Chapter 010

<Episode 10>

“Miss Juliet! Where on earth are you!”

A nanny who filled the entire theater with her vocalizations appeared on stage.

Comical movements, exaggerated facial expressions, and people burst into laughter at the familiar stage acting.

“I decided to risk my 12-year-old virginity to visit you! Oh my, it’s a crucible! Miss! Where are you!”

It was then.

Something passed above the façade decorating the back of the stage.

Black hair as smooth as silk.

People were distracted by something that passed by in an instant.

Strangely enough, something seen only briefly actually made people curious.

Some audience members laughed while pointing to the second floor.

“There, there it is!”

It was because I was already immersed in the play.

The stage became a little noisy, but the veteran actor, who had often encountered such a noisy atmosphere, naturally overcome the situation and sublimated it into humor.

“Where?”

“Excuse me!”

“Ah, here!”

“No, over there!”

“Ah, is it here?”

Hahaha, while the laughter was heard, some astute audience members realized.

Juliet Capulet.

That she was the person all the audience here had been waiting for.

Luisa Mecenat.

A rare evil woman who sold the brilliant heritage of the Principality of Mecenat at a low price in this theater.

Even then, the woman couldn’t come to her senses and went on stage to perform a vulgar performance with those handsome male actors.

I heard it’s beautiful, so let’s take a look at her face.

It was a time when everyone’s ugly expectations were felt.

The woman’s face was revealed not on the second floor of the façade, but at the top of the façade.

“……!”

Everyone held their breath.

There were people who had prepared in advance to throw rocks and eggs when that evil woman appeared.

But even they couldn’t think of anything else at that moment.

Too…. Because it’s pretty.

Her pure white skin beneath her beautifully braided black hair shone in the light.

The round red eyes glowed mysteriously, and the sharp bridge of the nose and thin lips smiled evilly.

“Stupid nanny.”

The short voice was arrogant.

But for some reason, it was also cute.

Just like a 14 year old girl.

‘That…. A rare evil woman?’

Elise, who was momentarily mesmerized, became curious.

Louisa Mecenat did not look like that in the rumors.

He was the greatest prodigal child in the empire, causing a fuss at every party he went to, having dark shadows under his eyes due to his drinking and debauchery, and swearing in a vicious voice.

So it should have been worse than that, or at least worse than that?

Of course, that’s a face that looks evil for some reason, but…

‘What did I expect Princess Louisa to look like?’

Elise was embarrassed when she saw the evil woman’s bare face.

Probably everyone was like that.

Unknowingly, I had imitated the mean-spirited young girl, forgetting exactly what the evil woman’s face was like.

It was then.

Young Juliet sat down in her dress on the rooftop.

Like a tomboy child.

Juliet sat there and opened the book.

While the restless nurse ran to and fro below, Juliet quietly enjoyed reading a book.

Of course, I was caught right away.

“Miss! My mother is looking for me!”

At the nanny’s disapproval, Juliet’s wicked smile disappeared and she returned to being a slightly intimidated little girl.

“Your mother?”

“Is it so! Come down now! Immediately!”

“…….”

Juliet looked at the audience for a moment.

At that moment, people read the actor’s numerous emotions in a split second.

It wasn’t because I was acting out a lot of emotions.

Just because 14-year-old Juliet was there.

‘That’s right, I always did that when my mother called me.’

I don’t know why, but I feel irritated and scared. The antipathy, fear, and fundamental anxiety that adolescent girls might have.

Elise was instantly drawn to Juliet, and as a result, her heart sank in the scene that followed.

“Count Paris wants to take you as his wife.”

The moment Juliet’s expression hardened, Elise bit her lip.

Elise felt like shouting like this without knowing why.

‘Sister, don’t marry that man!’

If Count Paris marries such a pretty and young Juliet, what would happen to all the actors in front of him?

Especially Romeo.

Anyone could see that his face looked like the male protagonist!

Elise quickly waited for the moment for the two to meet with a nervous look on her face without realizing it.

Of course, that moment came back quickly.

Soon, a masquerade ball was held in the Capulet family.

Romeo, who falls in love with Juliet’s younger cousin Rosaline, also hides his identity and secretly attends the ball and meets Juliet.

Amidst the soft and beautiful singing voice of the bard, the two people encounter each other, and the two people, obviously in love, secretly go behind the curtain.

‘What are you doing behind the curtain? What are you doing…!’

The moment Elise thought she wanted to grab the two actors by their collars and drag them out, a light came on behind the curtain.

The back of the curtain became brighter than the front of the stage, and the silhouettes of two people were reflected.

‘That bridge of the nose! It’s clearer than my future!’

Juliet’s older sister, Romeo’s older brother!

Judging by their ages in the play, the two were by no means Elise’s older sister or older brother, but she had chosen to call them that without even realizing it.

