The next scene came, and I was now supposed to be walking down the street. Behind me, the nervous Sophie was supposed to be hiding here and there, but instead, she was fidgeting as she walked in a straight path towards me.
In the script, I am supposed to stop and turn to look behind me but shrug once I do not see anything. But this time, since she is directly behind me, I can only turn and shake my head. "Silly girl, when following someone, you must know it is better to try to hide in the process."
"I…." Sophie's face turned red. I guess she realized her mistake. She looked left and right before quickly hiding behind a tall prop. It was just that the prop was a street lamp….
I shrugged and turned around, and continued going. The scenes continued on, and Sophie was stumbling through them, unsure of how to act. When it was time for her to speak her lines, I would help her along. Now it finally came down to the last scene. Somehow we had made it this far. This scene was the scene that would finish up everything. It was the scene where the princess would confess her love to the demon queen, only to be heart broken in the end.
But…. Things were not going as planned. "N-no matter i-if y-you a-are the….." Sophie couldn't stop stuttering, which was never going to make the scene end nicely. I could only think of one solution to this…. Using whisper magic, I sent Sophie a message: "Sophie shout: I just can't do this and run off stage! Now hurry up!"
Sophie's body jolted as she yelled out in surprise: "I just can't do hits!" Before turning completely red and running off stage with her hands covering her face.
Ah! She bit her tongue in the end! I really did not know whether to laugh or cry. For better or worse, she did play the part of a princess, but one that was very shy. I guess it is time to end it all. "To think, after chasing me for so long, she would run away on her own. This is good. I can relax knowing I can destroy this kingdom…. But…. I guess I can spare her life…. Although she was a princess, I can say for sure she was not like the rest of the royal family."
I raised my head and looked up at the castle prop as the lights dimmed. Only then did I walk off stage. Since that was the last scene, the stage was being cleared while the narrator finished the storyline. When I went down to the actors' dressing room, Sophie was huddled in the corner, hugging her knees. I could hear small quiet sobs coming from her direction. I sighed and walked over and knelt down next to her. "Why are you crying? You did fine."
"But I messed up the entire time! I made a fool of myself!" Sophie turned and looked at me with her tear filled eyes causing me to feel bad. What made it worse was her sagging ears and tail, which made her look not only cute but also more miserable. It was enough to make anyone's heart turn to mush and wish to protect her with fists of fury. Although, I can see where she was coming from. I would also feel the same as her if I messed up every line.
"But do you hear the applause? Even if you messed up, who cares? The audience loved it, and that is all that matters. Come dry your eyes. We need to go back on stage. This time you will be right by my side, and all you need to do is bow." I smiled at her and reached out my hand once more. She looked at it for a few seconds before reaching out and hesitantly taking it.
After she dried her eyes, I pulled her along and brought her on stage with the rest of the cast. The older woman from before was giving her speech. "I want to thank everyone who came to watch the show. While this time the show was different from the last, I would like to thank our two stand in actors who had come to our aid when our two main actresses had gotten into an accident."
The light landed on Sophie and me. I smiled and waved at them before giving a bow pulling Sophie with me. I could see that Sophie was a wreck, and I hoped this would end soon. I could tell this was not having much effect on her inability to deal with crowds.
Once the older woman finished her speech, everyone bowed once more before leaving the stage. It was then that the older woman came over to Sophia and me. "I have to thank the two of you for your hard work. While the entire thing was nowhere close to the script, it still served to be very entertaining to the people that came to watch. Here is your pay."
The older woman handed me and Sophia a gold coin, which I did not stand on ceremony at all and took. Sophia, on the other hand, was a bit hesitant but did eventually take it under the older woman's persuasion. After giving her my thanks, I went to leave only to have a hand grab my shoulder. "Wait. I wanted to ask if you would be willing to join our acting troupe."
"Acting?" I pondered for a moment before shaking my head. "Not really my thing." With that, I turned and left, with Sophia closely following behind me. I heard the older woman yelling out at me but did not really care. I did not wish to be an actor.
"Why did you decline?" I heard a soft voice behind me. I turned and looked at Sophia who was standing there with her head lowered.
"Why? Because I did not come to the capital to become an actor. I just figured I would help out since I was not really busy."
"So you just arrived as well?" Sophia raised her head. Her ears and tail were still slumped down, so I guess she was still upset over the play.
"That I did! I am going to be going to the Royal Magic Academy next month." As I said this, I saw Sophia's eyes grow wide.
"You are attending the academy as well!?"
"As well? So you will be going there too?" I asked. Although I pretty much knew the answer with how she was reacting.
"Yes. I was invited to go by Count Freedman. He had taken…. A liking to me…. He… He is probably out looking for me right now…." Sophie's voice trembled, and I could tell right away this was not because he liked her abilities. My brow furrowed. I probably should not get involved, but Sophie seems like a good girl, and I would be filled with guilt if I just let her be. But something did not seem right. I suddenly realized my first thoughts on the matter were not entirely correct.
"Him taking a liking to you does not seem to be enough reason for him to be sending you to the academy. You must also have a skill that is useful to him." If it was just as simple as the Count being a sick bastard who would go after young girls, he would not send Sophie to the academy. The money would not be worth it. He could just lock her up in his house. So my guess is that Sophie is adept at something.
"I… I was born with a high affinity with spatial magic….." Now it made sense. I had read there were some people who had a perfect affinity to certain types of magic. This affinity allows them to cast magic at a much lower cost. While spatial magic requires a large amount of mana, if you have a high affinity with it then it would be much easier to cast from a young age. And the space she could open would also be bigger.
"That explains it. I can also use spatial magic. I was warned by a friend that showing it to others without the strength to protect yourself is akin to putting a target on your back. Since this is the case, let's go explore the city. I promise not a single person will touch you with me around. So from now on, let's be friends!" I said with a smile and held my hand out once more. Why do I feel like I have become some kind of knight protecting the fair maiden? Even if that is the case, it doesn't matter. I want to be friends with Sophie, and I will always protect my friends.
"But… If you go against the Count…. Won't that cause you trouble?" Sophie was indeed a nice girl. Worrying about me when she was already in a big mess.
"He's just a count. I can deal with it. Plus, if you come and stay with me, he won't even be able to get through my front door. You will be fine." I reached out and grabbed her hand, and began pulling her along. "Off to explore the capital!"
I kind of hoped that this count guy would show up. I bet he is some pig who can't even get a wife, so he had to go off to a village and pick up a girl from there. But his tastes were just…. I really want to beat some sense into him. If he tries to make a fuss, I do have a few ways of dealing with him that would make it so no one would know where he went to. It might sound evil, but to protect my new friend, I will make him disappear. Sadly I know I can't just do that without a good cause.... The more I thought about it the more I couldn't help sighing inwardly. What kind of mess am I getting myself into?
