Chapter 130

‘It is definitely Ludwig.’

Rudolf’s eyes wavered.

Once he confirmed it was indeed Ludwig, he felt his mind going numb.

Rudolf clenched his fists and glared at the box where Ludwig was seated.

Ludwig and Countess Balthus seemed deeply engrossed in their conversation.

They chatted and laughed carelessly.

Unlike them, who appeared peaceful and relaxed, Rudolf felt his insides churn.

‘Why did he have to come in just five minutes before the play started!’

Had he met him earlier, he might have been able to take some action.

He might have even ordered a kidnapping.

Of course, that was just Rudolf’s delusion.

It was impossible to conduct a large-scale kidnapping operation in the middle of a foreign capital.

If the target was a well-known socialite, the difficulty would increase even more.

Sending a small team would likely result in failure and only create noise.

Every cell of Ludwig’s swordsman instincts would effortlessly fend off any hastily sent attackers.

So, the only option would be to involve the Red Crows…

But without Adam, there was no way Rudolf could arbitrarily use the Red Crows’ manpower.

Rudolf just wanted to blame the situation.

He bit his lip hard and closed his eyes.

‘No, calm down, Duke Rohitham! You couldn’t have done anything anyway, being stuck with King Karl all the time.’

He took a deep breath, and it calmed him down.

‘He said it was amnesia. He probably doesn’t know anything about it, and the one with the most information always has the advantage.’

Thinking he was a step ahead of Ludwig made him feel a bit better.

Rudolf then wondered where the Rohitham sword that Ludwig had run off with might be.

“If the young Marquis of Rowissum rescued him, would he have it?”

Could he get a chance to ask Ernst?

Even before leaving the country, he had already ordered the area around the Rowissum estate to be searched.

It would be great if they reported finding the sword…

While Rudolf was lost in thought, “Hamlet” began.

Among the people fixed on the stage, Rudolf was the only one glancing sideways at the adjacent box.

His attention was entirely focused there.

But that didn’t last long.

As soon as the ghost spoke its first lines in Act 1, Scene 5, he snapped back to reality as if ice water had been poured over his head.

“Listen to my tale!”

‘Brother?’

Rudolf was shocked.

It was Wilhelm’s voice.

It was undoubtedly him.

Wilhelm, who was no longer of this world, whom Rudolf had killed.

Rudolf instinctively focused on where the voice came from.

His shoulders began to tremble like a shaking aspen tree.

The source of the voice was on stage.

* * *

I glanced at the box seats.

Rudolf, who had been blatantly staring this way, was now frozen like someone struck by lightning, staring at the stage.

I too looked at the stage.

“Do not pity me! Just listen to my tale.”

I had given full directorial authority to Dahlia Portman.

But there were a few points where I had intervened.

The part I had put the most effort into was shaping the ghost that Anthony would play.

I had gathered as much information as possible about how Wilhelm spoke and walked through the people of Rohitham.

And I gave detailed instructions so Anthony could recreate Wilhelm.

His voice, his walk, his tone.

Even the costume was designed to remind one of Wilhelm, made in a style he used to favor.

Dahlia, who had been eager to collaborate with me, accepted all my suggestions without complaint.

“But is there a specific model? The orders are quite detailed.”

…She did ask a few sharp questions.

And that’s not all.

Rudolf might not have noticed, but Hamlet’s actor was blonde.

For those who knew Wilhelm and Ludwig well, this scene would feel like a reunion of father and son.

Ah, I’m itching to know what Rudolf is thinking.

I leaned against Ludwig’s chest and glanced at the box seat.

A moment ago, Rudolf had been staring this way with piercing intensity, but now he was just staring at the stage with his mouth agape.

“If you love this wretched father…”

“Oh, God!”

“Avenge this cruel and horrendous murder that defies the law of nature!”

At this point, Rudolf’s face turned as pale as a sheet.

It was obvious even from here that he was entering a state of panic.

