Chapter 08
Why on earth did he say something so ridiculous?
The next morning, I woke up buried beneath my blankets, my eyes swollen and sore for the first time in ages.
Well… “morning” was a bit of a stretch. The sun was probably already high in the sky.
If I threw off the blanket, the glaring sunlight would only torment me, so I stayed where I was and tried to organize my thoughts.
“If that’s your reason… then I’ll consider it.”
After watching me cry so miserably, the count had hesitated for a long while before finally saying those words.
Even though he had wanted to break off the engagement himself, he still made me cry like that.
How embarrassing.
How humiliating.
I had burst into tears in front of the man who first scolded me for coming home late, then, after I suggested breaking off the engagement, started spouting complete nonsense because his pride had apparently been wounded.
And to make matters worse…
I’d been crying because I was thinking about that woman.
In any case, we agreed to postpone any further discussion about the engagement until after the play.
It was obvious he intended to see how public opinion reacted once the production was unveiled.
As expected of Arno Dience, I thought.
Just then, Arno clicked his tongue and held out a handkerchief.
“Wipe your face. There are maids outside.”
“…”
He certainly cared a lot about what other people thought.
Apparently he didn’t want anyone thinking he’d made me cry.
While I hurriedly wiped away my tears, Arno returned to his desk.
Putting on his glasses, he picked up a stack of documents and spoke without looking up.
“And I believe you’re misunderstanding something.”
“I’ve never once thought that I didn’t want to be engaged to Your Grace.”
“…?”
“I’ve always believed that a man should marry a beautiful woman.”
…
What was he talking about?
“Not anymore, though.”
What did that mean?
That I wasn’t beautiful anymore?
Or that his views on marriage had changed?
Leaving behind nothing but incomprehensible remarks, Arno buried himself once again beneath his mountain of paperwork.
Anyway, now I have even more reasons to make this play succeed.
If the play was successful…
I could repay the debt I owed Arno.
I could improve my terrible reputation, even if only a little.
I could help the future emperor.
And in doing so…
I could save my own life.
Now even my broken engagement depended on the success of this production.
Which means I need to rub ice on my eyes somehow and get to rehearsal…
Just as I climbed out of bed—
“…?”
The room was pitch black.
Was it still nighttime?
That couldn’t be right. I felt far too refreshed.
I got up and walked toward the curtains.
Warm sunlight was peeking through beneath them.
I pulled them open.
Bright sunshine poured over my face.
In my hand was an unusually thick curtain.
Then a maid spoke behind me.
“The count ordered us to remove the expensive curtains that used to be here and replace them with heavier ones. If they’re inconvenient, we can change them back.”
I didn’t answer immediately.
“…”
Instead, I simply stood there for a moment, absentmindedly running my fingers across the rough fabric.
Then I turned toward the maid.
“No.”
A small smile escaped me.
After getting dressed, I headed downstairs.
I decided to skip breakfast.
After sleeping so well, I wasn’t particularly hungry anyway.
When I arrived beside the waiting carriage, Alfredo held out a pouch filled with silver coins.
“The count gave this to me this morning. He said it’s for the materials you mentioned.”
Last night, I’d asked the count to lend me a little more money.
“I’d like to borrow a bit more money. I need it for stage props.”
The count had agreed without hesitation, so I’d expected him to provide the funds.
Still…
“This is a lot more than I expected.”
I looked at Alfredo in bewilderment.
At this rate, instead of buying props, I could probably build an entire stage.
“Did he accidentally give you the wrong—”
“No.”
“The count doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Neither do I.”
“…”
“Shall I accompany you today?”
Alfredo deliberately widened his eyes and glared at Leo, who was standing beside me.
Watching Alfredo treat every man near me like a rival had honestly become amusing.
“Fine. The two of us will go.”
Besides, regardless of Alfredo’s possessiveness, there was somewhere I needed to go with this money.
Leo immediately frowned.
“What about rehearsal?”
“Oh? So rehearsals have become fun now?”
“It’s not like that.”
His face flushed slightly before he returned to his usual lazy posture.
“I just like being with you, Mistress.”
“And rehearsals give me an excuse to do all kinds of naughty things.”
Smiling mischievously, Leo leaned closer, his lips approaching mine.
What…?
Startled, I quickly turned my head away.
Leo smoothly brushed a strand of hair behind my ear instead and smiled.
At the same moment, an agonized groan sounded from behind us.
It was Alfredo.
“How dare you!”
“Inside Count Dience’s own estate!”
Leo snorted.
“My, my. Mother-in-law’s nagging is terrifying.”
Then he casually stepped back.
That insolent brat.
Using me just to tease Alfredo…
“I think I’ll go back to sleep.”
“I overworked myself yesterday.”
“What exactly did you overwork?!”
Ignoring Alfredo’s indignant shout, Leo headed back toward the guest quarters in the detached residence.
I’d been the one who ordered his room moved there.
Because last night, after I’d left the count’s study, Leo had looked at me with that infuriatingly cheerful smile and muttered—
“So your disgraceful behavior finally got your engagement broken off?”
Then he noticed my swollen eyes and frowned.
“What the…”
“What?”
“You actually cried over a man?”
For some reason, his expression had completely hardened as he reached toward my face.
Naturally, my reflexes knocked his hand away before he could touch me.
“Just break off the engagement.”
“I can make sure you never starve on the streets.”
“How exactly?”
Leo thought for a moment before replying in a tone that wasn’t remotely joking.
“I grew up this pretty.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“No.”
“…”
“Being this beautiful is valuable enough on its own.”
With those words, he’d told me to think it over and walked away.
