Chapter 68: When the Embarrassing History is Revealed
“Are you not excited about the play, Minister-nim?”
Upon seeing Sushia’s appearance, Ascal’s eyes widened.
Velvet hat,
Silver necklace,
Pastel blouse,
Half gloves,
Leather bag,
A-line skirt,
Flat shoes.
Her outfit was more elaborate than expected. Even considering the era, Sushia’s fashion sense was quite good.
It had a refreshing feel that managed both practicality and fashion, not without reason was she a lady of a duke’s family.
In contrast,
Black coat,
Black pants ( and belt),
Brown shoes.
Ascal had dressed simply.
“Wow. A fashion terrorist.”
“I prioritized practicality.”
“Shall I help you with your outfit later?”
With that, Sushia took a step closer. She seemed to have sprayed a light perfume; a pleasant scent wafted around her.
Ascal said,
“If I’m still in the empire later on.”
Ascal felt a confusion within himself as he said this.
By now, wasn’t it okay not to escape from this damned empire?
To be honest, a lot has changed up until now.
Lia becoming a tyrant seems unlikely. The Empire is at peace.
Wouldn’t the Crown Prince naturally become the Emperor anyway?
Thinking so would be a grave mistake.
The Empire still harbors two calamities.
And the second of these is a disaster of volcanic eruption magnitude, a natural catastrophe too formidable for any one person to tackle.
To put it bluntly, it’s like those dragons from Western fantasy novels waking up from their slumber in the Empire’s territory.
Enraged at humans for establishing a nation within its domain, the dragon unleashes its fury, spewing breaths of fire in a wild rampage.
Fortunately, the Empire manages somehow to subdue the dragon, but not without suffering damage comparable to losing an arm and sustaining second-degree burns all over the body.
The Emperor and his treacherous advisors.
Airship crash.
Declared a public enemy by the holy nation.
Rebels beginning to stir.
The dragon’s active period.
There’s no easy solution.
‘Yulia Barba, what battles have you been fighting?’
Still, the situation has improved.
The Crown Prince governs the nation.
No airships have crashed.
The holy nation has fallen.
The rebels have become the leaders of tomorrow.
If only they could handle the dragon, wouldn’t everything be alright?
“Breathe, dodge the breath...”
Walking down the street, Sushia looks at Ascal as if he’s lost his mind.
“Minister-nim, could you please keep your distance just a tad?”
“......”
Soon, they arrived at the theater.
The Golden Theater, located in the heart of the Empire’s bustling district, was opulent at first glance.
Ascal hesitated.
Despite years of noble life believed to have diluted it, the soul of a commoner etched into his instincts hesitated to enter such a place.
“Minister-nim, not that way.”
“Isn’t this the entrance?”
“Haha, this is why it’s troublesome. That’s the thing with country folks. ‘We go this way.’ There’s a separate entrance for VIPs.”
Sushia fluttered her palm lightly.
Indeed, moving in that direction, there was a separate entrance that didn’t require queuing.
And as always, like thread and needle, there were men in uniform with stern faces, ever-present at the VIP entrance.
Seeing Sushia, the guard bowed his head.
“You’ve come again. Miss Senestia, it’s an honor.”
Sushia shrugged her shoulders as if to say, see what kind of person I am?
“Grateful, aren’t you? Because of me, you get to experience this.”
Feeling a sudden urge to bang his head, Ascal stepped forward.
Then.
“Could it be, the Minister of the Evaluation Department, Count Ascal Erindale?”
“That’s me.”
The guard, who had greeted Sushia, was startled upon seeing Ascal.
And then the guards behind him started buzzing like a wave, “The Minister of the Evaluation Department?”
“Count Erindale?”
“The Empire’s hidden dragon?” as if exclamation marks popped above their heads.
Suddenly, the guards lined up and collectively kneeled on one knee.
“It is truly an honor for you to visit our Golden Theater, Count. Our theater owner will surely be delighted.”
“Please, stand up. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“My apologies. Everyone, ensure Count Erindale’s visit is without the slightest inconvenience!”
At the same time, the guards encircled Ascal as if to escort him.
Ascal looked at Sushia.
And then he smirked.
“Heh!”
Sushia felt defeated.
***
The Golden Theater.
Truly befitting the Empire’s finest theater, it dazzled splendidly. The ceilings were high, and the walls were adorned with gold leaf decorations.
Ascal and Sushia were guided to the royal seats at the topmost level. It was a position from which the entire play could be seen at a glance, and it felt as if they had chartered the whole area, with no one else around.
“These tickets, um...”
“Ah, please hand them over here, my lady. We will refund them.”
“What?”
