During the play, most of what I did was pretty much the same.
Backstage, I would desperately memorize the next lines while reading from the script Penelope had prepared for me. Once on stage, I tried my best to slowly deliver the lines I had memorized, immersing myself in the emotions.
It was my first time playing the role of Julia, but since I had thoroughly familiarized myself with the play's plot from Luminor Academy, it was going relatively smoothly.
Ethan, who had been drawn into this play because of me, was doing surprisingly well—far better than I expected.
"Oh, I'd rather throw myself off a cliff or enter a goblin-infested nest than marry Paris! Or perhaps you should bury me in a crypt filled with rotting skulls! If Leon isn't the one who has stolen my heart, I'll do anything to keep my honor!"
"Ah, Julia, I feel the same way. I can't let that bloated noble take you away! If your honor, more precious than all of McCoy's wealth, were to be handed over to that scoundrel, I swear I'd tear down Paris's walls until nothing but rubble remains!"
...Honestly, he's really good.
While I had experience from my past life learning the exaggerated voice and gestures typical of theater, Ethan, though this was his first time, was already fully immersed in his role, delivering his lines flawlessly.
In contrast, I was cutting down nearly ten lines to half, but Ethan barely stumbled over the original script. Thanks to that, I could follow his lines without missing a beat in this breath-controlled performance.
His talent was truly exceptional in so many ways. It’s almost a shame that the original game didn't highlight just how absurdly talented he was, given that his mother was Tanacia.
"Tomorrow night, I'll wait for you in the forest where the curse falls. In a forest teeming with monsters, that greedy McCoy won't dare seek you until daylight! In a place where there is neither Hatfield nor McCoy, we’ll escape to somewhere unknown and spend our lives whispering love beneath the same pillow."
"Oh, I understand, Leon! The cursed forest may be frightening, but with you by my side, nothing dangerous will happen. Whether it's goblins, werewolves, or orcs, you're stronger than any of them, far stronger than that fool Paris!"
"I'll wait until morning, my love, Julia."
...In that near-kiss moment, Ethan sharply turned his head and exited to the other side of the stage.
I quickly regained my composure and mirrored him, turning away and exiting. Leon and Julia were now moving into the climax of the play.
'The final scene is where Julia drinks the poison and dies, with Leon sharing her poison and collapsing beside her.'
In the story, Julia believes that Leon has been killed by the monsters in the forest and drinks the poison she had hidden, just as Leon arrives too late to stop the tragedy. He weeps over her lifeless body, and in her final moments, Julia tells him about the vial in her pocket, asking him to join her in the afterlife. That’s the ending of the Leon and Julia play.
For a romance that raises affection points, it’s surprisingly not a happy ending. But since the original is based on Romeo and Juliet, it’s inevitable. In the game, however, the tragic ending is what dramatically boosts the heroine’s affection for the protagonist, so it worked fine.
'It's the final part now, so let's not make any mistakes.'
With that thought in mind and during the brief scene transition, I tried to memorize the last lines backstage, but Penelope quickly snatched the script from my hands.
Thud!
"Lilith! There's no time to look at the script now!"
"What?!"
"You need to change into your outdoor outfit for the last scene! There's not much time, so hurry and get ready!"
"W-Wait, what?!"
Hold on a second! I haven't memorized the last part yet!
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
After changing into the outfit suitable for the final scene, thanks to Penelope’s insistence, I quickly returned to the stage.
As she said, time was tight. As soon as I finished changing, I had to jump right back into the performance.
It seems that, since this is the final scene, they’ve timed it so emotions don’t break between costume changes. That’s great for the audience, but for me, it was a bit of a crisis.
'What should I do? I haven't memorized all the lines for the last part...'
Right skirt, left pocket... no, was it the second pocket on the right inner skirt? Why are all of Julia’s lines so long and full of flowery descriptions?
At least there’s one part where Ethan speaks alone, so I’ll have to use that time to somehow remember.
"The stillness of the night may hide my body, but how many others have also hidden themselves in this darkness? It's alright. Leon’s sword can cut through even the foulest goblin, the largest orc, or a mythical dragon with one strike! But why hasn’t Leon arrived yet? The appointed time has already passed... No, perhaps he entered the forest ahead of me... What should I do if we’ve missed each other? And if Leon arrives after I’ve entered the forest, what then? Ah, I should have left a signal—how foolish of me!"
...So far, so good.
I still remembered the earlier lines I had quickly memorized after changing clothes. Besides, the climax of the play was an event I had seen countless times in the original game, so it was etched in my memory.
Focusing on keeping the flow of the performance intact, I let the lines roll off my tongue, following the stream of consciousness that surfaced in my mind.
"Ah, yes! I’ll leave a token of my presence here! If Leon finds this handkerchief, he’ll know I’ve been here and will enter the forest after me. And if he’s already inside, he’ll find me there! Julia, you’re a genius!"
Rustle.
"...Oh, of all times, a nosebleed. Well, I’ll just wipe it with this handkerchief I’m holding!"
After somehow delivering the first half of my lines, I hid behind the stage props. The play's climax continued smoothly.
Seeing Julia’s blood-stained handkerchief, Leon believes she’s been attacked by monsters and rushes into the forest to follow her. Meanwhile, Julia, who has encountered monsters, escapes back to the forest’s edge to wait for Leon.
After waiting for a long time, Julia notices the handkerchief has disappeared and realizes that she and Leon missed each other. In despair, she delivers a heartbreaking performance and drinks the poison to end her life. Then, Leon finds her after searching the forest for a while.
"Julia! Wake up, Julia!"
"......"
...I managed to recall enough to keep the play going, but I couldn’t remember the final line.
At this point, Julia asks Leon if he loves her enough to drink the poison and die with her, and Leon, without hesitation, nods and drinks the poison, collapsing beside her. That’s the end of the play.
'Was the vial in the second pocket of the left inner skirt...? Or was it even in the inner skirt...?'
"...Julia! Please, open your eyes, Julia!"
While I was trying to organize my thoughts and recall the correct line, Ethan was improvising desperately to buy time.
I couldn’t delay any longer without risking a disaster, so I had to make a decision.
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'...Let’s just go with what I know. If I can't remember the exact line, I’ll just pull out the vial myself and improvise.'
With that resolve, I slowly opened my eyes, and Ethan's face, intensely close to mine, immediately filled my view.
Perhaps it was the stage makeup, but his face seemed more striking than usual, making my heart skip a beat.
"Julia!"
"......"
"Julia, are you awake?!"
"...Le-Leon...?"
"Julia! You’re safe? Julia!"
Hold on... stop shaking me. I can’t think of my lines like this...
I was supposed to tell him that I’d poisoned myself and ask if he’d die with me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember the next line.
His face being so close didn’t help, either—he kept shaking my body, further confusing my already muddled thoughts.
'Should I just pull out the vial from my pocket...? No, I should mention the poison first...'
"Julia! Why are you so weak? Get up, Julia!"
"Le-Leon... I'm sorry..."
...I give up.
Whatever happens, happens. Like Penelope said, theater is all about momentum anyway.
With that mindset, I lifted my head and brought my face close to Ethan’s.
"...Mmph!"
"Mmph?!"
And right there, on stage, in front of hundreds of audience members, I kissed Ethan.