Chapter 07
I counted the coins one by one, calculated the 30% commission, and packed it all into a pouch before handing it to the troupe leader.
The moment Alex took the money pouch, his eyes widened just a bit.
“Honestly, this is the first time the pouch has been this full since the troupe was founded.”
Depending on the seat, the ticket price was around 3 to 5 silver coins. Since it was a small theater, the daily profit was usually about 20 silver coins. But today, the commission I gave him alone was 45 silver coins. Since I covered the production costs, the entire amount was profit for the troupe.
“It’s more than double our usual ticket sales. Unbelievable.”
Alex tried not to show too much excitement, but a smile crept onto his face.
“If we could sell this much every day… we wouldn’t have to worry about money and could just focus on our work.”
Behind us, the troupe members were whispering.
“How much did we make? Twice the ticket sales?”
“Looks like 45 silver coins.”
“Wow.”
Everyone looked shocked. Not exactly thrilled, just surprised. But I could sense hope spreading among the members. Even Sion, who had been standing uninterested in the back, came closer and peeked into the pouch, his eyes going wide.
“It’s impressive. Though I don’t think merchandise sales are everything.”
“Money helps, though. You can’t deny that, right?”
Sion didn’t answer and looked away. It’ll probably take more time to convince him.
****
“Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two… Hmm.”
After finishing the day’s sales, I went home and started counting my earnings. Sales had gone well, but after deducting production costs, my profit wasn’t quite enough yet. The dress I wanted to buy was expensive—probably needed a month to save up. But for Leuke, a month was nothing.
“Ha… She’ll look so beautiful.”
Just imagining Leuke properly dressed up for the tea party made me smile.
“As long as sales keep going like this.”
So far, everything had sold out, so I needed to increase the quantity. Even if some were left over, I could still sell more.
“Still, things can’t stay this good forever.”
It’d be nice if everything kept selling out, but I knew that was unlikely. Sales would drop, and people would lose interest if we kept selling the same items. I needed to keep coming up with new ideas.
“Better to be prepared in advance.”
****
A week later, sales were still good, but just as expected, they were starting to drop a little. I knew sellouts couldn’t last forever, but experiencing it firsthand was making me nervous.
“We sold a lot again today!”
John said cheerfully.
“Yeah. There were a few leftovers, though.”
“Well, we did increase the stock.”
John didn’t seem worried. But I felt differently. Someone like Alex, who managed the troupe, had probably noticed too.
“Director, here’s your commission.”
Sion and Alex stood side by side, ready to head home. I handed Alex the commission as usual.
“Thank you.”
“Sales are still going strong, I see,”
Sion added, standing beside Alex. I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely happy or still uneasy about selling merchandise. Alex, too, didn’t leave right away and lingered with the pouch in hand.
“Something on your mind?”
Alex glanced at me quietly, then said,
“Is this the peak? Are we on the way down now?”
Just as I thought. That’s what someone with management experience would notice.
“Probably.”
The pouch definitely felt lighter. That weight difference spoke more clearly than any number.
“Most of the people who wanted to buy already did. Of course, we’re still getting new audience members.”
“True. We do have a lot of returning viewers, though.”
“So it’s not something we can keep doing forever.”
“That conclusion feels a little hasty.”
When Sion spoke with a knowing tone, Alex gently disagreed. But to me, it was an expected development.
“But it’s not like the play’s popularity is fading.”
I looked at Sion. He nodded.
“That’s true.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Leaving the two of them looking like they had more to say, I began packing up the stall.
“And it’s not like the troupe is losing anything.”
Both Alex and Sion nodded slowly.
“Still… it would be nice if things kept going well.”
Alex added. Right, he had said before that he’d love to focus on acting without worrying about money.
“I believe a theater should earn its reputation through its work, but I don’t deny the usefulness of money. I agree with you, my lady.”
Even Sion, who wasn’t keen on sales, didn’t seem thrilled about the current slowdown.
“Hmm. I was going to wait to say this…”
I had planned to share it later, but seeing them uneasy, I figured now was better.
“Here, take a look at this.”
When I handed them a sheet of paper, Sion immediately commented,
“So this is what it feels like.”
He held the paper close to Alex’s face. Alex’s face turned bright red, as if it would explode.
What I had prepared was a very handsome portrait of the crown prince.
“Sion, aren’t you even a little embarrassed?”
“About what?”
Sion looked completely unfazed.
“Forget it.”
Alex covered his face with his hand. Very different from the shameless Sion.
“That’s… I’ve never looked this handsome before.”
“Doesn’t matter. As long as people buy it. Let’s try selling a few next week.”
“You’re quite the businesswoman.”
I hadn’t even really started yet. Imagine selling random portraits or stirring up fandom rivalries—that’d really bring the money.
“Also, we need something else for the crown prince. Not just a portrait. Something related to that letter he gave the Northern Duke.”
Alex and Sion both looked confused.
“Trust me, connections matter. You’ll see.”
With the new merchandise, we’d have four items: Zion’s handkerchief, Zion’s portrait, the wax seal set to mimic the crown prince’s letter, and the crown prince’s portrait.
“And one more suggestion.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s add a logo to the merchandise. Like this…”
I showed them a wave-like logo that represented the initials M.W. for Melias Warren. It wasn’t perfect since I wasn’t a designer, but having a logo was what mattered now.
“Why put a logo on it?”
“It separates me from the troupe. If anything goes wrong with the merchandise, blame comes to me, not the troupe.”
But there was a more important reason: to grow this into a real business. I was going to build an entertainment empire in this world, and the Forest Troupe was a great place to start.
****
A few days later, the first day selling crown prince merchandise.
I was a bit nervous. That’s normal with something new. But I didn’t feel unprepared. This was a different world, but the love for stage and people was the same. The desire to hold onto those feelings must be the same too. The items were cute, well-made—people were bound to want them.
“Ah, that was fun!”
As soon as the play ended and the audience poured out the doors, I stood up straight. Now was my moment to shine.
“We’ve got Alkais’s seal and portrait! And Zion’s handkerchief and portrait too!”
John and I shouted together.
“Looks like there’s new stuff.”
Thankfully, the audience seemed curious about the new items. John and I smiled as the customers approached the stall.
“Two Alkais portraits, please!”
“Sure, that’ll be one silver coin!”
“I’ll take a seal too!”
“One more silver coin!”
I could tell the response was better than before. Good thing we added crown prince goods.
“Phew, that’s a relief…”
“Yes! I think it’s working well!”
John answered energetically, as always. My body relaxed with relief, but there was no time to slack off until the day’s work was done.
“One seal, one Zion portrait, and one Alkais portrait, please.”
“Yes, thank you! That’ll be two silver coins!”
“Um, is the actor who plays Alkais not coming out today?”
It must’ve been the same customer who saw Alex helping with sales last time. The crown prince seemed especially popular today.
“He doesn’t come out every time. That day was a coincidence.”
“That’s too bad. He was amazing today.”
I guess Alex gave an extra strong performance today to help the goods sell. Good teamwork.
“Hmm. John, one sec.”
“Yes?”
I gestured, and he leaned down.
“Can you ask Alex if he’d come out to the stall? The crown prince seems to be really popular today.”
“Ah, yes.”
While John stepped away, I smiled at the customer in front of me.
“I asked if he could come out.”
“Oh my! You didn’t have to!”
The customer blushed, clearly excited.
“Just wait a little. I can’t promise, but…”
Even though I said that, I knew Alex would come. But adding a bit of suspense makes the moment more exciting. I smiled to myself.