To be fair…
Leo really was valuable simply because he’d grown up beautiful.
His golden eyes proved it.
He carried the blood of the imperial family.
But that wasn’t the problem.
The problem was that in a few years…
That lunatic would kill me.
I immediately summoned a maid and ordered that his room be moved to the detached building.
There was no way I could sleep peacefully with my future murderer living next door.
“Let’s get going.”
“Where are we going?”
“Where else? My ex-boyfriend’s tavern.”
“…What?!”
“We’re going there again?”
“Using the count’s money?!”
Alfredo practically jumped into the air.
He really was far too easy to tease.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to enjoy it.
“Alfredo.”
“If you don’t get in the carriage now, I’m leaving you behind.”
“You can’t go there alone!”
Either way…
There was far too much to buy today.
Mercutio.
Tybalt.
And…
Stage lighting.
There were endless preparations to make, while time continued slipping away.
Only fifteen days remained until opening night.
* * *
Fifteen Days Later
Elise had just turned nineteen.
Standing before the theater entrance with her father, she could hardly contain her excitement.
Her father had spent generations serving as a retainer to a famous family of knights.
Elise herself also worked as a maid for the household.
A theater…!
This was the first time in her life she’d ever entered one.
The theater was generally entertainment reserved for nobles.
Commoners could rarely afford admission.
There were public theaters where tickets were nearly free, but those places were notorious for drunken troublemakers, so her father had never allowed her to visit one.
“So this is White Friars…”
she murmured as they stepped inside.
White Friars.
Once known as the cultural heart of the Duchy of Messena, it had been an exclusive private theater where high-ranking nobles enjoyed refined plays.
The admission fee had been so expensive that commoners like Elise could never dream of entering.
The only reason she and her father were here now was because, after the Duchy of Messena collapsed, the duchess had reopened the theater, drastically lowered ticket prices, and transformed it into a public theater.
“It sounds like the duchess isn’t as bad as the rumors say.”
“She even let people like us experience a theater.”
Elise whispered this as she and her father settled onto a long bench.
Since the sun was beginning to set, ushers carrying candles were guiding patrons to their seats.
“Who knows?”
Her father snorted.
“Maybe she’s simply willing to let riffraff fill this historic theater if it means making money.”
“The duchess… well, she’s not even a duchess anymore.”
“That woman only cares about money and men.”
Her father was strange.
He was a commoner himself, yet he seemed unhappy that ordinary people could now enjoy the theater.
Still…
Even Elise had heard countless stories claiming that Luisa Messena cared about nothing except handsome men and wealth.
Most of the audience had come to admire the lavish decorations throughout the theater, the handsome actors personally selected by Luisa…
…and to laugh at Luisa’s supposedly terrible acting.
Even the people sitting beside them were saying things like—
“The theater’s more modest than I expected.”
“So what?”
“They say the actors won’t be.”
“Luisa picked them herself.”
“What else can that duchess do besides grope handsome men onstage?”
Truthfully…
Elise was also curious about the handsome actors Luisa had selected.
Still, she did her best to act like an innocent daughter.
“It’s my first time seeing a play.”
“I’m excited, Father.”
Her father smiled, seemingly trying to remember how many years it had been since they’d last gone anywhere together.
“Indeed.”
“We have Marquis Burbage to thank for giving us leave.”
Marquis Burbage.
He was the noble who employed both Elise and her father.
For generations, his family had produced knights who served the imperial household.
Yet under the current emperor, not a single knight from their house had been appointed.
Rumor had it that the family was being sidelined because the marquis had once been a close confidant of the previous emperor.
There were also whispers that he still refused to swear loyalty to the current emperor.
Those weren’t merely rumors.
The marquis truly did hold little affection for the reigning emperor.
Just then, as every seat in the theater filled, the ushers called out loudly.
“The performance is about to begin!”
“Please take your seats and remain quiet!”
With that…
They extinguished every candle they carried.
Whoosh.
Darkness instantly swallowed the theater.
“…?”
Confused murmurs spread throughout the audience.
There was only one thought on everyone’s mind.
It’s this dark?
The sun had almost completely set.
At this rate, thirty minutes into the performance, no one would even be able to see the actors’ faces.
“Father…”
“Don’t plays usually happen during the daytime?”
The moment Elise whispered the question—
Something appeared on the stage.
A perfect circle of light.
Standing at its center was the actor playing the minstrel.
Gasps filled the theater.
“Wow…”
The brilliant light, bright as daylight, poured down from above.
Everyone instinctively looked upward.
A long, round device suspended from the ceiling was producing the light.
Such astonishing brightness.
As the audience stood frozen in amazement, the actor finally spoke.
“In fair Verona, two noble houses have long waged war.”
“Montague and Capulet.”
“From these two rival families are born a beautiful young man and woman.”
“Their tragic and ill-fated love shall bring an end to the hatred between their houses.”
The actor possessed a rich, beautiful voice.
The moment he began speaking, the audience forgot their amazement over the mysterious lights and became captivated by his performance.
He had the kind of voice that commanded attention the instant he opened his mouth.
Then—
“Now…”
He extended one arm.
At the same time, the spotlight illuminating him spread across the entire stage.
The whole stage became as bright as broad daylight.
The audience gasped once again.
“First…”
“Allow me to introduce the young people of Verona.”
The minstrel smiled knowingly, as if he had expected their reaction.
Then he exited.
At that very moment, a crowd of young male actors rushed onto the stage, playfully shouting lines like—
“Mercutio! Give me back that hat!”
“Father…!”
Elise couldn’t help calling out.
Though she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
Father… those men are so incredibly handsome!
