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nAs it was the last day of the festival, I thought there would not be many people, but the streets were full of the crowds, such as dating couples beautifully dressed up, laughing children cruising through the crowds, pendlers shouting at the passers-by to buy their products, street musicians and dancers, and the spectators.

nI and Allendis were among the crowds. I breathlessly looked around here and there. As there were so many things to watch, I couldn’t figure out what to see first. Allendis smiled, watching me looking around absent-mindedly.

n“What do you think? Isn’t it much different from the banquet at the Imperial Palace? ”

n“Absolutely. So many wonderful things and attractions around me.”

nIt was really amazing. In the past, I had never experienced anything like this because I was busy taking classes on the empress or trying to avoid the fate of becoming the queen.

nUnlike the palace banquet, where they played music, danced and talked in a calm atmosphere, the festivals of the common people were more dynamic and vibrant even without music or dance. I wandered from place to place and enjoyed watching lots of things. I listened to the songs by street musicians, looked into the foods made from unknown ingredients and looked at the nondescript products displayed for sale on the makeshift stands.

n“Isn’t it fun, Tia?”

n“Yes. I wish I had come out earlier.”

n“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”

nAfter smiling at him, I looked around again, wondering if there was anything else worth watching. At that moment, I noticed a place where lots of people gathered. I heard someone yelling at them to come quickly as the show would start soon.

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n‘What is going to begin there?’ When I looked at them closely, I saw them who were in line going into a large makeshift tent.

n“Allen, let’s go there.”

n“Sure.”

nAlthough lots of people were waiting, they began to move in quickly, so we could go in no time. Even before I went around, the first thing that caught my eye was a white cloth.

n‘Why did they block one side like that? Don’t they need a stage to perform? ‘

nI was puzzled, but I found a seat. People gathered together sat, facing the white cloth draped from the top of the tent to the floor. As soon as I sat down with him, there was an announcement that the show was about to start. People chatting here and there paid their attention to the white cloth. When the entrance to the tent was closed, the inside quickly became dark.

nShortly afterwards only the white fabric was brightly lit. Perhaps somebody lit a candle behind it.

n“Thank you for coming to the Shadow on the last day of the festival. Now, we’re starting.”

nA shadow of a female doll appeared on the white cloth.

n‘Oh, this is the so-called shadow play I have only heard about.’

nI was wondering what it was about, so I focused on the shadow of the woman. My eyes sparkled.

n“Well, I don’t want to get married yet.”

nThere lived a beautiful girl in a village. Lots of village youths tried to win over her heart, but she rejected everybody including a handsome guy, a rich guy and a noble guy. Some said that the woman was too picky, others said she had a hidden lover. Her parents asked why, but the woman always shook her head and refused to answer. What was the reason that she refused to reveal to her parents?

nIn fact, the woman had a guy that she loved. But she couldn’t tell her parents about the man because she didn’t know the man’s name, appearance, age and location. She didn’t know anything about the man.

nThe only thing she knew about a man was what was written in the man’s letters delivered to her two or three times a week. She was very anxious to know where he lived, what he looked like and what his name was, but the man never showed up.

n“Oh, my cursed blood!”

nThe shadow of the woman disappeared, and the shadow of a young man appeared.

n‘Is that the guy who sends her letters?’ I focused on the shadow with excitement.

nThere was a young man living in the village right next to her village. He was loved by young women because he was handsome and smart. Although he was a man of excellent talent from a prestigious family, he could not succeed the family because he was a concubine’s son.

n“If it wasn’t for my blood… ”

nThe young man had a brother. He was not handsome or smart as his brother. He was physically weak, to say the least. Nevertheless, it was this elder brother who would succeed the family because he was the son of his father’s official wife. The young man was frustrated and angry, but he was helpless.

nOne day, the young man’s elder brother who stopped by the next village began to get sick.

nWhen his parents asked the doctor, they heard he had mental sickness, and there was no medicine to cure it. In the end, his father urged him to find out the reason.

nThe cause of his brother’s sickness was lovesickness. He fell in love with the woman at first sight, but he didn’t have the nerve to confess to her, and he became lovesick.

nSo, his father promised him that he would certainly help his son marry the woman.

nBut his younger brother, who was strongly opposed to his elder brother’s marriage to the woman, decided to find fault with her in order to nullify his father’s promise. So, he went to the neighboring village and began to keep an eye on her. However, rather than finding fault with her, the young man suddenly fell in love with the woman.

n< Dear Lyria, Please forgive my rudeness as I'm writing to you without revealing my name. I am an ordinary young man who loves you. Although I tried not to reveal my heart to the end, I've decided to write to convey my affectionate feelings to you. Would you please have mercy and allow me to send you a letter? If you tie your head in a knot when you take a walk in the village tomorrow, I understand that you have granted my request. Sincerely, Anonymous.>

nAs his father chose her as his elder son’s bride, the young man could not show up in front of the woman, so he tried to give up, but couldn’t. The day after he wrote her a letter after hesitating again and again. The young man who could not sleep at all from anxiety was pacing up and down the next morning.

nHowever, even though he waited all day long, the woman did not appear until dusk. As the disappointed young man drooped his shoulders and tried to return home, he saw the woman trudging across the town. She had her hair tied together.

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nAll throughout the season, the young man kept writing to the woman. The more letters he sent to her, the more he came to love her. The more he imagined the woman expecting to receive his letter, and the more he imagined her blushing whenever she received his letter, the more he agonized.

nIn the end, the young man burned with hatred of his brother, who stood in the way of his relationship with the woman, and he was in agony.

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n‘Shall I kill him? Without my brother, I can take everything. My family, wealth and honor, and the woman.’

n‘No, no. Am I crazy? How can I kill my brother because of her? He has cherished me since I was young!’

nAs the shadow of the agonizing young man stumbled away, the first act of the play was over. It was bright a bit inside during the intermission because they reopened the entrance.

n‘It’s interesting in that it is a play making use of the shadows, and the scenario of the play is very solid. How will it unfold in the second act?’ I was very excited.

n“Allen.”

n“… ”

n“Allen?”

n“Oh, yes. Tia, did you call me?”

nEven though the first act was over, Allendis, who was staring at the front, looked back at me only after I called him several times. What was he thinking about so hard?

nI asked, “What are you thinking?”

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