257 Sudden Proposal [5]

".This is not good."

Tommy stared at the script in front of him. It was filled with creases and some of the ink on it was starting to fade.

This was his life's work.

His masterpiece. He wanted Olga to view it, but with just a glimpse she dismissed him.

He tried again, but the result was the same. As a result, no actor wanted to work with him.

Olga's name carried a large weight within the industry now. Her every action was carefully scrutinized by everyone.

If she didn't like something, then most actors would also stay away from it, afraid that they would offend the best script writer currently within the Empire.

Who wouldn't want to work under her?

As long as they participated in her plays, then they were almost guaranteed a smooth life in this harsh industry.

....It was the harsh reality of the situation.

"Haa."

Tommy sighed.

He didn't know what he had done to garner Olga's dissatisfaction, but he was now in a state where he couldn't find any actors.

<nulli>'Is it perhaps because I'm also supposed to have my play performed at the same time?'

Three plays were going to be played during the opening entrance of the Four Empire Summit.

The main performance was going to be Olga's play, with the other two being selected at random.

It was sort of like a lottery, but a certain standard was required in order to participate. Tommy had placed his script for the screening, and since it had been accepted, it was deemed to contain a certain level of quality.

The board members of the Theater Society believed it was good enough to be played in the Summit.

Tommy had been ecstatic at the news back then, but

"Nobody wants to work with me."

He looked around in desperation. The theatre society was filled with talented actors and actresses from all over the empire.

Usually, it would be an honor for them to work in a play that was selected for the summit, but given his lack of qualifications and Olga's indifference, he was practically shunned.

"What do I do?"

With his head lowered, Tommy walked around with a dejected look.

Before he knew it, he found himself walking along the corridor of the viewing platforms and just when he was about to turn back, his gaze fell on a lock of red hair.

She seemed to be rushing towards a certain direction.

"Isn't that?"

He recognized the girl in an instant.

She was the princess of the Empire and someone who had participated in Olga's play in the past.

As a big fan of Olga, having analyzed her play multiple times in the past, Tommy thought she was a decently talented actress.

He knew her circumstances and thus understood that one had to put in a lot of work to achieve what she had managed to achieve.

Perhaps she lacked experience, but the talent was there.

<nulli>'Would she even consider playing a role in my play?'

A dangerous thought crossed Tommy's mind.

He was desperate, and given that no other actor wanted to participate in his play, he had no choice but to resort to recruiting someone who wasn't affiliated with this world.

Perhaps she would be able to provide a convincing enough performance that wouldn't shame his participation in the Summit.

At least, he hoped.

<nulli>'It doesn't hurt to try.'

And so, with his mind made up, Tommy tried to catch up with her.

"Hey, wait!"

He called out for her, but she didn't seem to hear as she stopped in front of a door, slightly opening before coming to a stop.

Confused, Tommy's steps slowed down as he moved forward.

It was then that he heard it.

"The foundation of all masterpieces..."

A voice that sent chills down every fiber of his being. Tommy's heart raced, his breath quickened, and his body tingled with dread. Just from the sound of the voice, he found himself unable to move a single step.

Entranced by the terror, he felt his throat tighten as he swallowed his saliva, each breath shallow and ragged.

With just the sound of a voice, he started to experience a variety of fear-related symptoms.

<nulli>'What is this?'

"All artists crave to create their own masterpieces. I am no different."

Not only did the voice induce fear, but there was a certain magnetism to it that sucked anyone that was listening to it.

....It was a difficult sensation to describe, but if Tommy had to describe it, then he'd describe it with the word 'Paralyzing'.

The fear pushed them away while the magnetism kept them from running.

Snapping out of it, Tommy finally took a step forward and peeked through the door.

The instant he locked eyes with those deep hazel pools, his breath left his body, feeling as if his very soul was being sucked away.

Time became a blur. By the time he snapped out of the trance, the recital had ended, and he had no memory of what had transpired in between.

<nulli>'This'

Tommy recognized the young man in an instant.

He was the one who had initially captivated the audience with his acting and had helped Olga achieve her award.

Tommy was still a little baffled as to why he had been replaced, but after seeing the newcomer he also admitted that the Julien from before had been inferior.

Or so he thought.

