Chapter 08
Others must have heard that Alex was coming too, because the crowd in front of the stall began to buzz with excitement.
“Oh my gosh… Thank you!”
A short while later, Alex arrived with John, walking a little awkwardly.
“Um… Should I just do what I did last time?”
He stood in front of the stall, looking unsure.
“If you do just like last time, that’s perfect. But if you can also answer unexpected questions today, that’d be even better.”
“I’ll try my best.”
Alex sighed as he spoke. While he handled customers well, he still wasn’t great at thinking on his feet. It was almost strange how smooth he was on stage compared to how awkward he was in real life.
“You look even more handsome up close.”
“Oh my goodness. This place is amazing… I need to dedicate my life to the Forest Theater.”
“Is the actor who plays the Grand Duke not coming today?”
“Maybe next time.”
The audience members chatted excitedly. Alex must have heard them too because his face turned bright red.
“You’re seriously, seriously good-looking!”
A customer, unable to hold back, suddenly shouted the compliment.
“Th-thank you…”
Alex was so flustered he could barely function. The smooth customer service he’d shown earlier was completely gone, and he started stumbling over his words.
“So, that’s three portraits and the handkerchief… Miss Melias, um…”
“Four silver coins.”
“Ah, right! Four silver coins.”
He couldn’t even manage his usual polite smile, but the customer left looking like they were about to faint from happiness.
The customers behind them all had starry eyes for Alex. What on earth had he done on stage today?
“How hard did you work? Why is everyone so into you today?”
“Ah, well. Just a second—”
More and more customers kept coming, so Alex couldn’t give a proper answer.
“Okay, you can tell me later.”
Right now, the priority was helping the customers in front of us.
“Hello! What can I get you?”
“One of everything, please!”
The way the customers shouted their orders was so full of excitement, it felt like their voices were coming from deep in their bellies. You could tell how thrilled they were. And that made me even more curious about what had happened during the play.
“Alright! That’ll be three silver coins!”
Once John, Alex, and I had helped all the customers, we finally had a moment to breathe. Even the leftover Grand Duke goods were completely sold out.
“Phew. We did great today. But seriously, what happened to make the prince so popular today? Did I miss something?”
“Captain!”
Just then, Sion called out to Alex from a distance. Alex looked between Sion and me with an awkward face, clearly torn.
“Sion, I need to talk to Alex for a minute! I also have to give him the commission!”
Alex looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, so I answered for him.
“So? What happened? I’m dying to know. Everyone was clearly more excited today. What’s the story?”
As I asked, I counted the commission and handed it to Alex.
“Look at this! Isn’t it amazing? Feel how heavy it is!”
I was so hyped by how much money we made, I insisted Alex take the money pouch and feel its weight. But Sion suddenly walked toward us with a smug smile on his face.
“Had a good sales day today?”
“We should go celebrate! It was amazing!”
“Oh? That good?”
“The prince was super popular today. But seriously, Sion, why do you look so smug today?”
I couldn’t help but point it out—Sion looked way too pleased with himself. Alex, on the other hand, was quiet.
“Well, because it’s all thanks to me.”
Sion said confidently, as if he had been waiting to announce it.
“Huh?”
“I gave the prince a bit more screen time and added a little extra tension between him and the Grand Duke. Just a little bit.”
I stared at him, surprised.
“You didn’t even like selling merchandise before.”
“I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. I’m still surprised it’s actually working… but it is.”
“Don’t be rude to Lady Melias, will you?”
“I’m being totally respectful right now.”
Ugh. I was so drained today, both physically and emotionally.
Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling. It was mostly because a lot of my worries were being put to rest one by one.
“I appreciate the help, but don’t change the play too much, okay? Too much of a formula isn’t good!”
“A formula?”
“Hmm… Basically, the play still needs to have its own voice. That kind of thing.”
Sion chuckled and shrugged with his usual smug expression.
“Ha, I’m a playwright with standards, you know. Don’t worry.”
“I know, I know.”
At least he didn’t seem offended, but I could still feel that sensitive artist energy sucking up all my strength.
Sion walked away and put an arm around Alex’s shoulder.
“Captain, we did great today. Let’s grab something tasty to eat.”
“Ah, sounds good.”
“Lady Melias, come with us! You’re part of the troupe too!”
“I’m not really…”
Before I could say I wasn’t officially a member, one of the female actors with a high ponytail ran over and looped her arm through mine.
“Come on, let’s go! Even if we just have boiled potatoes, I’m in!”
I felt unexpectedly happy.
To think they cared so much for someone like me, a total outsider who just showed up one day and inserted herself into their troupe.
“We’re not that poor, you know! Honestly, noble ladies!”
“Haha, sorry. I just meant I’m really happy you included me!”
Over dinner, I found out that everyone was a lot more interested in the merchandise than I thought.
“What if we made a sequel starring the prince as the lead?”
“What if we sold woodblock prints of scenes from the play?”
“Those might be pricey, but it’s a great idea!”
“Then I want to try something too!”
Everyone had tons of ideas and things they wanted to create.
By the end, so many people were talking at once that I could barely remember what anyone had said. Sion, Alex, and I were scrambling to write everything down.
Dinner lasted late into the evening, and I finally returned home with my now much heavier coin pouch safely hidden in my skirt.
****
Meanwhile…
“Did you see this?”
As always, Zion Brabant was in a foul mood. His long fingers tapped his mahogany desk in a steady rhythm.
“This is the first I’m seeing it…”
To his assistant, each tap felt like the ticking of a clock counting down to his doom.
The assistant stood stiffly, trying to read Zion’s mood.
“You should’ve found out earlier, shouldn’t you?”
The assistant swallowed nervously.
“I-I was already looking into it… I didn’t expect Your Grace to find it first…”
On Zion’s desk sat a small portrait of a man who looked just like him.
It was a woodblock print—not as detailed as a painting, but the man in the image had all of Zion’s features: sharp eyes, high nose, and similar hairstyle.
“My face is being sold like this, and you were just ‘looking into it’?”
“W-well… It’s not technically you, sir. It’s the Grand Duke from the play…”
That explanation didn’t help at all. Zion’s expression twisted even more with frustration.
“Could it be someone close to me? Did this person even see me in real life?”
Zion stared directly at the assistant as he spoke. Realizing Zion might be suspecting him, the assistant quickly shook his head.
“Of course not! They probably just drew a good-looking man based on rumors about you!”
Zion slammed his hand on the desk.
“Do you think I asked for your guesses?”
The poor assistant froze completely, unable to say anything else.
“This wave symbol. Do you know what it is?”
Zion pointed to the logo Melias had stamped on the portrait: a wavy design based on the letters “M.W.” The assistant had no idea and stayed silent. Zion sighed.
“Of course you don’t. Just find them and shut them down.”
They had already shut down the largest theater troupe recently.
The assistant had tried his best, but finding anything useful was nearly impossible.
There were simply too many troupes in the capital, and it wasn’t like they could track them all.
And carrying out this kind of order without drawing attention in the middle of the capital? Extremely difficult.
‘But if I don’t do this… I’m the one who’s going to die.’
Even if it meant overworking himself, the assistant decided he had no choice but to investigate even more thoroughly.
Not just for his job—his life was on the line.
