Chapter 69: I Am Actually…
‘How long has it been since I’ve felt this nervous?’
Serena, no, Seri Lavione took a deep breath.
Even after being proudly selected as the top rising actor in the Empire Magazine, in front of him, she always seemed to revert back to a novice.
-Today, Count Erindale will be attending the performance.
She believed he would come.
Known as the Prince of the Night while showcasing his love for art under that pseudonym, he surely would.
‘This time, I will show him the perfect version of myself.’
Seri Lavione was confident.
Acting skills, appearance, charisma. Even having received voice training from the Sirens, she now considered herself an invincible actor.
‘And after this performance, I will retire from acting and boldly confess to him.’
With that thought, Seri walked onto the stage.
As the Princess of the Night.
****
“Grrooarrr…”
“Wow, you look just like an old man, Minister-nim.”
Strangely, there are people who can’t sleep well at home but can fall into a deep sleep at a theater or someone else’s house.
Ascal was exactly that type.
Moreover, Seri’s acting, which was already a natural sleep aid, had evolved and become even more potent.
As a result, the moment Ascal’s eardrums were filled with her voice, his brain immediately blew a fuse.
Ultimately, Ascal passed out while still sitting.
Seeing this, Sushia, who couldn’t help but feel a bit mischievous, took a feather pen out of her bag.
And she gently tickled Ascal’s face with the feather.
“Tickle, tickle.”
But he did not wake up.
Sushia sighed in resignation, “Oh well,” and decided to watch the play by herself.
****
“Look over there. The hidden dragon of the empire is watching the play.”
“But his eyes are closed. Could he be sleeping?”
“That can’t be. Among some theater fans, there’s a method where they deliberately block out visual stimuli to focus solely on the auditory experience of the play.”
“Truly, the empire’s hidden dragon.”
It’s not a far-fetched or silly misconception at all.
Typically, the higher someone’s status and fame, the more likely their actions are to be overinterpreted.
It’s because the brain automatically adjusts behaviors based on the image one has of the person in question.
For instance, if a beggar on the street suddenly defecates, one might simply think, “That beggar must have really needed to go.”
But what if a renowned artist were to do the same in the street?
“I should try watching the play with my eyes closed too.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“Oh. I do seem to hear the voices more clearly this way.”
The next day, the streets were overflowing with feces, leaving only the sanitation workers to weep in misery.
Thus, the number of people in the Golden Theater who inexplicably started watching plays with their eyes closed began to increase.
Eventually, it became almost epidemic, with most people attending the theater with their eyes closed.
The theater owner, observing from the VIP seats, was startled.
“What on earth is happening? Why are all the audience members closing their eyes?”
“They say it enhances all the senses to watch with your eyes closed.”
“That’s nonsense...”
“It was Count Erindale who started doing it first.”
“Close your eyes!”
In the end, even the theater owner ended up watching with his eyes closed.
After the play, the audience lavished praise on “The Prince of the Night.” Since the setting was nighttime, they reasoned that not being able to see well was historically accurate.
Thus, the play “The Prince of the Night” gradually moved towards not using lighting at all, until it became tradition to perform the play in complete darkness.
“This is what real art is.”
The audience was satisfied.
****
“Today was truly perfect.”
Seri sat in the dressing room with a satisfied smile, swinging her legs.
The mood in the dressing room after the play was bright, thanks to the positive reviews from the audience.
Seri glanced around. The dressing room was filled not just with actors and staff, but with others too.
Lovers, sponsors, and the like.
“Your acting was truly splendid!”
“Thank you, Lord Baron.”
The noble who had just given a bouquet to a supporting actor was Baron Whale.
After becoming infatuated with a bit part actor, he had started showing up after every play to give gifts during the after-parties.
Initially, Baron Whale had tried to approach Seri, but she had put up an iron wall from the start.
-I already have someone I’m promised to.
Despite being the most popular actress, Seri turned down all gifts.
She had only one person she wanted support from.
Ascal Erindale, the real Prince of the Night.
‘This script was made for you. You must have been moved by it.’
It was time for the after-party.
The lead actors, as expected, were overwhelmed with bouquets of flowers, and even the supporting actors had one or two.
Seri had none.
‘Hmph. The bouquet Prince gave me is worth a hundred of those tacky ones.’
Thus, Seri looked towards the entrance of the dressing room.
Ascal would come.
He, who surely understood her art.
‘Slightly late.’
Seri tapped the floor with her toes impatiently.
Gradually, actors began to disappear with their patrons.
Seri was the only one left in the dressing room.
