Chapter 36

Anyone can see that this is an imminent situation.

Even the air seems to have stagnated.

As I approached, the ladies gasped in surprise.

“Countess Balthus.”

Their voices were filled with both fear and anticipation.

It’s like they can see right through me.

You want me to lose my temper and knock over the table?

Like I did in the days of Marlena Rowissum, the mad dog of the capital.

If I were to shout and overturn the table, it would be the perfect climax.

‘There goes that madman overturning the table again! ’

This is how the day’s events would eventually be summarized.

At first, some people may wonder about the cause and effect of the incident, but stories tend to spread and become sensationalized.

But seriously, it’s hilarious.

What are these women thinking?

To resort to such tactics, even smearing their own faces.

Oscar Crestwell, what the hell is he thinking?

Anyway, I wasn’t about to give them the picture they wanted.

What should I do?

Should I ignore it and pass by, or…

The dilemma didn’t last long.

I headed to the outdoor table, where the three ladies were gossiping about me and my theater.

The waitress closed her eyes tightly.

But instead of flipping the table over in a fiery rage, I smiled brightly.

“Hello there, it’s been a while!”

Three faces frozen in unexpected reactions looked up at me.

How deeply rooted was their belief that I would cause trouble?

Unable to even respond to greetings, they froze.

“It reminds me of old times, seeing you all here. We used to get together quite often and have fun, didn’t we?”

You guys were kowtowing to me not too long ago, right? And now, how dare you insult me like this?

The air grew even more stiff at my elegant point.

I casually pulled up a chair and settled between them. I rested my chin on my hand and grinned.

“You were talking about something interesting, by the way, about my theater company.”

The ladies exchanged glances.

Wild thoughts, uneasy glances, and me watching.

“Why can’t you speak? Did you perhaps insult me?”

“Oh, no, Countess Balthus!”

One of them exclaimed, jumping slightly and waving her hands.

Then she soon seemed to take it as an invitation to challenge me.

“Why would you think that? Are you… a bit… sensitive?”

The other lady seated to her left seemed to notice the turn of events and chimed in to support their friend.

“That, that’s right. Countess Balthus, we understand the difficulty of running a theater, but handling it impulsively like this causes problems.”

“Oh.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“What’s so hard about our theater?”

“It’s…….”

‘Garbage theater company’

It’s obvious what that word means.

Right now, the Balthus Theater is made up of the surplus manpower Oscar has let go.

I know best what that looks like.

“You can’t speak? Why is it difficult?”

Though I had no intention of yielding to their wishes, I’m not a fool who doesn’t know how to get angry either.

As my voice drops to a low whisper, the ladies avert their eyes in unison.

I leaned over and put my face close to theirs.

“Well, if it wasn’t gossip, then good. It’s fine if our theater gets criticized, but Lord Crestwell would be really angry.”

“What?”

A bewildered response followed my bombshell declaration.

I tilted my head and smiled broadly.

Disbelief burst from their mouths.

“T-the Duke of Crestwell?”

“He would be angry?”

‘Oscar is protecting Marlena? ‘

‘It’s ridiculous, considering their long history of enmity. ‘

‘It’s natural not to believe it. ‘

But the more I think about it, the more brazenly I smile.

“Yes! A friendly rivalry; as you all know, the Duke of Crestwell is a gentleman and not one to stand idly by while his rival is plagued by ridiculous slander.”

The air among the ladies subtly changed at my words.

To a subtle sneer.

“Ah…….”

“So it’s speculation, then.”

“That’s right. He has a great character, you see. It’s quite admirable.”

Marlena’s inclination to interpret even a mere nod as a sign of affection from Oscar was well-known.

They covered their mouths with their fans and gave me pathetic glances, as if they were used to it.

I didn’t flinch in the slightest.

I just leaned over slightly and asked Roche, who was standing behind me.

“Come to think of it, Roche. Weren’t we really surprised a few days ago?”

Just by hinting at it, the brilliant Roche knew what I meant at once.

“When the Duke of Crestwell came to Countess Balthus’s late at night, yes, we were surprised.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even though our divorce was all settled, his urgent visit made me think something big was happening.”

The room was silent.

Everyone was focused on my words.

In that silent attention, I dropped a bombshell statement.

“Who would have imagined he’d come to make a desperate business proposal?”

“Poof!”

I sighed, shaking my head.

“A partnership offer for a fledgling theater company. It just goes to show how much the Duke of Crestwell is interested in my abilities and the future of our theater.”

“…….”

The ladies couldn’t counter my words.

Internally, they might completely dismiss it as a fabrication, but how could they outwardly express it?

“If anyone dares to disparage me and our theater, it’s a criticism of the Duke’s judgment as well.”

They couldn’t casually refute such words. Oscar’s facade was that of a perfect gentleman.

There was no way he could harbour negative feelings towards our theater.

That’s why having too good an image often leads to uncomfortable situations.

With a twinkle in my eye, I delivered one final blow.

“He was really clinging on… It was so annoying.”

Unlike Oscar, who is a perfect gentleman, I’m from the capital’s hood.

I could make such undignified remarks without a second thought.

In fact, not tipping over the table was quite an elegant response, considering I’m “Marlena.”

I leisurely look around.

Everyone has stopped what they’re doing and is looking at me.

Rumors tend to spread and exaggerate.

It remains to be seen how it will spread, but whatever the outcome, Oscar, the man behind them, will be scratching his teeth.

Having neatly turned the strategy the three suckerfish behind Oscar were planning to use against me, I got up nonchalantly.

“Well, then, let’s finish this conversation.”

The ladies were too embarrassed to send me on my way.

They just stared at me with their mouths agape.

I turned and walked away.

My shoes clattered combatively on the well-paved road.

Behind me, Roche was silently following like a shadowy cat.

* * *
Finally arriving at the theater, Roche carefully opened the door. and I went straight to the rehearsal room.

I regretted the time I lost arguing with the ladies at the café.

But there was no need for such regrets. It seemed Katarina had taken charge of the rehearsal in my absence; I could hear voices reading lines from inside.

It’s the first day of practice, so she’s spreading out the script and reading the lines, trying to match the tones.

“Wait.”

I lightly grabbed Roche’s hand as he tried to open the rehearsal room door, and I shook my head.

If I barged in noisily now, it would disrupt the flow of the rehearsal. They’d have to say hello to me.

But that wasn’t all. There would be plenty of times in the future when rehearsals would have to go on without me.

Even the staff handling stage design and promotion would have to be managed by me. So even then, rehearsals shouldn’t be skipped.

It’s a good opportunity to see how they’re practicing in my absence.

“If they’re slacking off from day one, I’ll have to give them a stern talking to.”

I was frustrated, but our theater was still weak compared to Crestwell’s.

As the theater owner, I had to do my part, and the actors should practice with the mindset that they would die if they didn’t.

In the first place, most of them were released from the Crestwell Grand Theater and auditioned for the Balthus Theater as if they were trying to grab their last lifeline.

Would they dare to be negligent in such a situation? But you never know.

After all, humans can sometimes become incredibly lazy beyond their imagination.

Especially at moments when laziness is absolutely unacceptable.

Pursuing one’s own safety is a human instinct, so I had no choice but to keep my eyes wide open and take control.

I shook my head at Roche once more. Roche took his hand off the doorknob.

I personally grabbed the doorknob and opened the door silently. Just a little, enough for the sound to be heard clearly.