Chapter 40

“The Duke of Crestwell was here?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

I heard about the morning events as I got up and changed my clothes.

I clucked my tongue at the sound of Dylan’s voice through the thin walls.

“Alright, I got it. But how did you manage to send him away?”

I know Oscar’s strange behavior towards me quite well.

If he had shown up at this early hour with such determination, he wouldn’t have left easily.

He’d hold out until I woke up, and then he’d beat the crap out of me.

“Sir Roche sent him away.”

“Roche?”

Roche’s shy, meek face floated before my eyes.

Although I knew he wasn’t an ordinary guy, he’s just a mellow puppy…….

I felt a bit of cognitive dissonance.

At the same time, I was intrigued.

“How?”

The maid, who had been adjusting the hem of my dress, turned to me and smiled.

She could hear the sudden curiosity in my voice.

I felt a little embarrassed, but I kept it together and waited for Dylan to tell me.

Dylan told me how Roche had turned Oscar away.

The story of my trashy ex-husband cowering in the weeds was hilarious.

It just didn’t match Roche’s often shy face.

Like I said, he’s just a tail-wagging puppy to me.

“Countess, I’m all done.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After finishing setting up my hair, I got up and knocked on Roche’s door, which was the room next to mine..

“Roche.”

The answer came quickly.

“Yes, My Lady.”

He came in a single stride, and the door opened at an incredible speed. I looked up at him with a smile and stroked his cheek.

“I heard you kicked out an intruder?”

I asked with a grin, and Roche smiled faintly.

Awww, he’s so cute.

I tilted my head slightly, thinking I’d let Roche brag about his accomplishments.

“Do you mind if I come in and listen?”

Instead of answering, Roche turned slightly to make way for me.

I walked into Roche’s neatly organized room.

I took the couch and sat down as if it were my own, kicking off my shoes and stretching out.

I often find myself in this relaxed position in front of Roche, more relaxed than usual.

I stayed put, my chin resting on the armrest, eyes staring.

“Tell me everything.”

“You already heard it from the butler.”

“Hearing it from you is different.”

Roche stared at me for a moment, then pulled a chair in front of his desk without argument.

Sitting down across from me, he began to talk in a low, easygoing voice.

I’d heard it all before from Dylan, but it was strangely better to hear it from Roche.

He didn’t exaggerate or dramatize anything, just told me what happened.

I curled up on the cushions and listened to Roche’s story.

“…And then Duke Crestwell fled like a cowardly villain.”

“Ahhhhhh!”

At the last part, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Not only because of Roche’s word choice, but also because of the look on his face when he pronounced the word “cowardly villain.”

He had a rare look of genuine disdain on his face.

I laughed for a long time, then looked at Roche with tears hanging from the corners of my eyes.

Our eyes locked at once. Roche must have seen me laughing and pounding the cushions.

I wiped a tear from my eye and asked.

“But you seriously threatened the duke. ‘Can you handle it?’ ”

I’ve realized since the day I met him that he’s a bit of a bully and bold.

Though I like that about him,

“I understand that I can’t do much against Duke of Crestwell. But… you mentioned something to me yesterday.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. Yesterday, he told me that my status might be quite high.”

Oh, I did.

I guess he was thinking of that.

“Yesterday, you were lacking in imagination, but now you seem to have filled it in.”

I teased him again, and he gave me a look of disapproval. I laughed softly, thinking it was cute.

“This is not the time to laugh.”

“Why? It’s funny.”

“It bothers me.”

“What?”

“The consequences you might face because of me.”

Although I wasn’t afraid of Oscar himself, his established reputation in the capital was something to be cautious about.

I fixed my gaze on Roche, resting my chin on the cushion.

Roche lowered his eyes, stroking his chin.

Oh, my, he has long eyelashes.

As I was lost in contemplation, Roche’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“He’s planning to completely destroy the Balthus Theatre.”

“That’s right.”

I slowly pulled myself up and sat up straight. I turned to Roche as if testing him.

“If you were the Duke of Crestwell, what do you think you would do?”

