The Prince of the Night (3)
Serena stretched her legs out fully. The tension that had gripped her entire body melted away, and a faint moan slipped from her lips. Even with the formidable backing of being an imperial princess, the nerves before stepping onto the stage were her personal poison.
“Seri. Are you ready?”
“Yes. I’ll be out soon.”
Serena liked this theater troupe. It wasn’t as large as the Moonlight Troupe, but the facilities were decent and the people were kind. It had the warm atmosphere of a true family. Best of all, they gave opportunities to newcomers if they had the talent.
Before her performance, Serena opened the script one last time. When she had been with the Moonlight Troupe, she had always performed plays she wrote herself. It was a matter of pride. She believed she could write stories far superior to these clichéd, crowd-pleasing romances. She had even held the baseless conviction that the public would recognize and embrace her superior work.
But the audience had been merciless. They had no interest in wasting time on a girl’s tangled, bland, and uninteresting tale. They only came to see stories that were proven and entertaining. Serena now understood that truth. Yet her belief that her own stories contained a pure fragment of artistry had never changed. Above all, one person had proven it to her. That was enough. Now.
Let’s give the people who came to see me a pleasant smile.
With that thought, Serena opened the script.
Isolet and Jerron was one of the most famous stories in the empire. She could recite every line without even looking. But as with all famous works, each theater troupe arranged Isolet and Jerron slightly differently. She only needed to memorize those changes.
Serena turned to the first page.
“Mother once said that a woman in love becomes stronger. But Isolet could not understand what that meant. Because her mother died the following year.”
‘…….’
The arm holding the script began to tremble. Serena’s mother, the empress, had gone missing when Serena was six years old.
“Isolet’s father showed little interest in her. He treated her as if she were a plant that would grow into an adult on its own with time.”
Isolet and Jerron was a love story between two people from different families. It was a tale that moved audiences because an impossible love ultimately came true. However, Isolet’s childhood was only briefly mentioned and never deeply explored. It was considered a boring part.
But for Serena—
“Seri? It’s almost time.”
“Just a little longer. Please, just a little more time.”
Serena took a deep breath and turned the page.
“As Isolet passed through puberty, she fell in love. But it did not take her long to realize that love was no different from collecting pretty pebbles and lining them up in her room. Pebbles quickly become boring.”
Enough.
Her heart was beating far too fast. Serena gritted her teeth so hard it hurt and turned the page again.
“In the end, the parents who should have taught her about love were already dead. Far too soon.”
Having realized that, Isolet no longer engaged in fake love. She responded coldly even when a knight offered her roses and laughed scornfully when a high noble’s son proposed. Isolet knew she herself was fake. Confessing love to a fake would only reveal that she, too, was fake.
Isolet often found herself staring at the railing.
“Seri! Seri! The show’s starting!”
“……Yes.”
Dragged out of the script, Serena finished her makeup and headed for the stage. The role she would play was Isolet.
The Breeze Troupe was a small one. Still, whenever it was time for a performance, the seats were always packed with longtime regulars. Talented actors and good scripts made that possible.
“We’re very sorry! There was a problem with the makeup, so the performance will be slightly delayed!”
The troupe leader bowed deeply in apology. The audience clapped as if to say it was fine. After a short wait, the stage props were set up and the actors began appearing one by one.
“Today’s Isolet will be played by our new actress, Miss Seri. Although she is a newcomer, she possesses outstanding acting skills, so please watch her with great interest.”
The troupe leader bowed and exited the stage.
Click.
The lights went out. The stage darkened. From now on, it was the actors’ time.
And in that darkness, a masked man watched the stage.
The performance was reaching its peak. The other actor’s performance wasn’t bad. The audience’s reaction was good too. This was the first time she had received such a positive response. Yet somehow, it still felt like something was missing.
The actor playing Jerron knelt. It was the part where he spoke of their childhood and confessed his love.
“Isolet. Do you remember? When we were children, I promised I would give you a diamond ring. Back then, I gave you a pebble I picked up by the river instead.”
A playful smile formed on Jerron’s lips before it turned serious.
“Do you know what a diamond means?”
“Unchanging love.”
Much time had passed since the days when Isolet and Jerron had been childhood friends. They were no longer children. But Jerron was still talking about that day.
Jerron took a ring from his pocket. One set with a shining diamond.
“Run away with me, Isolet.”
It was the highlight. Jerron was confessing that from that day until now, he had loved her without change. Isolet realized that only Jerron had truly loved the real her, and together they disappeared into the sunset. That was the ending.
