Volume 2 - CH 7

One day during lunch break.

I was acting as a server at one of Lady Sophia’s tea parties. Normally, butlers are supposed to stand at the back and keep quiet, but at this tea party the young ladies kept addressing me often. At the beginning, Lady Sophia herself began to talk to me. Therefore, it became an everyday thing for me to answer the young ladies’ questions.

And just like that, today as well—

“Then, Cyril, there’s a chance that you will also participate in the play, right?”

“I am not sure whether I will be assigned a role, but I think that I will be allowed to participate in some shape or form.”

“Then if that’s the case, I will be watching you from the front row!”

Pamela placed the teacup onto the saucer and suddenly smiled with her whole face. Pamela, who had a beauty mark under her eye,1 had a smile that hid some enthusiasm in its childishness.

She was probably really looking forward to this play. I fully expressed my gratitude.

Even though she was the daughter of a Count, she struck conversation with me, a mere butler, in a friendly way. While I believe this is due to me saving her during the exam, it is also largely due to Lady Sophia’s influence. 

It was plain to see that Lady Sophia held me in high regard.

“But… that’s right, regarding the Student Council. Say, Lady Sophia, do you plan on halting these tea parties for a while if you get busy with the Student Council’s activities?” Pamela asked Lady Sophia.

“No. I might have to be absent, if I get busy with the rehearsal, and I might have to change the schedule, but I don’t intend to stop hosting our tea parties.”

She might have joined forces with the Second Prince and the Student Council, but it wasn’t like Lady Sophia had joined the Student Council faction. Therefore, this faction won’t disappear.

She conveyed to Pamela and the others the things that we’d discussed beforehand.

Even though they might not have vocalized it, there were a lot of people who felt uneasy, so there was a sigh of relief permeating the atmosphere.

From then on, everyone started talking about the play.

“Nevertheless, to think that the Student Council would hold a play! How unusual.”

“No, I heard that when my older sister was attending, the Student Council used to do plays.”

“Wow, is that so?”

I could hear the young ladies talking. It seemed that Ferris, the young lady with ringlet curls, had known about the Student Council having performed plays. Apparently, when she was little, she went to her older sister’s school festival and saw the Student Council perform there. “I wonder why they stopped doing them?”

“I don’t know myself, but perhaps if you asked the students attending from back in the time when there were performances, they might know something.”

Ferris said that she didn’t know the reason, but I had my suspicions. Three years prior, the plays were taking place – in other words, it was just the last two years that didn’t have a play.

Two years ago was precisely the year when Fol became a junior high student. In spite of the Student Council serving as the Royal Faction as well, there was no one around to help her. The situation probably arose from those circumstances.

But since these were just my speculations, I didn’t interrupt the young ladies’s conversation.

A few days after that day, we were summoned by Fol again.

The seats around the table of the Student Council room. I myself will sit on one of these seats today, as one of the Student Council members. To be able to sit on the same seat as Lady Sophia was…

how should I phrase it? A completely new experience.

“The reason why I have summoned you today is as follows. I’ve prepared the script for the Student Council’s play. To begin with, could you please take a look at it for me?”

Following Fol’s instructions, the maid placed copies of the script in front of everyone. The script was written on a thin, fibrous paper, in neat letters. 

The young ladies begin to look over the script.

I also looked over the one that was put in front of me at the same time.

— The heroine is the daughter of low rank nobles. At a venue of a certain party, she ends up getting involved with a violent noble, but then a prince in disguise appears and saves her.

At that time, without knowing the saviour’s true identity, it seemed as if her first love was over before it even started. However, three years later, when she enters the academy, she meets the Prince who had saved her again.

However, the Prince already has a fiance. Because of this forbidden love, the heroine is very conflicted. Nonetheless, she’s encouraged by a trustworthy maid, and she keeps meeting up with the Prince. Before long, the two of them fall in love.

But the fiance, finding out about it, can’t just stand by and watch.

Noticing that the Prince is pulling away from her, the fiance wants to take him back from the heroine, and so she begins to harass her in all sorts of ways.

