the note in her hands.
"Is something amiss, ma'am?" her abigail asked timidly.
"Our resident phantom wishes me to forgo tonight's performance and give the lead to Tiara."
"Why is that, ma'am?"
"It would appear," she answered sarcastically, "that he has taken upon himself to act as my physician and declare me too sick to perform in tonight's Faust."
The other girl frowned in puzzlement. "But you aren't -"
"Of course I'm not ill!" Lena snapped back before the abigail can finish. She stood up and crushed the note in her fist.
"The phantom indeed," she scoffed. "I know that Tiara is behind all these somehow." The opera singer walked up to the fireplace and burned the crumpled note.
"If that second rank amateur thinks she can intimidate me with foolish notes and pranks just so she can become the prima donna, well she has another thing coming." Lena turned to the silent girl behind her.
"Order my coach to be ready. No one is playing Marguerite tonight but me." With that said, the green-haired soprano stormed out of the room.
********
"Your Grace, I'm glad to see you well and about."
Kagetsu paused in his flight up the step that would have led him inside the opera house. The young man placed a smile on his face as he turned to acknowledge the caller.
"I heard you had quite an unfortunate accident back in Perros," continued Lena as she stopped beside him by the stairs. "Shouldn't you be in bed resting?"
The Viscount suppressed a sigh at the comment. He vaguely remembered the events that occurred after losing consciousness in the church. It was fortunate that a curate happened to come upon him a few hours later and saved him from freezing to death. He also recalled briefly gaining consciousness back in the inn. What he was not certain of was the image of Tiara he had glimpsed - her leaning over him, eyes bright with worry. The doctor had diagnosed him with a slight concussion the following day so if the image had been real or not, he was not sure. In fact, he was just on his way to question Tiara on the matter when Lena called out to him.
"Miss Lena," he said now. "Thank you for your concern, but I can assure you that all's well."
Lena smiled pleasantly. "I'm glad. I was just telling myself earlier that only one's self can know if one's truly sick or not. Don't you agree?
"Uh … yes I believe so," he answered with some puzzlement.
Seeing the confusion in the Viscount's eyes, Lena was quick to amend. "Forgive me, your Grace. I'm afraid I was a bit unclear on the logic behind that reasoning.
"You see, this afternoon I received a note from our so called Phantom of the Opera telling me that I ought to skip tonight's performance because I was too ill. Well, only I can be certain of my body's condition and as you can see, I am perfectly healthy."
Kagetsu's frown only deepened as Lena's explanation. "Phantom of the Opera?" he asked, not sure if he had heard correctly.
"Oh, that's right, you are probably not familiar with the story," she realized. "Well, rumor has it that a phantom haunts the opera house. I use to believe such nonsense, but I'm quickly finding the whole idea to be a farce. Now, if you'll excuse me, your Grace, I have a show to prepare for."
The Viscount returned the nod Lena offered and stepped aside to let the girl through. After a brief pause he too made his way inside the building. On his way towards the backstage, Kagetsu - deeply engrossed with his own thoughts - nearly ran over the manager that way trying to get his attention.
"Armand1," he said, reaching out to steady the man. "Sorry, I did not see you there. I'm afraid I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."
"Quite alright, your Grace. I was wondering -"
"Have you heard of the Phantom of the Opera?" the Viscount asked suddenly.
Armand blinked at the question before pasting on an overly bright smile. "I see you've heard about that particular rumor. But not to worry that's all there is to it. Nothing but rubbish the whole thing. Just some prankster, trying to intimidate us into following his wishes." The manager took hold of they young man's arm and gently stirred him in another direction.
"In fact," continued Armand. "We are about to put a stop to this foolishness. You see, they say this so called ghost reside in Box 5. So Firmin and I have taken upon ourselves to seat through tonight's performance in that particular box and prove once and for all that the phantom does not exist. Perhaps you'd like to join us?"
Kagetsu looked up and noticed that they were now standing just outside their desired destination. He gave Armand a curt nod and slipped inside the box.
The night started out normal enough. All was quiet inside Box 5. No extraordinary phenomenon had occurred to show that the phantom was about. By the third Act, Kagetsu finally gave up on the notion of glimpsing the sudden appearance of the ghostly apparition.
