[ The smile isn’t missed, and if anything, it encourages Emil to sink deeper into the role. He huffs out what may be the ghost of a laugh, to acknowledge how preposterous that is. All those years of careful oversight spurned as a bother. ]

I never troubled with anything that wasn’t mine to begin with. But if you feel so haunted on my stage...

[ Emil points that odd-looking sword forward. ]

Then you may die by the hand of the Phantom of the Operetta!

[ ... Okay, he can admit a musical accompaniment there would’ve been nice. ]