Translator: Hye; Editor/PR: Hye
All of her words made sense.
From the moment he heard Arnoa’s offer, Bel wanted the woman’s soul stone and somehow wanted to see the end of the bet. To be able to, the obituary has to wait for a month. And Arnoa can’t even die.
“You came up with a good idea how to use a wizard.”
He laughed in vain.
It seemed like the woman in front of him was planning to do something tremendous.
Indeed, it was crazy to suddenly want to become the emperor and ask the Lord of the Magic Tower a bet. He couldn’t believe there are people who decide on something calmly, even with their lives at stake.
It’s absurd. But…
His face, which had been dissatisfied a while ago, now has a subtle smile.
She’s an interesting woman.
‘Not like her brothers.’
She has spirit, calmness, and a plan. Armed with a keen sense, she’s different from Luciano, who would wake up, avoid challenges, and struggle with his worries until before he fell asleep.
One might not know, but under that calm look, there might be a burning fireball of ambition hidden. Besides, despite being coaxed, the high-nosed Anakin Wallow cherishes this woman.
No, is it obey?
(T/N: The word used can also be translated as like, but follow/obey more commonly used.)
A small wave broke out in his mind. Whether it was just greed for Arnoa’s soul stone, curiosity to watch her, or for any other reason, he himself doesn’t know.
But everything about Arnoa stimulated Bel’s interest.
Bel’s smile grew deeper. His gaze fixed on Arnoa did not fall, even for a second.
“Fine. I’ll delay delivering the obituary for a month.”
When Bel blurted out, Arnoa’s face brightened.
It was a clear yes.
“There is quite a distance from the empire, so no one else can deliver the obituary within that time.”
He made up his mind earlier. Perhaps watching how this plan works out would be more enjoyable than taking a nap in his estate.
Bel raised his head, thinking deeply about that little strange idea.
Arnoa gently closed her eyes once and opened them again.
“Well, shall we start with the first plan?”
Her voice was as cheerful as ever. Her gaze towards the fireplace now turned to Bel. She was looking directly at him.
Bel wasn’t used to that gaze. As far as he remembers, there was only Anakin, who could look at him, the Lord of the Magic Tower, with such an equal eye.
“A month…”
Arnoa let out a small breath.
A month from now. She would shake off Vainas from head to toe. Make him think he can’t live with such a villain anymore.
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***
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“You bitch! How dare you seduce His Highness? With his dazzling appearance, the only person in the world who can sit next to him is I, Irnia!”
Slap–
A silver-haired woman, with fierce eyes, swung her hand. With raised eyes, dark red eye makeup, and even painted lips, the woman was as fierce as a witch.
“Kyaaa! Please take your hands away, Your Highness!”
A pure blonde beauty fell down, screaming. Tears welled up in her big round eyes.
At that moment, a handsome man, wearing a colorful purple cape, jumped in front of the fallen beauty.
“Ahh! Nanissa!”
“Aaagh, Your Highness! Everything is my fault. But the baby in my belly…”
“Nanissa! Don’t say that!”
The handsome man, who was calling his lover, slowly turned his head towards the silver-haired witch. The tenderness that filled his beautiful orbs turned into fiery anger in an instant.
“Your Highness, listen to your queen. This queen only loves Your Highness…”
“Shut up, Irnia.”
He cut off the woman’s word in a frightening cold manner and strode towards her.
“Your Highness! Please forgive me just this once…”
Slash!
She wasn’t able to finish her words. Because the sword that the man pulled out like lightning grazed past the woman’s body. Something red came pouring out of her, and the woman eventually collapsed and fell.
“I-I loved you…”
The silver-haired woman died with her final confession. And the remaining man and woman embraced each other and sang an aria of love.
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“Wow! What a masterpiece!”
“Hic, hics! That was so touching.”
Led by Count Estea, the nobles who watched the performance gave a standing ovation. Some wiped their tears, soaked in emotions, while others were whistling.
‘Ridiculous. This is really ridiculous.’
Arnoa, who was forced to watch the performance in the seat next to King Vainas inside the finest auditorium, chased her tongue away.
The future of Dirhan’s performing industry was bleak.
The title of the play, with its opening performance just ended, was <Love and Betrayal>. It was a political drama about the young king and his first love, and their love triangle with the evil queen, which served as an obstacle between the two.
Based on Arnoa’s standards, the play, which was said to have been made by the best and the most talented in the industry, was cliche and terrible.
