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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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The actors, who had seemed rather mild-mannered, transformed as if they had put on masks. In an instant, they became different people.
Even on a stage with me as the sole audience, they were completely immersed, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. Watching their faces as they delivered their lines with all their might, I had a thought.
To be able to pour your passion into something is a truly beautiful thing.
There are so many ways to live, and I wondered if I had been too hung up on relationships.
The canvas of my life doesn't need to be filled with just one thing.
Especially when I have the money for it.
Wealth makes many things possible. Overcoming past wounds and moving forward, or holing up at home to start a new life.
Resting my chin on my hand, I savored the feeling of freedom and focused on the play once more.
The best way to show the actors how happy I was, I figured, was to be the perfect audience.
“Bravi!”
And when the curtain fell, I shouted my praise. The faint tracks of emotional tears remained on my face.
It was a truly perfect performance and script. I couldn't be more relieved that today's play was recorded.
When should I watch it? As I pondered this, holding the recording device, Lidro spoke to me.
“…Excuse me, Lady Marso. If it’s not too much trouble, would it be all right if we watched the recording with you?”
His unexpected words left me bewildered.
“The recording?”
I didn't mind, but why? Was he still suspicious?
“We thought it would be a good opportunity to see our expressions and actions.”
The other actors standing next to Lidro chimed in.
“It seems like a great chance to check our blocking more easily than with a mirror and to evaluate how we appear to the audience… If you don’t mind, we would be very grateful!”
The actors bowed their heads politely. Right, there weren't any tools for monitoring performances here yet. It must be difficult to practice with just a mirror. I understood.
“Alright, let’s watch it together.”
I nodded readily. The actors sat down, their faces filled with anticipation.
The space outside the stage darkened once more. It wasn't as perfect as a movie theater, but sitting with everyone else, it really felt like I was at one.
The sound was clear, which made it very immersive.
[Ah, my name is….]
The play began with the male lead Lidro’s first line. I immersed myself in it as if I were watching it for the first time.
The actors were also completely absorbed, staring intently at the screen. After we finished watching the play a second time, Pitol, moved, clapped his hands together.
“Wonderful, wonderful!”
The recorded performance had a different charm than watching it live. It lacked the immediacy of a live show, but you could see the entire stage and even replay your favorite parts.
I've always enjoyed rewatching movies, so watching the play again was fun too.
“I remember… I remember!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Pitol teared up and began scribbling something on a piece of paper. It seemed he had found inspiration watching the play.
The actors exchanged words, looking dazed.
“I thought I had the same expression as when I practiced, but I was holding back my emotions.”
“Right… so that’s the face I was making.”
“I didn’t quite get it when you said I should open my arms wider, but now I see.”
“My crying looks like I’m laughing. I need to work on my expression.”
To me, it all looked perfect, but apparently not to them.
“This is really convenient…”
The way they looked at the magic tool changed in real-time. Along with it, I could feel their gazes of awe directed at me, its inventor.
I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
These actors were people who took their work seriously.
The shift in their perception of the magic tool happened so effortlessly.
Perhaps letting people use magic tools like this is the best way to change their perception of them.
Let them experience the benefits of a magic tool, and then show them there's no curse attached.
I felt like I could perhaps use this even better than in the original story.
Pitol came scurrying over to me, holding a bottle of ink.
“Lady Marso!”
Shorter than me and with a chubby build, Pitol looked like a hamster as he ran over.
“If it’s alright with you, could we watch the recording with you next time as well? It gives me new inspiration for my scripts… I’d completely understand if you said no. I just wanted to ask!”
Pitol rambled on.
No one else showed any objection to his words.
Instead, they were all glancing at me, trying to read my expression.
They liked the magic tool, but they couldn't just ask to borrow it.
The recording device was so expensive they couldn't afford it even if they saved for their entire lives.
The people who had just been acting so passionately on stage now seemed small.
They are professionals whose acting is flawless.
People who have achieved far more than I have in their field, and who will achieve even more.
The world is unfair. People who work this hard have to worry about money, while I, a nobody, am living a completely different life simply because I possessed the body of a wealthy person. Effort and results are not proportional.