“...Darling? Why aren’t you coming?”
*****
“Ah, that was a good sleep.”
Ascal stretched himself out.
Coming out from the play, the weather felt refreshingly cool, clearing his head.
He was in top form.
Sushia was chattering away beside him.
“Wasn’t ‘The Prince of the Night’ just magnificent?”
“I didn’t really get it.”
“That’s because you don’t understand theater. Minister-nim, you should try watching plays on your day off to cultivate your artistic sensibilities!”
Sushia pouted her lips.
No matter what, it was impossible to watch one’s embarrassing dark history being glorified and call it cool unless one was out of their mind.
Ignoring Sushia’s words, Ascal walked down the street.
But then.
“O evil empire, face my sword.”
“I am the Prince of the Night, the avenger!”
With every step, people wearing black cloaks and half-masks appeared, imitating the play’s actors.
There were many other knights of the night, but the Prince of the Night was by far the most frequently impersonated.
-The coat worn by the Prince of the Night for sale.
-Half-masks for sale too.
Even the streets were lined with vendors selling Prince of the Night sets.
Despite wearing these wouldn’t actually increase one’s defense, they were selling like hotcakes.
As Ascal looked on in disbelief, a merchant snapped at him.
“If you ain’t buying, move along.”
“Weren’t you the one selling jeweled frogs last time?”
“Everyone has a past.”
Not just the merchants, but even children were playing Prince of the Night, wielding wooden sticks as swords.
“Hey, you be the empire this time. I’ll be the Prince of the Night.”
“No way! You were the Prince last time! It’s my turn today!”
“Kids, don’t fight. Actually, the Prince of the Night is a lie.”
“He’s the villain! Guys, let’s punish this man!”
Ascal quickly made his escape.
How did it come to this?
If you think about it, there’s not much to enjoy in this era.
Even in the past, public executions were considered the height of entertainment.
In other words, the threshold for amusement was quite low. Hence, the impact of the theater was beyond imagination.
Wherever he goes, it’s the Prince of the Night here, the Prince of the Night there.
It felt as though the entire world was playing a hidden camera prank on him.
“Over here, Minister-nim!”
Sushia gestured with her hand.
Ascal had successfully escaped the children and made his way to her.
It was a tough fight.
“Where is this?”
“Hehe. I finally get to show this place to you, Minister-nim. It’s my secret hideout.”
It was an abandoned building.
Too awkward to demolish, yet too neglected to just leave be, it sat in a forgotten corner, ignored by all.
“I used to come here when I ran away from home as a kid.”
“That must have been quite the trouble.”
Sushia, giggling, brushed off the dust from the stairs and sat down with a plop.
Then she hesitated.
The evening sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Sushia’s face.
Her face flushed with nervousness, Sushia slowly opened her lips.
“I said I’d tell you my secret.”
“You’ve dragged it out quite long. Sushia. If it’ll make you feel better, go ahead and tell me.”
“That’s... Ah, it’s unfair if only I tell a secret. You should share one too. Together with me.”
“Why should I?”
Sushia bit her lip.
“Please.”
Seeing Sushia unusually serious, Ascal reluctantly nodded.
“On the count of three, we both say it. One.”
A secret, huh? That should do.
“Two.”
Sushia said.
“Three. The truth is, I know the future. Soon, dragons will attack the empire. Please help.”
“I am actually the Prince of the Night.”
They looked at each other.
“…?”
“…?”
And then Sushia muttered quietly.
“…Are you insane?”
****
The West Elber.
A land said to be inhabited by monsters, forbidden to humans, waiting for the day it swallows up the lands of man.
-Thunk.
Something fell to the ground.
Was it the head of a foolish human who dared to step foot in Elber?
No.
It was the head of a large ogre.
A man drenched in ogre blood grinned.
“The day has finally come.”
“Oh, finally.”
The man wearing a lion’s skin was Vadim, the warlord of the Lion tribe.
Around his neck hung necklaces of monster fangs, each from beasts that could massacre dozens of warriors.
“Lion tribe! We have conquered Elber! We have completed the task given to us by our ancestors long ago!”
“Ooooooh!”
“Now we have fulfilled our duty. Only one thing remains!”
“Ooooooh!”
Vadim pounded his spear on the ground.
-Boom!
The tribe members began to hit their weapons against the ground, the sound reverberating like an earthquake.
“That is!”
Vadim spoke, overwhelmed with emotion.
“To return to our god, Mazar.”
“Uoooooooh!”
Vadim looked towards the horizon, in the direction of the empire.
“Let’s return. To our god.”