The male protagonist cried out mournfully, ‘This cursive fate that separates us!’, even though there’s no one separating them.
The female protagonist shed tears and only pleaded from beginning to end.
‘If I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it!’ was what the crazy villainess screamed.
The storyline was lackadaisical as it follows the trend of a royal love triangle, which has been popular for nearly two years.
‘This trend will never end.’
In this play, the scriptwriter’s only fresh attempt was the setup that the wicked woman, Irnia, actually loved the king. Originally, as an obstacle in the love triangle, the queen was portrayed as a heartless woman except for her desire for power.
‘I heard a three-dimensional villain is popular.’
(T/N: 3d is someone/something that is real or vivid, so in a play, someone who is realistic.)
However, that part was the worst for Arnoa.
Why would you love a man who proposes to marry you yet treats his wife as an obstacle?
Taking a glimpse of Vainas, he was nodding his head with a soft smile. He seemed to like the play very much.
“Eh…The play you just watched is a product of fiction and has nothing to do with actual events…”
The director, who was greeting the actors, laughed and emphasized.
Of course, it’s pulling the wool over the eyes.
(T/N: This is the closest equivalent. It is a proverb that means trying to deceive someone with a shallow trick but actually, it’s no use in lying.)
Just by looking at the names of the characters, Vanas, Nanissa, and Irnia, it was clear who became the models for each role.
All the recent box office performances were like this.
‘Damn you, Count Estea.’
Arnoa slowly followed the applause and thought.
70% of the performing industry was attributed to Count Estea. Being a major investor in the art business, he has been pouring out money for two years to popularize novels, plays, and operas with similar content.
With enormous capital investments, in which many of them were successful, it eventually helped boost the popularity of Larissa Estea, the daughter of the count and the ‘First Love of the King in Reality’.
The count’s scheme was a success.
Thanks to this, the performing industry was slowly falling apart by selling only similar third-rate political dramas.
‘At least in Dirhan, I could watch art.’
Arnoa thought to herself.
At the king’s order, they dragged her to the performance hall. Showing Arnoa a performance that insults her and forcing her to applaud, all were Vainas’ peculiar bad habits.
During the first time, she felt like fire was rising inside her chest, but now, she was just calm. These days, she even has time to worry about Dirhan’s art world.
“Call the actor forward.”
When Vainas opened his mouth, the applause died down a little. When the actor, who played the male lead role, walked out as a representative and greeted him politely, Vainas nodded solemnly.
“Isn’t that actor who’s popular lately?”
“It’s Rick Tabien! I heard he’s the lead actor in all the most popular performances these days!”
Behind Arnoa’s back, two wives murmured to each other.
Arnoa rolled her eyes.
She knew Rick Tabien’s face very well.
The rising star of the theatrical world was an illegitimate child from Count Estea’s distant family. With his handsome face and good connections, he had been playing the main character in all kinds of political dramas recently.
A king who’s in a conflict between a villainess wife and true love, a duke who is shaken between a wicked fiancée and first love, and a knight who escapes with his lover by refusing the courtship of a princess from a foreign country.
So to speak, the Vainas of the performance world.
“It was an impressive performance.”
Vainas’ voice rang out inside the hall.
While everyone was quiet as if they were dead, Rick trembled with emotion. He always does this whenever praised by the king.
“I like your eye expressions.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness!”
Hearing praise directly from the king’s mouth was the greatest honor an actor could ever have. He gleamed his eyes and bowed his head.
“Queen, what’s your favorite line in the play?”
Vainas looked at Arnoa with a cynical smile. Pairs of curious eyes were momentarily focused on her.
“How about you repeat the queen’s lines in the play? It sounds like fun.”
A giggling sound was heard all over the place, and Arnoa bit her lips lightly like a habit.
Everyone could understand what Vainas said. It meant to be a clown and entertain him by using lines that insult her own self.
It was very much like Vainas to use dirty and cheap tricks to harass others. She didn’t get used to it, even after several times. He probably wouldn’t leave the theater until he gets what he wants.
If she says it reluctantly, the lines would certainly become popular all over the country.
“Should I?”
But Arnoa was not embarrassed.
She’s been waiting for this moment.
It was the first step in her plan.
Vainas married Arnoa as his queen to build up his petty pride. From now on, she would show how deeply she could scratch his face.
“Oh, you’re being active.”
Vainas spoke in a bright tone.
“Then, Your Highness.”
Arnoa grinned and opened her mouth again.
“Can the lead actor join me?”