Who should be the female lead?
Lumia and Serena were disqualified during the auditions for the female lead role.
The two, who were supposed to play opposite the male lead, Kalian, were far less talented in acting than I had imagined.
If I had known this would happen, I would have held a private audition instead of a public one.
At least then, I could have bent the rules a bit.
Not long after Serena’s elimination, the auditions went on a short break.
There were so many female students vying for the role of the female lead that it wasn’t easy to evaluate them all at once.
This gave me a brief moment to catch my breath.
For now… I’ll need to revise my plan to pair Lumia, Serena, and Kalian as the main cast.
The most important task is deciding who should take the role of the female lead.
And the only person who comes to mind is one.
“Evelyn, please help me.”
“You want me to participate in the play? As the female lead?”
I called Evelyn over to the corner of the stage and asked her to audition for the female lead role.
Though Evelyn is technically the villainess, she currently has no obsession with Kalian.
That means even if she’s paired with him in the play, there’s no need to worry about any trouble.
Additionally, her favorable disposition towards me is another plus.
“Hmm… I’ve never tried acting before.”
Evelyn didn’t seem particularly interested, but there was no way I could let her slip away so easily.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try for the first time. You already look like a perfect female lead… I’m sure you have a natural talent for it.”
“Ahem, don’t flatter me…”
“I’m not flattering you. Honestly, your appearance is stunningly beautiful. You could captivate people’s hearts just with your looks.”
“Ahem, ahem… If you’re going to go that far, I’ll consider it. But as I said, I don’t know anything about acting.”
Evelyn cleared her throat, trying to hide her smile.
Good.
I think I’ve got her on board.
In any case, as long as she gets the basics down, it’ll be fine.
“It’s fine. Acting isn’t that difficult. I can teach you.”
“How can I learn everything about acting in such a short time?”
“You don’t need to learn everything. Just remember one thing: acting is about immersing yourself in the situation and becoming the character.
If you keep this in mind, you’ll be able to perform decently.”
“Easier said than done. That’s not as simple as it sounds, is it?”
“I’m confident you can do it, Evelyn.”
Though she still seemed reluctant to try acting, she eventually gave in to my persistent persuasion.
“Fine. If it’ll help you, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Thank you.”
“But if I fail the audition, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t take the lead role if I don’t have the skills for it.”
“Of course.”
As long as she doesn’t perform disastrously like Lumia or Serena, even a mediocre performance will earn her the lead role.
Louis, one of the judges, has been giving everyone a score of zero so far, while Serena tends to score leniently.
With my biased judging, I can just give her a perfect score.
The auditions resumed.
The contestants began stepping onto the stage one by one to showcase their acting, but Louis and I continued giving everyone a score of zero.
Then came Evelyn’s turn.
All the previous contestants had shown obvious signs of nervousness, but she ascended the stage with endless grace and poise.
I don’t know about her acting skills, but that dignified attitude exuded an aura of a master performer.
If she can act even a fraction as well as she carries herself…
“Nya, what’s Evelyn doing here, nya?”
“She said she wanted to try acting as a hobby.”
“Evelyn applied to audition? I would have known about it if she did…”
“You must’ve missed it because you were too busy.”
Serena tilted her head, puzzled by the unexpected participant, but I brushed it off casually.
Evelyn wasn’t originally a contestant, but I had secretly added her name to the list, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
“Shall I begin right away?”
Standing on stage, Evelyn glanced at me and Serena, who nodded in response.
She closed her eyes and took a light breath.
Everyone, including Serena, Louis, and the other contestants, fell silent, their attention fixed on her.
When Evelyn opened her eyes and started acting, it sent shivers down my spine.
“Did you betray me?”
Her voice wasn’t just different—it carried a completely new tone.
Gone was her usual demeanor; she now had a pure and innocent gaze, untainted by arrogance.
Her slight flinch and clenched fists added layers of depth to her performance.
She had truly become someone else.
“Tell me! When did you start hiding that you’re the enemy of my family? I can’t take it anymore. I… I will kill you!”
Her voice carried a blend of love and betrayal, swelling with a devastating anguish.
A girl consumed by vengeance, reluctant but bound to act, stood before us.
For someone who claimed she’d never acted before, this was astonishing.
“Hmm…?”
Even Louis, who had been disinterested throughout the auditions, finally showed a glimmer of interest.
I had worried, but with this level of talent, Evelyn could secure the female lead role without any manipulation on my part.
“She’s definitely worthy of being the lead… huh?”
I opened my mouth to confirm Serena and Louis’s opinions, but quickly shut it again.
Something unexpected was happening on stage.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
Evelyn kicked the male lead’s stand-in squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The man, now flat on his back, looked up at her in shock.
