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Sarah Hugo.
An actress from commoners, she was now the most popular woman in the capital.
This time, <Death of Helga>, in which she plays the female lead, has already surpassed the cumulative audience of 5,000 in just one month after its release.
“Oh, Simon. my sun, my moon. My breath, all my time. My longing for you cannot quench death.”
All the audience held their breath and stared at Sarah Hugo on stage.
Sarah Hugo, who left her last line, stabbed herself in the chest with the dagger she was holding and soon collapsed, with face contorted in pain.
‘Woah, she’s really good at acting.’
I was surprised enough when she spoke her lines filled with emotions, and her acting of suicide in the end surprised me further. It was exactly as the rumors said.
‘It makes the blood in me boil!’
I debuted in my childhood and lived more than half of my short life as an actress.
At first, I entered the entertainment industry thanks to my unique bearing and beauty of mixed race, but, no matter how it started, acting was my vocation. I can’t help but be excited about the great performance I haven’t seen in a long time coming from a famous actor.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who was moved, as all the audience in the theater were soaked in the breathtaking, lingering emotions.
“She’s really good at acting, right?”
“Well, it’s all right.”
Dad, who was sitting next to me, nodded his head without much emotion.
‘I can’t believe such a talented person will commit suicide at a young age. As expected, the bad side of the entertainment industry in this world is no different from that world.’
I soon looked at the stage where the lights went out and clicked my tongue.
Sarah Hugo, a genius actress, would commit suicide a few years from now, just like the heroine of this play, at the age of less than 30.
Gossip lovers would be busy making fun of her, guessing the reason for her suicide, but no one knew for sure why she made that choice at such a young age.
‘But I know it all too well.’
After seeing Sarah Hugo’s performance today, I was convinced.
‘She must have wanted to die because she couldn’t continue her favorite acting and had to live a life she didn’t want.’
In her heyday, when her popularity peaked, she retired and became the mistress of an old count.
It was quite common for beautiful commoner actresses in the capital to become mistresses of wealthy aristocrats and lead a comfortable life.
Thus, when Sarah Hugo became the mistress of the count and announced her retirement, her fans did not question the decision, though they might feel sorry. It is a natural step that all popular actresses follow.
‘However, rather than choosing to become a mistress in order to live comfortably, she must have been threatened. Even now, there must be one or two leeches making proposals to make Sarah Hugo their mistress.’
Since I had lived as an actress, I could tell just by looking at Sarah Hugo acting. She was a real actress who loved acting and a woman who took pride in her life as an actress.
Unfortunately, however, the aristocratic society was not easy enough for a beautiful commoner actress to act freely.
‘The acting that you like so much. Do whatever you want in this life.’
I jumped up to put the plan into action. Dad, who had his arms crossed and leaned intently in the chair, looked up at me.
“Wait here a little bit, Dad. I’m going to get Sarah Hugo’s autograph.”
“What? Wait…”
Leaving my frantic father behind, I quickly headed for the waiting room at the back of the theater.
In front of the waiting room, there were already a lot of people trying to hold Sarah Hugo’s hand at least once.
I said as I pushed the arm of the man standing in the back with the fan I was holding.
“Can you spare me a moment?”
Everyone turned around to see where the voice was coming from.
I went through them in silence, and went to the front of the theater company who was guarding the waiting room and said.
“My name is Rubetria Diollus. I’ve always been a fan of Sarah Hugo, and I’m here today to see her.”
“Ah!”
The man’s eyes widened as I revealed my identity.
He quickly went into the waiting room and came back in less than a minute and said.
“Young Lady Diollus, it is an infinite honor for you to be here. Come this way.”
“Thank you.”
Power is the best.
I went into the waiting room, leaving behind the envious eyes of those who gathered in front of the waiting room.
Upon entering, I saw a line of mirrored dressing tables. Sarah Hugo was sitting on one side of the plain scenery of the waiting room.
She greeted me with a slightly bewildered look.
“It is an honor to have you come, Princess.”
‘Woah, she’s really pretty when you see it up close. She isn’t famous for nothing.’
Sarah, who was in her prime in the early 20s, was a rare beauty with colorful blonde hair and fair skin.
I said, looking at her self-assertive features with astonishment.
“It is nice to meet you. I know it’s not polite to pop in like this, but I wanted to see Sarah so much that I risked my excuses. Please forgive me.”
Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise at my polite first greeting.
No matter how popular they are, the commoners are the commoners. In addition, the perception of the profession of an actor is just a face-to-face clown dedicated to the cultural life of the nobles.
Because she was not respected by nobles with high stature, Sarah must have been flustered by my attitude.
Looking blankly at me, she frantically waved her hand.
“No, Princess. It is a great honor for me. Please come by anytime. The seat is this way…”
“Thank you for saying that. Today’s acting was awesome. Helga’s monologue in the middle was the best.”
I went to the seat Sarah was guiding me to and sat down.
“Helga is a character who suffers from her desire for Simon. Personally, I think <Death of Helga> is a play that should focus on expressing the anguish of a woman who is in love.”
Sarah, who was sitting opposite me, paused.
“That’s why everyone praises the last suicide act, but I have a different opinion. Helga eventually confesses that her heart is greedy and is determined to stay with Simon. The monologue scene in which it is expressed should be the climax of the play.”
“…”
“It may be my misunderstanding, but I feel like Sarah had the same idea, and it felt like you put the most effort into that part. Your facial expressions were excellent.”
For the first time, Sarah’s, who had been listening to me silently, face showed interest.
She said with her eyes shining.
“… That’s right. Helga is a person with a lot of inner anguish. So, when I first received the script, I was deeply impressed with Helga’s monologue. She loves him and must let him go, but she can’t let him go out of selfishness, and suffers from it.”
Listening to Sarah’s voice chattering like fish in the water, I felt bitter.
‘Such a natural born actor who loves acting had to retire at a young age and rot by becoming an old nobleman’s mistress…’
“Ah, I also liked when you pushed Simon’s fiancee Isabelle down the stairs. The audience only paid attention after Isabelle rolled down the stairs, but I noticed it a little earlier than that.”
“A little earlier than that…”
“The inner anguish of Helga, who hesitates before pushing. The acting on the inside, confused by the mix of hatred and guilt toward Isabelle, was superb. I was rather impressed with that part, so I couldn’t even see Isabelle who fell down.”
Sarah’s eyes widened.
“That’s right, too! If you don’t pay attention to that part, Helga might just appear as a flat character, like a villain blinded by her love.”
“Yes.”
“Helga is obviously guilty, but I felt like I had to express it in a way that could convince the audience. So I practice that part over and over again before I go to sleep.”
Sarah, who was very excited, looked at me with a smile and said with emotion.
“I’ve heard a lot of impressions so far, but Princess’ impressions are somewhat different. The fact that you recognize what I’ve been thinking about a lot…”
Sarah added with a look of joy and surprise.
“Your presence alone is an honor for me, and I didn’t think you would be so well versed in acting, so I’m very happy right now. Thank you for your kind words.”
“What are you saying? Thank you so much for showing me a really good performance.”
I debuted at the age of 6 and have been an actor almost all my life, so if I have a similar perspective with ordinary people, then I must have a problem.
Sarah continued to chatter with an excited look on her face as she was happy to meet someone she could communicate with for the first time in a while.
“Well, Princess, if you don’t mind, I’ll treat you to a meal, so let’s talk a little more…”
It was then.
Knock, knock. Along with an urgent knock, the voice of a theater company official passed through the door.
“S-Sarah, Count Erghetti is on his way…”
Sarah’s expression hardened visibly.
Count Erghetti. It was the old nobleman who had Sarah as his mistress in her last life.
‘I’m guessing it’s the one who made Sarah decide to commit suicide.’
Sarah got up with a darkened complexion and walked towards the waiting room door. At the same time, the door swung open.
“Sarah!”
“C-Count…”
Count Erghetti, who burst in with no courtesy, looked like he was 20 years older than my father.
He hugged Sarah and buried his face in the nape of her neck.
‘Is he mad?’
I jumped up and walked over to them.
“D-Don’t do this. There’s a guest who came first.”
Sarah’s expression, which was not hidden even if she tried to hide it, was full of displeasure and disgust.
At Sarah’s words, the count found me just then, and muttered with an annoyed face to the unexpected disturber.
“… What?”
The sly hand was still holding Sarah’s arm.
Holding back my nausea, I slapped his hand violently with the fan I was holding.
“Huh.”
“W-What’s with this…”
The count flinched in surprise, and Sarah swallowed her breath.
I shot back, showing my irritated expression without filtering.
“Get your hands off.”