Charlotte's Feelings / Watching Gekidan Shiki's "Ghost & Lady"

Oh, Jack!
To say, "Let's elope"—
you finally said those words.

There is no way I am not happy.
Jack is manly, kind, sweet, and
above all, he worships me like a goddess.

But what should I do?
Where would we go?
Run away to some countryside, live in a shabby hut,
with my hands chapped and raw,
raising children who cry and wail?

Can I no longer stand on stage?

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"

If we run, "that man" will surely find us.
And he might kill you.
No matter where we run, he will follow.
Oh, Jack!
To think you would be killed!

Tonight, Jack will be waiting for me.
But I cannot go.
I don't want to let you die.

How can I make "that man" satisfied?

"That man" has already
summoned the famous Parisian duelist, Chevalier d'Eon.

Then, I shall ask d'Eon to duel with Jack.

Jack will surely win.

I am a bird in a cage, unable to go anywhere.
I am one who can only sing within the cage.

I will not forget the small, sinful time I spent with you.
Rose-colored memories.

Please, I want you to live as yourself.

—

When told of the elopement

When Jack said, "Let's elope,"
what did Charlotte think?

There is no way she wasn't happy.
A man who is manly, kind, a bit simple-minded,
and above all, treats her like a goddess.

However, just by imagining the reality for a moment,
the word "impossible" flooded her mind.

And above all, if they ran, "that man" would surely follow.
No matter where they were.
And surely, Jack would be killed.

Charlotte was able to imagine a future where she lost Jack.

That is why she does not go.
She cannot go.

Instead, she sends d'Eon.

Was that a betrayal?
Or was it the only option left?

Paris's number one duelist, Chevalier d'Eon.
But if it were Jack, he might win.
At the very least, there is a possibility of survival compared to "just being killed."

I think Charlotte believed in his survival.
Not with certainty, but with a feeling close to prayer.

She always leaves room for choice.

The gin drinking contest was the same.
If she lost, she would obey; if she won, she would be free.
She does not allow for complete domination.

She does not respond to the elopement with rejection, but with a smile.
She turns the duel not into an execution, but into a fight.

That might be kindness,
or it might be cowardice.
Or perhaps it is a way of life she acquired to survive.

The only thing that is certain is that
Charlotte never once decided someone else's future
into a single shape with her own hands.

—

Finally

As a result,
Jack died because of this choice.

In Jack's life, which had been exploited,
taken from, and betrayed ever since he was born,

for the first time,
"the person who gave him room to choose in a way that was not exploitation"
—he lost that existence.

That is equivalent to losing the meaning of life.

And so, Jack became a ghost.