However, the prince finds out about these evil deeds, and the engagement is ruined. Having won his true love over, the Prince and the heroine share a joyful kiss. The end.

…Wait a moment.

Somehow, I felt like I knew this outline terrifyingly well.

No, hold on. Let’s think about this calmly. Outlines being similar to each other is something that happens often. Especially plotlines about being saved by a gentleman in disguise and then meeting again followed by falling in love. Before they can be together, there are various obstacles in their way – there’s a great amount of stories like that.

Right, I should confirm the title first.

In doing so, I’d be able to properly confirm that it’s a different play alto–

‘Espressivo of Light and Darkness’

……….Hmm.

Could it be a really strange coincidence where even the title is the same….As if! Without a doubt, this was a script of the otome game that existed in my previous world!

To think that in the world of Espressivo of Light and Darkness, having become real, I would be performing the play Espressivo of Light and Darkness!…What the heck, this was crazy!

…No, there were still many other possibilities.

For example, there was the possibility that as a consequence of this world being based on a game, the game’s scenario, for some reason or another, existed as a script here. What kind of reasons could there be for it was unknown to me. But since, to begin with, it should be impossible for a game itself to become a real world, I could hardly say that itwas definitely impossible.

However, I suspected another possibility.

Which was that a transmigrator from the same world as mine had written this script.

Supposing that there was someone who had transmigrated the same way that I had, they would be capable of writing this script.

And the reason for writing this script would be — as I raised up my face, my eyes met with Fol’s. She was fixedly gazing at me with her deep blue eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything.

Nonetheless, I was Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler.

Before I lifted my face, I had prepared myself for all possibilities. Therefore, my expression didn’t change. Pretending that nothing was going on, I tilted my head as if to ask if anything was wrong.

“What do you think about the script?” 

“Since I am not knowledgeable in this topic, it’s a plotline I have never heard of.”

Without letting on that I was lying, under my breath I muttered ‘In this world, that is.’

“Incidentally, the person who wrote this script is my tutor and she has no connections to theatre whatsoever. That’s why I wanted to ask you what you think about this script.”

So, it seemed that this script was written by Fol’s tutor as a pastime. Without a doubt, that was lie.

As far as I remembered, Prince Alforth’s key phrases and the way he conducted himself were perfectly reproduced. If a transmigrator had written this work, they were, without a doubt, a hardcore fan of Espressivo of Light and Darkness. 

Was that tutor a transmigrator?

Or, there was also the possibility that there was no tutor, and Fol herself was a transmigrator. Speaking of, Fol was always jotting down stuff with her pen into her so-called diary…

At this point in time, this wasn’t something I could decipher.

For the time being…

“Well then. The story is rather straightforward, and there’s no problem in regards to the number of cast members. Therefore, I believe it to be a good choice.”

As a butler, I had to express my impressions harmlessly and inoffensively.

For a mere moment, Fol’s gaze and mine crossed paths.

“… Yes, I think so as well.”

Fol averted her gaze, and continued questioning the other council members on their opinion. I lowered my gaze onto the script again, the gears in my mind turning.

Of course, I still couldn’t deny the possibility of it being mere coincidence. There was also the possibility that the purpose of writing the script was merely the transmigration wanting to keep the memory  of their beloved story.

But my thoughts were more along this line: 

They wrote Espressivo of Light and Darkness to look for other transmigrators.

Was there not a chance that Fol was gauging our reactions earlier?

Since it was merely a possibility, I didn’t know where the truth lay. 

Perhaps it was just a coincidence and Fol merely wanted to hear our impressions of the script.

Even if that was not the case, there was also the possibility that Fol didn’t know anything.

However, there was no such talented young lady like Fol in the story. I thought that it was for a separate reason altogether. However, if she was an anomaly, it was possible that, in the game itself, she had been ordinary and hadn’t stood out.

Of course, I didn’t know whether this was a fact or not. But even though I didn’t know, if I were to investigate it right now, it would be like shouting out to the world: I am a transmigrator! 

For the time being,  I had obtained the information that the one who wrote the script was Fol’s tutor . Right now, it was necessary for me to investigate whether this girl truthfully existed and, if she did, what her goal was.

