ALL NOVEL Chapter 64: The Play (VIII).
Chapter 64: The Play (VIII).
As the hands were still upon reach, the villainess nodded and accepted the dance offered by the actor.
"I will gladly dance with you." (Lady Evelyn) takes his hands and soon the visual effects department had to work.
Lady Serene looks up at the ceiling where they were using a bit of magic to produce a light effect, it may be simple and weak compared to the actual skills of a light magic user but it gets the job done. "Lights!"
They opened their grimoire and chanted a spell.
"Flassiligitem!"
Light followed them as they danced, their voices were clear as they continued to recite their lines. The actor for the grand duke was a good dancer and so was the villainess. "My compliments might have been late but truly you look stunning in your dress today, your highness."
"Thank you, Grand Duke Pierre for your praise."
"If I may be bold to ask, have you found anyone that you fancy in this ball?"
"No, not at the moment."
"Then I am not too late to propose?"
Everyone from the crowd gasps, up to this point of the play how will the flog prince's love route become available for the princess? After all he sang only of wanting power and not love! The frog is a much better suitable love interest than him!
The music suddenly becomes deep and it gives you the feeling of seeing the unseen threat in front of you. The mood shifts from romantic to serious, uncomfortable and tight to breathe. "You... are not I suppose."
"Apologies if I may be so bold with my proposal. I know women like men who know what they want." He twirls the princess and puts her in a low dip. "And I want you."
"..."
How many... men have told her that already?
"Apologies but I do not feel well. I think we'll need to stop dancing for now." The princess lets him go after feeling something was off about him- it wasn't the first time that she would have men surround her for her hand in marriage but something about him didn't seem right. "Good day to you, grand duke."
The grand duke could only raise his eyebrows out of shock and anger.
As the princess was about to be on her way, he laughed nervously blocking her way. After all of his time in the north, there is no way he is going to pass on this chance. "I-Is that so? Your highness then it is my duty as the gentleman to escort you to your room."
"There is no need for that, grand duke. I am capable of getting to my quarters safely without your help."
"Or perhaps you just need some assistance if you do not feel well. I know some things that might help you unwind, your highness." The actor of the grand duke places a hand on her shoulder, Lady Evelyn knew that this was part of the script so she acted afraid and fearful of the grand duke's unconsented physical touching. "The northern way is what we call them."
'Okay from the script and practice- I remember that the frog needs to cause a commotion before running away to help the princess escape from the grand duke.'
"Croak!"
Analissa reveals herself into the center of the stage, hopping and making sure that chaos is made.
The noblewoman actors pointed at the frog and screamed. "Kyah! What's a frog doing here?!"
"Hold on, it's hopping! Somebody get this frog out of here!"
"How did it even get in?!"
The frog hopped and caused a commotion, it hopped everywhere making a mess on the buffet area as it stomped on the food and landed on a few dresses of the noblewomen who screamed in agony and disgust.
"Ahhhh! Kill it! Guards, it's making a mess out of everything!"
"The princess immediately understood what the cursed frog was trying to do, it was helping her escape from the grand duke's grasp!" The narrator explains to the crowd that he was enjoying the frog's chaotic nature.
"...!"
"Now I gotta do all of this hard hopping labor. Ah this is shet." Based on the script the frog was supposed to jump on the grand duke's feet right after making a huge commotion.
"Croak." She lands right on the exact spot.
"Ew!" (Owen) kicks Analissa gently, following the script. She landed on her back, groaning before two other guard actors wearing armor came to take the frog away from the ballroom.
"Guards get that frog!" He orders the guards and they salute following Analissa on the other side of the stage.
"Right away!"
Analissa ran away from there and soon the commotion died down immediately. Everyone that was inside the ballroom acted relieved that the frog ran away back to wherever it came from.
The grand duke looks at the princess, wiping off his sweat. He felt that pushing a frog off of his shoe was a proud thing to do, after all from the look on the princess' face she looked disgusted with it.
"Hmph- do not be afraid, your highness. I managed to scare the little slimy thing away." The grand duke was about to come closer but the princess could only glare at him and moved a few steps further away.
"How dare you hurt him!" (Lady Evelyn) yelled and immediately ran after the poor thing, knowing that it was hurt.
She didn't excuse herself in front of her many guests, leaving the ball on her own accord.
"Wha-? What did I do? I didn't hurt anyone." He looked at the other guests making sure that what he had just heard was the same, she was yelling at him for hurting someone?
He didn't hurt anyone!
