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Chapter – 09
“Now, now—such coarse words from a lady. Well, anyway, Miss Bernardi’s acting isn’t bad, but… don’t you think she’s lacking in both acting and singing skills? Whereas Mina…”
Radius brought his hands together and lightly pressed them against his lips.
“She’s the only one who can capture that tension and excitement between a young man and woman.”
“…What, are you suddenly starting to see her as a woman now?”
“What?”
“I mean, you’re talking about excitement, attraction, all that—”
“No, I’m not! That’s not it at all!”
“What’s with you? Why are you getting mad? Oh wow, your face is red. Gross.”
“It’s because you keep spouting nonsense!”
“All that talk about her purity and being the best actress—that’s all lies. Trash. You’ve just fallen for Wilhelmina Martinez. Ugh, disgusting.”
“I don’t like you either, okay? I must have been crazy to try having an actual conversation with you.”
“Get a grip, you idiot. Don’t go doing anything stupid just because you’re infatuated after seeing her act a few times.”
“I wasn’t going to anyway!”
“Don’t even think about trying to meet her privately. She’s diligent, hardworking, and kind. Hanging around someone like you would do her no good.”
“…You’re close with Mina?”
“Ever since The Little Mermaid days. It’d be harder not to get close after working together that long. Why else do you think I know all about her sponsorship situation?”
After hearing that much, something new began to stir in Radius’s heart.
“…Hey, Anima.”
He had only called her name.
“Don’t even think about meeting her through me. Mina’s too good for the likes of you. So do us both a favor—buzz off.”
Her rejection came instantly.
“I never said I’d meet her through you! I haven’t even tried meeting her privately, ever!”
Radius denied it, but truthfully, the desire to meet Mina in person was eating him alive.
He wanted to know everything—how she practiced her acting and singing, what her hobbies and talents were, what she liked and disliked. Everything about her fascinated him.
Should I ask the theater owner if I could just greet her briefly? No, that’d sound ridiculous after everything I said before.
He wrestled with himself for a long time.
And then, he went on to watch every single performance of Duke Kusakov starring Mina.
Even when his work kept him busy, he made sure to set aside time for the shows.
It wasn’t realistic to see every single one, so he missed a few—but only a few.
After watching the same play so many times, he could almost recite all the lines by heart, and he even began noticing how Mina’s performance subtly changed from one show to another.
How much effort does she put into this? I didn’t even think it was possible for someone to grow so much between performances.
At night, the melody of Mina’s main theme would loop endlessly in his head.
He was just about to consider asking to meet her after the show ended—when it happened.
A dating scandal between Tener Lanieri and Wilhelmina Martinez.
“What is this?”
Radius had no idea who Tener Lanieri even was.
He only knew that he was one of the male leads in Duke Kusakov—tall, handsome, and talented. The man was a big box-office draw for the musical.
Radius immediately went to see the theater owner.
He couldn’t believe it.
His actress, involved with that kind of ordinary actor? Surely, that Tener guy must be deceiving her somehow.
And besides, just look at his own mother, Talasa—she had suffered so much because of awful men.
To think Mina might be dating some actor she barely knew—it was infuriating. He was convinced Tener must have sweet-talked naïve Mina into something.
“Haha, oh no, that article isn’t true. We’ve been getting lots of inquiries about it. It’s just that their chemistry on stage was so good that audiences started wishing they were a real couple.”
“…So it’s not true?”
“Yes, it’s all because they act so well together. Both Miss Martinez and Mr. Lanieri are excellent performers, and they’re both attractive. The audience just loves seeing a beautiful couple.”
“Then we should issue a correction.”
At Radius’s words, the theater owner waved his hands frantically.
“Oh no, no, sir, please. That’s not necessary.”
“What? Isn’t my actress being misunderstood right now?”
“It’s a rumor that’ll fade once the show closes. And honestly, the musical industry could use this kind of publicity right now.”
“Did either of them agree to this?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if Miss Martinez wanted this article to come out.”
“Ah, she’s probably too focused on her acting to even know about it.”
The theater owner chuckled, and Radius wanted to punch him in the face.
“Are you joking with me right now?”
“Pardon?”
“She’s a woman, damn it. A rumor like this could ruin her!”
He glared at the man.
The theater owner only cared about money, about ticket sales—not about the harm it would do to Mina.
In this society, a male actor dating multiple women could be seen as charming or successful. But for a female actress? It branded her as “easy.”
Radius had the correction article published himself.
It was far larger than the original rumor piece, complete with a written apology from the reporter.
How dare they slander my Mina!
Without a sponsor, Mina would’ve been powerless to fight such rumors.
Now he finally understood what Anima meant about the importance of patrons.
An actress that talented could have her name buried under gossip and disappear forever.
Even if she had been dating someone, that kind of article still needed to be stopped.
But the theater owner didn’t care in the slightest.
From now on, I’ll be her patron. I can’t let such a gifted woman disappear because of something so petty.
No one had asked him to, but Radius felt a strange sense of duty ignite inside him.
That night, when he watched Duke Kusakov again, Mina’s performance gripped his heart all over.
That’s what true genius looks like.
He thought so, watching her radiate on stage.
Even though her male co-star that night wasn’t Tener Lanieri, she made the relationship feel so real, so full of emotion. That—that was what a real actress was.
“Scammed? Father was scammed?”
Radius could hardly believe what he’d just heard.
“If he’d just moved on and lived quietly, fine—but honestly.”
Talasa sighed, tossing her jacket aside.
“You’re not really in a position to say that, Mother.”
“I know. I’m crazy too. I admit it. But at least I don’t get married, right? I may date men, but I never marry them. Why did Kevin have to marry again only to get conned? And look at me—I’ve got no looks to speak of. But Kevin? How does a man like that get swindled? Unbelievable.”
“I’ll go and find out what happened.”
“…All right. Thank you. He’s still your father, after all. I’m his ex-wife, so it’s awkward for me to bring this up myself. Still, I can’t completely ignore it either. Ugh, it’s complicated.”
“Thank you for telling me, Mother.”
“Of course.”
She patted his shoulder, seeing the concern written all over his face.
“Sorry to drag you into another mess.”
“It’s fine, Mother.”
“Anyway, I’m heading out soon on a pirate suppression mission. I’ll be gone for a few months again.”
As a naval officer, Talasa often spent long stretches at sea—usually hunting pirates.
“Pirate suppression? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“When has it not been dangerous? Don’t worry, I’m a commander. There’s always risk, but I can handle it. As for Kevin—if it’s a money issue, try to settle it quietly on your end.”
Though she’d divorced Kevin after his affair, Talasa was still strangely lenient toward him.
Radius secretly wished the two of them would reconcile someday, but it never happened.
Kevin still sent letters to Radius regularly, asking about Talasa and keeping in touch—but it always seemed to be through Radius that the contact happened.
In any case, the word scam alone was enough to make Radius head straight for his father’s estate.
He couldn’t help but think back to those days right after his parents’ divorce…
