Romeo and Juliet (Part 2)
“Why must you be from the Montague family?”
“Why must I be a daughter of the Capulets?”
Her breathing was perfectly natural.
Her eye work was flawless.
Lucia continued the performance with trembling lips.
“If only… that name hadn’t existed… we wouldn’t have to meet in secret like this.”
“Hic…”
A single tear slid from her dreamy eyes as they gazed into empty air.
It was such perfect acting that admiration burst out involuntarily.
“Wow… At this level, there’s nothing left for me to teach.”
“Hmm. I’m pretty sure someone once said something about teaching her what acting even is.”
The moment the lines ended, Lucia’s face returned to its usual cold mask. She briskly wiped away the tear.
“No, that was—”
I was speechless at the absurdly magnificent talent.
I had given her only a few lines of dialogue, a basic explanation of the situation, and a few notes on the emotions she might want to emphasize.
Then I’d simply told her to give it a try without any pressure.
I suppose I should be happy about this?
A petty twinge of jealousy pricked me over the overwhelming gift I myself lacked.
“Yeah. All you need to do now is memorize the lines quickly.”
Still, it was true that one huge worry had been lifted.
Lucia would handle her part perfectly on her own. All that remained was training the extras.
“Still, we’re knights. Isn’t performing in a play a little… beneath us?”
“Even the lord is stepping onto the stage himself for the sake of everyone. Shouldn’t we naturally join him?”
“Exactly. It’s for the territory. Sword or stick, we pick it up and do the job.”
The five knights were chattering away in a corner of the training grounds.
Our territory lacked the resources to even maintain proper regular troops, yet these men had stayed out of loyalty to the family. I was grateful for them.
Still, I need at least one more supporting actor…
Gratitude was one thing. Usefulness was another.
The knights I’d hastily drafted were decent enough in the action scenes, but their acting was an absolute disaster.
They were resources I could only use by cutting most of their lines and focusing purely on movement.
Where on earth am I supposed to find a real actor? Sigh…
For Romeo and Juliet to work properly, we needed one more lead-level supporting actor besides Lucia and me.
The priest who would tie the two lovers together.
But in a world where the very concepts of theater and actors didn’t exist, securing a proper performer was an enormous headache.
That was when it happened.
“Haha, are preparations proceeding smoothly?”
“Huh?”
“I was watching for a moment. You look like you’re carrying quite a few worries.”
I turned toward the suddenly cheerful voice.
It was Burke.
I had no idea when he’d slipped in, but the man rumored to be drowning in work at the merchant coalition was grinning as he looked over the knights.
He might actually work.
Burke, who never lost that sly smile of his.
“No, that really doesn’t seem right!”
But right now his face showed clear panic.
“What do you mean it doesn’t seem right? Don’t you have eyes?”
“What are you—”
“Just look at them. If you were one of those noble young ladies, could you possibly get immersed watching that?”
“Ugh…”
“You’re a clever guy. You came rushing over because you’re worried about your father blindly investing, right?”
“I… I merely came on my father’s orders to see if there was any way I could assist…”
When I tested the waters, the reaction was crystal clear.
As expected, he’s sharp.
“I really did come to help. I absolutely do not doubt the lord or anything of that sort.”
“Good. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
“No, that’s… still, me stepping onto the stage is a bit…”
“Really?”
“Y-yes…?”
“Do you truly think that?”
“...”
“Right. Well, you could always leave our territory, run your own business, and live comfortably.”
“...”
“You wouldn’t care if the Ackman territory vanished, would you?”
“That’s not—”
“Sigh… This is upsetting. I’m starting to wonder if Huck feels the same way.”
“Why does my refusal to act suddenly become all of that?!”
The boy flared up.
“This is the final desperate struggle to save the territory! An ambitious performance that everyone is pouring their strength into!”
“Even if our territory’s last hope ends up being completed poorly!”
“You.”
“Absolutely.”
“Abso~lutely refuse to act. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Let’s just do it while I’m still asking nicely, yeah?”
“...”
Burke silently dropped his head in resignation and accepted the script booklet Lucia held out.
“That’s the spirit, you rascal. How nice it is to work with a smile when asked politely. I’m counting on you!”
A week had passed since we recruited Burke.
Lucia, blessed with her naturally brilliant mind, had completely memorized the entire script in just a few days.
She was in perfect condition, ready to step on stage at any moment.
Yet for the first performance to be truly successful, a great deal of work still remained.
“Off to work again today?”
“Ha… Can’t I rest for just one day?”
“Not a chance.”
Lucia stood up with her head hanging low.
The place we reached after walking was a small tent Burke had set up in the center of the market.
The weather was pleasantly cool, and many people were coming and going.
Promotional flyers for next week’s performance were already plastered everywhere throughout the village.
“Russell, shouldn’t we help the knights with their practice?”
“Burke’s handling that just fine on his own.”
“Hic…”
At first Burke had resisted fiercely, claiming he absolutely refused.
But once he accepted his fate, the man transformed one hundred and eighty degrees.
I understand. If we must do this, then I will give my all to create a perfect product.
In a short time, Burke had proven with his own actions that he was the talent who would lead the merchant coalition.
