Chapter 68: The Play (XII).
The curtain closes and so Analissa could finally breathe a sigh of relief because this part requires her to be in the formal prince costume, so that means goodbye silly frog costume!
"Hah..." She takes a deep breath, never wanting to take fresh air for granted ever again.
The three braincells were actively collecting how many voice changing potions were left, the logical braincell was not expecting to use them so early too... she had plans on using that for something else.
'I hate this stiff, itchy and hot costume! We can't even breathe in there-! I swear us volunteering as the prince would be worth it!' (Horny Braincell) could almost chew on the brain's control system but thankfully she had other braincells to help her calm down.
Normal braincell calmly explained why everything that they're meticulously doing is worth every drop of sweat there is. 'Stop your complaints, we're mostly doing this for Lady Evelyn. She's so tired by the whole play and the class' reputation is at risk of being tanked if this doesn't continue.'
Logical braincell lifts up her glasses to the brim of her nose and sniffs, staring at the audience full of expecting people. 'Yeah... We're doing our best and I hope it's enough.'
The two braincell realize that their other part of themselves are sad and ought to cheer her up.
'Trust us, what we're doing- It's enough.' (Logical braincell) comforts herself, patting her slowly in the back.
While horny might not be the smartest, she knows how to cheer up a gal. 'Hah! Do you think it was easy training with the pettiest love interest? We've practiced our ass off and repeated so many lines our heads will explode! So chin up, other me!'
Eh... actually, in terms of cheering up her own self... maybe not so much.
'What she's saying is- yeah we're doing great. So let's go finish this play, okay?' With soft smiles the two braincells came in time to comfort themselves.
Logical braincell nods, looking more determined to keep on with the play. 'Sniff... yeah! Let's go finish this play for the high section!'
"Hngh...!" (Analissa) was trying to take off the big frog head costume and failed. She tried it again but the head was too big!
"Um... a little help?" She tries calling for someone to help her out of the costume, luckily Lady Serene notices and immediately asks someone to take it off for her.
"Everyone ready for your positions! Someone help the commoner- I mean Miss Blanchet take her costume off!" The red haired girl yells as she instructs the team for dress rehearsal- they needed some help putting some more finishing touches in the prince costume in order to fit the heroine's figure.
Analissa could hear someone walking towards her, saying nothing and just immediately pulling out the costume from her head.
"Whew...!" (Analissa) wipes the bead of sweat finally she could have that sweet oh tasty fresh oxygen. "Thank you, um... I needed some help removing the head you saved me."
The heroine was grateful for the unknown figure who smiles, still holding the frog head costume that was in her hands.
"You're very welcome."
The moment she heard that familiar voice-! It's as if everything has stopped moving.
"Lady Evelyn!" (Analissa) with a flustered and tired figure- stares at the villainess' soft expression staring at her deeply.
"It is nice to see you, Miss Blanchet." The villainess lowered down the costume on a table nearby and went back. "I never expected for you to volunteer as the prince."
Analissa laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "I um... I was also not expecting the unfortunate circumstances that we have- so I needed to do this."
What she did in front of her classmates was so flashy... doing a speech- making people trust her and depend on her really put a lot of heavy pressure on her shoulders.
Lady Evelyn walks forward feeling a little responsible, "You know... you really didn't have to."
Analissa immediately shakes her head because even if she didn't want to-! She needed to!
She's partially the reason why the play would have a horrible ending of being abandoned if Lord Ein would've had the sanity of a normal man!
Even until now he's still toying with her!
Analissa thought she finally had a friend, someone she can actually trust! Now though after the student that he pulled she's not sure if trusting Lord Ein with some things is right.
"But everyone worked on the play, from the costume and the sets! I wanted to be helpful and ease some of your burdens. The boys did their best painting the background sets, the girls helped with the costumes and designs- especially Lady Sinclair I could tell from the dark circles on her eyes that she worked hard on the costumes." (Analissa) took some special attention towards the lackey.
The bandages on her hands means that she must've gotten a few wounds from sewing.
'Especially the frog mascot. Any other artisan could make it for months- she made that thing in less than a month.' She was honestly impressed by Lady Serene in her skills in creative design and passion for making clothes it seems.
"You even had to talk to professor lionheart, of course, I had to try too. I saw how much everyone did their best for the sake of the play! I really want to help!" She declared.
"Hahaha!" The villainess couldn't help but chuckle, earning a few glances from the whole class- they might have been busy but they're not deaf.
Everyone on set started feeling a little happy that the blonde girl noticed all of their efforts, as a noble anyone can just say that it was just their duty and role to be prim, proper and disciplined. As if you're already required to be perfect.
But hearing her words-
"Everyone did their best!"
They started to feel guilty of the horrible rumors that spread, the mocking and even the taunting!
"Analissa thought of us that way?"
"I guess she's not so bad..."
"We've truly made a mistake of judging a book just by its cover." The girls gave a look to one another signaling that no one shall bad mouth Analissa Blanchet no longer.
The boys on the other side heard her words and tried not to cry, they started to fall in love even harder for the blonde girl.
"Ah... if I wasn't busy adding the lights I would've fainted."
"Sniff... we thank you Lady Analissa for being so kind!"
"Whoever is going to marry Lady Blanchet is one lucky man."
Analissa couldn't hear their muttering after all she was still confused why the villainess unexpectedly laughed for being so earnest.
