I had finally arrived at the hall the other courtesans within the group led by my maid had been talking about. It was a huge hall, which surprised me since it was almost comparable to the 21^st century. As I followed the group, I observed the dancers wearing heavily decorated dresses moving elegantly on the stage like flowers, entertaining their guests. I had overheard that this was the biggest hall in the Lotus Pavilion for entertainment purposes. The guests consisted of old, powerful men or common boys who had some wealth to spend. And I could hear the immature voices yelling out the girl’s names, probably the names of the girls dancing on the stage.

The Lotus Pavilion was known for being the entertainment hub in District D. Only a few individuals ever visited from the upper districts, but if they did, they would only come here for the pavilion. The Lotus Pavilion held the most prestigious courtesans who had been widowed or girls who were willing to sell themselves to make a living.

As I awaited my turn backstage, this was the information I had gathered from the dancing group that I had walked in with me. It seemed like I was the final single act, which might be because of being a high-ranking courtesan. Speaking of which, I was curious if this body ever slept with someone, I mean, there is no other reason why the predecessor became a high-ranking courtesan, I thought, with the corners of my mouth twitching into an ironic smile. This topic needed some thorough investigation. This body would have played its cards right and landed this influential position, but the question still lingered in my mind: what had this body done to achieve this status?

Just then, the previous dancing group vanished from the stage, appearing backstage, and the group beside me made their way to the stage per announcement. I sighed this meant that my turn was coming up sooner. There wasn’t anything I could do but dance, and I wouldn’t be able to see the audience, which saved me an act of pretending in front of those men. As I stood there with my heightened hearing, I couldn’t help but try listening to those women standing near me whispering. It was always nice to have some information, even if it seemed useless.

I could overhear the buzzing environment of the hub and the soft laughter the ladies made ever so often. I had to focus on the delicate footsteps near me to make sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way. The longer I stayed backstage, I could smell the heavy incense hanging in the air. Just then, I heard this bitter voice from behind me, “If it isn’t courtesan Jun., I can’t wait to see how you mess up your dance. As a high-ranking courtesan, you should live up to your name. These men waiting outside have high expectations for you”.

I remained silent, not wanting to converse with the individual. I could sense their hostility, the venom in their tone, but I didn’t know their motive. However, I didn’t need to see the speaker of the voice to know what kind of person they were. An individual who was eager to see me fall, what had this body done to them?

I took a deep breath. Rather than responding immediately, I let the silence linger for a few seconds. This gave me a moment to consider the options of how to handle the individual speaking to me.

Finally, I responded with a calm and composed expression. “It’s flattering to know you’re paying such close attention to me.” I continued, amused, “But you should know anticipating failure is more disappointing than failure itself.”

I could hear the audible gasp the voice let out. It seemed they were shocked at my confident and composed response. Was the previous owner perhaps not good at taunting?

“The lady has to attend to someone today, unlike yourself, so we will get going,” another voice responded, ignoring my taunts, most likely a maid. But they seemed flustered, seeing they didn’t have a proper response for me. Finally, I had confirmed they had left, following the sounds of their hurried footsteps.

My lips twitched, wanting to break into a grin. Ah, it was best not to give the other person satisfaction even if I’m the one at a disadvantage, not now, not ever. I was blind but not powerless if I possessed my brain. That’s how I’d survived in the previous wretched world.

The time passed by unknowingly during the conversation with the other courtesan, which left me with deep thoughts. Just then, a voice called out to me, “Jun-sama, please be ready it’s almost time. The audience is waiting”.

I nodded towards the voice, allowing the voice to guide me to the stage. As I walked closer, I could hear the loud crowd from behind the curtains, which I had to admit made me nervous, but I had to steel myself since I knew this wasn’t the worst I had to experience as a blind courtesan this was probably just the starting.

A fan with a cloth attached was placed in my hand by the guide. I smiled, thanking them for it. This was most likely an item used during the dance, and somehow, I felt extremely familiar with it.

“Good luck, Jun-sama,” the guide said before walking away back to her position. I almost instantly took my position on the stage as I heard the wheels moving, making the curtains part of the stage.

The audience’s murmurs reached my ears; it was as if they had been silenced as soon as I was shown. I didn’t need to see to know what kind of people came here. What intrigued me more was the peculiarity of this body and the muscle memory that was guiding me as if I knew the whole routine of the dance. It was as if it appeared out of nowhere in my mind like a foresight.

I instinctively began dancing as the folk music started playing in the background. I could hear the strum of instruments loud and clear. I turned gracefully at the rhythm, making the silk fan and the ribbon flow with me like extensions of my body. I faced the audience smoothly, throwing the fan in the air and catching it in the other hand effortlessly as I spun.

My dress billowed around me as the ribbon swirled, looking like petals flowing in the air. I leaped into the air with a perfect split and twisted my body mid-air, dragging along the streak of the ribbon. I slowly transitioned into a needle pose, fully balancing my body on one leg, showcasing my flexibility to the public. I turned again at the rhythm, making the ribbon float with me.

I stood facing the audience, manipulating the fan with ease, tossing it in the air and catching it as it moved along my fingers. I spun one last time, and the ribbon soared above me in an arc, painting a beautiful image for the audience.

The audience was silent, but I knew that I had done awesome work as I could feel their gazes locked onto me. The amount of work the previous owner of the body had put into the dance could be seen.

A few seconds later, the audience erupted into applause for me, but I knew better than to expect anything from this situation. I knew in their eyes I was nothing but a widowed courtesan whose duties were only to attend to men. I now understood why the previous owner seemed to have a meek personality; their pride as a man had long left, and they knew they had to do anything to survive. Even if it meant getting on their knees. As I realized this, an emotion appeared in my heart, choking me up. I touched my chest, feeling my heart stifling. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on the past of this body; I had to think of my plan in detail. A plan to get me out of this situation, a way to use my influential position for the better.

I broke out in a grin, exhilarated by the attention I received from the audience. “Good”, I whispered. This was an opportunity for me to raise my reputation and get people working under me. Who wouldn’t want to work under a beautiful courtesan?

I stood there receiving the applause calmly, considering my next move. This body hadn’t been trained to defend itself that’s why my maid had to call the guards to drag the disturbing man away. I clenched my fists; it was frustrating that I had turned blind, but I had to find a way to live with it. The information I had received till now wasn’t enough—I needed more about the world and the strong forces. And the key to all of this was power.

Just then, I had resolved to get stronger and train this body.