“How could we possibly take money from the Count and the lady? It’s an honor just to have you visit. Please enjoy the show.”
Ascal sat down. It was plush. Soft. Very nice.
“This chair could rival my minister chair.”
“How attached are you to that chair...”
Soon, a waiter came to serve wine, cheese, and fruits, while they were quietly seated.
Ascal reflexively reached for the wine but then stopped.
‘Be cautious, Ascal. This too is the Empire’s snare. You could become domesticated.’
There’s a story about a monkey’s straw sandals.
At first, the badger gifted the monkey free straw sandals, claiming it was a friendly gift.
Then, the monkey, finding the sandals so comfortable, asked the badger for more.
It had become dependent on the sandals.
And the badger said,
“How much are you willing to pay?”
Thus, the monkey ended up losing all its possessions.
Ascal’s gaze wavered at the sight of the wine. Maybe one sip wouldn’t hurt? There’s nothing like a sip of wine with some cheese.
While Ascal was conflicted, the waiter bowed.
“My apologies. I failed to consider His Lordship’s desire to watch the play with a clear mind. I will remove the wine.”
The waiter’s expression, full of respect as they looked at Ascal, was as if they were looking at someone who truly understood how to enjoy a play.
It was a misunderstanding.
The higher one’s reputation, the more likely misunderstandings are to occur in proportion.
Annoyed, Ascal decided just to nod.
“Such a waste. I’ll drink it then.”
Sushia took the wine instead. The expression of the waiter looking at Sushia became slightly complicated.
Sushia, for her part, guzzled down the wine. After drinking, her face flushed slightly.
A moment later.
Click.
The lights went out.
“The play must be starting.”
Click. Click. Click.
The lights came back on one by one, accompanied by sound.
And then, an actor appeared.
The first to come out was a man with black hair, wearing a black coat and a half-mask. The audience, who had been holding their breath, let out a small gasp of awe.
‘It feels strangely familiar.’
Under the light, the man began a soliloquy.
“Oh, endless darkness. Soothe the whirlwind deep within my heart.”
This is going to be tough.
The dialogues of plays from this era tend to be overly embellished and cringeworthy.
But it seems to resonate well with people of this era.
Ascal glanced at Sushia, who appeared utterly engrossed, unable to take her eyes off the play.
“The light of greed, this vile and despicable holy nation disturbs my heart. I can no longer stand by and watch the wicked deeds of those pretending to be holy.”
He can no longer stand by and watch these cringe-worthy lines.
Ascal squirmed in discomfort.
Regardless, the lead actor continued with his lines.
“Darkness. Within your black embrace, I find the truth, and that truth is the unveiled hypocrisy of the vile holy nation. Night, conceal my path. I, the Prince of Night, shall punish the false holy nation!”
Ascal’s eyes widened.
Why is the Prince of Night here?
“Wow. Impressive. The Prince of Night... I wonder what he looks like in real life.”
Ignoring Sushia’s raving next to him, Ascal recalled the lines.
The Prince of Night punishing the holy nation.
This was clearly a story about him. Although far from the truth.
But how could this alias be known to anyone? Only a very few are aware of it.
Even the details of the costume are exactly the same.
No, rather, theirs might be even better.
As if they had seen it in person, right beside him.
“My knights, reveal yourselves!”
Under the command of the Prince of Night, knights began to appear one by one.
A cat-like creature in black attire knelt on one knee.
“At your command, anytime. The blade of the Night’s Assassin is solely for you.”
It’s a familiar scene.
‘Laika? No, it’s similar but a different person.’
And then, the knights knelt in succession.
“I, the Night’s Sentinel...”
That actor was imitating Devon.
“I, the Night’s Staff...”
That was Kain’s likeness.
Ascal grew serious.
Even if the concept of portrait rights doesn’t exist in this era, is it really okay to just use the Evaluation Department’s staff like this?
And what’s with the name ‘Knights of the Night’? It sounds like something a grade-schooler could come up with, yet somehow it could be better.
“So cool...”
'Let’s ignore Sushia.'
‘I need to find the leak.’
As a highlight, the final actor makes an appearance.
Clip-clop.
All eyes are focused.
“Minister-nim, that actress is the hottest star right now. Her acting, voice, looks, everything is perfect! And to think she started from obscurity and went through so much hardship.”
“Be quiet.”
Finally, the last member of the Knights of the Night appeared.
She said,
“Beside the Prince of Night, there always stands the Princess of the Night.”
It was Serena Barba, the Empire’s second princess.
‘It was you...’
Sushia shed tears of emotion.
“Indeed, it’s Seri Lavione. I’m so moved, tears are coming out.”
“Me too, tears are coming out...”
Out of embarrassment.
