Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ Gankutsuou Reborn ❯ Two Letters And A Young Man's Decision ( Chapter 1 )

CHAPTER ONE: Two Letters And A Young Man's Decision

12 June, 5060

My dearest Albert,

I must apologize for not responding to your letter, and it's been three months since you sent this. It is only now that my manager handed your letter to me. A fool, that LeFortin! He mistook your missive as having come from one of my most ardent admirers. Overprotective idiot kept all my letters in order that any (in his terms!) budding romances will not distract me from my music while on tour. As if that were remotely possible. You know very well that I am made of much stronger stuff than that.

The concert circuit was a lot more rigorous than I expected, but I have no regrets. I am living and breathing my fondest dreams. I am playing the music that I love and sharing them with people from distant planets. I'm sure you understand my sentiments, being just as well traveled as I am in your profession as aide to the Paris ambassador to the Empire. Between you and me, I had even started writing the music to that opera I was telling you about.

I am playing a series of concerts in Luna right now. How long has it been since you last came here? Was it six, seven years ago? Well, Luna hasn't changed much in that time. Ruffian and bandits still roam the streets. LeFortin hired bodyguards for us to discourage any kidnapping attempts. The man who had abducted you – Luigi Vampa (?) is his name, if I remember correctly – he is now the No. 1 Most Wanted Man in Luna.

What am I doing? The last thing I want is to dredge up bad memories. That trip to Luna was the last you shared with Franz, and where you met him. However, something happened to me here that I believe you should know. I already wrote to dear Haydee in Janina earlier. I am down to my last two pages of letter paper, so I'd better get right to it.

At the insistence of LeFortin, I went to this nightclub tonight called La Decadenza. He wanted me to listen to a singer performing there every night. The star attraction, not only of the club, but of the entire city as well, and with good reason. I've performed with many of the opera greats, but I've never heard a voice like his. To say it was angelic was an understatement. His voice possessed a great power that lets you feel the emotions in the song. Would you believe that he had the gall to write lyrics to the song I had composed for you? But to hear him sing it, with those sad lyrics… I'm telling you, not a single dry eye could be found among the audience, including my own. His voice soothed the fear inside my heart.

"You felt fear?" you might ask. I won't deny it. I was afraid, especially when I beheld his face for the first time. I swear I thought my heart was going to give way right then and there. I went up on stage (which took a lot of courage on my part) to get a close look at him. At first, I thought I was wrong. His youth was undeniable. He is the same age as you. However, call it that blasted intuition that all women possess, I could not be mistaken.

Albert…it was he! Your old friend! The man who took Franz's life and nearly ruined ours!

I know you'll probably tell me that it's impossible, that he couldn't be alive. That he perished during the siege of Paris. But his remains were never recovered from the ruins of No. 30 Champs Elysee, were they? Only your father's body was found.

Still, same as you when you had first met him, I could not help but like this young singer. Behind his kind smile lay a deep sorrow that I could not even imagine. Part of it, I think, has something to do with his employer, Claudio Tintoretto, the owner of La Decadenza. Tintoretto's possessiveness of his star makes LeFortin seem like an angel in comparison. I've heard that he and Tintoretto were lovers. If this were true, I don't think he would allow his beloved to sleep with other men. An unsavory gentleman named Gasparde admitted to me that he had availed of the 'services' of Luna's Nightingale.

Albert, I do not know why I am writing all this to you. You know that I believe that bad memories are best left buried in the past. But this exquisitely talented singer… I cannot help but feel that, somehow, he is calling out for help with that beautiful voice of his. I can't do anything for him, as I'm right in the middle of a tour. I know that you are due for a vacation from the Embassy. I am hoping that you would come to Luna to see him, to hear him sing. I want you to be able to tell me that I was wrong, that this young man is not your old friend.

But if I am right… Albert, please do be careful. Not only with Tintoretto, but more so with him. It is not my desire to reopen old wounds, but it would not help to be certain that he had not returned from the dead to haunt our lives once more.

All my love,
Eugenie

~~~~~~~~~~

Albert,

I just received Eugenie's letter, and I must admit that it has given me great cause for concern. For this young singer to be him… In spite of everything that had happened, I had continued to wait and to hope for his return. Could this be the answer to my prayers?

Unfortunately, political tension here in Janina is preventing me from going to Luna. However, I had already spoken to Bertuccio and Baptistin at length about this, and they are eager to make the journey.

Just tell me when you're leaving for Luna and I'll make certain that Bertuccio and Baptistin meet you there. I will follow as soon as I'm able.

Forever your friend,
Haydee

~~~~~~~~~~

Albert Herrera, the former Viscount de Morcerf, carefully replaced the two letters in their respective envelopes. With a sigh of mild exasperation, he leaned back against his velvet-padded chair.

Pouting, the twenty-two year old Ambassador's aide muttered under his breath, "I can't believe these women! Already making presumptions that I'll be going to Luna when I have yet to decide on it."

But Albert had to admit his curiosity had been piqued. He expected that kind of a response from Haydee. After all, great was her emotional attachment to the man who had freed her from slavery and helped her get revenge for her parents' deaths. Eugenie, however, was a different matter. A strong willed woman to begin with, she would be the last to admit to possessing the noted 'intuition' of the fairer sex. She was, without a doubt, shaken by her encounter with this enigmatic singer of La Decadenza.

" 'The last thing I want is to dredge up bad memories,' " Eugenie had written in her letter.

