Volume 2 - CH 8

The Student Council would be performing a play.

Saying it like that made it sound wonderful, but we were just a group of amateurs with no formal training in acting. If we didn’t rehearse properly, we would make fools out of ourselves in front of the audience.

Even if we put my own embarrassment aside, I couldn’t allow for the young ladies to fail like that. Extra training might have been required, but there were only two months left before the cultural festival took place.

We were discussing what we should do.

“If we all rehearse together from the start it won’t go well. We need to practice our performance individually first.”

“Individual rehearsal? …We’re not going to be trained by an acting teacher?”

Alicia questioned Fol, who was the one proposing this training plan. 

She was a low rank noble, so she didn’t have many connections to the royal capital. Because the school was so far from her own home as well, getting hold of an acting teacher was likely to be difficult.

“Come to think of it, there’s no acting teacher in this academy. Since that is the case… that’s right. Can I ask you to help out, Cyril?”

“Why did my name suddenly come up?”

I was also one of the people who would rather receive training. Weren’t we butlers misunderstood as people who could do anything? No matter how I thought about it, it sounded like I was being told: ‘Because you seem like you’re good at acting.’ 

I felt like I was under scrutiny.

“I hate to disappoint you, but how could I know anything about performing?”

“But if it’s you, you would be able to manage it somehow, right?”

I was unable to reply.

Because the one who uttered these words wasn’t Fol, but Lady Sophia.

If my Lady wished so, it was part of my exclusive butler duties to fulfill that wish. However, Lady Sophia should have felt wary about Alicia and me becoming close.

I didn’t understand why she would want me to take charge of the rehearsal training despite that.

I wasn’t sure whether agreeing would be a good decision or not.

Perhaps while her mouth requested me to say yes, her heart was wishing for my refusal. I even considered that possibility as well. As I was thinking about where her expectations lay, she spoke again.

“Don’t think about it too hard, just take it more lightly.”

“Take it more lightly?”

“Eventually, we’ll be able to obtain a genuine acting teacher. Cyril, until then, you could start helping everyone with their acting.”

I fully understood then.

Lady Sophia didn’t say ‘Alicia’. She said ‘everyone’.

Come to think of it, for all of Lady Sophia’s lessons, I would teach her first, and afterwards she would attend classes with a professional teacher. This time as well, she probably wanted to be taught by me first, just like always.

If it was my Lady’s wish, I had no other choice but to fulfill it.

“I’ll do as you say, my Lady.”

Politely, I lowered my head. When I raised my head again, for some reason, Fol seemed to be dumbfounded.

“…Is something the matter?”

“There’s nothing wrong, I just thought that you were merely joking…Seriously? Are you really going to be helping out with our training? Even though you don’t know anything about performing?”

“Of course. However, I will have to promptly make preparations to learn about the fundamentals of acting, so that I will be able to teach everyone about it. Could you grant me about three days?”

“Three days you say…”

I could understand Fol’s bewilderment.I knew myself that there was no way I could prepare myself sufficiently in three days. However, if I had three days, I could learn what I should teach them to begin with. And then, while I taught them the basics, I would learn about the subject further. Consequently, if my teaching pace fell behind my Lady’s, it would all come crumbling down. However, I have always conducted my Lady’s education in this manner. I would definitely be successful this time as well. 

I faced Fol’s gaze with a composed, ‘there’s no issue whatsoever’ expression. Confronted with it, Fol sighed, sporting a somewhat astonished expression. “Well, if it causes no problems, I don’t mind.”

“So you will become my acting teacher, Cyril?”

""

Alicia immediately hounded me for an answer.

“Yes, of course. I’m no match to a professional teacher, but I will do my best to become someone who will be able to guide you all.”

“In other words, you will be teaching me as well?”

Next, Prince Alforth was the one who was pressing me for an answer.

Even though I was certain that, as it was expected, the royal family would have connections to a number of theatre groups, due to the previous events, Prince Alforth had lost faith in those kinds of superficial people. To be taught by a teacher he wasn’t close to would be difficult for him.

“Certainly. Then, I would like for you two to learn your lines for now. In the meantime, I will be acquiring the knowledge necessary for me to teach everyone.”

Incidentally, Fol mentioned that she’s going to ask her own tutor. As such, I became the acting teacher for the prince, the heroine’s maid and the villainous daughter.

Setting the matter of the prince and the maid aside, guiding my Lady on how to play the villainous daughter was… for some unknown reason, I had mixed feelings about it.

Anyhow, when I returned to the mansion, I began with my studies of the fundamentals of performing without delay

First off, I ordered books and papers relating to theatre, and then I systematically read through all of them.

At the same time, I began negotiating with the theatre groups residing in the royal capital, and I also scheduled assisting the young lady with her rehearsal once or twice a week.

