During the Founding Day Festival, the capital fills with people. It was a golden opportunity to increase followers.

Moreover, Acelia had been writhing with the desire to act until Gale came to visit her.

‘I could just find a theater troupe, right?’

Acting was something Acelia excelled at, and standing as an actor in a theater troupe would make it easier to gain fans.

The lady with the ash tree script had briefly mentioned that the troupe had rejected her script.

In Acelia’s view, the work would succeed with just a title change.

Though it was too provocative for this era’s literary sensibilities, it was incredibly entertaining.

“Gale, how many theater troupes are there in the capital?”

“Three. Why?”

Three of them? That’s a bit troublesome.

“Will you go out with me tomorrow? I want to look around the theater troupes.”

“Sure. If I don’t forget, I’ll go with you.”

“Don’t forget! You absolutely must not forget!”

“I got it.”

Gale snickered mischievously.

The next morning, Acelia prepared to go out.

She wore a plain, inconspicuous dress and brought a wide-brimmed hat. She twisted her hair up so it wouldn’t show and applied her makeup differently.

‘My features are so bland that just changing my makeup completely transforms my appearance.’

Nodding with satisfaction, Acelia went to where Gale waited.

He leaned against the carriage, chewing on a blade of grass. Upon seeing Acelia, he spat it out with a “ptooey.”

What was he doing eating grass? Was he a goat?

“How do I look today, Gale?”

“Does painting a watermelon make it a pumpkin? You look pretty. Did you trim your side hair?”

“You noticed that?”

“That much is basic.”

He had noticed that she trimmed her side hair by just a tiny bit, about 2mm.

So this is why the ladies like Gale, Acelia realized anew.

They toured the theater troupes starting with the one closest to the imperial palace. The first place they visited was a troupe primarily frequented by the imperial family and nobility.

The facility was large and magnificent. As a play happened to be in progress, Gale and Acelia watched one performance.

‘……Disgustingly boring and predictable.’

Throughout the play, Acelia kept checking the time.

For good reason—it was all about unconditionally praising the emperor and claiming that social status was bestowed by God, so it was natural for nobles to lead the ignorant masses.

With her rebellious temperament, Acelia wanted to refute every single point.

As soon as the play ended, Acelia stood up before the curtain call even began.

Thinking about it, she realized that works like “When the Ash Trees Bloom” probably couldn’t be presented to nobles.

“This doesn’t seem like the right place.”

“Really? Let’s go somewhere else.”

The troupe owner, belatedly learning of the visit from two imperial family members, came to greet them, but Gale and Acelia vanished as suddenly as they had arrived.

The second theater troupe was a bust too. The troupe owner’s desire for patronage was too blatantly obvious.

It was unpleasant how they kept pushing male and female actors forward, as if this were some entertainment establishment. The actors seemed indifferent, as if this wasn’t the first time.

‘Maybe I should just start my own troupe?’

Leaving the theater, Acelia even had such thoughts.

‘……No. It’s not too late to decide after checking out the last troupe.’

With a half-defeated mindset, Acelia went to the third theater troupe.

The troupe that mainly catered to commoners was smaller in scale, but the facilities were clean and the atmosphere cozy, reminiscent of university district theaters.

But then—

“Gale?”

“Angel, how have you been?”

“What brings you here?”

“My sister wanted to look around theater troupes.”

Someone from the theater greeted Gale familiarly. Gale also greeted her warmly.

‘Angel? Could that be a pet name?’

Acelia observed the two with interest.

“You know each other?”

“Yeah. My ex-girlfriend.”

“I briefly dated this man in the past. Pleased to meet you, Your Highness Princess Acelia. Please call me Angel.”

“You know me?”

“If you’re Gale’s sister, you must be Her Highness the Princess.”

Angel was unique. With auburn hair and black eyes, she was tall with long, slender limbs, and didn’t seem particularly surprised to see two imperial family members.

“Director! Please look at my script just once!”

Just then, someone ran up and grabbed Angel’s clothes, pleading.

Acelia’s eyes widened momentarily.

“Huh?”

“Huh? Your Highness the Princess……?!”

It was the ash tree lady.

‘Found her!’

My script!

Acelia suppressed her urge to snatch the script from the lady’s hands and read it immediately.

