SWNOVELXO Chapter 107
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 107
The overhead light that brightly illuminated the theater gradually faded, wrapping the space in a gentle darkness.
The sound of people whispering.
The sound of popcorn being eaten and beer being sipped.
Amidst the various noises, the Young Lady clenched her hands tightly, her eyes sparkling with interest.
“Oh… It looks like Ricardo is about to start!”
As the curtain that had been covering the stage parted slightly, a narrator dressed in a bright sky blue dress slowly emerged.
“Hello. I am Cowen, the playwright and narrator of this production, ‘A Sad Love Story of a Girl.'”
“Please note that all names, characters, and events in this play are fictional and bear no relation to real people, places, buildings, or products.”
The narrator’s confident smile, filled with the certainty that the play would be entertaining, instilled trust in the audience seated in the theater.
With a voice brimming with confidence, the narrator called out to the audience.
“The play ‘A Sad Love Story of a Girl’ begins now.”
As the narrator lifted the hem of their dress slightly in a polite gesture, the Young Lady’s excited voice could be faintly heard.
“Oh…”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hmm. But what’s this play about?”
“Well… Since it’s called a sad love story, I assume it’s a melodrama. I was recommended this play too, you see.”
“A melodrama…!”
The Young Lady exhaled sharply and adjusted her posture in her chair. Though she had a cold temperament, she was a woman who found unity in the romance genre.
She couldn’t help but anticipate it.
“It must be so thrilling, right?”
“Who knows.”
“Will there be scenes where people get beaten up or something?”
“Do you want to see that?”
“A little…?”
The Young Lady murmured softly in a shy voice.
“A play chosen by Ricardo… I’m looking forward to it.”
“It would be troublesome if you expect too much.”
“I’m not expecting much.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Hehe… Just saying.”
Just as I was about to tug at the cheek of the cheeky Young Lady.
“Oh… It’s starting!”
As the curtain, which had been half-covering the stage, opened, the stage lights shone brightly into the eyes of the Young Lady and me.
It was dazzling.
Of course, I was referring to the Young Lady’s bright, shining eyes.
“This looks like it’s going to be fun.”
“Hmm.”
*
-Once upon a time, in a rural estate, there lived an evil lord.
-The lord, who loved tax evasion and bribes, was a villain who made life difficult for the territory people.
-Boom…!
As the grand music resonated through the stage.
The spotlight that had been illuminating the narrator slowly dimmed, creating a somber atmosphere.
A spotlight poured down on the fallen noble, kneeling on the floor like a tragic heroine. The Young Lady widened her eyes and tilted her head in curiosity.
“That one’s doomed.”
“Pardon?”
“Tax evasion is something only fools do. If you’re a noble, you shouldn’t evade taxes; you should launder them.”
“You’re quite insightful.”
“If you evade taxes, you’re in big trouble. The Imperial Army will come for you.”
“What about bribes?”
“If you take bribes, you’ll die together with them, so it’s fine.”
“As expected… You truly are the youngest of the Desmond Family.”
The Young Lady nodded her head with a bashful smile. Even though she cursed, it had a magical way of lifting the mood.
It was indeed a fitting display of her villainous nature.
The cold-hearted Young Lady whispered to me.
“That one will probably meet their end right away.”
“Why?”
“They evaded taxes, didn’t they?”
“Wouldn’t they meet their downfall later in the story?”
“No. I think they’ll fall right away.”
Confident in my belief that the play wouldn’t break away from clichés, I shook my head firmly, but the Young Lady was adamant.
“I’m right.”
“Oh, come on… No way.”
The middle-aged actor kneeling on the floor spoke in a sorrowful voice.
-You filthy commoners…! How dare you betray me!
‘Huh?’
Just as the Young Lady had said, the play broke away from clichés and immediately removed the antagonist from the stage. I had expected the story to either involve the evil lord’s redemption or the tragic heroine leading a revolution.
The actor playing the evil lord uttered just one line before being dragged offstage by the commoners, screaming as they disappeared behind the curtain.
-No!
-The evil lord was overthrown by the territory people. As retribution for the years of oppression, the territory people killed the lord and even attempted to kill his child…
As the narrator trailed off, a small child actor slowly emerged from between the curtains.
-However, they couldn’t bring themselves to trample on the life of his young daughter, ‘Lucia.’
The child actor stood confidently at the center of the stage. For someone playing the heroine of a fallen household, her expression was quite arrogant. With one eyebrow raised and a cocky demeanor, her performance left me puzzled.
