Chapter One: Emma Charbonneau

Paris, France.

The classic opera about ‘Swan Lake’ had again been played in Palais Garnier. People had gathered from four seas to come and watch the opera that the whole world had been waiting for. The auditorium seats had been taken by guests from around the world, leaving no extra chairs for the people who bought the ticket on that particular day, it should have been reserved since three months ago and one ticket could cost a whole life time! People sat down and chattering about how magnificent the female lead was, and how her acting and dancing was shown through her performance in Rome. She was the key to the whole show and the key to attract those people.

As the time had come for the opera to start, the lights was off, however the red curtain was on the stage remained closed. The host was seen by the whole audience in the room as a light was only radiated on him, he was a typical French man, his hair was golden-chestnut which was long and wavy with his beard that had grown for about two or three weeks, his suite was tidy, who didn’t recognize the famous host in that city of love? He was the mighty, silver-tongued Jules Charbonneau and of course, his uprising popularity was because of his good looks.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he started in English, since the audiences were all from different countries, “tonight is the night that everybody had been waiting for, and again in Palais Garnier, we will present you Swan Lake and of course our lovely female lead and my sister, Emma Charbonneau! Please give a big applause and please enjoy!”

On the moment the red curtain was pulled, there was the female lead that everyone had been waiting for. Emma Charbonneau, a woman who was not purely a French lady, instead she looked more like an Asian lady, her elegant white ballet dress made her looked stunning than ever, the ornaments on her head made her appeared to be a real Odette. As the Tchaikovsky’s compositions started to play by the orchestra, she started to dance delicately, as graceful as a real swan. Every step that she took, amazed the eyes of those who saw her. By the time she had stopped giving her solo-performance, the audience gave a big and continuous applause to her. Emma smiled as she bowed.

The opera went on as how it was written on the scenario and it ended perfectly as what the audiences had expected. When the opera had come to an end, the whole actors bowed to the audiences, then every single audience in the auditorium stood up and giving a standing applause to them. The opera was a big success.

“Emma Charbonneau, as expected, you gave a wonderful performance. No wonder you have become the way you are now,” said a foreign man, probably from England because of his thick-accent of English, and he appeared to be an important man.

“You are too exaggerating me, however I represent thank you from the whole crews to have come and enjoy our performance,” said Emma with smile, while the man handed her a banquet of flower to her, “our next performance will be in Seoul, South Korea, please do come.” She needed to minister numerous of important guests such as that man in that hall, and she needed to protect the smile on her face.

Emma went back to her own well-prepared dressing room, her own VIP room, with her Odette-like costume and make-up, her hand was holding a banquet of pink-flowers gave by some honorable and important guests that had long waited her performance. As soon as she got into her dressing room, her sweet-elegant smile faded away, the banquet flowers that she had received, she threw them on the sofa, afterwards she sat in front on the dressing table, she took off the ornaments on her head and started to wiped off her make-up.

At the same time, Jules barged into Emma’s dressing room without knocking, he came with bunches of banquet of all-types-and-colors flowers. Jules said with a happy tone and of course in his fluent French said, “Emma, my dearest sister, congratulations for your success!”

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