Romeo and Juliet (3)
The next performance day had arrived before I knew it.
‘The seats are pretty packed.’
When I parted the curtain and peeked at the audience, far more people were seated than I’d expected.
The outer seats we’d opened for free were completely full, not even room to stand.
The regular seats looked almost sold out too.
‘But the important one is that girl over there.’
The red-haired girl who had stopped her carriage in the middle of the market and was now craning her neck to see. She was the sole occupant of the special VIP box we’d set up in the center of the theater.
‘Shall we begin?’
I stepped out to the middle of the stage.
And then.
“Thank you all so much for coming to the Ackman Theater today as well.”
After the formal greeting, I flashed an exceptionally kind smile toward the guest who would become our VIP.
Fan service.
Or rather, customer management.
“A feud between families, a tragic love. Today’s story begins now.”
The theater I’d visited without much expectation turned out to be surprisingly impressive.
From the outside it had looked like a warehouse, but inside the flow of movement was well organized, and the staff selling snacks and tickets were clearly well-trained.
What I liked most, though, was the seating arrangement.
The outer seats opened for free.
The regular seats for ordinary guests.
And the special VIP box placed directly facing the center of the stage.
The distinctions were quite clear.
‘This place is openly targeting nobles…’
The VIP box was obviously designed to appeal to wealthy patrons. Wide spacing, plush backrests, an unobstructed central view of the stage, and not even the worry of brushing against the person next to you.
‘They even brought in an incredibly nice sofa.’
I pressed the armrest lightly with my fingertips. It was soft. Much softer than I’d expected.
“My lady, is anything uncomfortable?”
“Ahem. It’s not bad.”
“Please take this as well.”
What Lael handed me was a snack of roasted nuts coated in a thin layer of honey. It was probably one of the treats sold at the theater entrance.
“Hey, when have I ever eaten something commoners—”
Crunch.
“……”
“It seems to suit your taste.”
“Th-that’s not it! I’m simply investigating the commercial district of a declining territory…”
“Yes, yes. If you need anything else for your investigation, please let me know anytime.”
“R-right!”
Crunch. Crunch.
“It’s starting!”
The buzzing audience gradually fell silent.
In front of the curtain, a young man with black hair walked to the center of the stage.
‘So that’s Viscount Russell.’
The young viscount of the failing Ackman territory. The official successor to the eccentric Illusion Magic Tower. And the man behind all those bizarre actions unbecoming of a noble.
‘He’s… incredibly handsome?’
No. It wasn’t just that he was handsome.
There was something different about him standing on stage. The soft lighting cast by illusion magic. The atmosphere of being the sole focus in a dim warehouse theater. And the relaxed confidence that didn’t shy away from the eyes gathered on him.
‘Good grief, how can someone look so sly?’
“Thank you all so much for coming to the Ackman Theater today as well.”
The young lord bowed politely.
‘He even greets the audience himself. What a truly strange person…’
The moment I thought that, our eyes met exactly.
Or… did they?
Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe he was just scanning the seats and our gazes happened to cross.
But then.
‘Wh-what is this all of a sudden!’
He smiled at me. Very briefly. Very naturally.
‘Have we met before?’
No, that couldn’t be. I’d heard he’d been shut away in the Magic Tower and had only returned to his territory less than a year ago. There was no way we’d ever met.
‘Th-then why did he just smile at me!’
“My lady?”
“Y-yes?”
“Your face is very red. Are you feeling unwell somewhere…”
“It’s nothing!”
“If there’s any problem, you must tell me…”
“I said it’s nothing!”
Adeline’s face had turned bright crimson. What saved her was the curtain.
Russell stepped down, and the curtain slowly opened.
On the now-darkened stage, a gentle moonlight settled.
‘So this is illusion magic.’
It had been an empty, barren stage. Yet the moment I blinked, an unfamiliar noble mansion’s garden unfolded before my eyes.
The moonlight softly illuminated the garden. A faint melody drifted from somewhere.
And then.
A woman with silver hair appeared at the far end of the garden.
‘Wait, who on earth is she?’
She was breathtakingly beautiful. Truly, impossibly beautiful. Tall, with a graceful figure.
‘Hng…’
Adeline unconsciously touched the ends of her own red hair.
The silver hair bathed in moonlight was dazzlingly lovely, and her pale face looked so fragile it might crumble at any moment.
“Why must you be someone from the Montague family?”
The silver-haired woman’s line marked the true beginning of the performance.
“If only… that name didn’t exist… we wouldn’t have to meet in secret like this.”
Viscount Russell looked up at her.
“Then I will cast aside my name.”
“Is that even possible?”
“If that is what you wish.”
Adeline forgot to eat the nuts in her hand.
‘It’s childish.’
It was definitely childish. A man and woman from enemy families falling in love, agonizing over betraying their houses. If someone turned in a novel with this plot as an academy assignment, the professors would surely scold them.
But.
