Chapter 012

<Episode 12>

The actor who played Benvolio.

Henry Scottfield came down the stage covered in sweat.

“Huh…. Omg….”

He was a commoner who worked as the youngest member of the kitchen at Rudy’s night bar.

At least until Rudy suddenly came into the kitchen with a rotten look on his face.

“Our princess’s tastes are also very complex. Are you looking for a noble person here who is gentle and cute, and who looks like he’s never done any odd jobs?”

At that time, Rudy was busy picking up the men Louisa wanted.

Then something fell in front of him.

Craddangtangtang!

“Ugh! Sorry! I will correct this, Sheep!”

The empty oak barrel was dropped by the youngest child, Henry Scottfield, who entered the kitchen.

He said that this was his first time working in a kitchen as his father, who ran a fairly profitable store before the fall of the principality, went bankrupt with the demise of the Duke of Mecenat.

‘It definitely looks like you don’t have a clue.’

The chef was already telling me to cut it. Where else can you find people? These days, the principality is so scary that it’s not easy to find people….

With that in mind, Rudy picked up the oak barrel.

Rudy looked at Henry, who was groveling and frowning, and then dropped the oak barrel again.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You, well…. It happened?”

That was the story of Henry Scottfield being cast.

At first, all the male actors cast with Henry had one thought.

‘He seduces the princess and makes a living.’

Luisa Mecenat.

The famous bastard princess of this duchy where Henry Scottfield lived his entire life.

As rumored, she had a great eye for really handsome men.

If you’re doing a play, what’s the reason you didn’t use any of the existing actors and only gathered good-looking men?

‘…Don’t make eye contact.’

Innocent Henry tried his best not to look the princess in the eye.

Although he applied to become an actor to help pay for the medical expenses of his sick mother after his father passed away, he did not view the profession very favorably.

Of course, my father, who thought actors were clowns, had a big influence on me.

‘Ah, dirty clowns. When they die, the priests don’t take care of them.’

It was true.

No priest officiated at the actor’s funeral. It was only natural that the entire Holy Empire loathed them.

A saint went so far as to declare that the play was inflammatory and promiscuous.

I can’t believe the princess herself planned such a play.

‘As expected, princess….’

That was when Henry thought so.

An extra male actor from the side approached Louisa in a friendly manner. For some reason, he had taken off his top earlier.

“Well then, what should we do now?”

Louisa didn’t care whether he took off his top or not, and told the actors to “warm up,” and then sat down in the audience and looked at his notes.

Later, Henry caught a glimpse of the note, which had a script attached to one side and unknown words written on the other side.

-Make sure you know the subtext.

-The light comes from here.

-Lights fade out.

At first, Henry thought the things written in the note were witch’s spells or something.

There was a reason for Henry’s thoughts.

After the fall of the Principality of Mecenat, the atmosphere in the principality was grim.

As businesses related to the Principality of Mecenat went bankrupt one after another, it naturally became difficult for the citizens of the Principality to survive.

The angry public initially aimed their swords at the current emperor.

It was natural.

The principal’s bankruptcy was largely due to the current emperor’s declaration that he would not repay the enormous debt the imperial family owed to the Principality of Mecenat.

Of course, there was a reason for it.

The duke was plotting treason.

The duke, who was in deep old age, was plotting treason.

Due to the cause that not everyone believed in, Mecenat faced a great crisis in a situation where it was already going downhill, and eventually the duke died and the principality fell.

‘That was also when my father passed away.’

Henry thought of his father, who died of shock after losing all the money he had invested in his business in the duchy.

When my father died, everyone hated the emperor.

Everyone said that it was the current emperor’s conspiracy that caused the Duchy of Mecenat to fall.

It was around that time that strange rumors began to circulate.

‘In fact, the fall of the Principality of Mecenat was all because of an extravagant princess!’

It is said that the princess bought as much jewelry as the principality’s annual budget before it collapsed.

The rumor gained weight.

There was even talk of kidnapping pretty boys in underground prisons to do dirty things to them and drinking the blood of children to maintain their good looks.

The public sentiment, which was boiling over, turned towards the princess.

Hating the emperor whose face we have never seen, who sits atop a castle far away and rules over this vast empire.

Rather, it was much easier for the people of the principality to hate the princess, who they had seen from time to time in the principality and who provided evil and interesting stories.

In addition, the princess held an auction, sold off Mecenat’s inheritance, and conveniently used the money to buy men.

Like now.

‘I guess the rumor is true.’

As Henry was thinking that, Louisa, who had been sitting slanted and resting her chin on one side while looking at the notebook, looked up.

“Have you fully relaxed?”

“Yes, of course.”

Why is that actor’s eyes filled with anticipation?

Henry wanted to go home.

“Then let’s practice vocalization.”

“Yes?”

The male actor asked back with a look of somewhat lost interest. Louisa saw that and said lightly.

“Oh, try it.”

“Ah.”

“Big.”