It would be better to not make any unwise moves before knowing what the opponent’s goal was.

However, I was beat.

Just when I thought that, for the time being, the fighting between the factions was over and things around my lady had calmed down as well, to have something like this happen at the Student Council! I could never have predicted anything like that.

If possible, I would have liked to change the script to something else, but since the story of a popular game would likely have high ratings in this world as well, it was unanimously decided that the play we were going to perform would be Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

“Then, in regards to the cast, who should play who?”

Here it was — I had to be vigilant.

The heroine, the maid, the prince, the villainous daughter and the butler’s narration.

The whole cast was sitting right here. But there were also people like Lady Sophia, who had a completely different personality from the actual character of the story.

Saying something imprudent about the casting here would be a fatal mistake.

Just as I thought this, Lady Sophia raised her hand.

“Oh, Miss Sophia. Do you have any ideas?”

“I would like to try and be the villainous daughter.”

—- My lady!?

I was about to yell out without thinking. I would like to praise myself for promptly keeping up my expressionless appearance.

However, of course, Fol, as well as Alicia and Prince Alforth, were taken aback.

If you thought really hard about it, Lady Sophia came from the family of a Marquis, and people went as far as to consider her to be a saintess that had descended from the heavens into high society. To have Lady Sophia play the villainous daughter… it was like casting her to play her polar opposite.

Astonishment was the appropriate reaction.

However, because everyone was so surprised, it seemed that no one noticed that my expression remained unchanged.

“Um, so you want to play the role of the villainous daughter, Miss Sophia?”

“… Is that impossible?”

“That’s not the case, but why do you want to play the villainous daughter?”

“Playing a heroine doesn’t suit me.”

That was a lie. — I thought that that was what everyone present wanted to retort. There was no one that would be more suited for the heroine than the daughter of a marquis who was rumoured to be a saintess.

Although, there were also the exemplary Alicia, and Fol, who was actually a princess present.

However, if they were to say that they wanted to be the villainous daughter, wouldn’t they be suspect of being transmigrators… no, if Lady Sophia had knowledge of the game, wouldn’t she want to play the villainous daughter?

“We… well, if you really wish to play the role of the villainous daughter, I don’t mind…”

“Truly? You won’t mind if I play the role of the villainous daughter?”

“Y… yeah. Does everyone else agree as well?”

To Fol’s question, the others nodded.

It was possible that it wasn’t a matter of no one being against it, but, because Lady Sophia wanted to play the role so innocently, that no one could bring themselves to say anything.

Incidentally, Prince Alforth looked somewhat disappointed.

Alforth and I were the only boys present.

Since at the end of the story there was a kiss shared between the prince and the heroine, he was probably hoping to play the role of the prince while Lady Sophia would be the heroine.

“Then, in regards to the role of the prince…”

Fol was comparing between Prince Alforth and me with her eyes.

“As one would expect, I’m not suited to play the role of a prince. If Prince Alforth has no objections, he should be the one casted for that role.”

“Is that so? You might be saying that, Cyril, but what do you think, Prince Alforth?”

“I understand. If my humble self will do, please, let me take up the role of the prince.”

Therefore, it was decided that Prince Alforth would play the role of the prince and I’d be in charge of the narration.

“Then, there’s the role of the princess and the maid left. Miss Alicia, how do you feel about playing the heroine?”

“No, I believe that Miss Fol is best suited for the role of the heroine.”

“Me? But if we do that, then you’ll be…”

“Yes, I would like to try playing a maid.”

Lady Alicia herself as a maid… it’s just too strange in every way! 

However, it would surely be impossible to let Fol, as a member of the royalty, to play the role of a maid. 

When it came to a royal’s maid, it was not rare for women from the lower aristocracy to be employed as such.

Therefore, in this sense, Alicia might be suitable to play the role of the maid. 

One way or the other, the cast was set. It was decided that we would hire professionals for the staff as needed for the construction.

And like this, it was settled that, for this Cultural Festival, we would be performing Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

As for me, all I wanted was for Lady Sophia to make friends and for her to enjoy her academy life. However, for some reason, various unexpected things came to be as a result of that.