CH 50

Renato and Mariabelle, with the permission of the emperor, went to the nearest city to the kingdom, the one directly under the crown prince's control.

Mariabelle was surprised, not expecting the emperor's permission, but agreed that he wanted to know what was going on in the kingdom as well.

Besides, with Renato, she could use the intelligence agents he had hidden in the kingdom.

He was sure that there were quite a few secret agents hiding in the kingdom, and that if he could sneak into the royal capital, he would be able to get a hand in infiltrating the royal palace.

However, if Mariabelle was discovered before she reached the royal capital, she might be captured there, and if the crown prince of the Gallerian empire, although a friendly country, was in the kingdom without prior notice, he would be suspected of scheming.

It would be fine if it was just a protest against the empire, but there was a possibility that the Marquise of Berkeley might be suspected of planning to start a civil war in the kingdom.

So Renato's idea was to use the theatre troupe that was scheduled to go to the kingdom with James.

They had already obtained permission to tour the kingdom, but since James, who had come with them, had been captured by the royal army, they returned to the area under the crown prince's direct control and stood by.

"We will go to the royal capital under the cover of the theatrical company members."

"I feel kind of strange. I can't believe I'm going to be the understudy for the main character in a play modelled after mine..."

The Jeanrod Theater Company, the most popular theatre company in the empire, performs mainly plays by Jeanrod, who wrote the three great tragedies, but recently they have started to perform new plays.

In particular, "Noble and Beautiful Blooms the Rose of Destiny," a new play by Bibiana Rossa, known as the Queen of Romance, has been quite well received, partly because it was released at the same time as the book.

In the kingdom, too, great attention was paid to the arrival of the rumoured Jeanrod Theatre Company, and the quick minded ones immediately visited the Berkeley territory and took up lodging.

The play, "Noble and Beautiful Blooms the Rose of Destiny," is a love story between Renato and Mariabelle.

Although the characters' names are "Leopold" and "Maria," it is obvious who they are modelled after.

Naturally, the actors wear makeup and costumes that resemble those two.

Renato and Mariabelle accompanied the troop as actors who acted as substitutes for Leopold and Maria, but since they were the models themselves, they did not look out of place.

"Belle is more beautiful than that actress, though."

Renato, dressed a little more simply than usual, scooped up a lock of Mariabelle's hair and kissed it.

The ladies around her, all dressed as aspiring actresses, cheered with glee.

"What, uh, that..."

Mariabelle turned bright red, but Renato, seeing this, laughed deep in his throat.

"Leo-san, Leo-san, that's enough!"

Carlo, who was dressed as a gyoja, slapped Renato's hand that was playing with Mariabelle's hair.

He is playing the role of a coachman, insisting that he will never imitate the role of an actor.

The other guards are supposed to be actors playing the role of guards, and they just stand there in silence, but they are made to stand on the stage because they are said to look good. The swords they bring as props are, of course, unsharpened.

Some were so embarrassed that they wanted to be coachmen just like Carlo, but they were rejected because the play didn't need that many coachmen.

"But they rejected the idea. "Wasn't it said that anyone who interferes with a man's love life should be kicked by a horse?"

"Unfortunately, I'm very good friends with horses now. By the way, we should get going."

The trip from the Crown Prince's immediate domain to Berkeley's domain went smoothly.

Even the border checkpoints, which were more heavily guarded than usual, were passed without a problem because a reputable theatre troupe was visiting.

Of course, Renato and Mariabelle, who were riding in a carriage among the actors, were also checked by the border guards, but they were able to get through without being noticed thanks to the full-bodied makeup of the troupe members.

Within the kingdom, Mariabelle's face is better known than Renato's.

However, a woman's impression can be changed considerably by makeup alone.

With her striking green eyes hidden by a downcast look, her skin darkened, and freckles painted across her face, Mariabelle looked like a different person from the perfect lady she had been called.

Arriving smoothly to the castle town of Berkeley, the troupe members immediately began preparing for the box office.

As the sun was about to set, the people of the town gathered at the troupe's tent to see if the performance was finally about to begin.

No one saw a group of people in grey cloaks leave the west side of the tent in the dusk.

They went straight to the cemetery on the western edge of the city.

They stopped in front of a tombstone that read, "My friend Orpheus."

"Is this the entrance?"

"Yes, it is. But you can't just lift the tombstone. Please wait a moment."

She stopped Renato, who was about to lift the tombstone, and looked around to check the weight of the stones lying on the ground.

"What are you going to do with all these stones?"

"I will do this."

She placed the three stones she had chosen in the three hollows of the tombstone and pushed the tombstone backwards.

When she pushed the tombstone backward, a staircase leading to the basement was revealed.

"What is this? What in the world is going on?"

At Renato's astonishment, Mariabelle turned and smiled.

"This is a secret entrance, an ancient trick."