As I was busy researching all sorts of things, it soon became night and I got summoned by Lady Sophia.

I walked up to her room and Rouché let me in.

I dropped my gaze from Rouché, who had retreated into a corner of the room, and turned around to face Lady Sophia. She was standing in the middle of the room, tightly gripping the clothes on her chest, her sorrowful eyes turned towards me.

“…Why do you not look my way?”

Chills went down my spine.

It wasn’t only because my Lady had just said the words that started her descent into darkness. What I was most astonished by was the deep sadness and inescapable anger brimming in her voice.

Fuck. Where had I gone wrong?

Why did Lady Sophia suddenly descend into darkness?

…I didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand, but I had decided long ago what my answer to these words was going to be.

“Nothing of the sort. I am always looking at you, my Lady.”

It might have been too late, but I had laid my feelings bare. However, Lady Sophia blinked with her amethyst eyes and pursed her small, lovely lips.

“That’s not what it says. It’s supposed to be ‘I apologize. I’ve fallen in love with Aurelia.’ If he were looking at me, I wouldn’t have a reason to fall into darkness.”

""

“Eh?…Oh, that is correct.”

So it was a line from the play!

Since it was more lifelike than a scene in the game, I misunderstood it and unconsciously thought that Lady Sophia had truly fallen into darkness.

“What are you so surprised about?”

“It is nothing, please excuse my behaviour. The words you said felt so real, Lady Sophia, that I have misunderstood and unconsciously thought I was being honestly reproached.”

“…Oh. Does that mean that your previous words expressed your true feelings, Cyril?”

I misspoke. I must have looked uncharacteristically shaken. Immediately, I lied about the meaning of my words. “As your servant, I am always watching over you, Lady Sophia.”

The gaze Rouché set upon me, from the corner of the room she had retreated to, hurt.

“More importantly, have you already memorized all of your lines?”

“Yes. I have generally memorized all of my own lines.”

My eyes had widened slightly. Lady Sophia saying that she had roughly memorized her lines meant that she could recite them perfectly.

To have memorized them in such a short amount of time was…

“I was surprised myself. For some reason, I can memorize these lines without any problems. It might be because I can sympathize with how Elvira is feeling.”

Elvira was the villainous daughter’s name.

While the title and story line of Espressivo of Light and Darkness stayed the same, as expected, the names of the characters were replaced.

…Speaking of, the fact that Lady Sophia was able to sympathize with the villainous daughter was quite troubling. She couldn’t have meant that there was a memory of the game remaining somewhere deep inside her, could she?

“By the way, how were my lines?”

“You have surprised me. You have a talent for acting as well, Lady Sophia.”

“Thank you. However, I do not need flattery. Please teach me how to become even better.”

“They were not words of flattery, but let’s see…”

Plainly said, her performance far surpassed that of an amateur. It was so excellent that, if a theatre group knew it was her first performance, Lady Sophia would have gotten scouted. It was difficult for me, someone who had just begun to learn about the fundamentals of theatre, to give her any advice at the moment.

By rights, this was something that I should issue an apology for, but luckily, I had played Espressivo of Light and Darkness countless times.

“The lines you said are words uttered when Elvira is right on the edge of falling into darkness. Therefore, repress your anger slightly and just bring forth the sorrowful thought of ‘I want him to look at me alone.’ please.”

My Lady’s previous performance led me to believe that I was too late. However, in the work itself, in the last moment before the character passed the point of no return, the sorrow of wanting to start over shone through. I attempted to express the impression of the game’s VA’s voice, that I had heard countless times, in words.

“…Why do you not look my way? – Like this?”

“Yes… exactly like that.”

Unconsciously, I averted my eyes. Lady Sophia’s voice was the same as the hired voice actress. Moreover, since Lady Sophia had been training her voice since early childhood, she could hold her own even against a professional voice actress. This young lady was capable of perfectly recreating the villainous daughter’s words that signalled her fall into darkness.

I thought that my Lady’s performance was charming, yet also terrifying. However, above all else, I felt that this was how Lady Sophia and I would end up getting executed, and it made me anxious.

No, I would not let something like that happen.

“Is there something wrong, Cyril?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Is that so? Then, let’s continue onto the scene where I give my butler cruel orders in order to eliminate the heroine Aurelia.”

“As you wish.”

Since I hadn’t yet memorized the lines myself, I was flipping through the script, finding the corresponding scene. The villainous daughter, Elvira, had instructed her butler to eliminate the heroine. The butler had objected against it, but ended up being forced to comply, unable to oppose Elvira’s orders.

…However, what kind of unreliable butler was this? As a butler that exclusively serves the young lady, he should have admonished her, even if it meant risking his own life. How pathetic, to be such a pushover.

“Dispose of that girl that keeps misleading the prince’s heart, Kalev.”