Just that frog!
...
"Next scene change!"
The next scene change was the garden, it only took a few seconds to change everything.
Actually... This is where her original part was supposed to be. She was the tree in this garden but not anymore.
"Oh Mr. Frog! Where are you?! Please say something I know you're hurt!" (Lady Evelyn) calls out to the missing frog and suddenly she hears a hoarse voice calling out to her.
Analissa was slowly running out of potions, but hoped that it was enough for her to keep up the act. She moves her hands out of the costume quickly, taking the potion out of her inventory, opening the bottle by biting the cork and pulling it. "Ungh..."
Then the rest of the empty bottle is thrown back to her inventory and she gets in position.
"I-I'm here..."
Lady Evelyn acts surprised hearing the voice and immediately goes where she is. "Goodness! Oh no you're not alright, I know the grand duke kicked you pretty hard. Perhaps I could ask one of my family healers to take a look at you?"
Analissa sits upright before reassuring her princess that everything is good! "I'm fine this is nothing but a scratch, his kick on me was pretty weak, princess. Besides I don't want you calling your family doctor just because a frog got hurt. They might question your sanity if you asked for that request."
"But you... got hurt because of me."
"No, it's all that prick's fault. I saw what he was trying to do. That look in his eyes says it all and I couldn't... just leave you like that."
"I can't believe the others around you didn't even find it strange, the grand duke was making unwanted advances on a princess." Dramatic lights shone on her as she continued. "They... know not to meddle in the royal family's business. My kingdom is on the verge of collapsing, it's full of debt and my father marrying me away to a rich consort is believed to be the solution to all our problems."
"I believed him."
The frog places a hand on hers, attempting to comfort her. "That's... I don't even know what to say. It's horrible but I know this is how our society works."
"Mm, really thank you for risking your life to get me out of that Mr. Frog but if my father fancies the grand duke then I really may have no choice but to marry him. I don't think I like him... very much. I want to... go outside. To see the world beyond our castle walls, to witness an aurora's light, to do something fun without all the staring and to just... be myself." The wishes were said and slowly, the frog could be seen falling.
Those wishes were something similar to what he wanted.
"Well... you could stall a little bit more so you can escape."
"Escape?"
"Yeah! Escape, plan your adventures on the outside world beyond those walls and be free!"
"I... I can do that?"
"If you want to truly live, there's always a way. Travel with me, when I break my curse I promise to give you everything that you want."
"That is... but to abandon my duties." She hesitates on accepting the offer, but truly she wanted to run away from this circus.
The frog understands and nods. I mean if a frog that talks offers her to leave everything she had known- she would be calling the exterminator for believing that nonsense... but this princess is truly innocent and naïve.
That he couldn't but want to protect her.
"Of course, I will not be forcing you to- I am only asking you to think about it. I don't need an answer now, you can take your time." He tells her and the princess lowers her head.
"I... alright I think I want to come with you."
...
"And so the two plan on escaping, with the frog's help and planning- everything was coming into place."
The curtain opened, the frog and the princess were shopping for commoner clothes and learning they're ways. Memorizing the maps and routes they would have to take, slowly they were starting to fall.
"Your highness, will you leave letters of goodbyes to the people you care about?"
"Mm... I have thought of it but it might be safer to not leave them the letters."
"Though, as feared, the grand duke became the king's favorite and presumed to be the princess' arranged lover."
Farrah who was watching the whole play wondered if this play was truly alright to do in front of so many nobles with its message- I mean for someone with royal blood to run away and abandon their duties.
It's a little... opinionated and taboo.
Everyone enjoys these types of stories but aren't they on the verge of being banned?
"Um... sir, don't you think this is a little too sensitive to show in front of the many noble families in this room? Someone of royalty is deserting their position..." (Farrah) asks her seatmate who shook his head at that question.
"Oh nonsense, it is only a work of fiction. In the end the frog prince turns into a human and they get married happily ever after all that. Honestly, I would call it a win-win. Whoever wrote this play is a handsome genius." (Lord Ein) chuckles seeing that he wrote the script, it was actually a message for his one specific 'friend'.
That girl takes too long to make a move on that blonde headed fool. If Lady Evelyn truly wanted to, she would try and find a way- a loophole to escape that wretched marriage with the crown prince.
"Bravo."
If anyone is asking why some professors are not making a big deal out of the sensitive parts of the play that would feed the minds of the young... Let's just say he donated a generous amount of money so that he could do whatever he wanted for the festival.
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