Chapter 22

At the very moment when Duke Lopez burst into laughter, Oscar felt uneasy about confronting Duke Lopez.

He immediately contacted the theater manager. It was already past midnight, but it didn’t matter.

He had always been in the position of answering Oscar’s calls and doing his bidding.

The manager’s position was to respond whenever Oscar called and to carry out tasks assigned to him.

It wasn’t long before he got a message. He sounded a little groggy, like he was about to go to bed.

Oscar wasted no time and went straight to the point.

-“Renew the contract with Katarina Blanchette. No matter what, do it immediately!”

The manager panicked.

When Katarina expressed her intention to leave the troupe, the manager was inclined to persuade her to stay with gentle words.

But Oscar’s cold, stern demeanor dissuaded her.

After all, Katarina had nowhere else to go, and he mentioned that if she wanted to postpone her retirement, she would return to the Crestwell Theatre with her poisonous streak broken.

In order to ‘tame’ her, he insisted on not holding onto her at this moment.

Through the communicator, the manager’s bewildered voice could be heard. Although he couldn’t understand, he agreed to follow Oscar’s orders for now.

-“Ah, understood, My Lord. Tomorrow morning, I’ll speak to Miss Blanchette…”

But Oscar’s blood rushed to his head as he listened to the manager’s words.

“Tomorrow morning? That’s too late, you imbecile!”

-“…What?”

The manager was taken aback by Oscar’s outburst.

Although the manager couldn’t fathom why it was urgent to secure Katarina’s contract, Oscar found his clueless tone extremely frustrating.

“Go now, now, now. Be quick.”

-“But she’s such a stubborn person…”

Oscar didn’t need to hear the rest of the sentence to know what it was.

Visiting her at this late hour would likely make her refuse to meet, which worried him.

Of course, if Oscar went to see Katarina himself, she would have no choice but to open the door, given her lower status.

But Oscar didn’t want to personally lower himself to such an extent.

Oscar took a deep breath. It was to calm himself down.

“Convince her that she’ll seize an incredible opportunity. Tell her Jacob Hennessy will write a dedication script for her. The most splendid comeback stage will be arranged, and I’ll personally send her the biggest flower basket to her dressing room!”

For an ambitious actor, it was an offer that couldn’t be refused. A dedication script from Jacob Hennessy and a flower basket from the troupe owner.

The manager mumbled something along the lines of yes, and he was curious as to why Oscar had suddenly decided that he needed to keep Katarina.

But Oscar was not in the mood to satisfy his manager’s curiosity.

Having said all he had to say, he flicked the communicator’s power switch.

His ragged breathing slowly slowed, and he began to pace the room uneasily.

Sending Katarina away was a possibility. The Crestwell Grand Theater would not collapse without her. They’d manage.

Nina Ford, though not as good as Katarina, is a good-looking actress and singer who can hold her own.

But losing Katarina to another theater company is another matter.

Especially if it was Marlena’s troupe taking her. That was absolutely unacceptable.

* * *

“Hah……. I’m so tired.”

I stretched out on the velvet couch in the hotel suite.

Apparently, I was a little nervous.

My calves and shoulders ached as soon as I got back from the Luces Club. I must have strained those muscles without realizing it.

With my eyes closed, I carefully reviewed the conversations at the club today.

What should I do from now on to exert influence as a theater owner in the capital?

I still want to win over the Duke of Lopez…….

But to earn his praise, the themes, artistic qualities, craftsmanship, and ensemble of actors all needed to reach a high standard.

But to earn his praise, the themes, artistic qualities, craftsmanship, and ensemble of actors all needed to reach a high standard.

In that case, I should start by appealing to the public. That’s the most basic step.

‘You have to start with the public.’

After all, even if the critics praise me, it means nothing if the public turns away.

I was deep in thought when I heard a knock on the door. The knocker identified himself before I could ask who it was.

“It’s Roche.”

Ah, good timing, I thought, just when I needed to know what happened to the job I gave him.

I smiled broadly and let Roche in. Roche walked into the room, creaking a bit.

During the past few days spent in the hotel, I often invited him to my room.

It was a suite, after all, so my private space was further back, and the room you see when you walk through the door is the living area. It’s the kind of place where you don’t mind having guests.

But every time Roche came into my room, he acted like he was invited to the bedroom.

He still couldn’t make eye contact with me, and the back of his head was slightly flushed.

‘Why is he so shy? ‘

Was he this shy even before he lost his memory? Seeing something so cute makes my fatigue melt away somehow…….

“Did you carry out the task well?”

I thought about teasing him a bit, but I knew that would really set his skin on fire, so I decided against it.

Before I could finish my sentence, Roche snapped out of it. His neck and ears still had a faint pink hue, but it seemed he decided he needed to focus properly.

“Yes, I made the contract proposal as you instructed.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, adding

“With Katarina Blanchette.”

“And what did she say?”

“She said she’d think about it a bit.”

“Okay, I didn’t think she’d accept right away. So, how did you react?”

“I politely gave her time to think and withdrew. I also promised to arrange a meeting with you if she contacts us later.”

“You acted wisely.”

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Roche’s mouth at my compliment.

I loved watching his emotions change with my words. I almost stroked his head like I was petting a puppy.

I had instructed Roche to meet Katarina while I was at the club. I wanted to meet her in person as much as possible, but time was running out.

And perhaps I wanted to play a little game without Oscar’s knowledge.

‘Katarina Blanchette.’

I remember clearly the first time I sat in the audience and watched her perform.

It was an overwhelming experience to feel her ambition and desire to be on stage reflected back to me in the audience.

It would be really great to have her with us.

Roche’s low voice interrupted my reminiscing.

“By the way, Countess.”

I snapped back to reality. Roche’s voice seemed to draw me back.

A shallow pang of embarrassment washed over me, but I smiled as nonchalantly as I could.

“Yes?”

“Actually, I got a call from Miss Blanchette a little while ago.”

“What?”

I opened my eyes wide.

“I had told her that she could communicate with me if she called the hotel front desk and gave my name, and she did.”

“About what?”

“The manager of the Crestwell Grand Theater came to see her.”

This time, my mouth opened slightly.

Obviously, he’d realized I’d contacted Katarina and was trying to intercept her. He was really quick with his hands.

But I wasn’t too worried.

The Katarina I knew wouldn’t go back to the Crestwell Grand Theater in a huff. There’s a reason she’s so enthusiastic about the theater.

And the fact that she immediately alerted Roche to the manager’s visit is a good sign for me.

If she wanted to get back together with Oscar, she would only inform us of the outcome after all was said and done.

All in all, the green light still weighed more heavily in my favor.

But that didn’t stop me from feeling a little uneasy.

If Oscar was so desperate to get Katarina that he had to send an agent to get her, he must have offered her an incredibly good deal.

Any actor would have been tempted to take it. There was no guarantee that Katarina wouldn’t fall for it.

Roche, who had been studying my face, suddenly sat down on one knee on the floor and wrapped his palm over mine.

His hand was dry and warm.

“He wants to see the Countess tomorrow morning, and he’ll be waiting for you at nine o’clock at the café ‘Isela’ in Government Street.”

“……And there was nothing else?”

Roche smiled at my question. He whispered in a polite, seductive voice, as if trying to blow away my anxiety.

“I heard there’s a lot to talk about with the Countess because she hates Oscar Crestwell so much.”