“Ah!”

At that time, Louisa pressed the note below the male actor’s belly button.

“…Ahh!”

“Yeah, like now. Just like now, relax your neck and let your stomach make a sound.”

Louisa stood up while saying that.

The look in her eyes as she looked around at the male actors was creepy for some reason.

“I don’t expect you guys to act well. Don’t you guys either.”

She looked down at the actor, who was bare-chested, as if forlorn.

“Look at this. What does a person who can’t even seduce properly do on stage?”

“……!”

“But at least we can get this great script to reach people’s ears. From now on, practice your vocalization and take into account what I say.”

Louisa came up on stage at once.

Wearing baggy pants, a baggy shirt, and her hair pulled up roughly, where did she put all the jewelry she bought? Henry became curious.

But there was no time for that.

Because Louisa was staring at me so scary, I had to practice my vocalization right away.

Ah-.

Ah-.

Louisa practiced together every day after that. Due to the extreme schedule that started at 10 and ended at 10, most actors relaxed by evening.

At first, Louisa told us about ‘movement’.

However, it did not teach the dance-like movements seen in ordinary plays.

“You can move freely in this part. But we must come forward at this point. And when you say this line, look at the audience.”

And I had them memorize the script and the route all at once.

If you can’t remember something, Louisa says this in a cold voice.

“Useless bastard….”

As rumored, he didn’t throw anything or use evil words, but the actors even shed tears at the voice that seemed to be talking to themselves.

Everyone who had gathered to become the princess’s beloved concubine and secure a share took turns shedding tears.

However, the next day, we all gathered together at ten o’clock and started practicing.

There was money he received, and he knew that if he ran away without coughing up the money, Rudy would chase him to the end of the world.

And so one day, when all the actors were perfectly familiar with their respective movements and scripts, Louisa added something new.

“Again.”

Again.

That’s when those scary words started.

“Do it again. Again. I can’t concentrate at all. Don’t put emphasis on strange places for no reason. Don’t chew on your pronunciation. Don’t dance. Don’t even sing. Just feel it.”

‘Is this how theater practice usually goes??’

In the play that Henry watched without his father knowing, most of the actors screamed and pretended to cry exaggeratedly.

So that everyone can ‘see’ the actors’ sadness, not just ‘feel’ it.

But Louisa was different.

They didn’t teach me ‘how’ to act. I just explained this script.

“Benvolio was raised as a nobleman from childhood. Deep down, the desire to protect what is yours is very strong. The reason he tries not to get involved in the fight between the two families is largely to avoid offending the lord. But you pretend to be just for no reason.”

As if Benvolio were a living person.

“Then…. Should I stress this word here?”

“Do what your feelings tell you to do. It’s Benvolio.”

Henry was confused.

What is my Benvolio?

And why is this woman seriously making a play?

Instead of looking at these handsome men, I always say with a disapproving face, ‘That’s terrible acting…’ Are you just saying things like ‘.’?

Louisa, whom Henry had been afraid of at first because she seemed like a witch, now felt like a tiger teacher.

“If you still don’t know, I’ll show you my Benvolio. You should make your own Benvolio, but since you don’t have time and your skills are poor, if it doesn’t work, just copy it.”

It broke my heart to hear that it was terrible.

Louisa performed an act in front of Henry. No, more precisely, he showed his Benvolio.

That moment will probably never be forgotten by the actors at the practice site.

All the actors who were working together also became focused without me knowing.

Even those who had a vain dream of seducing Louisa felt at that moment that Louisa was Benvolio, not a spoiled princess.

So naturally, Louisa stood there as Benvolio.

‘That’s what you call an actor?’

I was curious about whether Henry could do something like that.

I wanted to try acting, something I thought I could never do.

Of course, the play started out far below Louisa’s level.

Henry was frustrated and shivered downstage.

Louisa briefly approached Henry.

“Are you nervous, Benvolio?”

“…I think people will laugh at me, princess.”

“Maybe.”

“……!”

It was when the hurt Henry became quiet.

“Maybe not. Some people’s skills suddenly improve when they go on stage.”

“Really?”

“Stage constitution.”

Louisa said something unintelligible again.

“There are people who get hot when they go on stage and receive attention from the audience. Someone who feels their heart racing, their fingertips tingling, and emotions that don’t come out during practice.”

Louisa glanced at the empty stage. There was affection in those eyes. Affection that was never shown to an actor.

“A person like that ends up guarding the stage. Out.”

Stage constitution.

I didn’t know when Louisa said that. That’s exactly what it is.

But Henry realized what it was exactly a few minutes after he got on stage.

‘The trembling has disappeared.’

Strangely enough, my body felt comfortable.

As your speech becomes more stable and your neck becomes less powerful, your vocalization will improve.

And above all -.

I ‘feel’ all of that.

Henry came down from the stage, took a deep breath, and looked back at the stage he had just come down from.

I want to go up again.

A strong desire enveloped him.