‘That seems like a mistake…’
I thought it was an amateurish error, a misunderstanding of the role. After all, such an expression didn’t suit someone from a fallen household.
At the same time, I found myself harboring a small sense of anticipation.
I couldn’t quite grasp what kind of statement she intended to make with such a performance.
The ceiling spotlight illuminated the young girl, and at the same time, she shouted loudly to the audience.
“F*ck!”
‘What the hell…’
-Murmur murmur…
‘What is this.’
The startled Young Lady looked at me with wide eyes and said.
“Ricardo, that one is strange.”
“Pfft…! I’m used to this.”
“Used to it?”
“Never mind.”
The Young Lady, with a question mark on her head, quietly observed the child actor standing at the center of the stage.
-Unfair! If you’re jealous, you should’ve been born as great as me! How dare you throw a tantrum!
It was a familiar sight.
The child actor’s performance reminded me strongly of the Noble Lady sitting next to me.
“Ah, it brings back memories.”
“…Really?”
“Doesn’t it make you feel nostalgic, Young Lady?”
“I was well-behaved at that age, so I wouldn’t know.”
“You have no conscience.”
“Hehe.”
The Young Lady responded with a small laugh.
-Fool…! Idiots…! Stupid commoners…!
The child actor stomped on the floor with a cute kicking sound, throwing a tantrum. Her portrayal of the stereotypical image of a noble in the minds of most commoners drew a small sigh of admiration from me.
‘But, is it really okay to leave it like that?’
Though times have changed and people enjoy provocative content, nobles might not like this kind of story.
As if to affirm my thoughts, murmurs could be heard from the audience.
Just as I was wondering if the play, which had started with such a heavy atmosphere, was a poor choice.
-Hey! You there, commoner!
The curtain behind me opened, revealing the stage that had been carefully hidden until now.
A soft, brownish light.
It gave the illusion of dust floating in the air.
The backdrop was a familiar slum village.
The stage set at the back, as if cutting out a portion of a discarded memory from the capital city, reminded me of my first meeting with the Young Lady.
The walls of old buildings.
Roofs made of tin.
In the stage set that seemed covered in dust, a little actress in a shabby dress directed her voice toward a red-haired boy rummaging through a trash bin.
-Did you call me?
-Yes.
-Why?
-I’ll give you the honor of a chance to give me food.
-Okay. Bye.
“Puhaha!”
Laughter erupted from the audience.
The Young Lady sitting beside me glared at me with a pout, clearly displeased by the audience’s reaction to something she thought was natural.
Immersed in the protagonist’s emotions, the Young Lady asked me in an irritated voice.
“Why are they laughing?”
“Perhaps because they find it funny?”
“Ricardo, you laughed too.”
“I was just following along.”
The Young Lady pouted her lips and said.
“Don’t laugh. They said they’re hungry.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Hmm.”
The Young Lady crossed her arms and huffed.
The play continued once more.
The narrator stepped gently in front of the actors and spoke.
-The girl, no longer a noble, began her life in the slum.
-With nowhere to go, the girl followed the boy into the slum and gradually grew closer to him.
-Though, of course, they fought as well.
-Give me food!
-No. Go to your house.
-I don’t have a house…
-Neither do I!
-As the years passed, the relationship between the boy and the girl began to develop.
-Sharing food they begged for, and at times, the boy even saved Lucia from delinquents. The two, who seemed like oil and water, began to grow closer.
-And then.
-A feeling called love began to bloom in the boy’s heart. The girl, however, remained oblivious.
A breeze began to stir in what seemed like a dull play.
Like a spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers, it filled the theater. The bickering and fighting between Lucia and the red-haired boy somehow didn’t feel like someone else’s story.
-Stop being picky!
-I’m not eating it because it tastes bad.
-You’re not a noble anymore! Know your place!
-Huh…? N-no! I… I’m…
Sometimes, they exchanged hurtful words.
Sometimes, they cried together.
Their gradually growing closeness tugged at the heartstrings.
The red-haired boy, denying his own feelings, acted prickly, while Lucia always lived boldly and confidently.
When the darkness of her diminished life, where she sometimes had to beg to survive, weighed on her, the red-haired boy’s quiet visits and his story of love stirred something deeply moving.
And then the boy.
-When I grow up, I’ll buy you lots of delicious food. So… stay with me forever.
Awakened to the feeling called love.