The Prince of the Night
Askal had insomnia.
He had spent the entire night staring at the ceiling, and now, as dawn crept in, he mulled over the cause.
‘Damn Lion Tribe…’
It was a memory he still wanted to forget.
After camping out for several days in the now-deserted Erindale, Askal had finally flagged down a passing carriage and miraculously made it back to the capital. The moment he returned, he had collapsed into a deep, refreshing sleep—which completely flipped his day and night schedule.
‘This is troublesome.’
He would soon have to return to his administrative duties. Humans were creatures of habit, after all. A reversed sleep cycle could cause a fatal drop in efficiency. Lower efficiency would damage his reputation, which would in turn severely impact his performance review…
Wait.
A severe impact on his performance review?
Actually, that sounded perfect.
‘From now on, my name is the Prince of the Night.’
Askal threw on a coat and stepped out into the capital’s nighttime streets.
Work by day, sleep by night. It was a long-standing tradition of humanity. But according to a renowned hikikomori scholar from the Far East, the cultural level of a nation could be measured by how well it overcame the night.
In that regard, the imperial capital’s cultural level was quite impressive.
The streets, lit by mana-stone lamps, still had several taverns with their lights blazing, and wandering minstrels had set out their hats and were playing earnestly on the corners.
Askal flicked a coin with his finger. It sailed neatly into the hat. Nice shot.
“Thank you, my lord.”
Askal lowered his voice as much as possible.
“The starlight is so blinding that I cannot fall asleep. I do not know how to pass this night. You, poet whose melodies flow from your very blood—can you tell me of a place that might soothe this insomnia of mine, or somewhere I might sink into the quiet of this night?”
It was an overly theatrical tone. If anyone recognized him, it would become a hassle. At this moment, he was not the imperial administrator Askal. He was the Prince of the Night.
“Since Your Lordship has shown me such grace, how could I not repay it? Over that way lies the ‘Moonlight Troupe.’ I hear their performances and tales carry quite a refined elegance.”
Oh. The wandering minstrel played along rather well. Askal added another coin.
“My thanks. I shall go there.”
Askal headed toward the Moonlight Troupe the minstrel had mentioned.
The Moonlight Troupe was once a well-known company across the empire. Until a few years ago. But recently, even calling their situation a joke would be generous. After a string of failed productions despite heavy investment, they were suffering from severe financial difficulties.
“Hey. I clearly told you to prepare all the props. Why is there no mask? Seri. Are you ignoring your senior right now?”
“I’m sorry, senior. Suna senior asked to borrow the mask, so…”
Slap.
It was a scene of hot-blooded male violence. Seri, cheek stinging, bowed at the waist and silently wiped the floor with a rag. Violence—both visible and invisible—existed everywhere, but the performing arts tended to be especially bad on average.
“Oh my. This spot still isn’t clean?”
“Where do you mean, senior?”
“Right here.”
Rosanna spat on the floor Seri was wiping. It was a serious insult.
“Sorry. I’ve had some phlegm stuck in my throat since earlier?”
“Yes, senior.”
Seri wiped up the spit Rosanna had left. Having lost interest because there was no reaction, Rosanna snorted and walked away.
“Hey, Rosanna. You’re going to get in big trouble one day.”
“Why? Because she’s a noble lady? But she said she wanted to start from the bottom and joined our troupe, didn’t she? She should be prepared to endure at least this much.”
“You really have a nasty personality.”
Even as she said that, Suna wore a faint sneer. It wasn’t as if Suna liked Seri either.
“Who does she think she is, trying to do refined art all by herself? Does she think we can’t do art? We’re only sacrificing because the troupe is in trouble right now.”
The reason Seri was being ostracized was partly due to territoriality, but the biggest reason was that she performed plays she had written herself.
“Well, what can you do? She’s a precious body who came in through donations. She wants to do her art. Art that no one watches. Ahaha.”
“Um… I’ve finished cleaning.”
Rosanna, who had seen Seri suddenly appear behind the stage, looked startled for a moment. But she quickly spoke coldly.