"Ah, but I couldn't forget now, could I?" Albert declared to his spacious office. "I promised him that I will remember everything that happened during that tragic summer seven years ago."

He laid his hand over his forehead as he gazed at the carvings on the ceiling. How could I forget when I know now that I had loved him, just as my mother had?

It had been Franz who had realized that his boyish fascination was something much deeper. In his attempt to save his best friend from the object of his obsession, he had sacrificed his life in a duel that he knew he would not survive from. And yet, in his last letter, he had urged Albert to be true to his heart and to pursue the course that it dictated. But even that path had led to death and not the salvation of a betrayed soul. It was only much later that he had learned from Maximilien Morrel that poor Franz's affections for him went beyond friendship.

Albert gave his beating chest a hard rap with his fist. Curse this foolish heart! Why didn't you fall in love with Franz instead, or Eugenie? Why did you have to fall in love with him?

A knock on his door shook him out of his troubled thoughts. Getting himself back in order, Albert called, "Yes, come in."

It was the Ambassador's executive secretary. "The Ambassador wishes to see you, Monsieur Herrera."

Albert leaped to his feet and went around his desk, going towards the plump middle-aged woman. Giving her a playful hug, he said cheerfully, "Let's go together, Elena."

A blush went up the secretary's cheeks as she and the exuberant aide headed off to the ambassador's office, which was located at the fourth floor of the Embassy building. As they went, Albert was elated by the smiles he encountered along the way. It had not been like this before. The Embassy staff previously looked at him with hostility, the stigma that came with the false title 'De Morcerf.' When he changed his family name to that of his mother's and slowly climbed up the ranks through patience and hard work, he eventually earned the respect of all. And he owed it all to the man who had summoned him.

Reaching the office at last, Elena opened the door for him, without even knocking, and he went inside.

Ambassador Alain DeQuervain was looking over the drafts of economic treaties he intended to propose to the Ambassador of the Empire. A broad smile brightened his gaunt face, seeing his trusted aide.

"Oh, Albert, please have a seat!" DeQuervain gestured to the chair before his desk.

Sitting down, Albert inquired, "Anything I can do for you, Ambassador?"

DeQuervain gave him a measuring look before settling back in his plush armchair. "I'll go straight to the point, Albert. I'm sure you've heard of Benilde Maurier's retirement."

"The Paris Ambassador to Luna? Yes, sir. I have."

"Well, I was asked by the French Council as to who would be the best man to replace him," DeQuervain carefully began. "I gave them your name."

Albert's jaw dropped instantly. He felt like he had been hit on the head with a bat. "Sir, I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but surely there are others who are more qualified to the position."

"There is no one with the impeccable credentials that you possess. Truth be told, our present peaceful relationship with the Empire could not have been attained without your able assistance. Plus, another factor in your favor is your youth. Luna is a progressive nation, and France needs an ambassador who possesses the flexibility and the capacity to adapt to that ever-changing society."

"But what about…my family history? I don't think the Council would approve…"

"Actually, they didn't. However, I most certainly did not recommend anyone else for the post. Besides that, I strongly impressed upon the members of the Council the simple fact that the sins of the father are not that of the son's. They never questioned my judgment before. I see no reason for them to question it now."

Albert was humbled by the man's overwhelming confidence in him. "Monsieur Alain…I don't know what to say."

"All I want to hear from you, my boy, is a yes. And, perhaps, a small promise that you won't disappoint me?" DeQuervain said this with a knowing wink.

Eugenie's letter suddenly entered Albert's mind. "Monsieur Alain…I want to ask…have you ever heard of the 'Nightingale of Luna'?"

"Why, yes! From Benilde, in fact. A talented young man with the face and voice of an angel. Benilde somehow managed to record one of his performances in secret. It seems his employer is overprotective of his star's talent. Would you like to listen?"

Albert brightened at that suggestion. "Yes, I would love to very much, Sir."

DeQuervain turned off the piano piece he was listening to and selected a track on his computer. As the opening notes began to play, Albert recognized the song as a popular love ballad in Luna. Then, the Nightingale himself began to sing, and Albert found his jaw dropping for the second time.

No word could describe the richness of the man's voice. From the low notes of the baritone, he could soar to the countertenor range with fluid ease. And he had to agree with Eugenie. He could feel his heart beating rapidly with the emotions that were being aroused in him. Indeed, this man was no ordinary singer.

DeQuervain noticed the rapturous expression on his protégé's face. "What do you think, my boy? Does his voice not make you feel that you are in the highest heavens?"

"He is amazing!" Albert gushed excitedly. "Even the great opera legend Ludivigo Cassal's voice could not compare to his!"

"How did you learn of the 'Nightingale of Luna', if I may ask?"

"Eugenie Danglars mentioned him to me in her letter that I just received this afternoon. She never told me his name though."

"His name is Etienne Delacroix. And I know that if there's anyone who could recognize a musical gift, it's definitely Mademoiselle Danglars." DeQuervain swiftly threw the bait at his enrapt young aide. "You know, Albert. If you accept the post in Luna, you will be able to hear Etienne sing. Perhaps, you could even meet him."

With Etienne Delacroix's voice filling that empty place inside his heart that was once occupied by a mysterious man with a dark, haunted past, Albert seized the ambassador's offer with both hands and an enthusiastic smile.

"Yes, Monsieur Alain. I accept the post as the new Ambassador to Luna."

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TO BE CONTINUED…