After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back-Chapter 217 - 216 Act Four: Hand in Line with the Eye

Bah—

Stay updated via novelbuddy

The red curtain of the stage slowly opened.

Act Four – Hand and eye the same height, begin.

As the scene opened, it was still the part where Christine was being forcefully kissed by Raoul.

Only this time, there was a real mix-up with the kiss, with their backs to the audience, and instead, the Phantom of the Opera’s position, which originally was in the corner, was brought to the front of the stage, essentially giving the audience a different point of view, putting them in the shoes of the Phantom.

The Phantom, who had been listening intently from the shadow of a statue, was caught off guard when his beloved was suddenly assaulted with a kiss from the man below, and he lost his reason in a fit of rage.

He drew the military saber at his waist, leaped out of the shadows, and bellowed, "Let her go!"

Raoul was startled and, turning his head, saw a figure in black rushing towards him, and quickly drew his sword in response.

The two men put on an exciting and spectacular sword fighting performance, from one end of the stage to the other.

Whether performed by Ayakoji Chiyoko or Kagura Hikaru, both of whom were masters of Sword Dao, even an improvised fight was well executed.

Aside from the fact that the swords were made of wood, so the sound of metal clashing had to be added from the background music—a bit of a letdown—all other aspects were impeccable, even for professionals.

The duel took place amidst falling snow, with white flakes landing on their bodies, only to be swiftly thrown off by their vigorous movements, creating a visually impactful scene.

Christine, who had been sitting on the ground dazed due to the forced kiss, finally came to her senses, stood up, and shouted, "Raoul, Phantom, stop fighting!"

But the men, engrossed in their battle, were not willing to give up easily. Neither side was ready to stop, continuously striking at the other’s vital points, intent on delivering a deadly blow.

At this moment, it seemed that someone below had heard the commotion on the rooftop.

Members of the troupe, who were searching for the Phantom of the Opera, were making their way up the stairs leading to the rooftop, and the sound of chaotic footsteps came from below.

The Phantom, distracted by the noise, turned his head towards the stairs and was caught off-guard by Raoul’s sword slashing across his shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.

Christine could no longer stand idly by. Ignoring her own safety, she plunged directly between the two men.

"Stop fighting, both of you!"

Raoul and the Phantom immediately ceased and lowered their swords.

Raoul, "Step aside, Christine!"

Phantom, "I want to kill that scoundrel!"

"Please, Raoul, let him go," Christine pleaded with tears streaming, "Phantom, he’s my teacher. We can’t let him get caught."

"Christine..." Seeing the tears in his beloved’s eyes, Raoul’s expression wavered.

"Phantom, now’s your chance," Christine urged, looking back. "Run, don’t get caught, just run!"

"..." The Phantom glanced at the crowd that had started appearing in the stairwell. Clenching his teeth, he sheathed his sword and looked deeply at Christine, "We will meet again."

"Of course, my Angel," Christine said with a smile in response.

The Phantom, with a lingering gaze at her, then turned towards the darkness, made a leap as if to escape, and vanished from sight.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

The troupe rushed onto the rooftop, all talking at once.

"I just saw a shadow!"

"Was that the Phantom of the Opera?"

"My God! It’s Viscount Raoul and Miss Christine."

"Why did he draw his sword?"

Christine ignored the noise behind her and sang softly, "People say that birds pursue freedom, but who has asked the birds what they want? They do not desire freedom; their destination is a cage, surrounded by candles, enveloped in music, keeping company with the lonely. Perhaps this, too, is a fine fate..."

Suddenly, she saw a leather-bound book on the ground where The Phantom of the Opera had been standing moments ago.

She picked it up and flipped it open, exclaiming in surprise, "’Don Juan Triumphant’? Is this the script for the next play?"

The lights dimmed.

Seconds passed, and when they brightened again, the scene had switched to a dark tunnel.

The Phantom of the Opera clutched the wound on his shoulder and stumbled through the tunnel, singing softly, "My life, a life unloved. My mother abandoned me, left me at a circus for people’s amusement and pleasure. They called me the devil’s child, with the devil’s visage. The circus master beat me; I killed him and fled. I took refuge in this dark underworld of the opera house. Here, I found song, I learned music, trying to comprehend this refined world, but loneliness gnawed at me."

His knees buckled, and he half-knelt against the wall, panting lightly.

The Phantom of the Opera tilted his head as if gazing at a light only he could see.

"One day, the devil’s child found a girl. She had lost her father, and the theater took her in. I decided to teach her. She couldn’t see me, thought me an Angel, unaware that I was the devil. The girl dissolved my loneliness, reviving my soul, and unbeknownst to me, the devil’s child developed human emotions. I fell in love with her.

Christine, dear Christine, poor Christine, we shall meet again, surely, inevitably..."

The Phantom of the Opera slowly got up and ran toward the end of the tunnel.

The lights dimmed once more, and the scene changed again.

On the stage of the Paris Opera House, everyone was busy setting up.

Raoul and the theater manager came into view, discussing the script Christine had picked up, which appeared to have been written by the Phantom of the Opera.

"Tonight, we’ll be performing this piece," said the manager.

"The lead will be Christine."

"He will certainly show up, the Phantom of the Opera!"

"This is his play, and his infatuation, Christine; he is bound to take the bait."

"This play is the lure, the bait to catch him."

"The legend of the Phantom of the Opera will come to an end tonight."

Raoul and the theater manager exchanged a look, smiled at each other, and walked to the other end of the stage.

In a corner, Christine, dressed in a light gauze costume, sat on a prop resting, singing anxiously, "This play is a trap for you, I can understand, this is Raoul’s idea. Why, Raoul, when I clearly don’t expect it so."

She worried about The Phantom of the Opera, "Don’t come, don’t come, Phantom, they are armed and ready, you are the wolf in the hunter’s eyes, don’t let them shoot you in the eye..."

The lights dimmed again.

When they brightened once more, what had been a disordered stage was now neatly arranged, signifying the official commencement of the play.

The theater manager stepped onto the stage, smiled, and twirled his mustache, bowing thrice to the audience—left, center, right—and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Paris Opera House. Tonight’s performance is titled ’Don Juan Triumphant’. Please enjoy."

Background sound carried a warm round of applause.

The real audience below followed suit, clapping as well.

At this point, Uka Theater Club’s production of ’The Phantom of the Opera’ had already significantly diverged from the original storyline. Whether one knew the original or not, all were immensely looking forward to what would unfold.

What would happen next between the Phantom of the Opera, Raoul, and Christine? Would the final ending be a tragedy or a reunion?

Regardless, among these three, one was bound to lose.

This was without a doubt.