NovelChina Chapter 166: No After Party Diva
Chapter 166: No After Party Diva
She tapped her tablet and checked the performance notes again.
No missed cues. No visible mistakes. No signs of vocal strain bad enough to threaten the next concert. Elisebeth’s breathing had been rough for a moment, but her tone remained strong.
Rias allowed herself the smallest smile.
She wasn’t her usual self today, but the moment she stepped onto the stage, she entered her element. I was worried for nothing.
The concert run had Elisebeth performing every two days, which meant she couldn’t enter the other world she loved: the fire, chaos, and stupidly addictive fun of the game.
Her gaming headset was tucked away in her private room like something she wanted to steal back from her own schedule, but the concerts usually ended too late for her to do anything meaningful with it. By the time she showered, ate, cooled down, and handled whatever business remained, her body needed sleep more than adventure.
The daytime schedule wasn’t any kinder. Vocal warmups, sound checks, rehearsals, styling, makeup, interviews, meetings, and small adjustments to stage direction all consumed her hours. Even the way she lifted the microphone had to look effortless while being anything but effortless.
All of it had left Elisebeth brittle.
A delayed drink could annoy her. A wrong makeup shade could earn a stare sharp enough to make the makeup artist rethink her life. A dancer stepping half a second too early could make Elisebeth’s voice drop into that calm, terrifying tone everyone on staff feared. Most of the crew had spent the day moving around her like people carrying trays near a sleeping tiger.
Then she stepped onto the catwalk, and all of that irritation, boredom, and exhaustion disappeared beneath the woman the audience had come to worship.
Her presence held the stadium until the very end of the concert, and Rias watched her drag eighty thousand people through another song with the faint pride of someone who knew exactly how much work hid beneath all that glamour.
That girl really was born for this.
At last, the concert ended.
The final song finished in a storm of lights, smoke, and applause loud enough to shake the stadium’s bones. Elisebeth stood at the center of it all, one arm raised and chest rising and falling as the audience poured their love over her.
She stayed there a moment longer than necessary, because a diva never rushed away from worship. Then she smiled, blew a kiss toward the crowd, and walked offstage while the cheering stayed loud even after she disappeared behind the curtain.
The moment she passed behind the curtain, several staff members moved in at once. A towel and a bottle of water appeared almost immediately, followed by praise for her performance, questions about what she needed, and confirmation that her dressing room could be cleared if she wanted privacy.
Elisebeth accepted the towel and dabbed lightly at her neck, careful not to disturb her makeup too much. Then she took a drink of water without smearing her lipstick. Even tired, she moved with the awareness of a woman who knew people were always watching.
Soon, she met up with the other singers she had featured with, artists who had performed with her that night.
Usually, Elisebeth would attend an after-party with them. That was how the industry worked. You smiled after the show, drank enough to seem friendly, laughed at jokes that didn’t deserve laughter, and made sure no one important felt ignored.
But today, or perhaps for the entire month, Elisebeth had no interest in any after-parties.
"...I’m not in the mood for after-parties. Forgive me," Elisebeth said sincerely.
Her tone was soft but final.
The other artists and their managers couldn’t find a single word to blame her with. She had carried the show and given the audience everything they wanted, so if Elisebeth wanted to disappear for the night, no one had the right to stop her.
They all accepted it and nodded, though one artist stepped forward anyway.
Her name was Natalie Brooks.
Natalie was on the same level as Elisebeth, with honey-brown hair falling in loose waves over one shoulder and a warm, teasing smile that had made countless interviews go viral. At first glance, she seemed friendly and easy to approach, but her eyes were too sharp for that sweet image to be the whole truth. She had survived the industry long enough to know when someone was hiding something.
Her black stage outfit had silver accents and hugged her soft curves without trying to compete with Elisebeth’s dress. It suited Natalie’s smoky voice and charming public image, making her look like someone who could laugh with you, flatter you, and still notice every stupid weakness you showed.
She was one of the few people in the industry who could tease Elisebeth without immediately making Elisebeth want to bite back. That alone said plenty.
They were friends, although in this business, friendship and rivalry were usually tangled together.
Even so, they were genuinely close.
Natalie walked over and wrapped an arm around Elisebeth’s shoulders, pulling her in with casual affection.
"Elise..." Natalie whispered near her ear. "Could it be that you’ve found someone?"
Elisebeth didn’t even blink.
"You really believe someone like that exists?" she replied without the slightest hesitation.
Natalie’s smile deepened.
Behind them, Rias watched with a proud expression.
Yes. You can’t expose any weakness. Martin is now your biggest mistake, and he can’t protect himself if those people take an interest in him.
Little did Rias know, there were three other celebrities ready to make a move should anyone from their world try to use Martin. One of them was so dangerous that her surname alone would be enough to scare off most people.
Still, it was best not to reveal too much.
Natalie chuckled and gently squeezed Elisebeth’s shoulder.
"A man matching you in every aspect might not appear, true," Natalie said, keeping her voice low enough that only Elisebeth could hear. "But we’re still women, and there’s one thing a woman can’t give herself alone."