“Really? Then since guests will be arriving soon, go hide yourself in some mouse hole. Your turn is last, after all.”
“Understood, senior.”
After watching Seri leave, Suna said,
“She probably heard us, right?”
“So what if she did? What can she do about it?”
It was night. Soon it would be time for the Moonlight Troupe to work. Rosanna instantly changed her expression. It was an actor’s face.
"Oh, Isolet. Why are you so beautiful?"
"Because you love me, Jerron."
⟨ Moonlight Troupe Performance ⟩
The actors moved busily across the stage. Sometimes they danced, sometimes they sang. It was a packed performance with not a single moment of rest.
Askal sat in the audience, watching the show with zero emotional engagement.
‘Ugh. It’s disgustingly boring.’
Having grown accustomed to all the entertainment from his previous life that released dopamine the instant you saw it, Askal found it difficult to feel moved by this classical script that felt like something he had seen before.
Over-the-top emotions he couldn’t relate to. Sudden dance numbers. Was this Bollywood?
Clap clap clap.
One performance ended.
Applause erupted here and there.
Askal looked around. Unlike him, the other audience members genuinely seemed to be enjoying the performance—even feeling moved by it.
“You look like a new face. How was today’s show? Isolet and Jerron’s heartrending love story always brings tears to my eyes no matter how many times I see it.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“……?”
Since he was already role-playing, Askal decided to stay in character until the end.
“An incomprehensible emotional arc and a predictable story with no twists whatsoever. If I were to give it a score, three points would be appropriate. Out of one hundred, of course.”
“This crazy bastard!”
The audience member fumed. Askal snorted and ignored him. In truth, he had provoked the man on purpose. If the morning papers ran a headline like Imperial Administrator Askal Caught Up in Violent Incident…, that wouldn’t be so bad.
“Everyone, let’s head out. Seri’s performance is next.”
“Already? Hey, consider yourself lucky. It’s hard to find someone who can insult Medos, the Iron Fist of the Empire, and walk away unscathed.”
It was strange. As if they had all made an agreement, the audience members poured out like the tide. There hadn’t been that many to begin with, but now only two or three remained. At that moment, a girl with purple hair stepped out onto the stage.
“Boo! Boo!”
Jeers rose from the audience. The girl flinched, glanced at the seats, then began her performance. It was a one-woman show.
‘It’s better than I expected.’
The girl’s acting was… how to put it—restrained. She didn’t overact. She told the story with controlled emotion, and there was a persuasive power to it.
“How can something be this boring? I can’t stand it anymore. I’m leaving.”
Even the few remaining audience members left, but the girl continued her performance. She seemed completely immersed.
To be honest, it wasn’t an incredibly entertaining show. But compared to the previous tacky performance, it could almost be called art.
Askal listened to the girl’s monologue.
“When the lambs fall silent, I speak. A wolf has already appeared inside the fence. It will devour the poor first.”
It was good. The calm tone, everything was good. Thanks to it, he was getting seriously sleepy.
‘Wait, sleepy?’
Askal had been suffering from insomnia. And this girl’s voice was the perfect cure for it.
His brain, which had been forcibly switched on as if someone had poured coffee directly into it, began to slowly power down the moment it heard the girl’s gentle voice. One sheep, two sheep.
‘Sleep… I’m falling asleep…’
Askal’s eyes closed. The sandman came immediately. It was an incredibly satisfying sleep.
Seri’s performance ended. However, there was no applause. In fact, it was normal for not even a single audience member to remain.
At times like these, Seri wanted to collapse on the spot. Born into a noble family, the first time she had encountered theater, Seri felt like she had found her calling. She truly wanted to become an artist. An artist who wrote her own scripts and performed them.
But reality was cruel. No one understood her art.
Seri stared at the empty seats with dead eyes. In front, behind—there was no one looking at her…
‘There’s… a person?’
In the middle of the audience seats sat a handsome man wearing a black coat and a half-mask.