But this was only the beginning.

“Until now…”

He might try to dismiss it as his own paranoia.

Wilhelm was a typical ‘monarch type.’

Even without trying hard to recreate Wilhelm, portraying a ‘dignified king’ would somewhat match Wilhelm’s image ingrained in people’s minds.

But could he still think that way by Act 3?

I kept an eye on what was happening in the box seat.

Rudolf, now ashen-faced and trembling, tried to speak to our King Karl, seemingly expressing some discomfort.

But King Karl just smiled and shook his head, firmly rejecting his plea.

‘Your Majesty, this is your best performance these past few days.’

Once he decide to support someone, he really go all out.

I should offer him some kind of gift later.

* * *

The story continued to unfold.

Hamlet, feigning madness, investigates the truth behind the events.

Claudius, the usurper of the throne, grows suspicious of Hamlet.

Meanwhile, Hamlet meets the actors of a traveling theater troupe and orders a specific performance.

That performance is the play within the play, ‘The Murder of Gonzago’.

To gauge his uncle Claudius’s intentions, Hamlet meddles with the script.

Not only that, he gives detailed acting guidelines to the actors, emphasizing the importance of their performance repeatedly.

He tells Horatio,

“Observe my uncle’s expression closely.”

If Claudius remains calm, Hamlet would concede that his suspicion about his father’s murder was a delusion and abandon his revenge.

As I watched the play with great interest, I kept an eye on Rudolf’s reactions.

Rudolf now looked quite anxious.

He was trying to suppress his unease, but it wasn’t easy.

He fidgeted with his hands and lightly swayed his body.

He occasionally spoke to His Majesty the King, but their conversations were always brief.

His Majesty was thoroughly engrossed in the play.

Rudolf’s attempts to divert his attention thus failed repeatedly.

Then came the highly anticipated The Murder of Gonzago scene.

The play within the play, The Murder of Gonzago.

The “Queen” pledges her love to the “King.”

She vows never to remarry even if her husband, the King, were to die.

“My mind is hazy, I wish to escape these tedious days with sleep.”

The King says this and falls asleep.

The Queen bids him a tender farewell and leaves the stage.

Meanwhile, Hamlet sits beside Claudius, the usurper, and Gertrude, who remarried her late husband’s brother, and asks,

“What do you think of the play, mother?”

“…That lady’s protests are excessive.”

“Oh, but surely she will keep her vow never to remarry.”

As Hamlet and Gertrude converse, Claudius interjects.

“Does the Prince know this play? Isn’t it overstepping?”

Hamlet sneers at the anxious Claudius.

“Of course not. It’s all in jest. ‘The Jesting Poison.’ There’s nothing to worry about.”

At the word ‘poison,’ Claudius’s expression hardens.

He asks Hamlet,

“What is the title of this play?”

Still smiling, Hamlet replies,

“The Mousetrap, Your Majesty.”

He deliberately changes the title. This entire situation is a trap set by Hamlet to ensnare Claudius.

Rudolf’s face turned crimson and then pale.

It was clear he was deeply agitated, though I couldn’t tell exactly what he was feeling.

The “mousetrap” of ‘Hamlet’ was definitely working well.

Feeling slightly tense, I lightly grasped Ludwig’s hand.

Ludwig clasped my hand quite firmly in return.

“It’s alright.”

He whispered above my head.

A new character appears in the play within the play, ‘The Murder of Gonzago’.

Lucianus, the King’s nephew.

“Dark thoughts, nimble hands, the right poison, the opportunity, even time is on my side. The dark night aids me so no one sees.”

Speaking cheerfully, he pours poison into the King’s ear.

Upon seeing this, Claudius shows great discomfort and tries to rise from his seat.

At that very moment,

Claudius was not the only one who rose.

“Stop the play immediately!”

The command erupted from the box seat where His Majesty the King and Rudolf were seated.

It was the scream of a rat caught in a trap.