Episode 12
“How was your meeting with the Duke, Miss Joyce?”
“It was a great fight!”
Luna must have been really curious because she came straight to my room the moment I got back and washed up.
“I’d love to hear more about it, but dinner’s ready. Are you planning to join us for the meal?”
“Hmmm… dinner…”
“You’re not uncomfortable eating with everyone, are you?”
Yikes. She’s more observant than I thought.
“No way! I was just thinking I should start watching my weight if I want to go back to acting. Haha…”
“That’s a bit early to worry about that. If you’re not uncomfortable, it would be nice if you joined us. Mother and Father have been waiting to meet you.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll get ready and come down.”
Yeah, right. Waiting, my foot. They’re probably getting ready to suffocate me again. I wonder what they’ll complain about this time. I grumbled while searching for something decent to wear but couldn’t find anything.
The nicer outfits had all been sent to Madame Anne for alterations, and the ones prepared by the Woodville family were way too revealing. I should’ve kept a few extra outfits for emergencies like this.
With no other choice, I put on one of the house dresses I had worn for a performance in Bria and dragged myself slowly toward the dining room.
They say the main character enters last—but honestly, I didn’t want to draw attention. I walked in quietly and politely greeted the Count and Countess.
“I’m sorry for being late again. I hope I haven’t wasted your precious time.”
When I looked up after bowing, the Count’s eyes had gone wide in surprise. I tilted my head, wondering what was wrong. Then he started stammering.
“Th-That outfit…”
Oops. Yeah, this dress is from Bria—but it didn’t need any alterations, so I didn’t think much of it! Why do they care so much about what I wear?
Just as I was about to explain, the Count started mumbling to himself.
“That’s the dress Tilly wore in Love Freely, right? The one when Crown Prince Leo gave up his status to find love with a poor commoner girl?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. How did you…?”
“Of course we know. Both of them are your fans.”
Huh? Both of them?
I glanced toward the Countess and found her staring at my dress with dreamy eyes.
“They were too shy to tell you. They said they’d wait until they felt less nervous… but it looks like they got caught today, Father.”
“I couldn’t help it when I saw that dress up close. That final scene where you wore it—that’s my favourite.”
Hearing him chat so warmly with Luna, this felt like the Count I’d imagined. So all this time, they didn’t dislike me. They were just shy? They weren’t judging me for being an actress after all. That realisation helped me finally relax.
“I thought… maybe you didn’t welcome me because I was an actress.”
“What nonsense.”
“She’s right. Remember when Father wanted to roll out a red carpet for Joyce’s arrival? I barely managed to stop him.”
“Tch.”
Wait—did the Count just say “Tch” out loud? He looked so intimidating when I first arrived, but now he just seemed like a cute middle-aged fanboy.
As I smiled at Count Philip, I noticed the Countess’s hand was still trembling.
“Wait… was her hand shaking earlier because—?”
“Yes… I was nervous.”
After that, the Count and Countess dropped their formal act and completely opened up. They started throwing questions at me like excited fans. What had been a tense dinner quickly turned into a full-on fan meeting—but strangely, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
In fact, I really enjoyed it.
Even after the meal ended, we didn’t leave the table for a long time, laughing and chatting together.
“My parents probably tired you out with all their questions, didn’t they? I didn’t even get to hear the full story about your visit to the Duke’s estate.”
“Haha, not at all. It was fun! It’s been so long since I met fans face-to-face. And as for the visit, I already told you everything. It was a really short meeting.”
As we walked back upstairs, Luna stopped on the second floor.
“There’s somewhere I’ve wanted to show you since you first came, and I think tonight is finally the right time.”
She led me to a large gallery hall. Since I came here to avoid punishment, I hadn’t had the chance to explore the house properly. It’s not like I could just wander around freely.
“Come on in.”
The moment Luna opened the door, I was once again overwhelmed by how massive the Woodville estate was.
Every wall of the gallery was filled with framed paintings. In the centre of the room stood many sculptures.
Wow. I’ve never properly visited a gallery before, but I guess I’m getting the full experience now.
“Take your time and look around.”
Every painting featured the same woman—she had curly, red-orange hair like mine and warm brown eyes. Sometimes, there was a blonde-haired man with red eyes beside her.
A poor woman working in a restaurant… a girl smiling at a vase of roses… a couple dancing… a man kneeling and crying as he begged the woman…
Were these scenes from the Count and Countess’s youth? Why was Luna showing me this?
Hmm… the woman doesn’t have blonde hair, so she’s probably not the Countess…
She has red hair like mine… like me? It wasn’t until I saw the final painting that I was sure.
There I was, crying while looking at the man I loved, with an arrow piercing my chest. It was painted more carefully than all the others.
These paintings were all scenes from Love Freely—the play I starred in.
They had turned an entire gallery hall into a fan space just for me.
Even the sculptures in the centre were all of me. I felt embarrassed just looking at them.
They really went all out, didn’t they?
After looking around the entire gallery, I returned to where Luna stood.
“All of these are scenes from Love Freely, aren’t they?”
“Yes. My whole family are fans of yours.”
“Your whole family…”
“Yes. In this house, I was your first fan. It was back when those awful rumours about the Woodville family were really hurting us. I didn’t know where to go, so I ended up in Bria by chance and joined a random theatre company. Despite all the mockery from other nobles, I was moved by the character Tilly—how she stood up and spoke for herself. Watching your performance gave me strength. It made me decide not to let the world push me around anymore.”
Hearing that my acting helped someone—really changed someone’s life—filled my heart with warmth.
Even before we ever spoke, I had already become part of Luna’s life.
“Want to hear something funny? I visited Bria so many times to watch your play that my parents started suspecting I was sneaking off to meet someone. They secretly followed me, and that’s when they saw your show for the first time. And just like that, they fell for you too.”
The female lead from the novel I used to cheer for… was now cheering for me.
It was a one-of-a-kind experience.
“After that, I read every interview about you I could find. I admired how you endured hard times and chased your dream. Because of you, I started looking into the Spencer Theatre Company and found out about Director Charles’s crimes. That’s how the Empire launched its investigation—and how I was able to get you out before you could be punished.”
“Wait… so the punishment already started?”
“Yes. Director Spencer was removed, and all the nobles who tried to meet actors in shady ways were punished.”
“Then… you never planned to report me in the first place, did you?”
No wonder it felt weird when this angelic heroine started threatening me.
If I’m not in any danger anymore, does that mean I can stop all this and just go back to Bria?
“Why are you telling me all this now? Do you want me to leave and go back to Bria?”
—
[To Be Continued]