'T-this'

Tommy went on to rub his arms.

Goosebumps.

All he felt were goosebumps.

To tok

It was with such feelings that he knocked on the door and interrupted the two who turned their heads in his direction.

"Excuse me."

"How can I help you?"

Aoife looked in his direction with a small frown. Swallowing slightly, Tommy mustered up his courage to move forward and lower his head.

"I would like for you two to participate in a play of mine!"

".."

"....."

Silence ensued after his words.

Tommy kept his head lowered the entire time as he swallowed in nervousness. He was curious. What sort of expression were they making? Were they surprised? Angry? Confused?

"Eh?"

A sudden yelp brought him out of his thoughts as he raised his head. To his shock, Tommy found Aoife looking at him in surprise as she pointed at herself.

"You want me to do a play? Me?"

"Yes..."

Tommy blinked slowly.

Why did she seem so shocked by his words? She wasn't the best actress, but she was still quite good. Anyone with good eyes could tell this much.

"....I would like for you to participate in the play."

Tommy nodded adamantly.

Aoife's face grew slack. She seemed shocked by the idea that someone would acknowledge her skills, but there was no denying what she was hearing.

He was indeed acknowledging her skills. Not only that, but he was also asking for her to participate in his play.

"I understand that this is rather abrupt and that you didn't have much time to prepare, but"

"I'll do it."

Aoife cut Tommy off, leaving him taken aback as he raised his head to see her twinkling eyes. Normally, it would take any normal person some time to decide something so important. And yet... Aoife took no longer than a couple of seconds to do it.

"The play. I'll do it."

"Uh."

Tommy scratched the side of his head.

This was a lot easier than he had anticipated

Turning his head, his gaze fell on Julien.

"What about you?"

Tommy held his breath as he stared at Julien. While he did intend to cast Aoife, what he really wanted was Julien.

With him, Tommy felt like he could bring the script to the next level.

It was for this reason that for the next few seconds, Tommy felt as if his heart had stopped beating. He stared at the cadet in front of him, who stared back without saying a single word.

'Is he busy? I do know he's participating for Haven, but I'm sure he might spare some time. I don't need much. Just for him to try and'

All sorts of complicated thoughts formed in Tommy's mind as he stared at the cadet in front of him.

He was thinking of ways to make it easier to convince him to join, and all the sorts of completed procedures that would make him hesitate from joining.

His mind was running on overdrive.

And then,

Opening his mouth, Julien finally spoke,

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"Uh?"

The question took Tommy aback. Of all the things he had expected Julien to ask, this was the last one on his list.

Scratching the back of his head, he looked at Julien awkwardly.

"That it will be dependent on how well we perform. If our play ends up being the best then we will get more from the ticket sales. So"

In short, it depended on performance, and given how famous Olga's script was, she was most likely going to receive the most money.

"Hmm."

Julien's eyes narrowed as he heard the words.

Tommy held his breath then, feeling a certain pressure coming from the cadet, and just as he thought Julien was going to refuse, he ended up nodding his head.

"Fine."

He looked at Aoife.

"I'll do it."

Aoife's eyes lit up slightly the moment he agreed as she turned her head to look at Tommy.

"Do you have the script ready? What is it about? What role will I have?"

She started shooting one question after another, overwhelming Tommy who ended up taking out the script he had and handing it to her.

"Here, it's time this, and regarding the roles"

He alternated his gaze between the two of them.

"I would like for the two of you to be the main leads."

Their acting chemistry seemed to be quite good, but other than that, it was also because he had no other actors he could work with.

Especially for the female lead of the play. In more ways than others, Aoife was the best fit for her role.

Regarding her acting, he planned on coaching her.

There was still some time.

"Main?!"

Aoife's voice heightened with excitement as she delicately handled the script, treating it as though it were a precious artifact.

But her joyful expression didn't last for very long as she got deeper into the script. Soon, her face winced slightly as she looked at Julien before looking towards Tommy.

"About this"

She pointed at the script.

"What genre is this?"

Tommy blinked before finally understanding why she was reacting like that.

"Ah, yes"

He smiled awkwardly while lifting his head to look at Julien. He wanted to see what face he'd make after he revealed it.

"It's a romance script."

He went on to say,

".But with a twist."