Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

There was a deafening silence that befell the audience as they gazed at the now closed curtains with a mixture of emotions in their eyes.

They sat still, frozen by the intensity of the story they had witnessed and immersed in the emotions portrayed by the actors who brought these characters to life. Some people in the crowd shed tears, and others were left speechless by what they had just experienced.

However, none of the people present there could deny how powerful this production was and how deeply moved they felt by this theatrical performance that conveyed the beauty, sorrow, and tragedy of human existence.

In the end, applause rang throughout the theater hall, along with shouts of praise and encouragement from the audience members, signaling that they approved of this play.

In the VIP box, Scarlet and Cecil had their eyes red and moist as they buried their faces into Asher's chest, too absorbed in their emotions.

They had been touched by the tragic ending and had felt the pain that the characters went through.

"It wasn't supposed to end this way..." Scarlet commented, her voice quivering and heavy with emotion.

On the other hand, Cecil couldn't find the words to express how she felt about this drama, as her heart was still aching from the sorrow caused by watching Princess Sarina die.

Cecil looked at Scarlet, who had tears in her eyes, and shook her head, a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Scarlet, I realized how fortunate I am."

"Huh?" Scarlet tilted her head to the side and stared at Cecil with confusion written all over her face. "What do you mean?"

"This play again made me realize how blessed I am to have both of you by my side, and I don't want to lose you two over some misunderstanding. Just like always, I'll treasure each moment spent with you and never hold secrets from you two." Cecil stated, her tone filled with sincerity and honesty.

Upon hearing that declaration, Scarlet wiped away her tears and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I agree with you. I never thought that something like this would affect me so much. But watching this play made me realize that even the best relationships can go wrong if one person keeps everything bottled up inside and doesn't communicate with the other person.

If Elaine and Princess Sarina had just talked with each other about their feelings sooner, then things wouldn't have ended up this way. At least they would have known about each other's feelings towards Aiden and found a solution to the problem. It makes me wonder how different their lives would have been if they hadn't hidden their emotions from each other."

Cecil nodded and added, "It really is a tragic tale indeed... I hope that no one experiences something like this in the future, as it hurts my heart even just thinking about it. And... I also hope that we can stay like this forever, without any disagreements or misunderstandings between us."

"Hey, don't worry about it! Nothing's going to change between us, no matter what happens in the future." Scarlet assured with confidence shining in her eyes, placing her hands on top of Cecil's as she gazed straight into her eyes.

The two girls smiled at each other, feeling comforted by their mutual understanding and friendship, before turning their attention towards Asher, as he remained silent throughout their whole conversation, which made them curious about his thoughts regarding this play.

They were both taken aback when they saw his face had a strange expression on it, and Scarlet couldn't help but ask, "Um... Asher, is everything alright with you? Is there something wrong?"

However, she received no reply from him. Instead, Asher's expression darkened further as his eyes glinted with bloodlust, sending chills down Scarlet and Cecil's spines.

"Asher?" Cecil called out his name in a timid voice, and this time, he reacted to her calling him, turning his face towards her while still wearing that same enigmatic look on his face.

She gasped when their gazes met, finding herself unable to break away from the intense stare in his eyes that seemed to penetrate her very soul and leave her exposed for all the world to see. "Um... Can you please tell me what's bothering you? I'm worried about you..."

Seeing the troubled look on Cecil's face, Asher calmed himself and forced a smile. He let out a long sigh and answered her question in a low voice filled with suppressed rage, "This play... It reminded me of something horrible that happened in the past..."

The girls were stunned when they heard these words coming out of Asher's mouth, especially Scarlet, who couldn't help but become curious about what could have caused him to react in such a manner after watching this dramatic play.

"Asher, what do you mean by that? Tell me!" Scarlet pressed for answers, her curiosity getting the better of her, making her forget about Cecil's warning glance.

"Scarlet, don't pry too much."

However, Asher raised a hand and said, "No, it's alright.

Besides, this is something that both of you should be aware of since I don't want either of you to be ignorant about people who are worse than the villains in this story." He paused for a moment to clear his throat before continuing with a serious tone, "What I am going to tell you two now is a real-life story, so there won't be any exaggeration involved.

It happened many years ago, when I was still a kid, and it's something I haven't spoken about for a long time. However, this play brought back many unpleasant memories for me, which is why I am telling you two about it now."

He took a deep breath and said, "I once knew a young noble lady who was engaged to marry a duke's son who lived nearby. But one day, the young noble lady was saved by a handsome and charismatic young man during an attempted kidnapping by bandits while traveling in her carriage.

This young man was such a gentleman, treating her with respect, kindness, and consideration that she developed feelings for him despite the fact that she was already engaged to be married soon. Yet she couldn't get over the feelings that she had for this young man, even though she tried hard to push them aside.

It was because this young man made her feel loved, appreciated, and cherished whenever they were together. However, the young man was always a dense guy who refused to notice her feelings for him and kept treating her like a close friend, which only made the young noble lady grow even more attached to him, to the point where she forgot all about her previous engagement."

He let out a deep sigh and continued, "One day, the young noble lady mustered up all her courage and confessed her true feelings towards him. However, her confession was ignored by the young man, who shied away from her advances. She was devastated and hurt beyond belief, but she still clung on to some small amount of hope that maybe things could be changed.

Afterward, she continued to try to win his love, but every attempt failed as he always acted close yet never reciprocated her feelings, which drove her crazy. So, in the end, she couldn't handle the pain of marrying someone else and hanged herself in her bedroom, leaving a suicide note behind with a short message that said, 'I love you.'"

"Wait... that's..." Scarlet interjected in shock.

"Yes, Scarlet, that is exactly how the play ended."

Hearing what Asher had told them, the two girls' faces became pale as their hearts trembled with pain. They looked at each other, exchanging glances, before facing him again as they waited patiently for him to continue.

"However, that's not even the worst part of this story. Do you know what happened next?"

Cecil gulped nervously before shaking her head while watching Asher's face contort in anger and frustration.

"After that young noble lady killed herself, the young man felt guilty about her death. Thus, he went to visit her parents and apologized profusely for being such a blind fool when it came to other people's feelings, telling them how sorry he was that he could not return their daughter's love and asking for their forgiveness for causing her so much pain that she felt the need to take her own life.

And you know what happened after that?"

The two girls didn't answer him, afraid of what he was going to reveal next.

"Whenever he meets someone, he often talks about this incident and how he was responsible for it. He even goes on to brag about how this poor girl fell in love with him and how he failed to reciprocate her feelings, making her commit suicide because of unrequited love. By telling this story to other people, he makes them sympathize with him and makes them pity him for being such a nice guy."

When Scarlet and Cecil heard this last part, their jaws dropped in disbelief, and they couldn't believe what they just heard.

"This young man... is a monster. He uses that poor girl's death as a weapon to gain sympathy and manipulate those around him to make himself seem better than he is." Cecil grimaced.

"Yes. That's why I hate the people who act heroic and righteous, like that knight Aiden." Asher gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with malice. "If you want to pretend to be a hero, at least have the decency to live up to those expectations. If you make a mistake, then at least learn to take responsibility for your actions instead of acting as though you are innocent in everything.

He should have taken responsibility for sleeping with Princess Sarina and at least acknowledged it. But instead, he rejected her and acted heroic by proclaiming that he only loved Elaine, when he should have owned up to his mistake. Because of that, he caused her to lose her sanity and die."

The girls nodded, agreeing with him. They both understood how terrible this kind of person could be and vowed never to associate themselves with someone like that in the future.