Forbidden Waltz

The Voyage of Liberation

As the mask comes off Carlo, Viktor, too, takes off his. The truth about the forbidden love of the son of the Parisian merchant and the Russian cellist comes to light.

"Look at you shamelessly dancing with a lowborn cellist," grunts Vincent.

"My dear son, let us go to the party. Marry Alice, and I promise you that your life will be filled with only happiness," says Celine, holding Carlo's hand.

"No, Mother. I will not be forced into this institution. I will not sacrifice my love, my happiness to be a part of this elite group of people who don't care about anyone else," says Carlo as he lets go of Celine's hand. "Viktor is the love of my life, and I will love him till my last day on this Earth. He is who I want to be with, not your bunch of well-dressed, diamond-necked clowns."

Carlo holds Viktor's hand and declares his love, "I, Sir Carlo Beaumont, openly declare my love for Viktor Pavlov, the best cellist and the best person I have ever met in my life."

"Please, don't do this. For a minute, I can think about your interest if this cellist was someone of our rank, but he is a lowborn," says Vincent.

"Mother was a lowborn too. Did you have any problem with that, Father?" questions Carlo.

Vincent and Celine are left thunderstruck.

"Answer me, Mother. Aren't you a lowborn? Born in Echelle Street, a Cour des Miracles in Paris? Betrayed your friend and love, Giselle, to marry the Monsieur. And Father, where did this lowborn concept go when you married my mother? Or was the heat of your hormones so high that it blinded you?"

"Enough. This is not the appropriate place to talk about this," says Vincent.

"But it is appropriate for you to crash the fair and insult my love in front of the Parisians?"

"Son, please, stop," cries Celine.

"Where were these tears, Mother? Where were these tears when you were separating the love of my life from me? Where were these tears when you betrayed your love for money, power, and reputation? Didn't your lips shiver a little? Didn't your heart pound a bit harder? All my life, I listened to you. I did whatever you said, even if it made me miserable. Not today, Mother. I want an answer from you and Father. Didn't your lowborn status affect both of you?"

"I never wanted to marry Celine," says Vincent.

Celine looks at Vincent with surprise.

"It was supposed to be just for a night, but then she got pregnant with Claire. I had to marry her."

The whole crowd exclaims, and murmurs are heard. Celine falls to her knees and cries.

"I told you, Mother, the walls of this empire will come tumbling down one day. I think your reign is over," says Carlo.

"Enough of this drama. Leave the hand of that cellist and let us go home, Carlo," yells Vincent.

"No, Father."

"If you choose to hold that hand, then think that the doors to my mansion will forever be closed to you."

"I choose to close the door of your mansion and open the door of a new life with my Viktor."

As Celine looks up, she sees a ring on Viktor's hand. She gets up and asks, "Where did you get this ring from?"

"It belonged to my mother, Madame," answers Viktor.

"When I was a kid, I had this same ring. Giselle and I had this same ring."

Viktor is surprised by her words. "My mother's name is Ekaterina, not Giselle."

"Ekaterina!"

"Enough of this delusion, Mother. Stop bothering us. Don't start anything now," says Carlo. "Let us go home, Viktor. Our home."

Vincent comes forward and says, "Carlo, if you choose this life with Viktor, consider me dead."

"Rest in peace, Father," says Carlo.

A broken Vincent walks out of the crowd, knowing everything has ended and his reign is over.

Celine, however, doesn't give up her attitude and tells the couple, "Remember what I said. The world doesn't run with love; it runs with power. My reign and this empire might be over, but neither will your world be disaster-free. Mark my words."

Saying this, she leaves.

"Let us go home," says Carlo. "Our home."

Viktor smiles at him, and they walk amidst the crowd.

Claire comes in front of them and says, "Wherever you go, whatever you do, always be happy. Remember that Omer and I will always be there for you."

"I saw the passion for each other in your eyes. That day at the train station, I was left flabbergasted by the love you hold for each other. I hope this love continues for eternity, and just like today, may the forbidden waltz be forever beautiful," says Omer.

Carlo hugs Claire and Omer and leaves with Viktor, holding his hand.

As Carlo and Viktor reach Viktor's place, the painter stops them and says, "You cannot live here. I cannot allow you to stay here anymore."

"But why?" questions Viktor.

"Because of the sin you are committing. A man and a man is a sin, and I will not let such sin take place under my roof."

"Sure. At least, let us carry our belongings," says Carlo.

"Do it quickly, and after that, I have to splash holy water across the room," says the painter.

They enter the room where their love had taken the first breath. They look around and see the couch where they kissed for the first time, the table where they ate bread and butter for the first time, the portraits that they painted of each other, and all the other memories.

"Where will we go, Carlo?" asks Viktor.

"Somewhere only we know," says Carlo as he holds Viktor and starts packing everything.

At the mansion, Eric leaves because Carlo is not there anymore. He hopes to travel somewhere nice where he can work and start a new life.

Celine sits on her rocking chair thinking about all the things she did to maintain the reputation. She recalls the betrayal she gave to Giselle. She gets up, opens the wardrobe, and takes out a small wooden box. Inside the box is a portrait of her and Giselle when they were young. She takes a look at Giselle, who resembles Viktor very much. She throws the portrait in the fireplace and says, "If whatever I did was a sin, then so be it. The world is just a sinful place filled with sinners judging other sinners for sinning differently," and goes back to sit on her rocking chair.

At dawn, Carlo and Viktor leave Paris on a train and travel to Marseille. They arrange a boat, and Viktor sits on it.

"Ready?" asks Carlo as he pushes the boat into the water.

Viktor extends his hand to hold Carlo, and he climbs on the boat.

Carlo paddles the oar, and Viktor plays "Fur Elise" on his cello as the boat waltzes away from the French land, where the two lovers can start a new life.

"Walls, paintings and photo frames in the museum
Just like that you dangled on my memory
Not moving and still, you looked directly into my eyes
And I was mesmerized by the mystery treasured in them
In between the jocund jamboree, I gazed attentively
Every curve on your hand, every crease on your shirt, and every strand of your hair
Something like being possessed by the arrow of Eros in vivo
I was charmed by the invisible hyperbola of your lips
Just like the smile of Mona Lisa"

- Carlo to Viktor