・・・・・
Lucas had clearly conveyed through the theatre director that he, as the Emperor, wanted to personally meet the famous playwright, Shayne Speare. However, the response he received was, "I’m too busy." Of course, it was expressed in a more refined and formal language in the letter, but that was the essence of it.
Initially, Lucas found Shayne Speare's works impressive enough to brush it off as just the eccentric behaviour of a genius artist. But after this happened two or three more times, his patience finally ran out. This kind of arrogance towards an imperial command was unprecedented.
‘No, it wasn’t the first time.’
The first was definitely Claudia. After that came the insipid Irene Amber; the Duke of Lamberg, whom he wished was dead; and the insufferable Constantine, who pretended to be aloof on his own. The list kept growing, and now, it seemed that even a passing stray dog might start to ignore him. Constantly being pushed around had become a commonplace occurrence for Lucas. Feeling like a town fool, Lucas irritably recalled the Emperor's authority, which had fallen to the ground. Now, even that lowly writer was ignoring him!
“Bring him to me right now…”
Lucas clenched the letter he was holding tightly and muttered ominously. It was directed towards Walter, who stood across from him like a tree, not even budging. Walter shifted his cold, glassy, sky-blue eyes towards Lucas for a moment, expressionless. His attitude had subtly changed from before, where he acted like he would obediently bark if told to do so.
Lucas felt a chilling unease as his eyebrows furrowed. The brief conversation between Benjamin and Constantine, who had remarked on how Walter seemed different, flashed through his mind.
“What are you doing? Have you gone deaf too?”
The eyes of the two men were briefly locked in mid-air. Lucas slowly relaxed his grip. The miserably crumpled wad of paper dropped to the floor, rolling to Walter's feet.
"Pick it up."
Lucas could not tolerate a dog he brought in for dirty work forgetting its place. Meeting the Emperor's gaze directly only fueled his already twisted temper. It seemed like every single one of them needed to be trampled on to come to their senses.
"I told you to pick it up."
“...”
"I treated you well because you were obedient like a trained dog, and now you bare your teeth at me. How foolish of you. I suppose you can't hide your lowly origins after all?"
Lucas's red gaze gradually began to shine with a cruel light. It glimmered with pure madness as if it had been waiting for this moment to strike others, soaked in anticipation.
"Ah."
At that moment, Cedric, who had been slumped on the sofa like wet laundry, suddenly exclaimed, instantly breaking the taut tension. Lucas turned his gaze toward Cedric, now burning with the fury of all the anger that had been building up until now.
"Cedric, I've let you do as you please, but now you can't even tell right from wrong."
However, there was no malice in Cedric's lifeless grey eyes. He appeared slightly flustered, raising his hands as if to apologise.
"Oh dear, please don’t be angry. I was a bit out of it from the drugs and forgot, but I suddenly remembered something I needed to tell Your Majesty."
In truth, he hadn’t taken any drugs at all, yet he spoke as if he were completely dazed, resting his chin on his knees and mumbling. His voice was so lifeless that it drained the energy from the listener, leaving them at a loss for words. Lucas let out a sigh.
"Tell me later."
"You’d probably want to hear it now..."
“If it’s nonsense, even you won’t be spared.”
With this threat-laden permission, Cedric shrugged and began to speak.
"I once overheard some talk about Shayne Speare in the back alleys."
"The back alleys?"
"I ran into a theatre associate who was there to indulge in some... dubious pastimes. Turns out Shayne Speare is secretly backed by a very influential person."
"Hah, how impressive."
Lucas was already aware that Shayne had a patron. It was hard to believe that a completely unknown artist could rise to prominence so quickly without one. But so what?
"I’m the Emperor though?"
“If Your Majesty hears who they are, you won’t be able to help but understand Shayne Speare.”
That’s what Cedric said.
"So, are you saying he's ignoring me, the Emperor, because he's relying on his patron's backing?"
It was a tone that implied no one in the Empire could possibly be greater than the Emperor. Of course, according to social conventions, that made sense, but Lucas was a special case. Cedric tried to suppress his smirk and whispered discreetly.
"Whether he's relying on his patron or being threatened by them, I wouldn't know."
・・・・・
Lucas had personally invited me — Shayne Speare — to the Imperial Palace several times, but I had firmly refused each time. Sure, I could’ve sent a stand-in like for the other artists, but what would be the point of all that?
As I’ve mentioned before, the more you avoided and ignored Lucas, the more obsessed he would become, chasing you to the ends of the earth. But if you indulged him, he would take it for granted; if you toyed with him, he would become furious; if you clung to him, he would get bored and disinterested.
