"As you can see, this Glenn Dudley will be acting as the hero."
Mabel introduced a friendly-looking young man with golden-brown hair to the cast members gathered backstage.
My, my, my?
Eliane, who played the heroine role, showed an ostensible calmness and tilted her head, but the gleam in bluish-grey eyes was darkened.
Why is it not Lord Felix? Why is that person not the substitute when I was the heroine? …ah, that's right, this Glenn Dudley guy probably begged them to make him play the hero role. He must be.
As Eliane was calming herself down by telling herself that, Mabel, the director who had brought Glenn, said as she lifted the rim of her glasses with a grim face.
"For your information, this Glenn Dudley boy… was recommended directly by His Highness Felix."
Hah? Eliane tried her best to hold back the unladylike voice that almost come out of her mouth.
Felix recommended him? Another man, to act as Eliane's partner?
How can such a thing be allowed? Of course, it can't. Felix was supposed to be Eliane's partner. It would be unacceptable to assign another man to Eliane.
Moreover, with a man who looked like he didn't have a shred of decency!
"I'm Glenn Dudley! I've never done any acting before, but I did a lot of playing Ralph the hero when I was a kid, so I think I can manage it!"
Everyone in the room wondered about how he could be so confident when he only did was playing the hero in his childhood. Even Eliane did think so.
The other cast members looked at Glenn with eyes full of uncertainty. Eliane would have liked to do the same, but since she had to maintain her upbringing, she spoke to Glenn with a smile that was typical of a dainty young lady.
"I am Eliane Hyatt, I play the role of Amelia. I hope we could work together to bring the best play."
"…you play the Amelia role?"
Glenn blinked his eyes and turned his gaze down to look at Eliane. Seeing him up close like this had shown them how tall his figure was. The smaller Eliane had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
"You seem so different from the cool Amelia I'd imagined."
The rest of the cast members froze at Glenn's words. Eliane, too, kept her soft smile but the fire of anger quietly lit in her bluish-grey eyes.
The heroine, Amelia, was described as a strong, noble, and wise woman. It was understandable why the role of Amelia was not suitable for the somewhat dainty Eliane.
Even with this problem, Eliane was chosen because she was one of the three most beautiful women in the school—while the more important reason was that she's the cousin of Felix Ark Ridill.
To Eliane, Duke Crockford was her great uncle. As the school under the control of Duke Crockford, Eliane held the same high position as Felix. Therefore, the people around her took this into consideration when they selected Eliane to be the heroine.
Even Eliane was already aware of the fact she didn't make it to the top three at the school secret voting for the role of heroine Amelia which was held before the play.
…to put it simply, Glenn Dudley's innocent remark had incensed Eliane's anger completely.
Of course, Eliane wouldn't allow her anger to show on her face, instead, she acted modestly like a gentle lady.
"Admittedly, I am not nearly as good as the great Queen Amelia. Nevertheless, I will do my very best, so I hope we could work together in the play."
Keeping up appearances, Eliane showed him a beautiful smile on her pretty face.
Oh, what a foolish guy… I will prove how mistaken you are to try forcing your way standing on this stage with me…
While sharpening the blade of malice in her mind.
＊ ＊ ＊
"While we're at it, why not take a special seat and watch Dudley's valiant performance?"
So said Felix and brought Monica to the special seat where he had been sitting in the first half of the play.
"W-Won't I will be scolded if I sit in this seat?"
"You're also a member of our student council. So, there's nothing wrong with that."
For the record, Lana had gone backstage to fine-tune the costumes. She said the work would probably take until the last minute, so it would be difficult for her to come back to the audience seat.
This meant that Monica would be sitting next to Felix, watching Glenn perform on stage. Doubly as bad for her heart.
As Monica was holding her stomach, Felix turned his attention to the white rose ornament on Monica's chest.
"That flower ornament… did Cyril give it to you, by any chance?"
"O-Oh, yes. He said it was a charm that would save me from embarrassment for the rest of the day."
When Monica nodded her head as she answered, Felix, blinked in surprise.
"Is that so? So Cyril said that. Well, it is very like him… I guess."
Felix mused to himself and stared at Monica's neck for some reason.
When she saw that his eyes were scrutinized a little bit—well, really a little bit, as if he was unhappy, Monica unconsciously put her hand on her neck.
"U-Uh… U-Um… Oh, yes, will Glenn… be okay?"
The way she tried to change the topic might be sounded a bit forced, nevertheless, she did indeed feel curious about Glenn.
Monica's mind wandered to the ballroom dance class where she first met Glenn.
The memory of Glenn saying "I've never done it before, but I will manage it somehow!" as he cheerfully dancing in a circle together felt so nostalgic in her mind. She honestly can't imagine this play… will be ended well.
But Felix didn't seem to be particularly worried. In fact, he seemed to be somewhat enjoying it.
"Hmm, I think he'll be okay. You can see he's got some guts. I guess that's a disciple of a renowned magician for you."
"…huh?"
Monica knew that Glenn was an apprentice magician, but she had never heard of him being the apprentice of a renowned magician.
Come to think of it… I heard that Glenn came to this school at the behest of his master…
But who exactly was a magician that Felix refers to as "renowned"?
Monica tried to vaguely picture the high-ranking magicians she knew in her mind, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Why did Glenn's master choose Serendia Academy in the first place, when a disciple of a renowned magician would normally enter Minerva…?
As she was absentmindedly thinking about this, fireworks went off to signal the start of the play.
A student acting as a narrator explained the story so far and that the main protagonist, Ralph, had finally arrived at the Dark Dragon's place.
"Sounds like they've omitted some of the content."