"Your stubbornness and foolishness surprises me every time. I can never expect what you'll do next and truly- you've saved the class." The villainess walks even closer towards the girl leaning slightly down to meet her eye. "The whole class- we appreciate your effort, your kind heart is what I like about you the most."
Analissa was not expecting her words and her eyelashes started to flutter, heartbeat a little faster and her palm became sweaty for some reason. "T-Thank you, milady."
A classmate from the makeup department walked over feeling a little awkward interrupting their moment together. "I'm sorry Lady Alarie but you're needed in the next scene so you can't help Miss Blanchet take off her costume."
The villainess looks at the girl and nods in understanding, "I see."
She turns back to Miss Analissa seeing a wild hair standing on the top of her head, she presses it down carefully- her hands trailing into her long curls... She leans her lips and kisses the end of her lovely blonde hair.
"...!" It shook Analissa, her eyes widened and slowly turned her head into those lucky strands of hair that have received a kiss from the Villainess!
"I'll be seeing you later, my prince." She said nothing more and went out into the stage- brimming with confidence.
"Hah..." (Analissa) almost collapsed, still being so confused. Her knees shaked, she had to hold on to something and that was a table that was behind her. "...what just happened?"
Everyone saw what happened as well and was overreacting.
The girls thought it was just for practicing their chemistry on the stage and the boys thought sort of the same but questioned if the villainess gave that as a sign of goodluck.
"Tweet tweet~" (Losimer) who was watching the play in a corner somewhere around the theater was happily eating seeds. He watches over his master, secretly getting even more shameless!
Analissa had to reboot herself once she heard the villainess' voice out there on the stage- those purple eyes that shine when they're together and that smile of a treasure...
She's doing her best.
Everyone around her is doing their best.
She needs to do the same.
"Focus, Analissa. I need to change."
...
Continuing the story of the play...
The princess and the Duke of the north, Pierre, were walking onto the stage with a couple of guards in tow.
"Well then I know you've been gone for quite a while so let me give you a refresher, your father is not happy." He tells the princess who glares at him.
"He's not going to be exactly happy either when I tell him about your plans." The plan to poison his father after marriage so that he may become king.
"Please princess, after your stunt who do you think he'll believe?"
"The foreign prince who offered him a good deal to save your crumbling kingdom? Or his very own daughter that left everything just to be reckless and foolish, squabbling with commoners in a neighboring kingdom?"
"..." The princess couldn't say anything back because he was right but still she would warn her father even if he doesn't believe.
"You're here! And you brought my daughter back!" The King comes in, panicking and relieved to see his daughter back in one piece. "Oh thanks to the heavens that you're alright. What in the heavens happened?! Did someone kidnap you? Attacked you? There seems to be no bruises around your body-"
He casually checks around and the princess shakes her head.
"Father, please don't be angry. I ran away because I didn't want to be married to him."
An over exaggerated gasp could be heard from the king, "Oh darling, why not?! He saved you! And brought you back to me!"
"No, father-! We must not trust him! He told me once he gets through with the wedding he'll poison you and leave you for dead!"
The King looks at her daughter like she was some madwoman, accusing their savior when she's run away at her own wedding?!
How could she say that?!
"Your majesty, it seems that the princess has lost her mind. I came here to marry her and because I have grown to love her truly, I brought her back and I assure you that what she says is a lie." The Duke taking this opportunity turns the king's own daughter against him, easily fooling the old and soft monarch.
"How dare you lie to me."
The princess saw that his father was angry, "Father it's not a lie-"
"Don't... I have already heard enough of you. You have had me worried, I have guards trying to find you all over the palace and the city, I should be thankful to the Duke for bringing you back safe and sound. Please just be a good daughter."
Just be a good daughter.
"I... yes, father."
Lady Evelyn sees the role as an exact mirror of her own life.
The King hugs her momentarily before telling her, "I'm just glad you're safe."
"Now I must go back, I thank you Duke Pierre for finding my daughter. I know it wasn't easy." He turns to the Duke who bows, as if this is all just one happy performance for him to play.
He'll dance till he gets what he wants.
The King and the guards exit the stage, the only ones remaining was the princess and the Duke.
He eyes the princess like prey, taunting and teasing. "Next week, the wedding will once again take place and this time. You won't be going anywhere."
"...I won't let you have your way with my kingdom and family."
"I already did, princess. You'll just have to be daddy's little good daughter and stay put. No one's going to save you now."
The curtain closes and the scene ends.
Everyone in the audience was at the end of their seats, the music being used in the background was thrilling and riveting.
"Does this play have a happy ending, milord? The princess doesn't deserve such a treatment... is this what some arranged marriages feel like?" (Farrah) who was sitting down next to Lord Ein couldn't help asking.
Lord Ein however assures her that everything in this play is over exaggerated. "This is merely for the momentum and climax of the play. Some arranged marriages are actually quite civil- both families benefit from each other's houses."
He made it after all, this is all some fantasy written for his own entertainment and experience.
"However, I do agree... that some houses are not so nice to their children." Being one of the people that's currently engaged through an arranged marriage he's speaking from experience. "But no one wants to see that. I'm hoping our princess escapes with the one she truly loves."
He smiles sadly, looking at the stage. "For this story shows a fantasy come true for nobles that have fallen in love- with someone they're not supposed to be with."
With a quick change of mood he laughs, "I mean who would ever marry an ugly frog?"
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