"Could we enter together?"
The day before the Viol Show began.
While trying on the outfit she would wear to the event, Seoyeon reached out to Mary.
At first, she had been taken aback when a suspicious-sounding man answered, but seeing Mary take the phone soon after, he was likely her manager.
'So even a princess is signed to an agency.'
With that thought, she quietly waited for Mary to speak.
"Entering together—you mean going into the venue where the show is held, together?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
The voice coming from the other end of the line carried a note of interest.
It was impossible to tell whether that interest came from genuinely thinking it was a good idea, or from being dumbfounded by Seoyeon's audacity.
But the fact that Mary, who had been dry and indifferent when Seoyeon first called, had shown a reaction at all was a fairly positive sign.
"Though it's a bit awkward to say this."
After a brief silence, Mary spoke.
"I don't think there will be anyone at that venue who recognizes you. Seoyeon is still a stranger to the world. Isn't that right?"
Her Korean was somewhat awkward, choppy and halting.
But the meaning wasn't difficult to grasp.
To begin with, it had only been a year since Seoyeon began her domestic activities.
Her overseas activities were limited entirely to Japan.
Even though *Mine* had been a hit, it was more popular in the East than the West.
Since it had been a major hit around Asia, while there might be the occasional person who recognized her, it was clear that her recognition would be significantly lower.
"So that's why you planted the article this morning? Thank you for that."
"It's nothing. I didn't do it because I wanted to hear gratitude."
Mary spoke as though it truly were no big deal.
"I am your fan."
There wasn't a hint of falsehood in those words.
Though Mary had grown up as a princess, the world she lived in was the entertainment industry.
The British entertainment industry.
The influence it wielded was on a global level.
Having spent a long time there, Mary had mingled with people whose names alone made the world nod in acknowledgment.
Yet among them, the ones she had become a fan of were few and far between.
Perhaps, among girls close to her own age, the number of people she considered herself a fan of could be counted on one hand.
When she said 'fan,' she meant someone whom Mary Mountbatten Windsor acknowledged.
"I enjoy competing against my idols. But if they can't even put up a fight..."
Honestly, where was the fun in that?
It was as though those unsaid words lingered in the air.
Of course, Seoyeon didn't mind.
Even if Mary had spoken them aloud, nothing would have changed.
"Yes. That's exactly why I thanked you. Honestly, I didn't place much significance on this event either."
She had thought that simply attending would be enough.
But hadn't the princess personally set the stage for her?
Park Jeongwoo had been right.
For a celebrity, life could change in a single fleeting flash of brilliance.
Such an opportunity.
To seize that opportunity even once—
one had to wander in search of a place to draw attention.
"I'm going to push forward with the exact image from that Viol commercial."
"It will overlap with mine."
"It won't. You and I are different people."
"I saw your Viol commercial too. You were like a princess. But that was... a crafted image."
Nothing more than acting.
She spoke as if to say so.
"Standing beside the real thing, that light will inevitably fade."
She might very well be right.
The royal blood of the British Royal Family, different from birth itself.
Even among royalty, she stood out remarkably,
and with her extraordinary presence, Mary was a crane among chickens even within the royal family.
It might sound arrogant, but Mary was perhaps trying to look out for Seoyeon in her own way.
But Seoyeon knew.
That this was also a provocation.
To begin with, the image from Seoyeon's Viol commercial was already set.
It couldn't be changed to something else.
If she attended the event with a different image, it would only mean she had fled.
Thus, Seoyeon had no intention of fleeing.
"Then that means you're fine with us entering together."
"Yes."
"I might be a bit late due to preparations."
"I'll go slowly, so it's fine. I tend to enjoy the attention."
At those words, Seoyeon let out a quiet laugh.
In a way, that was something they had in common.
But if you came into the entertainment industry, that was only natural.
To receive and endure the attention of others, wasn't it better to be the sort who enjoyed it?
"Please, make a dazzling entrance. Do not let yourself be buried among others. I don't want to see Seoyeon criticized."