“I would actively utilize the press.”

“And?”

“I’d open a new play at …… just in time for the opening night of Pinocchio.”

Roche rolled his eyes a bit more before continuing.

“And give away a bunch of free tickets to prominent people.”

“You have a good insight into Oscar Crestwell.”

Even by my own analysis, Oscar would use the tactics Roche was describing.

Crowd manipulation through sensationalism was Oscar’s long game. That was how he had managed to shut down several other theaters.

The only advantage we have is that we are inferior to the Crestwell Grand Theater in size and budget.

Knowing Oscar well was an advantage.

Information is a great wild card that can turn the tide.

If I know their weapons, I know what kind of shield to build.

“What do you think we should do?”

Roche was silent, deep in thought.

It seemed like a fierce mental battle was raging inside his head.

After a while, Roche spoke up.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t do anything.”

It was the same conclusion I had reached.

I felt like laughing, but I cleared my throat.

“Why?”

My voice, asking this question, seemed to have shed some of its hesitation.

“Firstly, we shouldn’t pay any attention to the Crestwell Grand Theater. We should make them conscious of us.”

Exactly.

The basics of business were confidence and composure.

Showing any signs of nervousness was beneath us.

“Secondly, since our advantage lies in information…”

“We should ensure that our information isn’t exposed.”

If Oscar didn’t know what kind of play we were putting on, any attempts at criticism would amount to nothing more than baseless accusations.

This means that it is not possible to create a ‘something to chew on’.

It was best to let Oscar do his own thing and mind our own business.

Let Oscar bark all he wanted.

I’ll just rest my neck.

If we acted rashly from this side out of impatience, we would surely stumble.

“Still, Roche, I think we should talk to Jack Rogers to see what’s going on with the Crestwell Grand Theater.”

Roche nodded in agreement.

I stretched as I got up.

* * *
I went straight to the theater and observed the rehearsals.

They were practicing on a bare stage.

A cat and a fox, a pair of swindlers, were scheming alongside Pinocchio.

When the cat and fox realize that Pinocchio has a large sum of money, they try to get their hands on it.

“Pinocchio, my friend. Don’t you want to double your money?”

“How?”

“Well, first, instead of going home, you’ll have to come with us to the Village of Fools.”

“What? No! I have to go back to my father!”

The fox and the cat look at each other, realizing that it’s not easy to lure Pinocchio away.

They seem to be discussing something, and then they turn to Pinocchio, shoulder to shoulder.

“We’ll give you a chance to reconsider, Pinocchio. Don’t miss out on your luck.”

“Yeah, good luck.”

The fox takes over, and the cat chimes in.

Pinocchio’s heart weakens at this point.

“Then…… tell me specifically how to double my money!”

“It’s not just double, it’s four times, sixteen times…… five hundred times as much gold!”

According to the fox, there is a special piece of land in the village of Fool.

If you dig a small hole and plant a gold coin in it, one by one, it will grow a money tree that will bloom with gold coins.

It’s a scam, of course, but Pinocchio, who wants to make money without having to study or work, is tempted by the obvious.

“Then…… I’ll pick money from the tree and share some with you.”

The fox and the cat throw their hands up in the air.

“You’re going to share with us!”

“What are you talking about?”

“We don’t want anything in return, Pinocchio; we just want you to be rich.”

“That’s because we’re good friends!”

Pinocchio, suitably duped, wanders off.

I watched the rehearsal with amusement.

I thought the supporting actors could do no more than a one-man show, but in such a short time, their acting skills had improved tremendously.

“Are you coming with us to the village of fools, Pinocchio?”

The lazy cat’s whisper was ominous and suspicious.

I shifted my gaze to one side of the front of the stage.

Antony’s back was visible, as he seemed to be absorbed in the stage, as if he were being drawn into it.

That’s how he led the rehearsal when I was busy outside.

Anthony clapped his hands.

“That’s it for today!”

Practice stopped immediately.

With a stern face, Anthony pointed at the cat.

“You, over there.”

The tense cat stood up straight and looked at Anthony.