Chapter 46
Unlike modern theaters, where lights can be turned on and off in unison, the play began in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. The people gathered were whispering endlessly among themselves. Whether they were talking about the Duke or the Crown Prince, no matter how hard you tried to listen, you couldn’t make out a single word.
“Ah-choo!”
At that moment, Anna, standing in the middle of the stage, sneezed. All eyes turned to her, and when she gave an embarrassed little laugh, the audience started laughing along. It was nothing serious, but her exaggerated gesture and expression were so cute that even I couldn’t help but laugh. In truth, it was a thoroughly calculated “mistake.”
“We’re performing on a stage like this for the first time, so I guess we’re a bit nervous! Could we get a round of applause for encouragement?”
Just being on stage makes a person look special. And Anna was a complete professional in this part.
“Thank you. There’s one more thing I hope you can help with. In our village, there’s a deeply sleeping dragon…”
Anna naturally led the audience from reality into the world of the play. Simply asking the audience a question and hearing their responses at the start greatly heightened their focus on the stage. This play was originally the popular tale of the Northern Duke, Leon’s heroic story, now retold from the Crown Prince’s perspective. I held my breath, observing both the stage and the audience’s reactions.
“Should we put the dragon to sleep once more… or should we finally end this now?”
When Alex stepped onto the stage, the audience collectively held their breath. Those who had already seen the Forest Theater troupe’s performances were showing slightly proud expressions, whispering to acquaintances or partners, “Handsome, right? Really handsome, right?” It was that slightly pitiable charm of a good-looking man—a captivating presence.
Leuke, partially hiding his face, played the androgynous, mysterious role of a cunning advisor. Leuke appeared at center stage and began acting silently with just a smile.
“Look at that expression. He hasn’t said anything yet.”
“Look at that face… isn’t he that aristocrat? The actor, that one?”
“Leuke Warren… didn’t he start with the Schacht troupe?”
“Maybe he came to help.”
“So beautiful it almost doesn’t seem human.”
As Leuke moved gracefully across the stage, his flowing black costume added to the aura of mystery. In the scene where he whispered into Alex’s ear, the entire audience fell silent.
“No one can blame Your Highness. That dragon isn’t going to die anyway.”
It was a casual, sweet temptation. Though he played a cunning minister, it was a performance of a charming, almost devilish character rather than a mere subordinate.
Below the stage, Burton watched the scene with a rigid expression. Katia bit her lips tightly as well. I glanced at them briefly before returning my gaze to the stage.
The play moved on to the next scene. After Leuke’s exit, Alex and Sion faced each other.
“You’ve lost too many lives to careless thoughts. So I’ll leave the dragon to you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sion acted as the trustworthy but somewhat rough Northern Duke, a mercenary at heart.
As the Duke departed upon receiving orders, the Crown Prince, left alone, began a monologue, troubled by having no other choice.
“Actually, your life is more precious to me. But I mustn’t think that way. I must believe… and I must believe I will win. Sending a friend to certain death must be the best choice.”
At that moment, a tear rolled down Alex’s cheek. The grand ballroom lights caught it, sparkling, and once again, the audience gasped.
“Oh, it’s heartbreaking.”
“What to do…”
Perfect. The audience was completely captivated. From now on, there was nothing to worry about.
While everyone focused on the stage, Leon was watching Melias. Melias glanced between the audience and the stage, wearing a satisfied expression. Leon had assumed she was simply someone who loved her work, but what he felt went beyond that.
‘So bright.’
He had constantly pressed her about her motives. He had even investigated her background, her relationship with her sister, the flow of money, everything. Yet none of that explained why she went to such lengths or why she was so obsessed with the play. Watching her now, Leon understood.
‘She just wants to see this.’
Melias was a person driven solely by witnessing the realization of her plans. She felt joy when her designs succeeded and when the audience was moved.
‘It’s foolishly blind, yet why is it so…’
At that moment, Melias looked at Leon. He was slightly embarrassed, worried that she had noticed he had been watching her the entire time. Melias, unaware, whispered near his ear.
“Everyone’s enjoying it.”
As Leon remained stiff, she added softly:
“Except the Crown Prince.”
Her words acknowledged the original purpose of her plan. But at that moment, for Leon, the small whisper of “Everyone’s enjoying it” still resonated clearly in his ears.
Meanwhile, Melias was nervous, wondering if she had misspoken to Leon.
‘Is she worried the play won’t go well? Huh… unexpected.’
The play itself thoroughly depicted how much the Crown Prince considered the Duke and how tormented he had been. Alex’s role was to maximize his charm while portraying this story compellingly. Yet the Crown Prince’s expression grew increasingly strained. I leaned toward Leon and added:
“I praised him to the fullest, but Your Highness doesn’t look pleased.”
Finally, Leon gave a small laugh. I told you I don’t forget my purpose. Indeed.
“Now everyone here will think of me as loyal. That must be unpleasant.”
Leon whispered softly into my ear. He had been trying to take over the North by carefully watching and restraining the Duke, but now that everyone thought of him as loyal, it would be hard to frame him. Moreover, this erased his image as a brute or a rebel leveraging popularity.
