Stop the performance? But the magic film has already been completed, and there's no need for actors to appear on stage... No, the key is why would he say that?
Mei was momentarily at a loss, completely unprepared for him to make such a request.
Perhaps realizing that what he was saying sounded a bit alarming, Kakin quickly added, "Not cancel, just temporarily stop. Fang said he's feeling unwell and needs rest—if we postpone it by about a week, I think the officials should agree to let us meet His Majesty."
"But..." Mei wanted to say that the magic film was completely different from past plays, and the Star Flower Troupe wasn't responsible for the performance either, but as soon as she uttered the word "But," she was met with a sneer from Röntgen.
It was clear she had been holding back for a long time.
"I told you you were wasting your time. She was the one who initiated this, how could she stop it at the last minute? Teacher, you've misjudged her."
"I thought you had just gone astray and abandoned your pursuit of theater, but I didn't expect you to go this far," Bernice stamped her foot in frustration. "I even said good things about you the other day... Lady Lannis, what do you take theater for? A tool for building fame?"
"If she hadn't said it, we'd still be in the dark. The wife of Chief Knight Carter Lannis, it's normal for those officials to want to please her, isn't it? I don't believe that with Teacher Kakin's reputation, His Majesty Roland wouldn't even give us a chance to perform!"
"Enough!" Kakin. Fees bellowed, "I didn't bring her here to listen to your endless arguments! And I don't think Mei would do that either. If you don't trust my judgment, please leave this room. All I want to hear now is her answer!"
Good heavens, Mei was so surprised she almost couldn't close her mouth. From the sarcasm of these people, she pieced together an incredible story—the Kakin Troupe wanted to perform a play for His Majesty before the coronation ceremony, and submitted an application to the city hall according to the regulations, but the reply was an unexpected rejection. Therefore, after Röntgen and others learned that she had married the Chief Knight, they believed that she was the one who had interfered, instructing the officials below to suppress the application and directly give the troupe the cold shoulder?
What a huge misunderstanding!
If things were really as she thought, their undisguised hostility could be explained.
Whether it was refusal to meet, disappointment, or even the open and secret competition for roles, these were just conflicts between actors. This was very common in the theater world, and no one would be united in hatred because of such things. But using other forces to hinder the other party's performance was completely different; that was already considered an infringement—an infringement on the beloved career of a theater performer.
If it were her, she would probably be even more indignant and contemptuous than them.
"Besides the troupe members who were with me that day, I haven't mentioned what happened at the inn to anyone," Mei said slowly. "I can guarantee that."
"I believe that too, which is why I decided to talk to you," Kakin rubbed his forehead. "We know nothing about this newly established city, and we don't know where the problem lies. This is also out of desperation. Of course, we will compensate you afterwards."
Upon mentioning the word compensation, Röntgen and the others frowned and looked away.
Mei had no intention of worrying about what that compensation was at the moment. Knowing Kakin. Fees, she knew that he must have his reasons for mentioning it.
"Before I answer you, I would like to ask a question first," she thought for a moment. "Your steward mentioned earlier that you were very disappointed in me... Why?"
The old man was silent for a long time, then waved to the famous actors.
"Teacher..." Röntgen seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she closed her mouth and turned to leave the room.
The others followed suit, and soon only the two of them were left in the room.
Kakin. Fees stared at Mei, the blame in his eyes actually causing the latter to feel a hint of avoidance.
"How many plays have you performed in these past two years?"
However, his words were unexpected.
"Uh... Seven?" Mei hesitated.
"The total is twelve works," Kakin counted on his fingers. "Cinderella, Witch Story, Dawn, New City... Leaving aside the scripts themselves, do you really think you've performed them well?"
Mei paused. "These... Have you seen them all?"
No, that was a stupid question, she immediately realized. Her performances were mainly within the Western Territory, so he must have heard about them from others.
Sure enough, Kakin shook his head. "I have students in all four territories of Graycastle. It's not difficult to find out about these things." He sighed. "And when you performed Prince Charming, you took more than six months."
Mei didn't respond, she already realized the meaning behind his words.
A lifelike performance is honed by a lot of behind-the-scenes time. This is an unbreakable law in the theater world. Even the most talented actors can't guarantee that they can memorize every line and every action in a short period of time.
In fact, because she rehearsed too many plays, she did make a lot of low-level mistakes that she had never made before—such as misremembering lines, using the wrong expressions, and so on. These mistakes may be difficult for ordinary people to detect, but in the eyes of discerning audiences, they will inevitably appear particularly abrupt.
"I don't know why you switched from the Longsong Theater to Border Town and started performing these variety shows," Kakin said in a deep voice. "Perhaps there were orders from the lord in this, but without your willingness, he couldn't force you to do this. After all, drama is a dance in full view of the public, and no one can dance in chains. Mei—" he didn't use the term Lady Lannis, but instead returned to the tone he used when teaching in the past, "You should know very well that the level of the audience can also help improve the skills of the actors. Without high requirements and high standards, where would there be the motivation to move forward? You did cater to most people, but you gave up the pursuit of higher acting skills. That is what I am disappointed in you for..."
Unable to refute, unable to even say a word of defense, because Mei knew that he was right—from a performance point of view, she had indeed been in a declining stage recently. The time spent on practice had not only been greatly shortened, but she had also turned down her role in the play Wolfheart. One play after another prevented her from delving into it, and supporting the Star Flower Troupe also took up a lot of her energy.
After a long time, she asked, "Has this play you plan to perform been in preparation for a long time?"
"Exactly two years," Kakin said proudly. "In addition to performing old plays, we have been constantly practicing it in these two years, and we have not wasted a moment on the ship or in this inn. Every detail has been perfected, and all it needs is a suitable platform. These children can perform a perfect play—even more perfect than my previous peak, Prince Charming."
He looked directly at Mei, "Although you have failed the talent given by God, your love for drama is not a pretense, and I believe I have not misjudged that. If you can appreciate a wonderful play, you will definitely feel happy from the bottom of your heart. Am I right?"