Mary hung up after saying those final words.
For a moment, staring at the phone in her hand, Seoyeon soon let out a soft laugh.
"Hoho, what a generous princess."
Seoyeon said so, then looked at Park Jeongwoo.
Jeongwoo flinched at her gaze.
"...Have you started acting already?"
"Yes, I'm afraid... I have to do it properly."
"I don't think you need to start beforehand..."
"No. Method acting, after all, becomes more natural the longer you maintain it."
Of course, breaking out of it could be just as painful, but this time was a little different.
In Princess Yeonhwa's case, it was merely a shift in mindset.
'Honestly, I didn't know I'd go this far either.'
It was probably because of her competitive spirit.
It was different from her time with Stella.
At least then, they had both been actors.
Furthermore, Seoyeon took pride in her acting.
She could win.
Stella had been, at best, a cameo.
But Seoyeon had been a supporting role.
If she could act at an equal level, there was no way she could lose.
It had been a favorable fight.
So she hadn't been very nervous.
She had merely felt the competitive drive of challenging a world-class actress.
But this matter was different.
She was the challenger, fighting on her opponent's home turf.
'I don't want to see Seoyeon criticized.'
What an arrogant thing to say.
It was a statement filled with the conviction that victory was certain.
At the same time, it was probably the only consideration Mary could offer.
Since Seoyeon had decided to do this, failure would bring nothing but criticism.
That she had used the British princess's fame.
Overseas, she would be met with ridicule.
And in Korea, there would be those who felt ashamed.
'At least, because she saved the princess from a pickpocket, she had a shield to block such criticism.'
From the princess's standpoint, there was justification for helping Seoyeon, who had saved her from a pickpocket.
People might think the princess had requested it, rather than Seoyeon arbitrarily using the princess's fame.
Had Mary thought that far ahead?
So that Seoyeon could charge in with a little less burden.
If there was such justification, the criticism aimed at Seoyeon would lessen as well.
"But that doesn't mean I want to look easy."
Seoyeon muttered as she touched her styled hair.
The costume and makeup she would wear tomorrow—
she needed to run through them once with the students beforehand.
It felt as though the school field trip had gotten its priorities reversed, but the students who had volunteered to help were rather enjoying it.
When else in their lives would they experience something like this?
There would be field trips next year too, so the competition to volunteer for this event had been fierce.
"This is my first performance, and it is essentially the foundation of an actor."
Seoyeon slowly rose and looked around at the students.
Park Jeongwoo gulped at the sight of her.
Eyes filled with unwavering resolve.
She was completely different from the flirtatious vibe she had at Viol before.
The moment when young Princess Yeonhwa and young Yun Seo-il faced each other for the last time.
Seoyeon's eyes were exactly like that now.
"It may be difficult on my own, but because I am with all of you. How fortunate I am to be young at a time like this."
Seoyeon spoke thus and looked around at the girls dressed in outfits similar to palace maids.
These outfits had been urgently procured from Viol.
It meant that Nael Arno had taken a favorable stance toward this matter.
Even if Mary had refused, Seoyeon had intended to put on the 'show.'
Thinking that far, a laugh slipped out before she knew it, and Seoyeon raised her right hand to cover her mouth.
"Huhu, isn't that right?"
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, a faint smile on her lips.
At that smile, Jiyeon, who had been vehemently saying it was too reckless, closed her mouth.
As for Dahyeon, she found herself gaping blankly.
No, not just Dahyeon.
Most of the girls present were the same.
'Uh, who is this?'
The feeling was completely different from seeing her in a commercial versus facing her in person.
Even Jiyeon, who had seen this side of her before, couldn't help but find it strangely unfamiliar.
'It's Seoyeon, right?'
'No, but she's so pretty?'
'Seoyeon is pretty even normally.'
'No, that's not what I mean.'
'But I get it. It's not an atmosphere that's hard to approach like usual.'
'Is it okay to talk to her?'
'She always had good posture, but now it's a little different...'
'Right?'
'What should I even call this.'
