The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End - Chapter 44

His name seems to be McKeel, who plays the role of Raffel. He is 20 years old and has been working as an opera actor in Verhund for two years. As is often the case with actors, his personal life is apparently shrouded in mystery.

All this information was given to her by Isolte when Sophia came back to the room. She had also become a complete fan of McKeel and had gotten information about him from a service staff from Verhund.

“Now that Randall has allowed us to go sightseeing in Verhund, if there is an opera by Mr. McKeel during our trip, would you like to go?”

“By all means!” Isolte nodded excitedly.

Sophia wrote the word “opera” in the notepad she had prepared. A map of Verhund is spread out on the table for trip planning, and Sophia is in the process of writing down Orion and Isolte’s wishes.

Randall and Kyle seem to know that there is a pool table in the cigarette room, so they went there.

“If you want to go to the opera, you will have to travel to the capital. It takes about a week by carriage from the port of Casals to the capital, so we will have to make a more detailed schedule.” Johannes, who was listening nearby, said in a calm tone.

“Well, if we don’t take the travel route into consideration, we may not be able to visit all the places we want to see.” Sophia, who had never planned a trip before, crossed her arms and groaned. Randall and Johannes would make the final adjustments, but if we ask too much of them, they might give up on us.

‘I thought two weeks …… was a long time, but it might be surprisingly short. ……Since Randall is willing to accompany me for sightseeing, I would like to enjoy Verhund as much as I can.’

“I can’t just extend my itinerary or …… anything, can I?” Sophia asked Johannes, and he smiled with wrinkles in his eyes.

“I will ask the master. Since it’s my mistress’ wish, I will be happy to help.”

‘Oh, maybe this is the one to force his way through.’

Sophia imagined Randall being pushed by Johannes and thought that he would be in a bad mood again, but she was relieved that she could now enjoy a relaxing trip.

When Sophia finished compiling Orion and Isolte’s preferred sightseeing spots, she gave them to Johannes to choose what they would wear during the magic show this evening.

Tonight’s magic show seemed to be audience-participation type, and they might go up on stage when called by the staff performing the show. Hearing this, Isolte got excited and brought dresses one after another from her closet.

“Which one shall I choose, Mistress?　Pink is pretty, but it is this sapphire blue …… that will stand out when I go on stage.”

“Isolte, how do you know I will be invited on stage?”

“No Mistress! It is only a woman as lovely and beautiful as you that can be invited to the stage for a magic show!” Isolte asserted with a sharp snort. Isolte is so fond of her Mistress that one wonders if she has a special filter in her eyes.

Sophia could not refute Isolte’s enthusiastic claims and replied, “Well, I’ll go with blue …….”

Then a discussion about how to do her hair began, and finally the make-up kit was spread out and applied, and Sophia was released just before lunch time.

Sophia, completely exhausted by Isolte’s fashionable power, ordered room service for lunch and headed to the poolside for a change of environment. It was stinging cold when she left Grastona, but as she got closer to Verhund, the cold eased up and she did not feel so cold when she was outside.

From the poolside, Sophia looked out at the surface of the ocean reflecting the sunlight, and suddenly someone stood next to her and she looked up.

“Oh, Mr. McKeel.”

“Hello, miss. Hello, miss, we meet again.”

It was McKeel standing next to her. He squinted at the dazzling surface of the sea. He had a healthy tan, which was probably why he looked so good in the water.

“Are you going to the magic show tonight, young lady?”

“Yes, I am. I’m planning to go since I’ve come all the way.”

“That’s just what I wanted to hear. I have a favor to ask you. I am also planning to go to the magic show tonight, but I was thinking that it would be lonely if I went alone. I was wondering if I could sit in the same seat with you guys?”

“Of course!”

Sophia remembered Randall’s face after answering immediately, but as expected, she would not say “No.” Kyle will be watching with them, and she was sure he’ll be fine with one more person. Randall is always moody, so if this puts him in a bad mood, then it’s because he’s always in a bad mood. The cause of his bad mood is beyond Sophia’s imagination, so she has no way to deal with it.

She was unaware that the cause of Randall’s bad mood was behind the men who came around Sophia, and she decided that it was okay if Randall was in a bad mood “all the time” and “tonight” too, because he was always in a bad mood.

Orion would burst out laughing in her hand on her belly if she heard her, but she was not here because she had retreated to her room, saying she was going to take a nap. Orion has been neglecting her duties since the moment she boarded the ship, believing that no suspicious person would appear in the Royal Suite, where the service staff escort passengers. She is just enjoying the luxurious cruise ship.

“Have you ever seen a magic show anywhere else, miss?”

“Oh, I’m Sophia. It’s my first time at a magic show. I’m very excited.”

‘I have seen magic tricks and illusionist shows on TV in my previous life, but this is my first time to see a magic show in front of me. I am looking forward to seeing what they will do.’

McKeel smiled. “I heard that the magic show will be performed by the ship’s staff, so they won’t be doing anything as spectacular as the magicians, but from what I saw when I glanced at them practicing, it looked like it could be a lot of fun.”

“Did you get to see them practice?”

“During the rehearsal for the opera. We were in the same room, so I only saw a little of what they were doing during our break. For example…”

“Ah! You can’t tell a story!”

“Oh, I see. Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait until nightfall.” McKeel closed one eye and put his arm on the railing to peer out to sea. “The sea is calm today, and it’s a beautiful day. By the looks of it, it will be the same tomorrow. It’s a perfect day for sailing.” McKeel said.

I noticed that McKeel sounded a little lonely on the ship, which was sailing right now. Could it be that McKeel is the kind of radical who is more excited by storms?　As for Sophia, she hoped she could enjoy a peaceful voyage.

For a while, McKeel looked impatiently at the sea, as if he were gazing at his lover, and then he said, “Well, I’d better be off.”

Sophia waves to McKeel, and after he is out of sight, she turns to look out to the sea.

In the distance, she saw a dolphin leap.