After hearing my explanation, Claudia rested her chin on her hand, pulled a face, and bluntly remarked.
"Troublesome brat."
“...”
It was harsh but very accurate. In short, he was capricious, and craved reverence, but lacked the brains to express his own opinions.
According to Cedric, Benjamin seemed to handle Lucas quite well. He allowed Lucas to act freely while occasionally adopting an erratic demeanour to keep him in check. This strategy was likely beneficial for Benjamin as well.
I considered being obedient and submissive, but I realised that if I did, Lucas would quickly lose interest and start ignoring me. So, I decided to use a balance of carrot and stick. Like a game, I’d assign him a task, reward him when he completed it, and then hint at the next task. Given his fickle nature, this approach should work.
The play, where the question was ‘to be, or not to be,’ had begun. I inquisitively watched the tortured Hetbahn through my opera glasses. Across from me, in the opposite VIP section, I locked eyes with Lucas, whose gaze burned intensely. I had grown accustomed to receiving such looks from him, but wasn’t it a bit excessive to keep staring at me like that until the curtain fell? I even went so far as to invite him to the best seat in the house.
I had to keep touching my face with my hand to check if there was a hole in it, conscious of Claudia sitting next to me and Lucas's intense gaze.
Did I make him too handsome?
At first, I just wanted to create an ordinary look, but as I kept getting greedy and refining the details, I got carried away and ended up making him more striking than I intended. But wasn’t it better to be easy on the eyes? It was just a façade anyway.
"Isn’t it too tall?"
After the play ended, Claudia tilted her head back to look at me with a dissatisfied expression.
"Ah, that's because it contains the frustrations of a short person..."
“And it’s harder to be recognised if the appearance is completely different from my original build, right?” I added, scratching the back of my head.
The reason I deliberately set Shayne Speare’s gender as male was for that reason. Because I was planning to disguise myself directly. In fact, I figured Lucas wouldn’t recognise me with just this level of disguise since he lacked a keen eye for detail.
"Above all, I figured that doing this would encourage Chloe to treat me a bit more professionally."
I left no trace of my original appearance. Tall, with long, slanted eyes, a sharp jawline free from any baby fat, and lips now plump and well-formed — unlike my own lips, which had always been criticised for their thin, triangular shape. Overall, ‘he’ had a well-balanced and likable look without any harsh features.
In fact, on my way here, I attracted the attention of countless women. It was a strange and unfamiliar experience for me, but I felt a sense of pride knowing that the face I had meticulously sculpted was being well-received. At that moment, Claudia, who had been scrutinising me with disapproval, muttered under her breath.
"I don’t like the exterior, but you’re still Rin underneath. How am I supposed to treat you professionally? If the Crown Prince insults you, I would throw a punch."
"Th-that can’t happen. Our plan would be rendered meaningless. Please just think of me as a playwright you’re supporting."
"Well... I'll try my best.”
Claudia replied as if she were forcing herself to swallow terrible food. Just as she finished speaking, Lucas, who had been circling like a predator eyeing its prey, charged in like a bulldozer.
"Are you Shayne Speare?"
Since Felix's funeral, I have crossed paths with Lucas several times. I had also seen him hovering around Claudia, only to be turned down harshly time and again. However, this was the first time I was facing Lucas one-on-one since I entered this world.
"It is an honour to meet the everlasting Sun of the Empire. I am Shayne Speare."
I offered a formal greeting and smiled sweetly, masking my disdain. Lucas scanned me from head to toe, raised an eyebrow, and twisted his lips. He wore a look of triumph, though I wasn’t quite sure what he had won.
‘Is he really thinking he’s more handsome than I am?’
Well, since I transformed with a potion, there was no way I could look better than the male lead of the original story. But honestly, wasn’t it a bit embarrassing to be so vain about his looks, especially as an emperor? Didn’t he have any other skills to take pride in? How pitiful.
"You’re difficult to meet."
What kind of genius should I portray? Sadly, I have never been one myself, so I needed to think carefully about this character. The common stereotype suggested that geniuses were eccentric and unpredictable, but the first genius that came to mind was Felix. I had witnessed even the most notorious ruffians, who were unmatched in their world, turn docile in Felix’s presence as if they were trapped in a cage. All without him needing to raise his voice.
"I sincerely apologise for my past rudeness. I was overwhelmed by an unexpected fortune in my life. I could only think about wanting to repay all the individuals who kindly believed in me."
"Naturally, I wished to repay Your Majesty's generous interest right away,” I said this with a gentle smile, softening my gaze.