“W-What’s going on?!”
“Today will be the last day for you and me. I’ll kill you now and follow you to the afterlife.”
“Wait a minute! That’s not in the script! Why are you doing this?”
“Let’s hope we don’t meet as enemies in the next life.”
Shing!
Evelyn drew a sword from her side.
The male lead turned pale and looked pleadingly at the judges.
Serena and Louis seemed flustered.
Not because her acting was exceptional—but for a very different reason.
Just when I thought things were going smoothly…
“Evelyn.”
I approached her.
She turned to me with a calm, collected expression.
“Who are you? If you’re just a passerby, don’t interfere with my revenge.”
“You can stop acting now. It’s over.”
“Is that so? Very well.”
Her tone, posture, and demeanor reverted to her usual self, as if none of it had happened.
Even now, I couldn’t help but admire her talent… though it was unfortunate.
She asked, with a hint of expectation,
“So? What do you think of my acting?”
“It was outstanding. Personally, I think it was the best performance of the day.”
“Mm… Hearing that makes trying acting worthwhile. It was surprisingly fun.”
“Yes, but… I’m afraid the results won’t be favorable.”
I gestured toward Serena and Louis at the judges’ table.
“Why not? Was it because I didn’t immerse myself enough in the character or situation?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Her immersion was extraordinary—so much so that it became a problem.
She was so deeply engrossed in the scene that she ended up kicking her scene partner and drawing a sword.
I had hoped for realistic acting, but I hadn’t anticipated hyper-realism.
In the end, Evelyn was also eliminated.
Louis had given her a score for the first time, impressed by her raw talent, but Serena gave her a zero for safety concerns.
And just like that, I was out of options.
The original plan was to cast Lumia as the female lead, but that failed.
Plan B was Serena, which also failed.
Plan C, Evelyn… also failed.
What do I do now?
Casting a random extra as the female lead is out of the question.
Kalian must be paired with a proper heroine, not just any side character.
But it wasn’t like I could cancel the play now…
While I was deeply pondering this issue, a familiar woman stepped onto the stage.
“Hello, I’m Elia Belmore. Let me show you what I’ve prepared.”
The moment her soft smile graced the room, a heavy sense of dread settled in my chest.
No, it couldn’t be… could it?
I tried to deny it in my heart, but my unease proved to be spot on.
Elia’s performance was flawless.
Her portrayal of passionate love, betrayal, hatred, and a thirst for revenge was masterfully conveyed through subtle gestures and a perfectly modulated tone.
When she declared, “I will kill you,” to her lover, her composed face juxtaposed with glistening tears brought her performance to a stunning climax.
It was as if she were a professional actress who had casually decided to grace the stage for fun.
To put it simply, her skill was on an entirely different level.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Serena began clapping, and the other contestants, as if entranced, joined in.
“That’s incredible, nya! I’ve never seen acting like this before, nya!”
Serena’s wide eyes brimmed with admiration.
“I never imagined Elia had such talent, nya. Have you ever studied acting or been part of a theater troupe?”
“This is my first time acting,” Elia replied.
“A genius, nya! She’s a genius!”
“I’m not a genius. I’m just a beginner,” she said, shaking her head with a sickeningly sweet smile in response to Serena’s over-the-top praise.
Damn it.
This isn’t looking good.
Out of all people, Elia being the female lead would be the worst possible outcome.
If it came to this, I’d rather cast an extra—or, heaven forbid, take the role myself.
Anything would be better than her.
I looked to my last hope: Louis.
Serena was already lost, but if Louis, the theater expert, opposed this, I could still stop Elia from taking the lead role.
“This… this is unbelievable!”
But Louis suddenly shouted and sprang from his seat. His eyes sparkled with tears.
“Such talent exists! Can you believe it? Such talent truly exists in this world?!”
“Calm down, Louis,” I tried to interject.
“Her radiant beauty, her gentle voice… and on top of that, the meticulous way she conveys every nuance of her character’s emotions. She is a divine gift to acting!”
“She’s just a beginner, isn’t she? Personally, I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about her performance,”
I argued, desperately trying to sway him.
It was all in vain.
Louis tore up his scoring sheet.
“What’s the point of scoring? She’s already perfect. If she doesn’t play the lead, I refuse to be part of this production!”
“Ah…”
He outright refused to judge the remaining contestants, declaring that there was no point when the female lead had already been found.
Serena tried to suggest finishing the auditions properly, but she had also given Elia a perfect score.
I did my best to find fault and gave her a zero, but…
In the end, Elia became the female lead of the play.
It was over.
Everything was over.