…But I can make it so. For them, results are proportional to their livelihood—that is, their money and fame.
I wondered why I wanted to help them. The answer came quickly.
It was because I saw myself in them. I remembered my own despair when my efforts didn't yield proportional results.
If the world won't give it to them, I want to. If it's a future I can change.
Regardless of what others might think.
If I want to do it, I will.
I nodded readily.
“Of course.”
“Pardon?”
“I can just make another one. Besides, this theater was made just for me, so you can use it as much as you like.”
I'm just making sure you get what you deserve. You're people who work hard enough to deserve this much.
“What? But how can we…”
“You can repay me with an even better play.”
I handed them the recording device.
“I’ll let you stay here until 10 PM after the play is over. Practice here, and just show me an even better performance next time.”
I didn't expect this to change their opinion of me.
They came here for the money. Trust built on money is easily corrupted. If I think of them as people who could turn their backs on me at any moment, I won't be disappointed when they do.
With dazed expressions and trembling hands, they accepted the recording device I offered.
“Please, let us pay you something for it.”
“Or something else…”
“Is there a play you particularly like?”
The troupe members were overwhelmed. They seemed to think that simply accepting it could cause problems.
I smiled and shook my head.
“I’ll look forward to the play.”
That was the only condition I offered.
However, because I didn't want word of this getting out, I had them sign a contract.
The contract stated that I was the one who commissioned the magic tool, and only I had the right to sell or use it.
It also included a clause that if word of the recording device spread, they would have to return it and the contract would be terminated.
This was an era before concepts like patents existed. I had no idea how this would be received. The troupe had taken it well, but I couldn't be sure this luck would continue.
I gave the troupe time to discuss the matter.
“We’ll sign the contract.”
They accepted my terms.
Lidro knelt and bowed, his face filled with emotion.
“I don’t know how we can ever repay this kindness…”
All the actors were amazing, but Lidro was by far the best. His stage presence was incredible.
With his talent on full display, he started to look handsome again, even to my high standards, which had been raised by Darcy. It was a testament to how important ability is in a person.
After a moment of thought, I patted Lidro’s shoulder.
“If you’re grateful, repay me with an even better performance. Your acting today was truly wonderful.”
“…It was nothing.”
Lidro shook his head humbly. I continued to praise the parts of his performance that had impressed me.
“I mean it. Your nuanced emotional acting and the fluid, natural way you moved your body were astonishing. I can see why you’re so popular.”
When you see a genuinely good performance, it's right to express it.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
At my words, Lidro blinked, then bowed his head. I thought I saw the tips of his ears turn red.
***
Marso Etoile's infamy was widespread, even among theater troupes.
Rumor had it that only the most perfect actors could satisfy Marso Etoile’s foul temper and demanding aesthetic.
Marso was well aware of this. So she used her money to lure the troupe in—at ten times the industry’s highest rate.
People who were desperate enough for money to endure any humiliation gathered. Pitol and Lidro were among them.
Pitol was broke because he had spent lavishly on various experiences to write new plays.
Lidro was broke because he’d been kicked out of his troupe after repeatedly refusing nobles who wanted to make him their lover based on his looks alone.
To those who wanted him as a lover, his acting didn't matter.
How beautiful he was mattered more than the acting to which he had dedicated his entire life.
Lidro was disillusioned by such people. But what he hated even more was himself, still in desperate need of money.
In the end, Pitol and Lidro joined the performance at Marso’s mansion. They planned to make a quick buck and get out.
That was, until they met Marso, used the recording device, and heard her unconventional offer. Of course, her offer was kept secret, as per the contract.
People feared the troupe members might not come out alive. Marso Etoile was known as a cruel and fickle villainess.
But even after several days, the newspapers remained quiet.
Instead, rumors began to circulate that the acting of those who frequented her mansion had improved dramatically.
After their time at the Etoile estate, they showcased their skills far more brilliantly. Their facial expressions became richer, and their emotional exchanges grew much more natural.
The first to notice this were not the audience members, but their fellow actors.
Only one thing about them had changed.