He has just closed his eyes to massage the tensed muscles along his neck when in the middle of Lena's song, an unmistakenable croak resounded around the auditorium. The Viscount's eyes shot open in surprise. The audience's low murmur was heard all around as the green-haired soprano stood in shocked silence before them.
Lena again prepared to sing, but had only sung a few verses when the croaking was heard once more. Kagetsu looked on in disbelief at the stage. The sound had come from Lena herself.
An amused chuckle echoed within the walls of Box 5 just as laughter erupted from the people below. Kagetsu tensed in his seat and glanced at his two other companions. Not a sound had escaped from either of their lips, yet the laugh was obviously audible.
The men eyed each other uncertainly as the dismembered voice softly whispered in their ears.
"All that croaking is bound to bring down the chandelier."
No sooner had the words been spoken when a scream suddenly pierced the air. The dark-haired Viscount watched in horror as the crystal chandelier high above the ceiling plunged down on an unfortunate lady sitting on the first row. Kagetsu wasted no time and ran down to check the damages done.
Armand and Firmin stood rooted in place as they gaze in disbelief at the scene before them.
"Witness what happens when you ignore my demands."
Both men jumped in fright as the ominous voice floated around them once more. Harsh laughter followed suit as their frantic search about the box did not produce its source. With fear etched on their faces, the managers fled to seek sanctuary in their office.
********
Kagetsu heaved a tired sigh as he slowly made his way to Tiara's dressing room. The coroner had taken away Madame Gaultry's body just minutes ago, pronouncing that she had died on impact. He had never questioned his managers' decision to replace Leon as the concierge days before. Truth be told, he liked the young man better than Madame Gaultry. But he never wished that fate upon her or anyone for that matter.
Reaching his destination, the Viscount rubbed weary eyes, arm poised to knock on Tiara's door. His action halted when he suddenly heared a man singing form within the dressing room. For a moment, Kagetsu was startled into silence by the beauty and richness of the melody he was hearing. When the song faded, the spell was broken by Tiara's voice.
"I've been waiting, Graham. Please tell me you were not responsible for what just happened."
Kagetsu pressed closer to the door and anxiously waited for the man's response.
"Forgive me, Tiara," the voice said. "I witnessed the confrontation between you and Lena earlier and could not help but be angry when she accused you of such things. After she called you a 'little toad,' I decided to show her and everyone that she was perhaps the toad."
"Oh Graham, I can handle Lena. You needn't worry about me. But the chandelier? Madame Gaultry is dead."
"Those incompetent managers were mocking me!" came the thunderous reply. "They've repeatedly ignored my requests and even dismissed Leon from his station."
"Graham, this must stop," pleaded Tiara. The rustle of her dress was heard as she moved about. "Not everyone is your enemy. You must -"
"You know I would do anything for you."
"But -"
"Enough of this talk! You are leaving with me tonight."
Kagetsu stiffened and waited to face the occupants of the room when they came out. He had finally concluded that this Graham was the 'Angel of Music' Tiara mentioned in Perros. The voice was the same one he had heard the first night he saw Tiara perform. What shocked him, however, was the realization that this same man was also posing as the Phantom of the Opera.
When seconds passed by without the door opening, Kagetsu took the initiative and hastily opened the door. He stepped inside with some confusion when he saw the room empty. His eyes caught a movement to his left and turned in time to see the surface of the mirror settle into place. He slowly approached it, fingers lightly touching the cool surface.
'A secret passage,' he thought in bewilderment. He gazed back at his own reflection at a lost for what to do. The man named Graham had taken his love away down a secret tunnel that led to a place he knew not how to follow.
1. I've noticed that I've been using the names 'Armand' and 'Moncharmin' interchangeably. They're the same person, but from now on I'll stick to 'Armand'. Sorry for the confusion.
Author's notes:
First of all, I would like to thank the following reviewers: SGL- thanks! I'm glad you liked it, Bleeding Heart5- wow, one sitting, huh? Thanks for the wonderful review and I hope you enjoy this chapter, Demon-Angel-Tsukai- yeah, I totally love Shamanic Princess too. I watched the DVD nonstop the first time I got it. And like I've told another reviewer, I whole heartily think this anime and the book are a match made in heaven.
Well, I know I've been slackin' off with the updates. I put a hold on it for a while because I was seriously debating whether I was gonna continue it or not. After some thought, I've decided to go on ahead with it. Anyways, I always appreciate a review so I hope I get to hear from my readers ^_^.