A princess from a historical drama.
The image the students had of Seoyeon usually started from *The Chaser*.
They had seen her on variety shows and knew her at school, so she didn't have a particularly lighthearted image.
Usually, it was a scary image.
Someone hard to approach, living in a different world.
That was certainly still true now, yet also different.
A gentleness, yet a palpable dignity.
Like a willow swaying in the wind, her graceful figure drew the eye.
'Now I know why my parents say Seoyeon is like a princess.'
After entering Yeonhwa High School,
their parents had asked about Seoyeon at least once.
'Isn't there a girl there like a princess?'
'What is Seoyeon like at school?'
Such words.
Honestly, even when called a princess, the students had truly struggled to understand.
But now, they felt they understood a little.
The students' parents' generation had encountered Seoyeon when she was young.
So even though she had taken on intense roles for the past year, the first thing that came to mind was Princess Yeonhwa.
Even if her image had shifted slightly, the first appearance Ju Seoyeon had made to them was as a young prodigy of a child actor.
First impressions do not change easily.
Only now could the girls understand why people had called Seoyeon a princess-like child.
"Teacher."
"Y-yes?"
"Oh my, why are you speaking formally to me?"
"No, well. How should I put it... It just felt like I should..."
Theater club teacher Song Dayeon murmured blankly and laughed awkwardly.
Seoyeon laughed brightly, perhaps finding the teacher amusing.
"Then, I look forward to tomorrow's show with great anticipation."
Seoyeon said so, then looked around at the students.
Something they had already practiced a year ago.
They merely needed to repeat it.
***
"Who is the girl standing before Princess Mary now?"
"Ju Seoyeon. An actress from *Mine*. I hear she's Viol's new house ambassador."
"So just a house ambassador... Aha! Now I remember. Isn't she the girl who saved Princess Mary from a pickpocket two days ago!"
"That's right! She looks exactly the same. Then was this arranged beforehand?"
Mary Mountbatten Windsor.
A girl who confidently faced head-on a person other celebrities avoided.
At first, people wondered who she was, but they soon realized she was the girl from the newspaper two days ago.
It had been an incident where a foreign princess was nearly robbed by a pickpocket, so there were few who didn't know of it.
However, people couldn't easily equate the Seoyeon in the photos with the Seoyeon before them now, because of the atmosphere.
Unlike the expressionless, somewhat cold-looking Seoyeon in the photos...
- What? What the heck?
- Is that really Ju Seoyeon?
- Is it just me or does Park Jeongwoo look frozen?
- Why am I getting nervous facing a British princess?
- The vibe is totally different.... what should I even call this...
Surprised comments flooded the chat of viewers watching this live on YouTuber Gang Dong-cheol's stream.
The chat had been flooded with question marks from the moment Seoyeon first appeared, but had now quieted down somewhat.
As if they were focusing on the situation itself.
"This is... beyond expectations."
Mary spoke in stiff Korean.
At those words, Seoyeon raised her hand to her lips and let out a soft chuckle.
"I tried to live up to your expectations."
"Your tone has changed as well."
"Isn't that the point of acting?"
"Acting..."
Mary trailed off.
Acting?
Was that acting?
Come to think of it, she had heard something before.
That Seoyeon's specialty was method acting.
That she immersed herself completely in her role and became the character.
The current Seoyeon was a perfect match for that description.
She didn't have the overwhelming pressure masked by arrogance, as Mary herself did.
But there was a gentle nobility.
A subtle, moon-like serenity revealed within her delicate figure.
If she were a gem, she would be a pearl.
A jewel of the sea.
One could feel an embracing warmth that made you want to entrust your heart to her unwittingly.
'The attention.'
Mary felt it.
The reporters' gazes were being divided.
Split exactly in half between Mary and Seoyeon.
The sudden aggro she had pulled.
On top of that, Mary's momentary fluster had caused the gazes to gather on Seoyeon.
Who was this girl, to make Princess Mary react that way?
"Princess?"
"Ah, yes?"
