Chapter 86 Preparation for the festival [4]
He immediately grabbed the attention of the room with his presence. With looks that put even the best-looking actor to shame, he became the focal point of everyone's gaze.
Behind him, a familiar figure appeared.
She was following him with gleaming eyes.
"There's no need to feel too pressured. Just act as you've done last time, and-Oh, it looks like everyone is here. Sorry for the delay, I was talking with him about something."
It was none other than Olga who waved her hand at the actors sitting across the room.
"Writer, it's a pleasure to see you."
"Hello."
Snapping out of it, the actors went on to greet her.
There was a certain respect in their voice as they talked to her. And rightfully so. Her name resounded throughout the entire Empire, and while all the actors present had a certain fame to their name, it was meaningless when compared to Olga.
"It's nice to see you all again. I apologize in advance for the delay and change in script."
"No worries, no worries… it's indeed better. I'm sure it'll be a hit."
Compliments began to flow effortlessly from the actor's lips, each one more lavish than the last, until inevitably, the spotlight of attention gradually shifted towards Julien.
"Haha, are you the actor everyone is talking about?"
Darius, true to his nature, was the first to approach Julien with his trademark warmth, extending a friendly greeting in his usual amiable manner.
"You might know me, but I'm Darius."
He held out his hand.
But…
"…."
All he received in response was a blank stare. It was obvious from Julien's gaze that he had no idea as to who he was.
And he was right.
Julien really didn't know who the person in front of him was.
'Famous actor…? Who?'
Most probably seemed to be the case. He was just about to hold his hand up to return the greeting when Olga intervened.
"Enough with the greetings. Let's just straight to the reading. I can't wait."
And thus, Julien was never able to return the greetings.
Whispers started to spread.
"Wow, did you see that? He totally ignored Darius."
"That's the godly actor that made her change the script?"
"Well, he certainly has the looks for it."
"….But doesn't he seem rather plain? No, not his looks. But his expression. It's as blank as a piece of paper."
"From the way he was acting, it seems like he's looking down on everyone."
"No, that's not the case..."
Aoife muttered to herself from the side.
"He's just like that."
It wasn't a scene she was used to seeing. She could practically count the many times she had seen a similar scene over the past few months.
'….Does this guy not care about anything else but himself?'
As if sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her and their gazes met.
'What is…'
For the briefest of moments, Aoife noticed a subtle curl at the corner of his lips.
It disappeared as fast as it came, and the writer clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"We will skip the introductions for now. Let's start the reading."
Soon, the large hall, which had become somewhat awkward due to Julien, was plunged into a state of silence.
Flip—
Only for it to be shattered by the sound of pages turning. As heads turned in unison, all eyes fell upon Julien, who sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the script before him.
Everyone wore a strange expression as they looked at him. He really… didn't care at all about what others thought of him.
More whispers ensued.
"Doesn't he seem nervous? Like, he's quite stiff. This isn't a good sign."
"Could just be his personality...?"
"I'm not sure. I was looking forward to seeing the godly rookie that forced Olga to change the script, but maybe we won't see it today?"
"What happens if he sucks?"
"....I doubt he will. And if he does, we can just go back to the old script."
"Ah, I see."
At this moment, while the actors were conversing with each other, Olga stood up and said,
"Let's begin. Act 1. The Bakery."
The story was set in a similar time to their own, focusing on a young man raised in an orphanage who became ensnared in the intricate schemes of the royal family as a result of his job. A detective.
But there was a secret he had. He had a special power. One that allowed him to retrace crime scenes to see what had happened.
In the first scene, the main character 'Joseph' played by Darius visits a bakery.
"Uh... This is where she worked, is that correct?"
It was an introductory scene to the main character. It had to be said, that Darius was a great actor. The moment his scene started, he was able to quickly get into character.
Outwardly, he had an air of laziness, yet an underlying seriousness underscored his demeanor, leaving no doubt about his commitment to solving the crime.
Such was Joseph, the character he was playing.
Darius was doing a great job at embodying such a character.
"Yes, this is the bakery."
Another actor, his assistant in the play, commented from the side.
The scene continued.
"Emily Stein."
The assistant mused, his tone turning somber.
"The owner's daughter. According to the details, she seems to have vanished sometime yesterday."
"Ah, uh, yeah... I see."
With a subtle nod, Darius surveyed the surroundings, idly tracing his finger along the surface of the wooden table they were seated at. With a lazy expression on his face, his actions were merely to make it look as though he was doing something.
The assistant looked around before muttering,
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the place. The crime likely occurred outside of the bakery. Should we..."
"Give me a second."
Darius closed his eyes, and..
Clap—!
"End of Act 1."
The scene cut.
Supposedly, the scene was supposed to cut to a vision.
Aoife observed from the side with admiration that she didn't show.
'As expected, seeing them in person is something else...'
She felt shivers.
But apparently, she was the only one that felt this way. Olga, the writer of the play, frowned and addressed the assistant.