The distinct bridges of the nose get closer to each other, closer, closer again.

The lights went out.

“…This!”

Curses came out from around me.

“Shut up! See a play!”

“I’m just saying this out of anger! If you’re going to kiss anyway, do it in front of us!”

Isn’t that the person who said ‘this kind of play’ earlier?

“That’s true!”

Elise did not take her eyes off the stage even amidst the audience’s confused conversation.

The two finally learn each other’s identities.

“Romeo why is your name Romeo? Deny the Father and forsake His Name. And…. Have me.”

Even though they know they are from enemies, they decide to love each other.

Although the situation was tragic, the couple did not hold back.

Romeo, who goes to the priest, says with a rebellious face that there is no reason why he cannot love her even if she is his enemy’s daughter, and Juliet rebels against her parents for the first time and says that she will marry the person she loves.

But tragedy comes before these two.

“I will place a curse on both families! I will become maggot food tomorrow!”

Romeo’s friend Mercutio is stabbed to death by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt.

“The spirit of Mercutio awaits to go with you, Tybalt!”

Romeo kills Tybalt out of revenge.

Everyone held their breath in front of Romeo’s eyes burning with revenge and the realistic sword fight.

How did the fight between adults drive Romeo to this point?

How did Romeo, who had no interest in the fight between the two families, change like this?

Everyone held their breath in front of that tragedy.

The play reaches its climax when Juliet fakes her death in order to marry Romeo, who has finally been kicked out by the lord, and Romeo, who did not know about it, commits suicide in front of Juliet.

“Knife, my heart is a sheath, so come now.”

Juliet, with a face full of anger, looked at the audience and raised her sword.

Burning red eyes.

A venomous expression.

Juliet’s face with her sword raised was more beautiful than anyone else’s, and was deeply embedded in everyone’s minds.

Holding a sword with that beautiful face suits you so well.

Everyone was amazed, and at the same time, the moment the knife plunged into Juliet’s chest, she clutched her chest as if her own heart had been stabbed.

It was sad that the fateful love was broken up so vainly, and it was sad that the playful girl from the beginning of the play changed like that.

‘It was good at first. I told you so!’

Elise was like that too.

She had already been sobbing since Romeo died, but at this moment she cried as if her tear ducts had burst.

‘No…. Don’t die….’

It hurt like my heart was being torn apart, and I couldn’t hide it any longer and sobbed.

She wiped her tears with her sleeve in the dark.

But then.

A strange whimper was heard from next to me.

“…Lord, don’t die…. Louisa….”

It was Elise’s father, who seemed to have no reaction from earlier.

He was crying so much that his face was shiny with red eyes.

“Huh… no…. Louisa….”

“Father…. It’s Juliet, not Louisa.”

Thanks to Elise, she was able to hold back her tears for just a moment and wipe away her father’s tears.

That was Juliet, and she tried to say that the real Princess Louisa was alive, but everything she wanted to say was blown away by her father’s wailing.

But there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Because everyone around me was already crying.

* * *

“Huh…. Huh….”

It’s a hurried curtain call.

I, who had not yet wiped away my tears, climbed onto the backstage box and sat down, looking at the backs of the actors leaving one by one for the curtain call.

You need to take a breath and go out.

‘The audience was so immersed, I was also overly immersed.’

I was so immersed in the suicide scene that my acting was a little off.

This usually happens to actors who are good at performing on stage.

Stage constitution.

To put it negatively, it is said to be an indulgent temperament, but there are cases where actors become several times more shameless in real life than during practice.

I get overly excited when I get people’s attention.

These actors sometimes have excessive joys and sorrows in real life and end up ruining the performance.

But even though that wasn’t the case for me, people were pouring so much energy into the performance that I got excited along with them.

I roughly wiped away the remaining tears and sweat with my sleeve.

My eyes were sore from the salty air.

“Tsk….”

“Stay still.”

At that time, I heard someone’s voice in the blur of vision.

Very close.

I took a step back in shock.

“I know you hate being touched. Stay still. Because it’s a handkerchief.”

Handkerchief?

Soon my eyes met soft silk.

After a rather delicate touch, I opened my eyes.

Golden eyes were looking down at me.

“So this is what our master likes. It’s not me, it’s the play.”

The blood stains on his face and chest were clearly visible due to the goat blood prepared in advance.

Even though I knew it was makeup, I got goosebumps without realizing it.

I clenched my fists without realizing it.

Before I knew it, only Leo and I were left backstage.

There was a commotion outside, and no matter how much I screamed, no one would come to help me, and the man covered in fake blood was laughing.

The moment his lips touched, I scrunched up my face.

If you do something strange, they hit you with a wooden block and throw things at you.

Despite that decision, Leo’s lips spat out a strange word.

“But, I’m a bit…. Can’t you like it?”

This crazy guy.

Another useless temptation.