Mary, lost in thought, faltered back a step.
At the same time, Seoyeon took a step toward her.
"If we stand still, we'll be a nuisance to others, won't we?"
"..."
For a moment, words failed her.
Mary couldn't refute the reasonable remark delivered like a gentle scolding.
The reporters were busy taking photos of the two, who were standing closer than expected.
'Ju Seoyeon? Who is she?'
'That's not important. Princess Mary stepped back.'
'Was she overwhelmed? Or just flustered?'
'Damn it! I didn't capture her entrance!'
The reporters were beside themselves with frustration.
Because Seoyeon had appeared in a sparsely populated area, no one had managed to capture proper photos or videos.
Above all, no one had cared who she was, so even when she appeared, they hadn't paid much attention.
Those who had captured it from the beginning hadn't secured proper positions,
and the only one who had been watching Seoyeon from the start was Marius, a reporter from Demilune.
"Then, Jeongwoo sunbae."
"..."
"Jeongwoo sunbae?"
"Hmm?"
Seoyeon sighed at Jeongwoo's distant expression.
Truly, the situation had turned favorable—surely he needed to play his part properly.
Seoyeon stood on her tiptoes and cupped her hand around Jeongwoo's ear, whispering softly.
"Wasn't young Yun Seo-il a bit more audacious?"
What Seoyeon had asked of Jeongwoo today was to act like Yun Seo-il from *Taeseomdal*.
But this didn't feel like young Yun Seo-il at all.
She had brought the situation this far; he couldn't afford to look foolish now.
They had to remain confident until the very end.
"Let's just talk normally, Actress Ju Seoyeon."
"Oh my."
Park Jeongwoo seriously contemplated banning her from saying "oh my."
He would have gotten goosebumps if it were the usual Seoyeon, but he felt self-loathing at how natural it seemed right now.
Furthermore, with so many eyes on them, it was hard to treat her as casually as usual.
"Very well."
Park Jeongwoo cleared his throat and looked at the two princesses.
Well, one wasn't a princess, but anyway.
"Shall we enter together? I shall escort you."
As if he were a British knight.
Or a grown Yun Seo-il.
He bowed at the waist with a deliberately exaggerated motion.
Then, along with soft laughter, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed.
A handsome Korean actor.
Regardless, Park Jeongwoo's visuals were on an extraordinary level, so a simple gesture was enough to bring out laughter.
After all, handsome people had a way of making others laugh, didn't they?
Of course, Mary wasn't exactly pleased by it.
The situation was already being led by Seoyeon and Jeongwoo, not herself.
"I admit it, Ju Seoyeon. But I..."
She tried to say, "I haven't lost," but it felt strange.
From the moment Seoyeon hadn't been overshadowed by her, victory was already Seoyeon's.
Because Seoyeon had snatched away all the weight Mary had built up until now.
Flash showers poured down on Ju Seoyeon, an actress no one had known.
"I didn't think it would turn out like this."
Mary said so and soon let out a tired smile.
The overwhelming pressure she had shown until then vanished in an instant.
"Today is not my show alone."
That was Mary's way of acknowledging it.
Mary, having gazed at Seoyeon briefly, soon turned her eyes to the reporters.
And then—
She suddenly looped her arm around Seoyeon's, who stood facing her.
In other words, she linked arms with her.
At that sudden action, the reporters momentarily forgot to press their camera shutters.
The bewildered Park Jeongwoo froze as well.
Of course, Seoyeon was no different.
Her soft smile vanished, and a hint of bewilderment crept onto her face.
Pleased with that expression, Mary let out a "Hmph!"
"I don't like being the only one flustered."
She had no intention of losing in war, just as she had none in battle.
At those words revealing such feelings, Seoyeon smiled helplessly.
Because she truly seemed a princess who hated to lose.
And the next day.
[What happened at the Viol Show? Ju Seoyeon flaunts friendship with British Princess!]
Articles related to the Viol Show, which wouldn't normally have been particularly newsworthy, began appearing one after another.