"Ronan, did you read the script properly? Your lines were bland. I need you to be sterner just like in the script."
Olga sighed.
"The two of you are contrasting characters. One is lazy, and the other one is stern. I don't feel any of that from the lines. Change your tone. Make your voice deeper."
".....I apologize, I will do better."
Olga then went on to comment on a few other things that she disliked. Overall, even Darius wasn't spared from criticism.
This went on for several minutes until Olga sighed and set back down.
"Next scene. Act 2. The vision."
Her brows trembled, and her attention shifted towards Julien.
It was Juliens' first appearance.
But not just his. Aoife's as well.
"This is the more detailed version of the scene from the tryouts. Please don't feel too pressured. I just want to see how you'd do in this scene."
Her attention soon turned to Aoife.
"You..."
Frowning, Olga seemed to want to say something, but decided against it and quietly said,
".....Just try to keep up."
"Eh?"
Stunned, Aoife didn't know how to respond. Just try to keep up? What did that even mean? Slowly, her fists clenched together as she lowered her head to stare at her script.
It was only a few pages long but it was filled with creases and notes.
For the past week, she had dedicated countless hours to dissecting the role, sacrificing sleep and analyzing numerous plays in an effort to perfect her tone and expressions.
Now, as she gazed at the script, its worn pages barely holding together, Aoife bit her lips and looked up.
Her competitive spirit ignited.
'Let's see if I really need to keep up.'
"Start."
Compared to the first script, the scene was different. The occurrences no longer occurred in a room, but rather in the open.
"Hah, man~"
Aoife was the first one to speak. Her tone sounded light and crisp. The expressions of many of the actors present changed.
They clearly did not expect her acting to be like that.
"....I can't believe this shop is closed as well."
In the setting, Aoife, or Emily, was visiting the nearby shops to buy missing pieces for their malfunctioning mixer. It was a matter of utter importance since the bakery couldn't run without the machinery.
It was late into the night, and all shops were closed.
In her desperation, Emily found a man in the streets for help.
"Ah, excuse me! Do you perhaps know if any shops are still open where I can buy some parts for a broken mixer?"
That man...
Was none other than Azarias.
With his head lowered, Julien slowly raised his head. He didn't immediately turn into character. At first, his expression was blank.
Aoife stared at it unblinkingly.
Almost as if she was trying to challenge him.
'Come, show me... Show me what you've got...'
All eyes were on Julien whose expression remained blank the entire time. Everyone wore similar expressions as they wandered about him and his acting. Was it really going to be as good as Olga suggested? Was it just a fluke? Overrated?
The thoughts ran through their mind until they didn't.
"....."
Finally, Julien's expression changed and so did his aura. It was as if a different person had taken over.
It indeed was.
Right now, Julien was mixing a few characters in his mind. From the memories of William's madness to the emotions he felt right after he first killed a person.
He solely focused on those experiences and emotions.
In doing so, his entire demenour changed and he became a completely different person. It was a chilling sight that took Aoife's breath away.
All of a sudden, the world around her seemed to have changed.
No longer did it feel like she was in the reading room. As of right now, she truly felt like Emily.
".... You're looking for a replacement?"
Julien's voice came out dry. However, within the dryness of the voice was a smile. A gentle, and warm smile.
Aoife felt a strange discomfort staring into that smile.
It made her fidgety.
Even so, she had to resist the urge to show it. In the play, Emily, desperate for the missing piece doesn't notice such things.
And so...
"Yes, I am."
"I know, yes... I know of a place."
"You do...?!"
"Yes, please go straight. If you just keep going there, you can find it."
"Thank you so much!"
It was a short interaction. One that ended with her thanking the man before leaving.
Aoife did her best to keep her tone even. Even so, just briefly, her voice trembled. Aoife half-expected the writer to call her out for it, but nobody said a thing.
And how could they?
'Shivers... I'm feeling shivers... From the many expressions he manages to reveal through his eyes alone and subtle gestures, this is even better than what I saw last time.'
Olga found herself once again doubting her own writing abilities. She felt as if she had still not done the character justice.
The other actors were no exception.
'It's no wonder he acted like that. He truly is... Scary.'
'How can anyone act like that? It feels like I'm being sucked right into the scene.'
'I'm getting shivers.'
Julien lowered his head. He scanned the room that was filled with other actors. He was meant to stare just straight. Where Emily's departing back was, but as if he wasn't satisfied with that, he stared at everyone present.
His eyes changed.
Julien, no Azarias's gaze turned intense. A smile slowly crept across his features and his body started to tremble. His eyes changed further, his pupils slowly dilating.
"Haaa... Haaa.."
His breath echoed in rhythm, each exhale tinged with excitement.
He was thrilled.
Adrenaline surged through his veins, engulfing him completely.
"R-red..."
He quietly mumbled.
"....I want to see it."
At this point, Aoife had long stopped acting. Staring at the warn-out script in her hand, she leaned back on her chair and blankly stared at Julien.
"How?"
How am I supposed to compete with this?
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