304: The Unexpected Surprise

The Unexpected Surprise

May never thought that by the time she would set off for Border Town once again, and her heart would be filled with expectation. 1

The forest along Redwater River started to become yellow and the blowing breeze had a trace of chilliness. The river water with its waving light was flowing below her, and from time to time one could see fallen leaves sliding across the rail.

Without the anxiety and restlessness of last time, the autumn scenery around her looked as if it came out of a poem or painting.

"Miss May." A voice full of admiration sounded from behind. "The play that you performed, "The Witch Diaries", was it really written for you personally by His Highness?"

As May turned around, she saw a group of actresses gathering behind her, and in front of them standing a woman who looked at her nervously. She recalled that her name was "Swallow".

"Aha, sorry." Irene waved at her from the bow of the boat and laughed. "I couldn't answer their question so I told them to go ask you."

"Such a fool…" May rolled her eyes. In the past, she would have answered them with a sneer. But after spending more time with Irene, she became more and more patient. She said, "His Highness didn't write it for me. It was the Minister of Education of the City Hall, Lady Scroll, who wrote it for the witches."

"Uh, is that so?" Swallow blinked. "We thought it was true when seeing you fight with Bella."

"'His Highness wrote it personally' and 'His Highness wrote it personally for me', these two sentences are so different, but yet they still manage to confuse the first with the latter," May thought. "His Highness has approved both the script and the theatrical performance, so mocking the script indeed means mocking His Highness. In this aspect, I didn't lie to her."

"Have you met His Highness?"

"I heard that he has the iconic long gray hair of the crown and is extremely handsome, is that true?"

"I also heard that he's romantic and has many lovers!"

"Uh, really?"

"…" Looking at this lively group of young girls, May could not help but frown. Damn it! She should have never responded to their curiosity.

"Alright, stop bothering Miss May." Rosia came forward and sent them away while giving May an apologetic look.

"It's alright." She shrugged and continued to enjoy the scenery along the coast. "I was the one who answered their questions after all."

"I… don't understand." Rosia scratched her head. "Why did you bring them along? Out of the 35 people, only two of them have previously performed, while 26 of them haven't even completed all of their drama classes. According to what you used to say, they can be considered as more the unhatched than the chicks. Even if the lord's requirements for the play aren't so high, I'm afraid it'll still be hard for them to be accepted. If it's revenge against Bella that you seek, you should have persuaded some more experienced supporting actors."

"I never planned to let them all perform."

"Huh?" The other was shocked at the spot.

"They can all read the scripts, correct?" May smiled. "Although they're still a long way to performing on stage, they can at least read and write. Haven't you realized that this type of people is exactly what His Highness needs?" She paused for a moment. "Do you believe that Prince Roland Wimbledon asked us to perform because he really loves drama so much?"

"This...."

"If it was Lord Petrov, then the answer would be affirmative. Before he started managing Longsong Stronghold, he used to go to the theater every week. But His Highness Roland, except for the first performance of a new play, he's never appeared in the town's square, so the reason he's promoting drama isn't for pleasure but to pass on his ideas to the public by showing the performances." May continued, "Compared to the first plays, which emphasized on resisting oppression and that witches aren't evil, the new plays "Dawn" and "New City" aim towards people's recruitment and the message of getting rich through hard work. I'm merely following his wishes and do as much as I can to help out."

"So that's how it is. I never thought of this..." Rosia said.

"To understand a script, apart from putting yourself in the position of the character, it's also necessary to contemplate and realize the true meaning of what it intends to reflect as much as possible. This is also a quality that a good actor needs to possess.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance!" She bowed respectfully.

"Rest assured." May smiled. "In case you don't want to perform anymore, you can still find a pretty good job in Border Town. You may even enter the City Hall and become an administrative officer. After all, His Highness doesn't focus on status or family background. A career like that is much easier than that of a performer."

…

As the ship arrived in town, May right away noticed Ferlin Eltek standing on the dock.

Obviously, he was there for Irene.

She could not help but sigh as she saw the girl throwing herself into his arms.

"Isn't that person Morning Light Ferlin Eltek?"

"So he was not exiled by His Highness."

"The first knight in the Western Region, so nice." Shallow admired. "I thought he would be with the Star of the theater..."

"Stop talking nonsense." Everyone stopped talking upon hearing May's cold tone. "Quickly gather your luggage and disembark. Gait and Rosia will take you to the City Hall and have you registered. Everything else will be arranged by them."

"Yes," everyone replied respectfully.

As she came down to the docks, Ferlin, with his arm around his wife, approached and said respectfully, "Miss May, Irene just told me about the clash in the theater. Thank you for keeping an eye on her."

"There's no need to thank me," May replied, "They're actually targeting me, though it looks like they're offending her."

"Even so, I still have to thank you." the Knight laughed. "If it weren't for you, she would have definitely cried at that time."

When the couple left, May curled her lip, carried her luggage alone, and walked towards the residential district.

Even though she had given up on him, but seeing them together still made her feel a bit sad. Furthermore, that familiar figure also did not appear, even though he had promised in his letter that he would give her a surprise.

Well, he was, after all, someone important to His Highness. Would not he be able to move freely like the Morning Light right?

Having arrived home, May put down her luggage and felt a sense of relaxation that she had not felt for a long time. She took a long breath and walk to the cupboard to take out some white liquor. Just as she was about to pour herself a drink, she heard someone knocking the door.

At the door, Carter Lannis was standing before her.

"I didn't expect you to arrive an hour earlier." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I came here straight from the barracks when I heard that the ship from Longsong Stronghold had arrived."

Curiously, even though he did not wait for her at the docks to escort her, her mood instantly became better after seeing him like this. "Would you like some drink?"

"No thanks, I'm on duty this afternoon. Carter waved his hand.

"Alright." She nodded. "His Highness's work is more important. "

"I wanted to give you a present." The chief knight took out a white wooden box from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Is this the newest product from the Convenience Market?" May asked curiously as she took the box. When she opened it, she saw a yellow-orange ring. At the top of it, there was a transparent gemstone, which reflected various colors of light from the autumn sun that shone through the window.

Without a doubt, the ring was priceless, something unlikely sold in the Convenience Market. And when nobles gifted a ring, it meant… she could not help covering her mouth.

"Miss May, will you marry me?" Carter asked earnestly.

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