"Did you enjoy the play? You trusted and supported me solely based on my script, so I felt compelled to prove myself with my skills."
I had crafted my letters with that nuance in mind. However, back then, he was probably too fixated on the rejection to notice the content.
Then Lucas, as if he had just recalled the contents of the letter, spoke with a slightly softened demeanour compared to before.
"It was worth seeing."
Liar. He was so preoccupied with speculating about the relationship between Claudia and me that he could hardly focus on the play. Even now, while speaking to me, it was obvious his attention was entirely on Claudia.
After being rejected so many times like a ball being kicked around, he seemed more cautious about making bold advances. Not that Claudia was in a position to treat him carelessly like she used to, either.
From the moment Lucas approached us, Claudia had maintained the same expression. If I were to give an analogy, it was as if she had spotted a cockroach scuttling across the floor.
She turned to me and said.
“I enjoyed the play. The acting goes without saying, and even the directing was excellent. The orchestra's performance was quite good, too.”
"I’m pleased to hear that you enjoyed it."
I beamed as if nothing could make me happier than receiving such praise for my efforts. Claudia nearly broke into a pleased smile but caught herself, biting her lip firmly to hold it back. Struggling to control her impulses, she fidgeted with her fingers and gripped the hem of her skirt. She looked as if she wanted to embrace me right then and there. But realising it might be inappropriate, she cast a fleeting glance at Lucas.
I could practically see her emotions, which had been bubbling up like soap bubbles, burst and vanish, leaving her expression more desolate than a wasteland. In an instant, she regained her icy composure. Wow, how did she manage that?
"It was a satisfying play for a change. However, I suddenly have a matter to attend to, so I must go now.”
She reacted exactly the same way as whenever she encountered Lucas by chance and left just like that. A slight unease did flicker across her face at the thought of leaving me alone, but seeing Felix standing beside Lucas seemed to reassure her before she departed.
Ilypia’s doll, which had served as a replacement for Walter, had reached the end of its lifespan and had now been replaced by the real Walter, who was Felix. Continuing to have the doll act as a substitute for Felix carried a significant risk.
Felix had been staring at me intently the whole time. It felt like my face was about to burn from a different kind of gaze than Lucas's.
For some reason, I felt my face flush with embarrassment, so I quickly turned to look at Lucas.
As my complex thoughts became replaced with rising anger and disgust, I felt my mind surprisingly clear.
Oh, this was really effective.
As soon as our eyes met, Lucas crossed his arms and asked me.
"So, you're under the Chamberlain’s patronage?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Is there no personal relationship other than that?"
He looked doubtful as if he had sensed something strange from Claudia's behaviour. Although Lucas often seemed oblivious, there were moments when he was surprisingly sharp, almost like a beast acting on instinct. The problem was that he could sense something was off, but he was too foolish to pinpoint what it was.
"What... how could that be?"
In response to Lucas's question, I blinked innocently, as if I didn’t understand what he was implying.
"The young lady often visits the troupe in place of the busy Count, but there’s nothing more to it."
Of course, Claudia was incredibly busy as the first summoner of a Spirit King, but she planned to visit the troupe I belonged to frequently. This was because Shayne Speare was, in fact, Irene Amber.
"Even though you were so close to Claudia, you didn't develop any interest in her?"
The tone of his question, asking how that could be possible, left me momentarily dumbfounded. I had to admit, I agreed with that sentiment. But whether I showed interest or not, there was no winning so what beat was I supposed to dance to?
'If I act like I am genuinely interested, he could easily rip my heart out.'
I shook my head and said.
"I don't know why you have such a misunderstanding, but I have no interest in the opposite gender at all."
“Claudia is not someone who would fall under the broad term 'the opposite gender’...”
I could tell that Lucas wanted to talk about her astonishingly divine beauty. Yet, he couldn’t shake off his sceptical gaze as he asked me.
"Are you saying you don't have any women you're interested in?"
"I hope there won’t be any. I’m currently devoting all my energy to my creative work, so it would definitely be a burden to that person."
I smiled gently, my voice filled with excitement and added.
"In fact, even now, all I can think about is planning my next performance..."
If Felix had been a genius artist immersed in his creations, he might have said something like this. That was what I was thinking as I spoke, but I suddenly noticed Felix was staring at me intently as if I were something curious. There was nothing more embarrassing than imitating someone right in front of them.
"Hmm..."
Lucas paused for a moment, lost in thought before a satisfied smile spread across his lips, and then he spoke.
"I’ll come often from now on."
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