Chapter 409: Jealous Women
When Alexandra found out that she would be acting opposite the French Prince, her large eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.
She had always admired the Prince, who had invented such "great wonders" as the carousel, Ferris wheel, and pirate ship. He had even turned someone like Uncle Alexei, a notorious playboy, into a respectable gentleman, and he was so handsome! The fact that she would be acting with him felt like a dream come true!
She puffed out her chest and said in a childish voice, "Your Highness, don't worry. I've studied elocution and movement, and I'll definitely play Anne well!"
Seeing how serious she was, Joseph couldn't bear to dampen her enthusiasm, so he smiled and nodded. "I'm honored to perform with you."
He didn't particularly care who played the role, as long as it helped promote composite furniture and soda drinks. And having a Russian Grand Duchess as the lead might even help open up the Russian market.
Hearing this, Alexandra beamed with joy, but then her expression froze. She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand and turned away, fiddling with something in her mouth before sighing in relief.
That was close—her false teeth almost fell out!
She was at the age where she was losing her baby teeth, leaving gaps in her front teeth. To play the lead role, she had spent a lot of money on two false teeth. However, dental technology at the time was rudimentary, and the false teeth were prone to falling out with sudden movements, just like what nearly happened.
While Alexandra was overjoyed, the other noble ladies in the cast were fuming as they glared at the troupe leader.
They had learned from the Queen's maids that the Prince would be playing Hunter Xiao, so they had pulled strings and paid hefty bribes to join the troupe, hoping to get close to the Prince by playing the lead role. But today, a Russian girl had swooped in and taken the role right from under their noses! And the Prince seemed to be treating her quite warmly, which only made them angrier.
Sensing the tension, the troupe leader quickly slipped away.
Joseph, oblivious to the rising hostility among the actresses, was focused on directing a group of servants as they moved a large ivory-colored bookcase onto the stage.
Once the bookcase was in position, he picked up the script and began flipping through it:
"Hmm, this part needs to be changed. We should add a line here..."
Soon, the actors received the revised scripts, and after reading them, they all had strange expressions on their faces. But since the changes were made by the Prince himself, one noble lady immediately praised:
"What a brilliant adjustment! It makes the original play shine as bright as the sun!"
"Indeed! The Prince's literary talent surpasses all of Paris!"
"Oh, I just love this line the Prince added—'Cool down this summer, and enjoy your time with Paris Cola…'"
As the noble lady recited the line, she turned to the others in confusion and whispered, "Do you know what this means?"
"Uh, I have no idea…"
Joseph quickly cleared his throat to interrupt their awkward flattery. "Alright, everyone, memorize your lines, and we'll start rehearsing."
On stage, a petite figure raised a purple vial and waved it dismissively in front of a nobleman:
"I've already concocted the 'Dispel Potion.' Your 'Sleep Elixir' will be neutralized before it even takes effect."
The man, looking disgruntled, reached into his bag for another potion to retaliate, but then noticed the Prince giving him a subtle signal.
Quickly recalling the script, he grabbed a nearby glass soda bottle from one of the onlookers, took a dramatic swig, and then clenched his fist in a show of strength:
"Paris Cola gives me confidence! Anne Xun'er, my Level Six Alchemy will end this duel!"
Joseph then motioned for the onlookers to clear the luxurious bookcase from the stage...
Though young, Alexandra acted with great skill, especially in the alchemy duel scenes—after all, in Russia, she frequently witnessed duels and easily mimicked what she had seen.
Moreover, her product placement lines were delivered naturally, since she hadn't read the original script and assumed this was how the story was meant to be. As a result, she received multiple compliments from Joseph, who encouraged the other actors to learn from her.
This prompted several noble ladies to roll their eyes at the little girl. When Joseph wasn't looking, they began to mock Alexandra in voices just loud enough for her to hear:
"Hmph, the Prince was just being polite to her, but look at how smug she is."
"She's just a Russian bumpkin. What does she know about acting?"
"Who knows whose favor she pulled to get into the troupe. She probably paid a fortune."
Alexandra, well-mannered as she was, ignored them and continued rehearsing.
Had these girls known that her connection was the Queen herself, and that not only had she not paid a penny, but the Queen had even gifted her several dresses, their eyes would have bulged in shock.
When it was time for "Anne Xun'er" to have her scene with her older sister "Catarina Xiao," Alexandra took two steps forward, but one of the noble ladies playing an onlooker suddenly stuck her foot out to trip her.
Alexandra nearly stumbled but reacted quickly when she saw the shadow on the ground and managed to step over the outstretched foot. However, she then remembered the nasty remarks those girls had made about her.
Without hesitation, she stomped down hard on the shadow in front of her.
The little red boot landed squarely on the noblewoman's ankle, covered by her stocking, drawing a loud scream:
"Aahhh!"
The scheming noblewoman collapsed to her knees, clutching her right foot and gasping in pain.
The other noble ladies rushed over, pretending to comfort her, then turned on Alexandra with angry glares:
"That was completely uncalled for!"
"Triss's ankle might be broken! How could you be so cruel?"
"Look at what you've done! You should apologize to Miss Triss immediately!"
Alexandra calmly walked over, inspected the woman's foot, and sighed in relief:
"Thank goodness I'm light. Otherwise, you really might have broken a bone. Aunt Eliane always tells me to maintain proper posture while standing. You see, sticking your foot out like that is not only rude but also risks getting stepped on."
The noble ladies were stunned, not expecting this Russian girl to be so sharp and unafraid to fight back.
One of the noblewomen immediately looked towards Joseph, her voice trembling with tears:
"Your Highness, you saw it all! The Russian Grand Duchess deliberately stomped on Triss and then insulted her…"
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10