Serena stretched lazily.
As her tense body completely relaxed, a soft groan escaped her lips.
Even though she was an Imperial Princess possessing a noble status unimaginable to ordinary people, the nervousness before taking the stage every time was still enough to make her whole body stiffen.
“Celi, are you ready?”
“Yes, coming right away.”
Serena liked this troupe very much.
Although it wasn't as grand as the Moonlight Troupe, its facilities were not bad, and the members in the troupe were exceptionally friendly.
In the truest sense... like a big family.
Most importantly, as long as one had talent, even a newcomer who joined halfway through would be given a chance to prove themselves.
Before taking the stage, Serena flipped open the script to read through it once more.
Back when she was still with the Moonlight Troupe, she had insisted on using scripts she had written herself.
There had been a bit of stubborn pride in that refusal to admit defeat.
She didn't believe in the Empire's most popular, cliché romance stories.
She felt that she could write works far more brilliant than those.
She had even naively believed back then that as long as a story was good enough, the audience would naturally recognize her talent.
However—
Reality was merciless.
Audiences wouldn't waste their time on a boring young girl's story.
They only wanted to watch brilliant works that had already been proven by countless others.
The present Serena already understood this.
Yet even so, she still did not believe her stories were utterly worthless.
Because at least one person had proven otherwise.
That was enough.
Now, she only needed to do one thing well.
“Bring happy smiles to the faces of those who came to see me.”
With this thought in mind, Serena flipped open the script.
《Isolette and Jelon》.
This was one of the Empire's most famous plays.
She had long since memorized the lines by heart.
However, just like all classic works, each troupe would make adjustments to certain details according to their own style.
It was enough just to familiarize herself with those differences.
Serena turned to the first page.
“...”
Her hands holding the script suddenly trembled slightly.
Her mother, the Empress of the Empire, had disappeared when she was six years old.
And what 《Isolette and Jelon》 told was the love between a man and a woman from different families.
A love that was originally impossible to realize, yet ultimately overcame all obstacles to unite them.
Isolette's childhood was merely glossed over in the story.
Because it was considered an inconsequential part.
Yet Serena...
“Celi? It's about to begin.”
“...Give me just a little more time.”
Serena took a deep breath and flipped to the next page.
Her heart was beating so fast.
She gritted her teeth and turned another page.
Isolette had realized very early on that everything she possessed was nothing more than a false dream.
Therefore, she no longer responded to those so-called expressions of love.
When knights offered roses, she rejected them coldly.
When sons of grand nobles proposed to her, she merely laughed them off.
Because Isolette knew that she was a fake existence.
And if someone confessed their love to a fake existence, the only thing it proved was that the person confessing had also fallen into falsehood.
—Isolette often gazed at that railing.
“Celi! Celi! The show has started!”
“...Understood.”
Snapping back from the script, Serena hurried through her final touches of makeup and walked toward the stage.
Tonight, she was playing Isolette.
The Breeze Troupe was not large in scale.
Yet whenever it was showtime, the seats in the theater were always filled with familiar, returning patrons.
They relied on the truly talented actors in the troupe and carefully polished script after script.
“Apologies! There was a slight issue with the makeup, so the performance will start a little late!”
The troupe manager bowed deeply to the audience.
The audience applauded one after another, indicating they didn't mind.
A moment later, the stage sets were ready.
The actors walked onto the stage one by one.
“Tonight, Isolette will be played by our newcomer actress, Celi. Although she is still a newcomer, she possesses remarkable acting skills, so please give her your warm support.”
The troupe members bowed and exited the stage.
Snap.
The lights went out.
The entire stage plunged into darkness.
Next, it was the actors' time.
And within the darkness of the audience seats, a man wearing a half-mask quietly gazed at the stage.
Li An had arrived.
The performance proceeded very smoothly.
The other actor's acting was not bad, and the audience's reaction was quite positive.
One could even say this was the best reception the troupe had received recently.
Yet for some reason...
Serena kept feeling that something was slightly off.
The actor playing Jelon dropped to one knee.
This was the crucial scene where the two recalled their childhood and he confessed his love to Isolette.
“Isolette, do you remember? When we were young, I always said that I would definitely give you a diamond ring in the future.”
“Back then, I had no diamonds, so I could only pick up a few stones by the riverbank to give to you.”
A mischievous smile appeared on Jelon's face.
Immediately after, his expression gradually turned serious.
“Do you know what a diamond represents?”
“Eternal, unchanging love.”
The two had already grown from childhood playmates into adults.
Yet Jelon still remembered the promise from back then.
He pulled a ring from his chest pocket.
The diamond on the face of the ring sparkled brightly under the lights.
“Come with me, Isolette.”
“Let us run away together.”
This was the climax of the entire play.
From that day forth, Jelon had finally proven to Isolette that no matter how much time passed, his feelings for her had never changed.
Isolette also finally understood that the only one who truly loved her was Jelon.
Thus, hand in hand, the two disappeared into the sunset.
This was the ending of the story.
Now, only the final scene remained.
Isolette slowly turned around.
Barefoot, she walked forward step by step along the riverbank.
With every step she took, it was as if she were reminiscing about the past.
The audience's breathing gradually slowed.
“Jelon, I...”
Right at this moment, Isolette stopped.
She looked toward the audience seats.
Serena, who was supposed to be immersed in her role, suddenly froze.
That person...
had not appeared.
The Prince of the Night hadn't come.
“...Hm?”
Just as her composure wavered, a familiar figure entered her vision.
A black robe.
