Afternoon. Madam Schroder did not return to her residence in the Royal Capital. Instead, she arrived at a rehearsal theater belonging to the Art Institute.
"Nari, your pacing is too slow. I need you to give the sensation of a sharp dagger thrusting into one's body!"
Standing below the stage, Madam Schroder was loudly giving pointers to a performer rehearsing on the stage. The performers were currently rehearsing a dance play.
The slender girls were trying their best to straighten their bodies as they leaped gracefully on the stage. However, in Madam Schroder's eyes, all of them were making mistakes. Because of that, she had a displeased expression on her face the entire time.
"Madam Schroder… I… think that they're dancing very well."
Madam Schroder's bodyguard, the Blackwood Elf Monica, has been observing the rehearsal the entire time. The performers have practiced for two hours straight. Many of them were already covered in sweat and appeared like they could collapse at any moment.
To an non-expert like Monica, those performers were already sufficiently outstanding.
"Pru! Your expression is too stiff! Recall the time when you were being chased by the stray dog!"
Madam Schroder ignored the comment from the elf next to her and continued to loudly call out the mistakes made by the performers.
Finally, a female performer fell on the stage while standing on tiptoe and forced a stop to the rehearsal.
"Stand up. The rehearsal is not over yet. You don't have the time to sit around lazing on the stage."
Madam Schroder remained completely cold-hearted. Her stern criticism made that young female performer discontent.
"Madam Schroder, aren't we supposed to become movie actors like the time with 'Léon: The Demon?' Why do we still have to do stage dance rehearsals?" asked the female performer who had fallen to the ground with a slight tone of dissatisfaction. She was massaging her legs.
Today's rehearsal was much more intense than usual. It was as if Madam Schroder had decided to have the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe make up all the rehearsal they've missed while touring Norland.
"Trilis, have you forgotten about the learning you've received from Farucci's Royal Institute?"
Even though there were over seventy performers in the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe, Madam Schroder clearly remembered where each and every one of them originated from as well as their approximate personalities and ages.
Take this girl by the name of Trilis for example, she was a graduate from Farucci's Royal Institute. Moreover, she graduated with the best grades. Originally, a performer with records as outstanding as hers should've joined a different theatrical troupe since there the Flower of Farucci was already present in the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe.
Gallolie's presence will overshadow all the other female performers in the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe.
Nevertheless, an actual 'swan' was someone who will never admit defeat. The reason why this girl joined the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe was precisely to challenge Gallolie.
Although she had received several opportunities to be the main female cast in plays, the reactions from her performances were all worse than Gallolie's.
The multiple failed challenges caused her to abandon herself to despair, eventually developing into a stop bothering mentality. But, the Black Swan Theatrical Troupe was not a place that needed performers who didn't strive to become better.
"Perhaps you will only recall them once you're as obese as a cow!"
The words spoken by Madam Schroder seemed to have jabbed what that female performer was afraid of the most. She didn't know how to refute Madam Schroder nor did she have the courage to do so. She immediately stood up, gathered her strength and started her rehearsal again.
The rehearsal continued for roughly another hour. Finally, Madam Schroder clapped her hands to signal the stoppage of the rehearsal.
"It's truly tough being a stage play performer."
The Blackwood Elf was unable to help herself from muttering with a quiet voice after seeing the performers' backs being completely soaked in sweat.
"The Black Swan Theatrical Troupe is the best theatrical troupe in all of Farucci. It would be great if we could be the best just by working hard."
After Madam Schroder announced for a rest, she walked to the theater's audience gallery. Scattered applauses were sounding from the gallery.
"Karana, you're still so strict after all these years," sighed an old man seated in the frontmost row.
Monica recalled that this old man was someone who had greeted Madam Schroder in the ball.
His identity seemed to be the manager of Farucci's Central Theater.
"Those are the fundamentals for performers, teacher, Master Morgan and Master Hopko…"
Madam Schroder addressed the elderly individuals present in the gallery one by one. They were all playwrights that could be considered national treasures in Farucci and were all invited here by Madam Schroder.
Everyone, your works are all Farucci's treasures. Although our ancestors had left behind many classics too, I have greater desire in being able to make your works into movies. Whether it be teacher's 'Black Journey,' Master Morgan's 'Eyepicker' or Master Hopko's 'Moro River's Fisherman,' they were all works that had greatly enlightened me in my youth."
"Madam Schroder is flattering me," said one of the old playwrights, "Movies, that new performance method you've brought back, has opened a new era of art. I cannot wait to see those epics being shown in the form of movies."
With Morgan who played the main actor in 'Hachiko: A Dog's Tale' as the lead, the playwrights present all belonged to Farucci's faction that supported change and innovation. They believed that movie was a method of performance that could bring forth their works in a more realistic and exquisite manner.
"In other words, Madam Schroder, you don't know which script to make a movie of?" Morgan determined the reason why Madam Schroder invited them here.
"The Black Swan Theatrical Troupe's movie shooting skills are still lacking. Because of that, we are unable to create a script for a movie right away. As for me, I do not wish to make such an important decision on my own." Madam Schroder ran her eyes across the playwrights present. She then said, "Everyone here are the best playwrights of Farucci. I've invited everyone here in hopes that you'll be able to help me make this decision through a voting process."
Madam Schroder had made it extremely clear. After she participated in the ball and received all those works from playwrights, it was certain that she would incur the dissatisfaction from other playwrights whose work was not selected regardless of which work she selected. The only way around it would be adapting the classics left by the former playwrights of Farucci.
But, this was a great opportunity to rope in the outstanding playwrights. Madam Schroder was unwilling to use this opportunity to rope in someone already dead.
There were a total of nine playwrights present. They were all Farucci's prestigious dramatists.
The discussion did not last long. The reason for that was because there existed a playwright more prestigious than all others present.
"Sure enough, it is my wish to be able to see Master Morgan's 'Eyepicker,'" said a playwright that looked relatively young.
What he said was also what most playwrights present were thinking. Soon, the opinions of the nine playwrights started unifying. But, the person whose work was being talked about, Morgan, was sitting there not saying anything.
Suddenly, at this moment, an attendant rushed in. That attendant arrived beside Madam Schroder.
"Madam, a Blackwood Elf who called himself Elder Safran is requesting to see you," whispered the attendant.
Once Madam Schroder heard the name 'Elder Safran,' she immediately lost her desire to bother with the script selection.
"Where is he?" Nevertheless, she managed to contain her excitement. She lowered her voice and said to the attendant, "Quickly, bring him in."
Elder Safran, if Madam Schroder's memories were correct, he was the elf elder who escorted her daughter to Norland.
Yesterday she received a message from Gallolie that everything was going smoothly and they would likely arrive at Farucci's Royal Capital the following day.
Because of that, Elder Safran's visitation could very possibly mean that Gallolie had arrived at the Royal Capital.