Chapter 164: The Real Membership Gold Card
Chapter 164: The Real Membership Gold Card
Most people who travel to France will visit the Arc de Triomphe and take a stroll along the Seine; given the opportunity, they would also want to sample France's famous delicacies: foie gras and French onion soup.
So? Why would Herb take his family to watch a French opera? Albert couldn't understand Herb's train of thought. Perhaps it was because they had a comfortable budget, or maybe it was a rare opportunity. In any case, it wasn't a matter of great importance.
Before returning to Britain, the Anderson family took a car to the Bastille Opera House, intending to cap off their trip to France by watching the opera they had booked some time ago.
Interestingly, the opera turned out to be one that Albert was familiar with - Romeo and Juliet.
Albert had watched the movie version of Romeo and Juliet in his previous life.
As for operas?
Well, he hadn't watched any operas in his previous life.
With Albert's "help," Herb smoothly collected the tickets they had booked in advance.
After passing through the ticket check at the entrance of the Bastille Opera House, the group proceeded through the passageway to the audience seats.
The opera house usually closed its doors before the performance, and the Andersons were among the last batch of spectators to enter. Most of the audience was already seated.
The four of them walked along the central aisle between the seats and quickly located their seats using the numbers on their tickets.
There were five empty seats left in that row, indicating that apart from the Anderson family, one other person hadn't arrived yet.
To Albert's right was an elderly couple with white hair. Perhaps sensing Albert's gaze, the old man turned and smiled at him, to which Albert politely smiled back and redirected his attention to the performance pamphlet provided by the opera house.
However, the pamphlet was in French, and only Albert could understand it. He softly recited the contents to his family, sharing the information and discussing the opera with them.
Herb and Daisy had watched Romeo and Juliet together before, but it had been at an opera house in Britain. This time, in France, the adaptation and style of the opera might be slightly different.
Romeo and Juliet consisted of five acts and six scenes. Albert refrained from revealing the entire plot, as spoiling the story for Nia, who hadn't watched it before, wouldn't be very friendly. It was better to maintain a sense of anticipation.
As the Anderson family quietly discussed the opera, the late occupant of the adjacent seat hurriedly arrived—a middle-aged man in his fifties. There was something about his suit that struck Albert as incongruous.
The middle-aged man seemed to be acquainted with the elderly couple, as he murmured a few words to them before the theater's bell rang, signaling the beginning of the opera.
Instantly, the entire theater fell silent. The dim yellow lights also went out, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness, except for the illuminated stage.
"Quite the atmosphere," Albert muttered, his attention now fully focused on the stage.
To be honest, Albert, who knew nothing about operas, realized after the first act, "At the House of Capulet," that operas conveyed and expressed the plot through singing and music. Nonetheless, he had to admit that this opera had a certain allure, and it was easier to understand what was happening on stage compared to the famous concerts of the magical world featuring Selina Warburton.
The first act of Romeo and Juliet depicted how Romeo and Juliet met and fell in love, only to discover that their families were sworn enemies. It was infused with the lightness, elegance, and romance unique to France.
During a momentary pause, Albert glanced at his family. Herb and Daisy were already engrossed in the performance, while Nia, who wasn't quite able to follow the opera, yawned and covered her mouth.
She probably found it boring! This wasn't surprising. If she were just a child, he would have expected as much.
Speaking of Nia, the middle-aged man sitting next to her had zoned out, evidently having little interest in the opera but compelled to accompany his family to the performance.
"Their voices are incredible!" Nia exclaimed after the curtain fell, causing Albert to stifle a laugh. But he managed to hold it in and merely replied, "Yeah!"
Both Romeo and Juliet were high-pitched characters, and as Nia had pointed out, their vocal prowess was indeed remarkable, reaching such high notes.
The second act didn't keep the audience waiting long. It soon commenced, set in the garden outside Juliet's bedroom, where Romeo and Juliet secretly pledged their love and commitment to each other.
Glancing at the French text in the performance pamphlet during the brief interlude after the act, Albert took the opportunity to explain the previous act's story to Nia.
"I bet they didn't end up together in the end," Nia remarked after hearing Albert's summary.
"How could enemies ever end up together? It's bound to be a tragedy," Albert replied.
And so, the third act began amidst Nia's murmurs...
As for the outcome of Romeo and Juliet, it naturally concluded in tragedy, just as Nia had predicted.
