0 Prologue

Prologue Mr White's eyes narrowed as the curtain began to fall. On the stage, Swan Lake's prima ballerina looked exhausted as she took in the enthusiastic applause of the audience. Playing the dual roles of Odette, the beautiful swan princess, and Odile, the scheming black swan, was a huge undertaking. It had, no doubt, required incredible amounts of concentration and focus. White knew how the dancer felt. He had been playing two different parts for parts a long

序幕 幕布开始落下时，怀特先生眯起了眼睛。 舞台上，《天鹅湖》的首席芭蕾舞女演员接受着观众热烈的掌声，看上去疲惫不堪。 一人分饰美丽的天鹅公主奥德蒂和阴险的黑天鹅奥迪勒两个角色，是一项极为艰巨的任务。 毫无疑问，这需要超乎常人的专注力和精力。 怀特很清楚这位舞者的感受。 长久以来，他一直扮演着两个不同的角色，已经很长

time; keeping them separate had been diffcult and, at times, draining. Oh well. At least he wouldn't have to do it for much longer. The endgame was in sight. White looked at his two companions and shook his head. Fools, he thought. They're totally oblivious to the real reason we've come to see this ridiculous performance. He smiled. Not long now, though, until it all becomes painfully clear. It's only a matter of time until SHE turns up, with her simpering littlefriends in tow. Then, at last, the final stages of my plan can play out, and these two imbeciles will have served their purpose. He reached up and adjusted his hat. The blonde lady turned to face him. "Wasn't that FANTASTIC?" she said, her eyes still wide with excitement. "I'm not going to lie to you, I absolutely loved it," replied the Welsh woman, the enthusiasm in her voice taking White by surprise. "But we'd best get back to the hotel sharpish. We have an early start in the morning. I've booked us a private view of da Vinci's The Last Supper at that little church around the corner, but we need to be there before the crowds turn up. It's cost you a lot more than thirty pieces of silver, Mr Stone, so we should make sure you get your money's worth. He grunted and nodded his approval. Right then, let's go, lovelies," continued Nerys. "I've got a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

时间了；要让两个角色互不混淆，这常常十分困难，有时还让他筋疲力尽。 唉，算了。 至少他不用再这样撑多久了。 收官已经近在眼前。 怀特看向他的两个同伴，摇了摇头。 一群蠢货，他心想。 他们完全不知道我们来看这场荒唐演出的真正目的。 他笑了笑。 不过用不了多久，一切都会真相大白，让他们追悔不及。 她带着那帮假惺惺的小伙伴找来，只不过是时间问题。 到那时，我的计划就能进入最终阶段，这两个蠢货也总算物尽其用了。 他抬手扶了扶自己的帽子。 金发女士转过身面向他。 “这是不是太精彩了？” 她说道，眼睛还因为兴奋睁得大大的。 “我不骗你，我真的太喜欢这场演出了，”威尔士女人回答道，她语气里的热情让怀特吃了一惊。 “不过我们最好赶快回酒店。 我们明天一早就要动身。 我已经预约了转角那座小教堂里达芬奇《最后的晚餐》的私人观览，我们得赶在人潮涌来之前到那里。 这可比三十枚银币贵多了，斯通先生，我们得确保对得起花出去的钱。 他咕哝了一声，点头表示同意。 “那好了，我们走吧，亲爱的们，”内里斯继续说道。 “我有种感觉，明天会是忙碌的一天。”