‘Juliet and Romeo are just so pitiful…’
She couldn’t look away.
Before she realized it, she was completely immersed in the play.
Countless scenes passed by.
Secret meetings. The lovers’ vows. The families’ rage. And the alley where swords clashed.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’
The illusions created by magic were shocking. Short screams. The red illusion dripping from the tip of a sword. Even the scenes left unseen stimulated the imagination in the best way.
And then.
“No. You are a daughter of the Capulet family. Rather than sending you to those Montagues I’d rather tear apart, it would be far happier for you to stay by that old duke’s side.”
“H-how could you…”
Finally, the scene she had witnessed in the market unfolded before her eyes.
The family’s opposition and Juliet holding the poison vial.
‘Ugh, what? She’s not actually going to die?’
They were trying to win their love by faking death and leaving the house. It was a method she could never have imagined.
“Sob… sob…”
When she glanced sideways, Lael—who had come along as her attendant—was already wiping at the corners of her eyes.
‘Goodness, what’s so sad that she’s crying over it?’
Swish.
“My lady, here is a handkerchief.”
“Wh-why are you giving me this!”
“Because there are tears in your eyes right now…”
“I-it’s just dust in my eye!”
“...”
And then the final scene arrived.
An underground crypt. Cold stone walls. Juliet lying as if dead.
Romeo knelt beside her.
‘What is he doing?’
Romeo took out a small glass bottle.
‘You idiot, Juliet is still alive!’
“Wait for me. I’ll follow you soon.”
He opened the lid and drank the poison.
Thud.
“Juliet…”
The man’s hand fell limply. Tears flowed from eyes losing their focus.
“N-no!”
Countless gazes poured down from the audience.
‘Uwaa… why did I do that…’
But soon the eyes shifted back to Juliet, who was slowly opening her eyes.
“No.”
A sorrowful voice echoed quietly through the theater.
“No. No. No…”
She pulled her lifeless lover into her arms and wept endlessly. Then, slowly, she drew a dagger from his chest.
“Who…”
The silver-haired woman turned her head toward the audience.
Her tear-filled eyes met Adeline’s.
“Who can stop me?”
And at that moment.
Flash.
The illusion vanished abruptly. Perfect blackout.
Swish.
In the darkness, a single silver line sliced through the air.
“Wh-what…”
The audience began to stir slightly.
The darkened theater gradually brightened again.
And the tomb reappeared.
“H-how did this happen?”
On the cold stone floor lay Romeo, collapsed. Beside him, Juliet leaned against him, fallen as well.
The crests of the two families that had hated each other.
Montague.
Capulet.
The two emblems lay slanted and overlapping on the tomb, as if the two names that could never become one in life had finally touched each other in death.
“Ah……”
Someone let out a small sigh.
That sound triggered a wave of held breaths throughout the seats. Sniffles. Hands covering mouths. The sound of people gripping their chairs in disbelief.
And then.
A girl’s anguished cry.
“How could this happen… it’s too cruel… it’s just too much!”
The performance ended safely.
No. It ended successfully.
‘Looks like everyone’s pretty shocked.’
I scanned the audience. Most faces were dazed, as if they’d missed the timing to applaud.
‘And our young lady seems to have been deeply moved.’
The red-haired girl in the VIP box had been clutching a handkerchief to her eyes since the second half of the show.
“How could this happen… it’s too cruel… it’s just too much!”
Her passionate reaction to the final twist was perfect.
Now it was time to wrap up the performance.
“That concludes today’s story.”
Only then did the audience realize the show was truly over. I raised my voice for an important announcement.
“The story you saw today will be performed every weekend for the next two months here at the Ackman Theater.”
A murmur spread through the seats.
“On your way out, you may purchase tickets for the next performance. Today we are selling half of all seats; the remaining half will be sold on the day of the show.”
I pointed to the sales counter set up near the entrance.
“For detailed purchases, please visit the counter on the right side of the exit.”
People still wiping their eyes. People whispering about the ending with their neighbors. People grumbling that it was “too much” yet with completely relaxed expressions.
After a little time passed, they began preparing to head home one by one.
And then.
Whoosh.
The red-haired girl in the VIP box shot to her feet so abruptly that her attendant flinched.
“Hurry and follow me!”
She strode briskly toward the sales counter.
By then Burke had already changed out of his priest robes into merchant attire and was waiting with a perfect capitalist smile.
“Would you like to purchase tickets for the next performance?”
“How many VIP seats are there in total?”
The red-haired girl asked in a voice that tried—and failed—to hide her urgency.
“There are currently five VIP seats in total. Each is operated for one guest, but you may bring up to two attendants to the auxiliary seats behind.”
“Attendants too?”
“Yes. However, the prime front seat with the best view of the stage is provided to one main guest.”
“Five seats…”
The red-haired girl muttered briefly. She glanced back at Russell on the stage.
“I’ll… take them all.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll buy them all!”