“Defeating the dragon is important, but seeing you return alive brings me great joy!”
On stage, their friendship was fully on display. Leon, witnessing this, seemed unnerved, unable to focus on the stage properly.
When the play ended, the audience chatted excitedly.
“Ha… I’m so satisfied.”
“Isn’t this even better than the heroic tale? The emotions are more nuanced.”
“The Crown Prince is a delicate person; it must be reflected here.”
“I didn’t expect the Duke to think this deeply.”
“Honestly, I thought he was a bit of a rogue…”
Well, they should have chosen their words more carefully. Still, the plan worked perfectly. By staging this play, the Duke gained a reputation for cultural sophistication and loyalty. The Crown Prince’s attempt to paint him as a violent, rebellious figure had completely failed.
Additionally, just as Alex projected a thoughtful and delicate image to the Crown Prince, Sion’s performance showcased his charm, benefiting Leon’s perception as well.
To lighten the mood, slow music played, and the Crown Prince walked steadily toward the Duke.
“That was an excellent play. Thank you.”
“You flatter me.”
Unlike the Crown Prince, who forced a smile to hide discomfort, Leon remained stiff and cold.
“You two really got along well in real life, didn’t you?”
“It seems so. People who appear stoic often have depth inside.”
Even that was interpreted as not arrogance or rudeness, but quiet depth.
The Crown Prince and Leon stared each other down, neither willing to yield. To anyone watching, it seemed like a friendship between men.
“Don’t get too comfortable. They’ll turn against you if it costs them.”
“That’s merely the way of the world.”
Others, unaware of the conversation, were enchanted by this scene. They were overlaying the stage’s story onto reality. No matter what political scheming the Crown Prince planned, this public image would be hard to shatter for now.
“The scenery is beautiful.”
Katya, approaching me, said sarcastically:
“Yes, it really is.”
“Enjoying it?”
Her tone was sharp. She wasn’t foolish enough to pick a fight here.
“Why are you angry? You even tried to kill me. I expected you’d admit defeat by now. I’m a bit disappointed.”
“I didn’t.”
Katya glared at me with red eyes. She was still roughly high-school age, so it made sense.
“I almost got hit by a flowerpot, the carriage almost overturned, and we were ambushed several times.”
She blinked a few times, shook her head silently, then returned to her cold expression.
“You just saw me as that kind of person.”
Humans are brazen; I assumed she was laying the groundwork for something. Her expression seemed genuinely aggrieved, but people like her rarely fully realize their actions. I didn’t feel pity.
“You did nothing more than that.”
Katya was on the verge of tears. If she cried here, it would embarrass her further. I left Katya and ran to the troupe. This wasn’t the time to indulge her tantrum.
“Everyone, you did amazingly well! Anna, you were fantastic!”
“Haha, I did okay, right?”
“How was it?”
Even after changing into regular clothes, the troupe still looked tense. They knew the audience’s reaction was only part of the story.
“Better than expected. It went perfectly!”
“Thank goodness!”
Anna, Leuke, and I embraced, spinning around. No concern for appearances. I asked a passing servant to lead them to the tea room prepared for them.
“Wow… the palace really is different.”
The troupe’s eyes widened at the food in the tea room. Mostly finger foods, but also warm soup and roasted turkey. Everyone ate and drank frantically, some went to the hall to dance. This space was for wealthy commoners or palace staff, but honestly, it looked more fun.
Leuke changed from stage costume to a gown and was ready to fully participate in the banquet.
“Misses, you can’t come with us, right?”
Anna held Leuke’s hand, sounding regretful. She called them “misses” but only held Leuke’s hand. When I looked at Anna, she beat me to it.
“Miss Melias, you should enjoy it with the Duke.”
“Enjoy it? It’s work. You think so too?”
I asked Leuke for help. Leuke just smiled teasingly and shrugged.
“Oh, sister!”
At some point, the troupe seemed suspicious of the relationship between Leon and me. There was nothing between us, but it was frustrating. He was just my superior at work.
“Anyway, we won. I want to celebrate together later. Don’t play too much so we have energy left to have fun together, okay?”
“Got it. We’ll play moderately. See you later!”
I left for the banquet with Leuke. Young girls waiting for Leuke immediately surrounded him. Leuke looked at them like they were little chicks.
“You’re so beautiful!”
“I want to be an actress too… but my parents won’t allow it, right?”
“Where do you buy your dresses?”
“Your hair accessory today is beautiful!”
“Um, who’s that next to you…”
When one child asked, all the others turned to me, as if to ask who I was. I assumed they had noticed me beside the Duke earlier, but apparently, all they saw was Leuke.
“This is my sister, Melias Warren.”
“Oh, your sister? How come you don’t look alike… aah!”
“No wonder! You’re so beautiful! The sisters look exactly the same!”
A perceptive child smiled brightly and approached me. The social skills of noble girls are impressive. Then one child’s gaze fixed on someone.
“Who… is that?”
Following her gaze, Burton was staggering forward with his cane.
