Chapter 002
<Episode 2>
People keep calling me this name.
Luisa Mecenat.
It sounded familiar.
‘I’ve read that name before.’
In the very novel I was asked to adapt—there was a notorious villainess who constantly tangled with the protagonist.
Among them, the worst of all was Luisa Mecenat.
The one and only heir to the most illustrious duchy in the empire.
A modern-day princess, drenched in art and extravagance from birth.
Even after her family went bankrupt, she clung to her old habits—gambling, drinking, luxury.
Her greatest vice?
Men.
Specifically, handsome ones.
From a young age, she was obsessed with diamonds, silk, designer names.
She chased after beauty with a collector’s madness.
That madness spiraled when she met the male lead.
Blinded by his looks, she imprisoned him—
And when he later rose to power and ruled the empire, he executed her publicly.
‘All beautiful things are mine!’
Was that her final line?
A hoarder of beauty. A dangerous collector.
Her fiancé, of course, was none other than Count Arnaud Dientz—
One of the empire’s most sought-after men.
Arnaud Dientz.
Snow-white hair.
Violet eyes.
A perfectly arrogant expression captured in illustrations.
“Luisa.”
Now that very drawing speaks.
And he’s looking right at me.
“You really bought the theater to honor the late Duke’s legacy? Or was it just another whim?”
This man.
The ruthless heir of the wealthiest commercial family in the empire.
A calculating investor, not one to act out of sentiment.
That’s why he agreed to marry Luisa, despite her terrible reputation—
It was all just a business move.
By marrying into a historic principality, the Dientz family hoped to elevate their social standing.
But now that the Mecenat house had fallen… the investment had failed.
And he was stuck with a contract.
No wonder he looked so done with me.
“Was it an impulse buy, Luisa? Theaters aren’t handbags or hats. You can’t just collect them on a whim.”
That was fair.
In less than an hour of being here, I already understood the situation.
This auction… it was infamous in the novel.
One of Luisa’s many sins.
When the principality fell, Luisa ran out of money—
So she summoned the bondholders and began selling off everything:
Relics, heirlooms, even her grandfather’s diary.
She practically rolled out a red carpet for the scavengers.
They circled the family treasures like vultures.
The auction stained her name forever.
Once seen as a foolish, spoiled girl—
She became the monster who dismantled a nation’s cultural heritage.
‘Honestly, I kind of get it.’
If I were desperate for cash, I’d probably sell whatever I could.
But there’s a time and place.
She didn’t even wait for the body to cool.
She sold everything, like she’d been preparing for the fall.
Even her loyal caretaker, the Count, abandoned her after that.
When she was dragged through the streets, screaming for help, he didn’t look back.
‘I’m not going out like that.’
No way.
You want me to get executed? Publicly?
In this medieval nightmare?
Absolutely not.
Time to use your brain, Shingeum.
No—Luisa Mecenat.
‘From now on, I’ll play the role of Luisa.’
If cinema is the art of editing, then theater is the art of performance.
And I knew how to perform.
Back in New York, I’d taken extra acting classes alongside my directing major.
I even got a small role in an indie film—just for fun.
‘Because I was good at pretending. Good at wearing masks.’
Objectively speaking, I had a decent face thanks to my mother—
An actress, though not a famous one.
But I wasn’t expressive.
My face didn’t offer the emotional range a real actor needed.
My mom told me that once.
‘You’re pretty, just like me. But you look empty sometimes. That won’t work. You should be mysterious, sure—but people need to feel something from you. Right now, you’re just a pretty shell.’
A doll.
That’s what she called me.
It was ironic.
Because that’s exactly how I’d been raised.
To be pretty. Polished. Quiet.
And besides, if I’d ever tried to be an actress, Shin Seong-hyeon would’ve killed me.
But Luisa Mecenat?
She’s something else.
‘Beautiful in a way that’s dangerous.’
The novel described her as both the most hated and the most beautiful woman in the empire.
Just one glance at my reflection in the carriage window…
And I saw it.
The perfect face for a villainess.
Sharp. Stunning. Cold.
A face that could smile while the world burned.
An actress’s face.
Then I’ll act.
And act like I’m above it all.
“Would you believe anything I say?”
I muttered, staring out the window with a voice full of boredom.
“…….”
Arnaud had no response.
I didn’t need to look.
He probably thought I was spouting nonsense again.
“When I was little, I used to go to the theater holding my grandfather’s hand.”
That never happened.
Well…
I once went with my mother.
It was a small college production.
The theater was old, worn down.
We sat together in the front row.
She removed her hat and glasses for once.
When the lights dimmed, she whispered—
‘Are you scared?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ll hold your hand. You’ll forget the fear. You’ll fall in love with the play.’
And I did.
“It’s a memory I’ll never forget.”
I said the line softly, like it meant something.
An old trick—emotional recall.
It helps the performance feel genuine.
But I wasn’t mourning anyone.
I don’t do that.
I’m Shingeum—I don’t feel things like that.
“If I told you I still have something precious, even after selling everything… would you believe me?”
Then, I turned and looked straight at Arnaud.
“……!”
His expression shifted—just a little.
I could feel it.
Just like sensing the crowd from backstage.
He didn’t know whether to believe me or not.
This was acting.
This was control.
And no matter how much you change your tone, people don’t just forget evil.
The script was already written.
But I could still direct the scene.
Live like a villainess.
But don’t die like one.
I stepped out of the carriage, avoiding Arnaud’s gaze.
As my foot touched the ground, a single thought echoed in my mind:
‘The real problem is how to pay him back.’
Sh*t.
***
“You’re seriously thinking of restoring the theater?”
The auction had shaken the empire.
The infamous Princess Louisa had tossed her family’s legacy into the hands of merchants and vultures.
Even before her grandfather’s body had gone cold.
The people cursed her name.
Even the Count’s staff whispered behind closed doors.
‘Poor Count. How could someone so brilliant end up stuck with a woman like her?’
‘Surely the engagement will be broken off now, right? Alfredo, you must agree. The Count isn’t sentimental.’
‘Hey, don’t say that aloud! The Count doesn’t tolerate gossip. You’ll be dismissed.’
But deep down, even the butler Alfredo had similar thoughts.
‘Of course he’ll call it off.’
Louisa had disgraced the Mecenat name.
There was no reason for the Count to stay.
Not anymore.
She was the one who abandoned the principality first.
Not him.
Knowing the Count’s nature—cold, precise, unflinching—Alfredo expected him to cut ties cleanly.
But instead—
“Very well. We’ll follow the Princess’s request. Begin renovations on the auditorium, restore the stage, and start scouting for actors.”
Not only had he not broken things off—he was helping her?
Restoring the same theater she discarded?
Alfredo could not understand.
Could it be…
Does the Count… have feelings for Louisa?
The same Louisa who slaps her maids awake every morning?
‘Is that his… type?’
The thought horrified him.
As Alfredo stood there, stunned, the Count gently set down his teacup.
Clink.
The tea inside was a special black blend—one of his recent imports that turned out to be wildly successful.
He wasn’t cultured, but he had a good nose for profit.
That was the Dientz bloodline.
Cold-blooded business.
That was their name’s reputation.
The world said:
The Dientz are greedy. Crude. Ruthless.
He didn’t mind the insults.
As long as they didn’t get in the way of business.
But sometimes—
Those labels did.
‘Then I’ll polish the image.’
He was already planning his next move.