“I’ve already refused, my lady.”

“But……! You haven’t even read it.”

“Wait, Angel. I know this lady too. The script was excellent, so why are you refusing it?”

Angel hesitated as if troubled.

“Because our troupe is planning to close soon.”

“What?”

“Whaaaat?!”

“Angel, closing the troupe? What are you saying? You said you’d make this the capital’s best theater.”

Though reluctant to share the troupe’s internal affairs with outsiders, Angel finally spoke under Gale’s urging.

“Our actress moved to another troupe.”

Angel explained that the troupe had a star actress who was both popular and talented, but she had been scouted by and transferred to the second troupe Acelia had visited.

‘That place was really mediocre though?’

As if reading Acelia’s mind, Angel said,

“Their troupe is larger than ours and receives more investment. The salary is much higher, so it was a good opportunity for the actress. But I tried to dissuade her because there are many things to endure there, yet she said she couldn’t miss such a good opportunity and left.”

Acelia frowned as she recalled the director who treated actors like escorts.

That must be one of the “things to endure.”

“Anyway, that’s why I can’t accept the lady’s script.”

“Why not read it anyway?”

“……Pardon?”

Acelia took the script from the ash tree lady, who was on the verge of tears, and waved it.

“Who knows? This might be the masterpiece that saves Angel’s troupe.”

Entranced by her confident attitude, Angel took the script.

Following Acelia’s suggestion, she carefully read the script, now retitled 〈The Widow with Two Husbands〉.

A moment later…

“……It’s entertaining. Certainly sensational and dramatic. It’s also different from other plays. If we put this on stage, especially during the Founding Day Festival boom, we could aim for a huge, massive hit. But as I mentioned earlier, we don’t have an actress for the lead role……”

“Me!”

“Pardon?”

“I want to audition.”

Acelia stepped forward with determination.

The widow role! Give it to me!

“Your Highness the Princess?”

“I’m not a princess here. I’m just an actor coming for an interview with the director.”

“Acelia? What do you mean you’re an actor? ……Oooww!”

While mercilessly pinching Gale’s side, Acelia removed her hat.

Her sky-blue eyes shone with enthusiasm.

“I want to audition for the widow role.”

“Well……”

Given Acelia’s strong determination, Angel reluctantly proceeded with the audition. In truth, Angel had no other options.

When Acelia said she would audition, the ash tree lady’s eyes lit up as if she had already been cast as the female lead.

Gale said, “Do whatever you want,” and went to the audience seats to watch.

On stage, Angel spoke solemnly. Acelia glimpsed her aspect as a director.

“Since you haven’t familiarized yourself with the script yet, you don’t necessarily need to play the widow. Show us acting that you can do well, Your Highness.”

‘What role should I play?’

Acelia fell into contemplation.

In truth, Acelia had wanted to become an actor. But for practical reasons, she enrolled in a teachers’ college, planning to become a teacher.

However, unable to abandon her yearning for acting, she joined a theater club. Fortunately, she met good seniors and friends, gained experience, and took on several roles.

‘That one would be good, right?’

Acelia let her hair down.

The next moment, her expression changed.

The pure and delicate princess disappeared, replaced by a woman suffering from anxiety and neurosis.

Her pale complexion and thin body accentuated the role.

Those who truly didn’t believe the princess could act were startled and focused on her.

After frantically pacing the stage for a while, Acelia suddenly stopped. Her empty gaze turned toward the audience.

“It’s raining. The rain that has been falling for days has trapped me in this mansion. Again today, my husband doesn’t come. Is he with that woman? He must be? He must be with that woman?”

Acelia, who had been biting her nails, suddenly lifted her head as if she had heard something.

“The time is already two in the morning. Ah, why isn’t he coming? Yes, it must be the rain preventing him from coming. He must be stuck somewhere, unable to return to me. Not because of that woman, not because he’s with that woman! It’s because of the rain!”

“……!”

Boom! For a moment, it seemed like thunder crashed in the background.

Angel couldn’t take her eyes off Acelia, who was clawing at her face with trembling hands, consumed by despair.

A monologue, a one-person play.

Acelia was now performing a monologue of a woman whose husband was having an affair.