Night descended slowly over the building. Lanterns began to be lit one by one, illuminating the room with a golden glow that only made the shadows in the corners stretch longer. Laras sat in the corner with the other third-tier entertainers. In truth, Laras had barely done any work. Most of it had been handled by the servants; all she had done was accept the prepared silver tray and listen to instructions about how the event would proceed and the proper way to receive guests.
After the entertainment house manager finished explaining everything, the third-tier entertainers immediately split into two groups. Some lined up neatly at the entrance, while others took the snacks and drinks. Laras was assigned to carry refreshments. As the night grew later, more and more guests arrived. The ones lined up at the entrance escorted guests to empty tables as they came in. They asked how the guests were doing and made light conversation until the guests took their leave, then returned to the entrance to welcome the next ones. Meanwhile, Laras's group still hadn't entered the performance area.
Once the room began to fill, the second-tier entertainers entered the performance area and took their positions. There were two groups. Those seated in the center of the stage were the ones holding musical instruments. Those carrying objects shaped like boards sat near the musicians. The ones carrying nothing sat to the right and left of the group holding those objects.
Clink! Clink! Laras turned toward the sound. Anklets, she thought. Two women slowly stepped into the center of the room. Laras was captivated by their charm. They wore blue fabric in matching styles. One woman had tied part of her hair into a small bun, while the other left hers loose, letting it move softly in the breeze.
The long fabric wrapped around them swayed with every step, while faint smiles curved their lips. The two women bowed their heads gracefully before lifting their faces again, their gazes sweeping over the guests who filled the room.
“Welcome, honored guests,” they greeted in unison.
Their voices were soft yet distinct, clear enough to make the conversations throughout the room gradually die down. They were the first-tier entertainers, select performers who served only nobles or extremely wealthy merchants.
“Night has brought you here, leaving behind the bustle, obligations, and everything waiting for you outside,” said the first-tier entertainer with the partially pinned-up hair.
They smiled faintly. Laras was mesmerized by their smiles. They seemed emotionless, yet were capable of capturing every eye that fell upon them.
“So allow us to accompany you through the night. Set aside, for a while, every burden weighing on your shoulders. Enjoy the food, the songs, and the stories we have prepared for you,” said the first-tier entertainer with her hair loose, her words carrying a teasing tone.
The woman walked toward one of the tables, then stopped several steps in front of a man who was unmistakably an important guest that evening.
“Because tonight...” She held his gaze for a moment before smiling again. “...we have no intention of asking who you are beyond these doors,” she said with a playful smile.
She returned to the center of the room.
“We only want to know what kind of pleasure you hope to find tonight,” said the first-tier entertainer with the small hair bun.
Several guests chuckled. The woman then bowed gracefully.
“Please enjoy your evening at our establishment,” the two first-tier entertainers said.
After those final words, they immediately left the entertainers’ room, as though this place did not belong to them. Once the sound of their footsteps faded, music began to play, and Laras and the other third-tier entertainers carrying silver trays walked in.
Laras’s hands trembled slightly. Although their only duty was to deliver drinks and snacks, some guests who took an interest in one of them made blatant physical contact. Touching their hands was still permitted here, but if a guest tried to pull one of the third-tier entertainers away for himself, the second-tier entertainers carrying nothing would quickly approach him. Even so, making physical contact with men was still difficult for Laras. In all eighteen years of her life, she had never been close to a man other than her family.
“What’s your name?” a guest asked coldly. Laras immediately shuddered in surprise. Even so, she managed to give the guest beside her a sweet smile.
Laras looked at the guest who had invited her into conversation. He was a handsome young man. If Laras weren't in her current position, she would have been captivated by the face in front of her.
“I’m Laras, sir,” she answered, trying to remain calm and keep her smile in place as she set the snacks and drinks on the man's table.
“Laras, huh?” the man said.
“Yes, sir,” Laras replied as politely as she could.
The man looked at Laras, then propped his face up with one hand and smiled sweetly at her, as though teasing her. “Can we talk for a bit?” he asked.
Laras kept smiling. It was obvious that the man in front of her knew how things worked in this place. As long as Laras didn't show any resistance, none of the second-tier entertainers would come over.
“Thank you for the offer, sir. I’m very flattered that a man as charming as you would notice a woman like me. But sadly, I have to decline because I still have so many duties left to complete,” Laras said, imitating the way the theater actresses in her school’s extracurricular club spoke.
The man smiled. Laras worried that her wording might sound strange, but she had been paying attention to the way the second-tier entertainers spoke to the guests, and this was exactly how they did it.
“Isn’t accompanying guests also one of your duties?” the man countered.
His smile looked beautiful to Laras. She nearly let herself be swayed by the handsome face before her.
“If my lord is bored, I can call another entertainer who’s more skilled at keeping you amused,” Laras said, refusing to back down.
The man chuckled. “How do you know who can entertain me when you don’t even know me?” he said.
Laras was still smiling, but inside, she was growing irritated by the stubborn man in front of her. Yet a sense of competition had taken hold, along with the desire to win, and Laras refused to lose this battle of words.
“I certainly wouldn’t overlook a guest like you, my lord. So allow me to introduce someone skilled at games played on a wooden board—games that demand cleverness, patience, and courage when choosing one’s moves. Perhaps tonight, my lord will finally find an opponent capable of making the game more interesting,” Laras replied. She had no idea where she found the confidence to offer up one of the second-tier entertainers from the group carrying game boards, but it was obvious to Laras that the man in front of her was not the sort to seek out women merely to satisfy his sexual urges.
The man laughed, drawing brief attention from the people nearby. Then he smiled at Laras. “Thank you for your concern, beautiful miss. I’m already entertained simply by having you accompany me for a little conversation. A pleasant bit of small talk is enough.”
The compliment made Laras blush for a moment. If the man flattering her had been old, she might have felt disgusted, but it was different with a handsome man like the one in front of her.
“Please, can’t you just let me go and call someone else?” Laras said, dropping her smiling mask. With her brows knitted and her cheeks puffed in annoyance, she was frustrated by the realization that she had lost to the man in front of her.
“You’re an interesting woman, so before I knew it, I wanted to draw you in.” The man paused, glancing at the second-tier entertainers who had been quietly monitoring them the entire time. “But if I did that, they might take you away from me, and someone else—someone who might not be nearly as interesting as you—would bother me instead.”
“Oh, right, right. I can’t believe you just said the second-tier entertainers aren’t interesting,” Laras said, immediately sitting down across from him. Usually, they sat beside the guests, but Laras wanted to emphasize the distance between them, so she chose to sit facing him instead.
“Wow, where did all those sweet words go?” the man asked teasingly.
“Who knows? They disappeared because of a handsome but stubborn man who wouldn’t stop asking me to talk. I think talking like this might be more fun. Or am I wrong? You tell me,” Laras said with a mischievous smile.
The man gave a quiet chuckle. “No, you’re right. This is pretty fun,” he replied, his sweet smile following.
Laras froze. Her eyes locked onto the handsome face before her. She was calmer now than she had been before.
Maybe it’s not so bad if I keep him company like this, Laras thought. If she stayed and talked with him this way, she wouldn't have to serve other guests, some of whom might behave disgracefully toward her.