“Wh-what are you saying, my Lady? I cannot do such a thing!”

“Yes, you will do it. Or are you saying that you cannot comply with my orders?”

This was the scene where he relented to the pressure and nodded, ‘As you wish.’

However, I stared into my lady’s eyes and replied:

“…Is that what your heart truly yearns for, my lady?”

Lady Sophia blinked upon hearing these words, different from the ones in the script. Nevertheless, she immediately understood that I was improvising. She seemed to be contemplating something for a moment. 

“Of course. I will stop at nothing to have the person I love turn my way. Even if I have to turn gods into my enemies, I will definitely obtain my true love.”

“I understand. As long as it is your wish, Lady Sophia, I will be there with you no matter how far we must go. Even if the future we are headed into would be one of destruction.”

The Cyril inside the story had relented to pressure, but he couldn’t have even imagined that what awaited them was the executioner’s block. If he had known that he would get killed, he would have most likely opposed the young lady’s orders.

However, I was different. I didn’t intend on behaving in a way that would have allowed my lady to be led to ruin. However… if… if this was the only possible way, if my lady was fully prepared to walk down this path, I would just joke that our future was most likely going to be the gallows, and accompany her.

“Thank you, Cyril. However, please rest assured. If you are there to help me, we won’t fall to ruin. I will definitely be able to accomplish my goal, won’t I?”

The young lady partly closed her amethyst eyes and after a momentary silence, she suddenly let out a breath. Instantly, the sharpness of the villainous daughter had vanished and her intrinsic kindness gently unfolded.

Lady Sophia swept the hair that had fallen forward aside with her finger and turned her gaze to Rouché, standing in the corner of the room.

“Rouché, how did you find the performance?”

“…If I can be honest?”

“Eh? Yes… of course. However, was my performance so unsuitable?”

“Could it be called unsuitable?…I could only perceive it as a love story between the noble villainous daughter and her commoner butler. Also, you have both switched to your real names halfway.”

The young lady and I looked at each other and then we both averted our eyes.

And just like that, the first practice was over.

After preparing the young lady’s black tea, I retreated to her side. Sitting in her chair with her legs slanted to the side, the young lady looked up at me with admiring eyes.

“Nevertheless, you’re a good actor, Cyril.”

“You are a very good actress yourself.”

Since I was merely repeating the words that I remembered since the beginning, I couldn’t really call it acting.

“The role of Elvira is really easy to play for me.”

“Is it easy to play?”

“Yes. I can completely empathize with her feelings. If my beloved had been stolen away, I believe I, too, would have gone mad with jealousy.”

“…Lady Sophia.”

Elvira was Lady Sophia, she had just been brought up in different circumstances. That was precisely why I had raised Lady Sophia so that she wouldn’t fall into darkness.

However, this Lady Sophia was saying that she would fall into darkness if her beloved were to get stolen from her. If I said that I thought that her beloved was me, that would certainly be conceited, wouldn’t it?

“I- I apologize. I’ve said something strange, haven’t I?”

“No need to apologize, I do not mind. However, you do not need to worry about that. I will certainly never let you go mad with jealousy, Lady Sophia.”

“Eh, Cyril, you mean -”

Her amethyst eyes dampened, shining brightly as I had hoped they would.

“I am your exclusive butler after all, Lady Sophia.”

“Sometimes I feel like you’re a bully, Cyril.”

She puffed out her cheeks adorably. Just as I was about to laugh and exclaim that even sulking, my lady was adorable, I hurriedly pretended that I didn’t notice anything.

“By any chance, may I ask you a question, my lady?”

“Of course you may, but… are you going to ask me the same question again?”

“No, I was merely thinking about the reason why you are so enthusiastic about the play.”

I knew that the young lady was planning something, and I could roughly imagine what her goal was, as well. Lady Sophia was probably taking various actions in order to fulfil her own love between a commoner and a noble.

However, her goal and the play weren’t really related.

I was starting to think that there could, perhaps, be some other reason.

“Certainly, there is the fact that I am so enthusiastic about the play because of that goal of mine… but it’s also because I wanted to try and perform with you, Cyril.”

“…With me?”

That answer was unexpected.

“The musical performance with you the other day was so much fun, so I thought to myself that I want to try and do more and more things together. Though it is a shame that, although you’re the narrator, you won’t be stepping onto the stage.”

“…Is that so.”

‘That performance was like a dream to me as well.’ I muttered under my breath, without raising my voice.

“But… why the role of the villainous daughter? You’re suited for the role of the heroine as well, my lady.” 

“No, the role of the heroine is not suitable for me.”

‘Is that so?’ I tilted my head in puzzlement. With my head still tilted, Lady Sophia faced me with the smile of a mischievous child, and she declared resolutely:

“Since my prince isn’t the one that’s on the stage.”