Release that Witch

For a moment, the noisy tavern fell into silence, and even the patrons seated at the bar counter stopped drinking and turned to look at them.

May was a little shocked. ”When I was in the old king’s city, I once sought guidance—”

”From Kajen, right? That’s exactly why he won’t see you.” The manager lowered his voice. ”Lord Kajen is very disappointed in you, Miss May.”

Even though the voice was very quiet, the girls next to May could easily catch every word. May felt her hand be suddenly squeezed by Irene.

Those words struck them harder than any accusation would, especially when it came from a distinguished dramatist. It was fine for him to criticize or encourage his juniors for their sakes, but it was harsh to tell his juniors that they were disappointments. She would be completely discombobulated or even sob on the spot if she heard those words three years ago.

But she didn’t think of herself first anymore.

After so many years as the Star of the Western Region, she, the backbone of the Star Flower Troupe, was confident about her acting ability. If the blame had hurt her so much, what about Irene, Tina, and the other members of the troupe? Not to mention Swallow, such a talented girl who only lacked confidence.

Therefore, May found herself unexpectedly calm at the moment.

May let out a soft breath, composed herself, and replied, ”Really? I believe there must be a mistake. It’ll be better if I’m allowed to explain it to him personally, but if not I can only give him my apologies.”

This took the manager by surprise, for he had never expected she would accept it so mildly. He frowned. ”You...”

”Anyway, I hope that Mr. Kajen makes more progress in drama and makes a breakthrough in the ceremony. We’ll take our leave.” She turned and walked towards the door, and then spoke over her shoulder, ”By the way, please don’t call me Miss May. I’m Mrs. Lannis now.”

The weather was still the same on their way back, but May felt like the sky looked more gloomy. No one spoke a word. The joy and excitement they had when they started from their home was all gone.

It was not until they were about to go home separately that Gait asked, ”Lady May, did you really fall out with Master Kajen?”

”Idiot. What nonsense!” Rosia shot him a stern glance. ”How could Sister May pay a visit to him if they had grudges against each other? That’s no better than asking to be ignored! How could he say that he was disappointed in her? I reckon he’s jealous.”

Everyone gasped and looked at Rosia in disbelief.

”Hey... the man you’re talking about is the great dramatist of Graycastle.”

Rosia argued indignantly, ”I mean, now that Neverwinter has become the new capital and Star Flower is more popular than any other troupes in the Western Region, they’re not as appreciated as they used to be. Naturally, they wouldn’t be friendly to us. I’ve been with May since she moved from Longsong to Border Town. She has stopped contacting Kajen Troupe ever since she returned from the old king’s city, so their claim that she has disappointed Master Kajen is illogical. To put it plainly, they look down upon us just because of our short history and little reputation among the nobles.”

”Is that so?” Irene said, seeming to be enlightened.

Perhaps because of Rosia’s bold and confident argument, everyone cheered up a little bit.

”I wondered why the manager was afraid to look Lady May in the eyes. Now it appears that he felt guilty...”

”So, is that the reason why Master Kajen didn’t want to see Sister May?”

”Of course not.” May could not help rolling her eyes. ”How could he, such a famed master, be jealous of me? Almost no one has ever heard of me outside the Western Region, but his name has spread across the entirety Graycastle, and even people in some regions of the Kingdom of Dawn have heard of him. What you’re saying is far too wrong.”

Everyone cringed at those words.

”Anyway, that’s the end of it. Do you understand?” May said and clapped her hands. ”Go home, all of you. We have a tight schedule of shooting tomorrow.”

That night, Carter asked her about the visit over dinner.

She just ran through the thing with him.

Somehow, May did not want her husband to be involved.

After all, this was just a row in the drama circle.

The shooting ran smoothly over the next few days. May had been concerned that everyone would be frustrated by their encounter with the Kajen Troupe, but, on the contrary, in the final act of the movie that was shot in the palace, all of them seemed to have called upon their strength and contributed an extraordinarily brilliant performance. Even Gait performed better than usual and he also insisted on finishing every action perfectly before he took a rest. The passion had not only motivated the entire Star Flower Troupe but also become a revelation to the new members.

Those newcomers, who did not participate in that visit, guessed it was Master Kajen’s guidance that stimulated their seniors to work so hard.

May was slightly relieved.

It seemed that the incident did not have much of an impact on the troupe.

She would have thought that the dust had settled, but something unexpected happened again.

The manager of Kajen Troupe visited her at the end of the day when they had just finished the shooting.

”My lord wanted to see you, Miss May... no, Mrs. Lannis.” The man seemed to have been waiting for a long time outside the Castle District as his hat was covered with a thin layer of snow.

Of course, his lord was Kajen Fels, the great dramatist, who had founded the Kajen Troupe.

May was so confused and even wanted to tell him that she would not come with him, since she had been such a disappointment to Kajen Fels, but she found that she did want to see Kajen... for an explanation for his words.

”Can my companions come with me?” May asked.

”No, Lord Kajen only permit you to visit him.” The man shook his head.

”May...” Irene sounded concerned.

She gave Irene a comforting glance, and then took a deep breath before she answered. ”I see. Please lead the way.”

...

Here she was, at the same place once again, Whistling Hotel.

May, following the manager, took the stairs up to the second floor and entered a large study, where she saw some familiar friends standing against the bookcase. ”Princess” Roentgen, ”Minstrel” Egrepo, ”Flying Cloud” Bernis... all of them were top-level performers coming from all over the country. She once worked with them rather well in the ”Memoir of a Prince’s Search for Love”. They should have been happy to see her again after so many years apart, but May could only sense contempt and hostility from their cold faces.

This was something she did not expect.

May had not have looked forward to any warm welcome from these people, but she did not understand why they made their dislike of her so obvious, for, as far as she was concerned, actors would never show their actual feeling to the other actors, even those who they did not get along with. For famous actors, hiding their actual feelings was no more than a cinch, so very few of them would turn against other people openly, even against new actors. Unlike the troublemakers in the Longsong Theatre, the actors would be more cautious as their reputation grew. However, now even they refused to hide any feelings in front of her.

May turned her eyes on the old gray-haired man seated behind the desk. Kajen seemed to have aged a lot in the past few years, but no one within the room would ignore him. They all kept quiet and waited for him to begin.

Kajen, seeming to sense her gaze, closed the script in his hands and stood up.

What he was about to say, however, completely stunned her.

”Mrs. Lannis, can you please stop your troupe’s next show?”