The knights’ props are far too crude. No matter how much magic you plan to add for effects, we should conserve it wherever possible for future performances.
He took the initiative to handle props without being told.
Sir Brandt. This is not a real duel. Please perform it with more exaggerated gestures.
He even took over directing the extras, a task I had found slightly bothersome.
Thanks to him, I suddenly had time to spare and could head out to the streets with Lucia to handle other matters.
What matters?
What else? Street promotion, obviously.
No matter how perfectly prepared a performance might be, it meant nothing without an audience.
If we had free time, it was only natural to use every second to gather customers.
“My lord, a carriage is approaching.”
The servant who had been keeping watch outside came running in frantically.
“Lucia, you’re up first today, right?”
“Sigh…”
With a slightly haggard expression, Lucia let out a deep breath.
She channeled mana toward the small platform prepared in front of the tent.
Swoosh—
The faintly entangled mana formed a pale illusion.
The surrounding air grew dimmer. Moonlight poured down.
The first meeting of Romeo and Juliet.
The vow of love sworn beneath Father Lawrence’s blessing.
And the oppressive weight of Juliet’s family that would tear their love apart.
The ‘trailer’ we had prepared by gathering the most stimulating scenes unfolded before the tent.
Are they watching properly?
I observed the reaction of the passing carriage.
Most nobles traveling through our territory only stopped briefly to spend one night before continuing on their way.
To lure them to our stage, we needed powerful promotion.
“Ugh…”
With every groan from Lucia, the promotional illusion grew even more spectacular.
Creak—
The passing carriage came to a stop beside the road. A girl with red hair poked her head out the window.
“Why in the world did we come through Ackman territory!”
The red-haired girl grumbled loudly at her attendants.
“Seriously… Who even uses this route anymore!”
Vacation at the academy was extremely short.
Or rather, it only felt that way to the red-haired girl.
Adeline Rosenbelt.
The most celebrated daughter of Count Rosenbelt at the Royal Academy.
Seminars, administrative duties, academic activities—she had spent her entire break so busy she barely had time to breathe.
She had planned to stop by her father for a quick greeting before hurrying back to the capital.
But.
“There isn’t even a decent place to stay here!!”
The old coachman she had hastily hired had chosen the wrong route.
Instead of taking the fast, comfortable roads, they had passed through Ackman territory, and her mood was thoroughly soured.
Creak—
Even when she opened the window and looked around, all she saw was the shabby scenery of a ruined territory.
Spending the night in a place like this was truly the worst.
“Ugh, I really hate this…”
After she had grumbled for quite a while.
“Huh?”
A suspicious tent erected in the middle of the rundown rural territory caught her eye.
In that instant.
Flash—
The surroundings darkened, and a beautiful silver-haired girl appeared before the tent.
A black-haired nobleman gazed at her with sorrowful eyes.
Who are they? I’ve never seen those faces in the capital…
Swish—
Wondering if they might be familiar, she studied them carefully.
The air seemed to ripple, and suddenly the two figures vanished.
“Eek?”
Startled, she rubbed her eyes and looked again. This time the pair who had disappeared were standing with a man dressed in black priestly robes.
“W-wait, stop the carriage!”
The carriage halted abruptly at her urgent command.
“With this, the two of you swear to be together for life…”
Beneath moonlight that somehow shone softly in broad daylight, they exchanged a simple marriage vow.
What is this?
Silver hair sparkling in the moonlight. Black eyes drenched in melancholy.
Adeline was completely absorbed by the illusion unfolding before her.
Swish—
The scene scattered like smoke, and new figures appeared.
“Father!”
“It cannot be done. You are a daughter of the Capulet house. Rather than sending you to that Montague family I would tear to pieces, you would be far happier living beside the old duke.”
“H-how can you say such a thing…”
This time, at the middle-aged man’s resolute words, the silver-haired woman collapsed weakly.
Swish—
The illusion scattered like smoke once more.
When the mist cleared, the silver-haired woman was holding a suspicious bottle filled with liquid.
“Yes… This is the only path left to me…”
Carefully, she brought the glass bottle to her lips.
“Ah… No!”
A short, involuntary scream escaped Adeline’s mouth.
“Gasp.”
She hurriedly covered her lips with both hands.
Her face burned crimson with embarrassment.
But when she glanced around and looked back at the tent, the tragic heroine had already vanished without a trace.
“Where did the silver-haired sister go…?”
While Adeline sat there in confusion, the voices of the merchants reached her ears.
Starting next week—our territory’s one and only special theatrical performance!
The lord himself, last disciple of the Illusion Magic Tower, invites you to a fantastical tale!
Knock knock.
One of the attendants handed a flyer through the carriage window.
“My lady, I picked up one of the flyers they were distributing.”
“What a pointless thing to do! Do you really think I would be interested in such vulgar entertainment?!”
Her words and her eyes told two completely different stories.
Her gaze was already glued to the flyer.
“Of course you have no interest in mere entertainment. However, I thought an academic analysis of a failing territory’s new attempt might prove useful…”
“R-right! I was examining it for its academic value!”
“...”
“The performance is next week, correct?”
The attendant’s perfectly timed response was exactly what the picky young lady needed.
Among the maids already scheduled for business trips the following week, small sighs spread through the group.