Felix, who had heard the narration, muttered in a whisper.
"I-Is that so?"
"Originally, they were supposed to perform the journey all the way up to the Dark Dragon, but they probably cut it down for the play."
When the curtain rose, a dragon appeared from the left side of the stage. It was made of paper and cloth pasted on a wooden frame, but the result was really well made. Above all, it was large. Inside, several people were moving it.
Two figures appeared from the right side of the stage as the roaring cry of the Dark Dragon echoed throughout the hall.
The two were the main characters of the play: Ralph, the hero, and Amelia, the heroine.
"‘The Seven Spirit Kings have given their blessings to me! O, Dark Dragon that brings destructions upon this land, take this blade of mine!'"
The audience, who had been confused by the different actors from the first half, were swept up into the performance the moment they heard the lines.
Rather than good acting, Glenn's resonant voice and sharp movements had the capacity to draw the viewer in.
Glenn leaped up high and swung his sword down at the dragon. Then, as soon as he landed, he made a horizontal slash in a flash.
Felix said in a whisper.
"His sword may be too big to use in battle, but it looks great on stage."
The sword Glenn wielded was a crude sword, the exact opposite of the gracefulness unique to nobles. However, the way his long arms and legs stretched out to slash at the dragon was eye-catching.
After the hero Ralph drove the Dark Dragon into a corner with the help of the Spirit King, Dark Dragon mustered all his strength to cast one last spell of fire. To block it, the heroine, Amelia, would create a defensive barrier, and Ralph will pierce the Dark Dragon between its eyes to finish it off.
After that, Amelia would run up to Ralph and give him a kiss of blessing, and that was the classic ending…
"‘Oh, you wretched human! I shall reduce you to dust with my flames!'"
As the dark dragon shook its wings, a burst of sound was heard right in the middle of the Dark Dragon and Ralph. The explosion was made with gunpowder.
As Ralph took a step back, Amelia, who was standing behind him, raised her voice.
"‘Lord Ralph, please pierce the dragon's forehead while I set up a defensive barrier!'"
Shouting this, Amelia chanted a spell to set up a barrier. Of course, it was supposed to be an act, so it's not a proper chant.
However, Monica felt something strange.
…wait, that spell should just be an act… right?
Not many people can instantly understand the contents of a spell just by listening to its chant. And since the stage and the audience were far apart, normally no one would have noticed.
But Monica, who happened to be watching from a special seat, heard and understood the spell that she was chanting.
What Eliane was uttering was neither meaningless dialogue nor a chant of a defensive barrier.
It's a wind magic spell used to attack the enemy.
＊ ＊ ＊
Eliane was now standing on a cliff-like set on the far right side of the auditorium.
During the first half of the play, what had been a balcony was now made of paper and cloth to look like a sheer cliff, and Eliane was standing on top of it.
Eliane was standing on it, looking worriedly at Ralph as he fought off the dragon, but also paying attention to Felix in the audience.
She has found out the person next to Felix was not a guest of honor, but a certain female student. Moreover, she's not Bridgette Graham, but just another student council member, a plain girl named Monica Norton.
Why is that dull girl sitting next to Lord Felix? That place belongs to me.
Every time Felix spoke to Monica about something in a whisper, Eliane's mind was violently distracted.
Why would Felix care about a girl like that? Eliane was looking at Felix with such sadness. Even though she loves him. Even though she is the one who should be loved by him.
I will let her know her place. I will make Felix choose me.
The battle between the Dark Dragon and Ralph was now drawing to a climax.
In order to protect Ralph from the attack of the Dark Dragon, Amelia, played by Eliane, will cast a defensive barrier…that's what will unfold later. Of course, Eliane can't use any barrier spells technique, so she just had to act accordingly.
To produce this scene, they will use the most gorgeous fireworks. A firework made using a special kind of gunpowder that produced colored smoke along with the light, and it will be launched at the back of the stage. This will take place in the background as Ralph and the Dark Dragon are just facing each other in the front of the stage.
But when Eliane performing the act of setting up a defensive barrier, she released her wind spell at the gunpowder. The spell she could use was only a basic one. A spell to create a mass wind and to cut with the wind. Although its power is not high, such wind spells are convenient because its invisibility. No one watching this play has noticed that Eliane was using real magic on stage.
The gunpowder device, which had been hit by the mass of wind, tumbled to the side of Glenn just before it exploded. This would cause Glenn to be caught in the explosion of that gunpowder.
It's your fault for making me look like a fool.
And so, the exploding gunpowder caused sparks and smoke to spread towards Glenn. Since it was merely for dramatic purposes, it was unlikely that he would be seriously injured. However, he would probably fall on his buttocks in surprise. Or maybe he'd be scared out of his wits!
Of course, if Glenn was scared still by the gunpowder, the stage would come to a halt. When that happen, Eliane would proudly announce.
——Oh, I knew it, you were the fake Lord Ralph! You cannot deceive my eyes!
Then following by reaching out her hand to Felix in the audience seats to say.
——While the real Lord Ralph, as you can see… is over there.
This way, Felix would be certain to come on stage. Because Felix would never want the play to be canceled.
The accident of the gunpowder could be assumed to be an accident caused by a servant's carelessness. And when the play which was almost ruined by such an unfortunate accident was successfully performed by Eliane's quick thinking… everyone would agree that Eliane was a capable woman worthy of Felix. While Glenn Dudley would show his miserable appearance in front of everyone.
And she would let Monica Norton know her place who truly deserved to be Felix's side when all she could do was look at Felix getting on stage.
With an enraptured, dreamy smile on her pretty face, Eliane looked down at Glenn from the top of the made-up cliff.
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