By the time of nightfall, no one was surprised to see a man with a crushed face lying next to a bloody cloth on the floor of a hallway. The students minded their own businesses as the art was factually performed in the Royal Academy of Arts along with the night.
A slender hand that did not suit for a man pushed the door of a common room. The skin of his knuckles was blood red, while the other hand carried a blue outer coat with the royal academy crest on its chest. The white shirt had a burnt mark and several stains of blood or paint, as even the owner was not sure about them.
Emerging himself from the scent of a tavern, he walked down the staircase that led to a darkened yard. At the end of the yard, he met the famous secret doorway that led to his favourite colour.
The long-awaited morning of the red-light city emerged under the sky in the twilight with never-ending drizzle. The songbirds flew to their nests while singers ambled to the stages. Dancers coloured their lips to get them erased later. Beautiful fabrics covered their bodies to get torn later.
Darkness hid the forbidden pleasures from the allowed cruel reality. The stars were not powerful enough to light it up.
Among hundreds of pleasure houses, hundreds of rooms, one that did not let go of its darkness even in the day, lightened up by a flame that did not bear from a spark. And it disappeared just as it came to life.
A sarcastic scoff echoed in the silence.
Silence and darkness continued for another ten minutes.
As if she woke up from her trance, Rivienne sat in front of the mirror table and burnt a match. Then she ignited the candle beside her. And the cigar in her hand. She did not dare to raise her eyes until she swallowed a fair amount of smoke and freedom in her head.
Then she saw the usual man staring back at her, wearing the same bored expression for the last few years. By the orange blaze, her brown eyes did not glow, yet she could see the reflection of flame inside them. She inhaled the cigar one more time and straightened her back. Cigar stuck between her cupid bow-shaped lips that carried the redness of who knows the number of wine bottles.
She broke the chain around her neck with one pull, which contained a certain ring. Her brown bird's nest-like hair grew longer until her waist with the waves in seconds. Rivienne neither hated nor liked her real appearance, which was the mirror image of her birth mother, according to her late nanny.
Getting more attention was poisonous for her daily life as she hid it from the world and her for almost ten years.
Sometimes, she would be curious about how she might look now that she has grown up, but always pressing matters than her face would make her forget about that.
She placed the chain on the table deciding to keep her long hair for the time being, biting the edge of the cigar. Then she rested her elbow and the forehead, releasing a thick cloud of smog. It was dark under the table, yet she could sense her reddening feet. She sniffled.
She raised her head again to face her reflection once again and watched the swirls of smoke that parted from her mustering up in the air. Her eyes were half-closed lazily. And they were beginning to do their usual job of staring. She raised herself before they got carried away and ambled to the bathroom.
Outside of her world in the lobby, Madam Agatha, who was the owner of the building, was more fascinated than ever to have the new customer who hid his face but showed off his wallet. The coins made her mouth and the screws on her head run wild.
He was tall. Because of that, he must be handsome. His aid was more like a woman. He asked for her most luxurious room for his master without her precious dolls. It was rather a strange request for Agatha as she cunningly led the way through the hallway that had etched walls. He could see the swarm of entangled humans and hear the moans and gasps through the hollows in the wall.
Unless he was a walking corpse.
'Be awake already,' Agatha muttered in her heart.
The hooded man and the aid followed her silently. The more they walked inside, the more the hallways sparkled. All the noises vanished, and the decency of nobility took over as if it was a duke's mansion, not a brothel under the red lights. Agatha was always proud to introduce this side of the building to deserve more customers since the current ones would not brag about it anywhere. It was her famous secret.
She stopped at the last door of the floor and opened the door. She has informed the servants beforehand to light up the most luxurious room, and they have forgotten to get rid of the possessed scent of it. Her business smile took over her darkened face instantly.
"Please come in, sir. The owner of the room has not returned." She rambled when the rich man entered the room. "You can use it as you please. Is there anything you need? We can provide-"
"There's none, madam. You can go back," Instead of his master, the aide voiced. "I will accompany-"
And then his master walked back and slammed the door, leaving him with Agatha.
The hooded man sighed and stood there for several seconds before putting down his hood, revealing his silver hair. Then he tossed the cloth to the nearest sofa and plopped on. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling that contained complicated patterns. He did not move for another hour.
"My lord," Someone whispered at the door, and the man glanced at it. As usual, he ignored him, and the walls got his attention. Colourful fingermarks were on everything and anything, the colourful footprints were on the fabulous carpet and sofa, and the colourful spots were on the colourless wall.
His head turned in a flash when he heard swearing in a light voice. Along with that, the second door opened speed of light to meet his eyes with a person.
A transparent person.
He raised a brow furiously. He clearly said to the owner that he did not want any woman tonight.
Rivienne, who popped out from the bathtub a minute ago, slipped once and changed into a colourless nightgown right away, finished her third wine bottle holding the doorknob, and swore under her breath again seeing the stranger in the room.