The man seemed deeply immersed in the performance. His eyes were closed as he savored the aftertaste.
And after remaining still for a long while, the man opened his eyes.
“It was a truly excellent performance.”
His voice was clear. As if he had just woken up from a deep, refreshing nap.
“……Are you lying?”
“Lying?”
“No one has ever said my performance was good before. You must have come here to mock me. Is it Rosanna? Or Suna?”
“Really? Out of all the performances I’ve seen so far, yours was the best. Everyone else must have holes for eyes.”
It wasn’t a lie. This was the first time Askal had ever watched a performance here. And Seri’s show really hadn’t been that bad. Except for the part where it made him sleepy.
“Is that true?”
“I swear on the name of the Prince of the Night that it is the truth.”
Askal lowered his voice. Since she kept asking, he decided to cut off any further doubt at the source.
‘I’ve found one. I’ve finally found someone who understands my art. If even one person understands me, then I…’
Seri felt like she might cry.
“Will you come watch my performance tomorrow as well?”
“Of course I will.”
Askal, whose condition was fully recharged after a good nap, answered. It had been a long time since he felt this refreshed. He would definitely have to come again.
Today, once again suffering from insomnia, Askal came to watch Seri’s performance. And the moment he heard her voice, he fell into the arms of the sandman.
This continued for several days.
“Today’s performance was excellent as always, Seri. You are the greatest actress in the world.”
“Thank you. Um… what should I call you?”
Askal smoothed down his hair, which he had styled with oil. Most people didn’t know the faces of government officials, but lately Askal had noticed he was becoming famous. Since being recognized would be a hassle, he decided to hide his identity.
“The Prince of the Night.”
“It suits you.”
Seri savored the name Askal had given. Askal watched her for a moment before speaking.
“This is truly unfortunate news, but it seems I will no longer be able to come to the troupe.”
“……Why?”
“I no longer have time allowed to me.”
His vacation was over.
“Will we be able to meet again?”
“If fate leads us.”
Thanks to you, my insomnia is cured and my sleep schedule is back to normal. I’m off.
Askal turned around. The long hem of his black coat fluttered. He slowly disappeared into the darkness.
Left alone, Seri stared at his retreating figure for a long time before entering the dressing room. She removed her wig and began wiping off her makeup.
“You’ve been acting pretty cocky lately, huh? Got yourself a regular customer and now you’re putting on airs?”
“I suppose so.”
“Where do you get off speaking informally? Have you lost your mind?”
“Hmm. Maybe I have a bit of that side to me?”
Seri stood up. Without the wig and makeup, her bare face looked somehow different. Rosanna took a step back.
She no longer seemed like the person Rosanna knew.
“It was moderately fun until now. I was satisfied too.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I was planning to leave quietly, but there’s one thing that bothers me.”
She snapped her fingers. As if bound by an invisible noose, Rosanna’s body froze in place.
“Your performance was horrifically boring.”
“W-what are you doing? Don’t come near me!”
“Still, I’m generous. Shall we start by pulling out just one fingernail?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A scream echoed through the dressing room.
Recent movements of the Crown Prince. Your Highness the Princess. Strangely, he has been frequently visiting government offices lately.
“……Is that so?”
“Are you listening, Your Highness? Shall I come back later?”
“No. Continue the report.”
“The whereabouts of Princess Julia remain unknown. There are only uncertain testimonies that someone resembling her has been seen occasionally at government offices…”
“Government offices again? I’ll have to go check it out sometime.”
“Even so, right now—”
“I have work to do.”
“Did you enjoy your picnic, Your Highness Serena?”
“Picnic? What are you talking about? I was serious.”
“Oh dear, it seems I misspoke.”
“By the way, find one person for me.”
“Who might that be?”
“Among the foreigners who recently entered the country, find a black-haired man. He is probably a prince from a nameless minor nation.”
“And after we find him?”
“Well. I’m not sure yet.”
The Second Princess, Serena, said,
“I think he might be my first love.”