Episode 6
“There are no specifically ‘female’ actors in my theater troupe.”
“Th-that…”
Autumn’s face turned red as Randel continued speaking.
“There are only ‘actors’ who best suit the roles they’re given.”
In fact, in other parts of the Saeguk Empire, it was quite popular for women to take center stage in plays. But in this very conservative country, that idea had never been accepted—until now.
‘He’s pretty impressive… doing something so bold at such a young age.’
One of the first things Randel did after taking over the theater was visit the newly crowned Empress. There, he boldly proposed something no one had dared before—employing women in his troupe.
‘But there’s no guarantee this opportunity will last forever…’
Thankfully, the plays so far had received good reviews. That was their only protection. But still, with one word from the Empress, the future of all female actors could be destroyed. That was the harsh truth they lived with.
“…And I’ve been waiting for someone.”
Just then, Autumn heard his deep voice close to her ear.
She loosened her grip on her skirt and looked ahead at the group.
Randel stopped walking briefly, then walked forward again with a mysterious smile and his hands behind his back.
“I thought maybe she’d come to see my play.”
As the large green gates of the Austin mansion opened, bright sunlight poured in.
Autumn winced slightly at the sudden light behind Randel’s back.
She faintly saw his smiling face glowing in the sunlight.
‘He can smile like that by himself…’
Autumn found herself more interested in his confident, shiny smile than the words he had just said.
“Aren’t you curious who I’m talking about?”
He really was such a mysterious man.
With a pouty expression, Autumn spoke again.
“No. I don’t like listening to long stories about other people. Instead, about my future spy work—”
That’s when it happened.
– SPLAT!
“You disgrace to the Empire! How dare you bring your filthy body here?”
A raw egg had exploded on Autumn’s elegant black dress.
“What… is this?!”
“Judging by your outfit, I guess you don’t even own any land.”
A sharp, icy voice was thrown at her.
The angry woman who shouted was staring directly at Autumn.
‘A carriage…’
Autumn quickly tried to remember the portraits she had memorized in Madame Hurdle’s lessons.
‘Wait… wasn’t the former Marquess’s wife, who was unfairly divorced, living somewhere near here?’
This old maid used to serve that former Marquess’s wife, before Rosalyn replaced her. Somehow, she had recognized Autumn despite her veil—and still loyal to her old mistress, she pointed at her with rage.
“You cursed woman! Let’s see which man you’ll seduce this time!”
People started to stare at them after hearing her loud voice.
‘…Oh no, this is bad.’
Autumn muttered to herself.
The old woman wasn’t finished. Her hands moved through her basket quickly, and before Autumn could even think, a ripe red tomato came flying straight at her face.
‘Another one is coming.’
– SPLAT!
But this time, it was different.
“Are you alright?!”
“W-what?”
Autumn didn’t hear the gross squelch of the tomato. Her vision turned dark.
Through her dazed mind, she smelled strong coffee and the bitter scent of cigars. It touched her nose clearly.
“Wow! It’s Rosalyn Kiss! She’s here!”
People gathered, whispering and staring.
Randel hurriedly took a coat from Hurson and draped it over Autumn’s shoulders.
“…Seriously.”
“What do we do now?”
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Autumn realized how sharp people’s gazes were toward Rosalyn.
Randel, too, looked surprised by how intense the situation had become. He pressed his hat down lower.
“Oh God, please have mercy on this poor and shameless soul.”
“Is that man next to her her new lover? I can’t see his face clearly because of the hat…”
“Sir!”
Hurson called out to Randel with concern.
Randel followed Hurson’s eyes and looked down.
“Oh… I see.”
‘Even though I’ve never experienced this myself, it’s exactly what I imagined it would be like.’
Autumn, now calm, brushed off the dried egg shell from her dress.
The hatred and ridicule thrown at Rosalyn weren’t exaggerated at all. Everywhere she went, there were cold stares. And on bad days, like today, verbal attacks and physical assaults were part of Rosalyn’s daily life.
“This is the path I chose. I have to endure it.”
“But for someone who’s supposedly used to it… you didn’t look very experienced.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously.
‘He saw that?!’
Of course, Autumn wasn’t the real Rosalyn. She had never been in this kind of situation before.
Randel hadn’t heard much—but even a small inconsistency could end her acting career before it even began.
“How can someone ever get used to this?”
She had to deny it—no matter how fake it felt.
“But when I saw you earlier—”
“Oh no! Look at your clothes!”
Autumn suddenly shouted, distracting him. Hurson rushed over, looking worried about the ruined coat.
“Oh no… that’s a brand new coat, isn’t it? I was wondering why he bought such an expensive one…”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Randel glared at Hurson and took off the messy coat to hand it over.
Autumn stood nervously, unsure what to do.
‘Oh no, it was expensive…’
Even his collar had tomato stains.
“It’s fine.”
“…What?”
Randel loosened his wine-colored cravat to breathe more comfortably.
That small gesture somehow made him overlap with the romantic hero she had always imagined.
‘Why… why is he acting like this?’
Autumn swallowed hard without meaning to.
Her mind felt fuzzy, her heart fluttering strangely like a scene from a historical drama.
Randel stroked his chin and continued,
- “So the first thing Rosalyn Kiss did after her husband died… was come to my Austin Theater”