Romeo was sentenced to exile for killing Juliet's cousin. The pair planned to fake their deaths and elope, but the priest's messenger was delayed, causing the message to arrive too late for Romeo. In the fifth act, against the tender and melancholy backdrop, Romeo took his own life by poisoning himself. When Juliet woke up and found her beloved dead, she drew her sword and killed herself as well, choosing to join him in death.
The curtains slowly descended, and the opera house erupted in enthusiastic applause.
"So, what did you think of the opera?" Herb asked with a smile.
"It was alright," Albert replied thoughtfully. "But I still think movies are more my style."
"What about you, Nia?" Daisy inquired.
"She's right here; I've been holding her hand the whole time," Albert said, glancing at the empty seat in front of him. The middle-aged man who had been sitting there had left midway through the performance without him noticing.
"Nia, what are you doing?" Daisy frowned and reminded her, "Let's go. Hold onto Albert's hand so we don't get separated."
"Let's go," Herb urged. "Don't push or rush, just follow the crowd as we exit."
"I know, let's go, Nia," Albert agreed.
As they exited the Bastille Opera House, Nia suddenly asked, "Albert, do you think if the messenger had arrived on time, Romeo and Juliet would have ended up together?"
"No," Albert replied calmly.
"Why not?" Nia tilted her head in curiosity.
"Because the messenger is always late, and even if they weren't, Shakespeare would have made them late," Albert said flatly.
"Cough, cough! What Albert means is that Romeo and Juliet are just fictional characters, so their fate was predetermined," Herb interjected, startled by Albert's bluntness.
"What if it happened in real life?" Nia probed further.
"They would definitely end up together," Daisy quickly reassured her, shooting a slight glare at her son and husband, indicating they should keep quiet and not ruin the romantic atmosphere. It was natural for young girls to hope that Romeo and Juliet would find happiness together rather than death.
"Nia, what were you picking up just now?" Albert changed the subject.
"Oh, right, I was picking this up," Nia said, handing a golden card to Herb. "I think someone dropped it."
"What is this?" Herb asked, examining the card and furrowing his brow. It wasn't a nominal gold card, but a genuine one made of solid gold.
"Gold?" Albert stared at the card, his brow creasing slightly.
In fact, they all felt a bit perplexed. The mention of a gold card was one thing, but they never expected someone to actually make one out of solid gold. It seemed like an extremely eccentric thing to do.
The world of the wealthy was indeed perplexing.
"Wait here for a moment while I return this to the staff at the Bastille Opera House," Herb said, preparing to go back inside with the gold card.
"Let me see it. The text on it looks vaguely familiar," Albert said.
Herb realized he couldn't read the text on the gold card, but he could make out the image—it seemed to be a pot and a stick.
As Albert took the gold card from him, something strange happened. The card seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, causing Albert's hand to move in that direction.
"What's going on?"
Albert quickly realized what was happening and instinctively grasped the card as it almost slipped from his fingertips. He focused his attention on the card, and the protective bracelet on his wrist nullified the effect of the Summoning Charm.
"What just happened?" Herb exclaimed, startled by the sudden movement of the card.
"A wizard was trying to summon it," Albert explained nonchalantly. "But that jerk is really causing me trouble."
"What is it?" Daisy asked, concerned.
"I don't know if using the Summoning Charm like that will get me in trouble," Albert muttered, expressing his dislike for the idea of being framed for something he didn't do.
That's why he decided to hold onto the card for now. As for the Ironskin Charm on his protective bracelet?
Magic cast on magical objects wouldn't be monitored by the Ministry of Magic, just like flying brooms, so Albert wasn't worried about that aspect.
"Are you saying..." Nia whispered, "that the man who was sitting next to us earlier was a wizard?"
"Let's not discuss this here," Albert warned quietly.
"Should we return this card or give it to someone at the opera house to handle?" Daisy suggested, not wanting an unknown wizard to suddenly show up demanding the card.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Albert assured her, glancing at the Runic text on the card: Extraordinarium Potionmakers' Association.
If he wasn't bothered by the Ministry's owls, Albert would find another way to return the membership card to its rightful owner.
And if he was framed for something, he would wait for the owner to clear up the misunderstanding before returning it.
Speaking of which, were all these potionmakers incredibly wealthy? To go as far as to use gold for their membership cards seemed extravagant.
And to think that this membership card was also a magical artifact?
(End of Chapter)
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