It was time to perform the finale.
Isolet slowly turned around and walked barefoot along the riverbank. With every step, she reflected on the past. The audience’s breathing grew quiet.
“Jerron, I……”
Isolet, who had been facing away, was now looking at the audience seats.
In the end, Serena could not fully immerse herself in Isolet until the very end.
The Prince of the Night had not come.
“……Huh?”
Isolet let out a sharp cry.
There was a man in a black coat wearing a half-mask. He was sitting in the audience.
Serena became Isolet once more.
“Isolet?”
From behind her came the voice of the actor playing Jerron. There was clear bewilderment in his tone. But Isolet did not look at him. She was looking at the audience seats. At the place where the Prince of the Night sat.
Serena asked with her eyes.
How is my acting in your eyes?
The Prince of the Night shook his head. He hadn’t even opened his eyes. It was as if he were sleeping. At the cold reaction, she froze. But she could not stop here.
Isolet raised her voice.
“Is this not enough? Liar. You said you would come to see me, but you broke your promise.”
Isolet removed the wig she wore for the role. From beneath it, her natural violet hair spilled out. She wiped away her makeup with her sleeve. What was revealed was Serena’s face.
Serena took one step toward the audience seats. It was an outrageous situation.
“Shouldn’t we stop her?” the director asked worriedly.
The troupe leader shook his head.
“Leave it be. It’s best not to interfere with an actor’s ad-lib. ……This might become a legend.”
There were only two steps between them. Serena looked at the Prince of the Night. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions. Then, as if venting her resentment, she said,
“Liar! I really hate you!”
The sound of the audience murmuring could be heard. Everyone was thrown into confusion. Was this a pre-arranged direction? An actor rushing into the audience seats was unheard of. And who was that masked man? Had he been hired as an actor?
The man who opened his eyes simply stared at Serena without a word. He spoke no lines, yet there was something about him that captivated the entire audience.
“……How noisy.”
It was a cold remark. His voice even carried a hint of irritation.
Serena looked at the crowd. Everyone was overwhelmed. It felt like a needle had been driven into her chest. But she could not back down now.
Serena took another step and placed her hand over her heart. It was a gentle gesture.
“I love you. Let’s run away together.”
…….
There was silence.
Serena looked into the Prince of the Night’s eyes. Those eyes were looking at her with contempt. As if he had never imagined she would be this kind of person.
Why?
And then the Prince of the Night stood up.
“Don’t go. You… you……”
She wanted to call his name. But she did not know it. She did not know his identity.
The Prince of the Night turned and began to leave. That was the end.
Serena reached out, but she could not catch him. She had crossed the line. To him, who loved art, what on earth had she done? Was this not art, but merely throwing a tantrum?
Strength left her legs.
“No…… no. I…… I don’t even have the right to hold onto him.”
Serena collapsed right there and could not hold back her tears. She remained seated, crying for a long time.
“Hic…… sob…… uwaaaaaaaaah!”
No one dared approach her.
For the Second Princess of the Empire, Serena Barba, it was her first love and her first heartbreak.
> Wow. That was almost a disaster.
Askal gasped for breath after frantically running until the theater was no longer in sight. His heart was pounding from all the sprinting. He had been sleeping soundly, using her voice as a lullaby. But then it suddenly got loud, and when he opened his eyes, the actress playing Isolet was right in front of him. His throat hurt, probably from talking in his sleep. And when Isolet suddenly took off her wig and revealed her true identity…… he had nearly fainted on the spot.
So the identity of the sleeping pill was the Second Princess.
The moment he saw her face, it came to him. The woman with violet hair who did theater as a hobby. It was none other than the Empire’s Second Princess, Serena Barba.
And Serena, depending on how you looked at it, was an even bigger landmine than Julia. How could Serena keep the near-perfect superhuman Julia in check? It was because of her terrifyingly persistent obsession and her stubborn refusal to give up. In the original story, Serena had eventually managed to drive Julia into a corner. Though she failed in the end.
Anyway.
Thank goodness I wore the mask. Seriously.
There had been stage lights, but it was still a relatively dark night, and he was wearing a thick coat along with a half-mask. No matter how sharp Serena’s eyes were, it would be difficult for her to figure out his identity. Even if they happened to meet later.
“Haaaaam……”
But why on earth had Serena said those things to him? Was it ad-lib? The one silver lining was that, thanks to her, he had actually gotten a good night’s sleep. It looked like he would be able to go to work tomorrow feeling refreshed.