A half-mask.
The man sat quietly among the audience.
Serena's pupils constricted abruptly.
In the next instant, she turned back into Isolette.
“Isolette?”
The actor playing Jelon called softly from behind her.
There was a trace of confusion in his tone.
Yet Isolette did not look back.
Her gaze remained fixed on the audience seats.
The place where that man was sitting.
The place where the Prince of the Night was.
Serena asked in her heart:
How do you think she is acting now?
However—
The Prince of the Night merely shook his head gently.
He didn't even open his eyes.
As if...
he had already fallen asleep.
Serena froze completely.
That indifferent reaction was like a basin of ice water poured over her head.
Yet she couldn't stop.
Therefore, Isolette suddenly raised her voice.
“Are you saying none of this counts?”
“Liar.”
“You clearly promised you would come watch me, yet you didn't keep your promise at all!”
Saying so, she suddenly reached out and pulled off the wig on her head.
Long purple hair cascaded down.
Immediately afterward, she wiped away the makeup on her face with her sleeve.
Revealed was Serena's true face.
The entire theater was in an uproar.
Serena walked toward the audience seats step by step.
This was a performance that had never been seen before.
“Should we stop her?” the director asked in a low, worried voice.
The troupe manager shook his head.
“Don't move.”
“It's best not to interrupt an actor's improvisation.”
“...Perhaps this scene will become a legend.”
One step.
Two steps.
Only two steps remained between them.
Serena stared straight at the Prince of the Night.
Within those purple eyes, emotions were complicated to the extreme.
Then, as if throwing a tantrum, she shouted:
“Liar!”
“I hate you the most!”
The audience erupted into complete commotion.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Was this part of the script?
They had never seen an actor walk straight off the stage and run into the audience seats to perform.
And who was that masked man?
An actor hired at the last minute?
Or...
Just as everyone was bewildered, the man finally opened his eyes.
He raised his head and looked at Serena.
He didn't say a single word.
Yet just that gaze alone seemed to carry some bizarre magic.
The entire theater fell silent.
“...So noisy.”
A cold voice rang out.
It even carried a trace of heart-palpitating pressure.
Serena looked at him.
Everyone in the audience was suppressed by this aura, not daring to make a sound.
It felt as though an awl had violently pierced her chest.
Yet she could not retreat.
Serena took a step forward and gently placed her hand over her chest.
The gesture was tender, almost to the point of being humble.
“I love you.”
“Let us leave together.”
...
Dead silence.
The entire theater fell into a suffocating silence.
Serena stared intently into the Prince of the Night's eyes.
Yet from those eyes, all she saw was...
disgust.
As if he couldn't comprehend at all why she had become like this.
“Why?”
The Prince of the Night slowly stood up.
“Don't go.”
“You...”
“You...”
Serena wanted to call out his name.
Yet she didn't know it.
She didn't even know who this man truly was.
The Prince of the Night turned around.
Step by step, he departed.
He just left like that.
“...”
Serena reached out her hand.
Yet she failed to grasp anything.
It was over.
She had crossed the line.
What in the world had she done to someone who truly loved art?
This was no longer art.
It was disrespect.
Her legs lost all strength.
Serena slowly sank to her knees on the ground.
“No...”
“That's not right...”
“I don't even... have the right to ask him to stay...”
Tears finally burst from her eyes.
“Sob...”
Curled up on the stage, she wept for a long time.
No one dared to approach.
Because she was—the Second Princess of the Empire, Serena Barba.
And this day was also the first time her heart had fluttered in her life.
As well as her first heartbreak.
“Pant... pant...”
Li An ran frantically the entire way.
Only when he was far away from the troupe and certain the other party could never see him did he finally stop.
His heart was pounding wildly.
He had almost run his lungs out.
“That was close...”
Just moments ago, he had clearly been sleeping soundly.
That girl's voice was practically the most perfect lullaby.
Yet for some reason, it had suddenly gotten noisy on the stage.
He had been forcefully jolted awake.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the actress playing Isolette standing right in front of him.
Having spoken suddenly right after waking up from sleep, his throat still hurt a bit.
And then, she had unexpectedly ripped off her wig, revealing her real, long purple hair.
Li An had nearly had his soul scared out of his body on the spot.
His sleeping pill... was actually the Second Princess of the Empire!
With just a single glance at that face, Li An had recognized her.
A purple-haired woman who loved acting as a hobby.
Serena Barba.
The Second Princess of the Empire.
And in Li An's view, Serena was an existence even more dangerous than Elizabeth.
Why had Serena been able to constantly keep Elizabeth—who could almost be called a perfect superhuman—in check in the original work?
Because she possessed an almost terrifying obsession.
She would never give up until her goal was achieved.
In the original work, she had even ultimately managed to back Elizabeth into a corner.
Although she had still failed in the end, that was already enough to prove the point.
“Thank goodness I wore a mask.”
Li An let out a long sigh of relief.
Although the lighting tonight hadn't been pitch dark, it was nighttime after all.
He had also been wearing a heavy black robe and a half-mask.
No matter how clever Serena was, it would probably be very difficult for her to recognize his true identity.
Even if they ran into each other by chance in the future, she wouldn't necessarily connect the two.
“Haaah...”
Li An let out a yawn.
Still...
“Why on earth did she say those things to me just now?”
Was that improvisation?
Or...
Li An couldn't figure it out at all.
The only thing worth celebrating was that he had finally gotten some good sleep tonight.
Tomorrow, he should be able to return to work full of energy.
Rate on N.U.
