Actors are Dangerous

"Here we go again." Edelweiss sighed.

Suddenly, a burst of large flowers appeared, gaining the attention of everyone in the Amphitheatre. Including Cermin and Rabuka.

Calla's clothes change into a more fantastical version of a wedding dress, deep red like the red lilies that appeared, with a long, long veil as long as Rapunzel's hair.....

And she stepped on those lilies, running and running until she reached the top in a grandiose display!

Ronin knew this was just an illusion of course, but he had no reason to break free from it this time. He also wanted to see the other people's reactions.

She can really make hundreds of people believe the nonsense she spouts.

"How can she do that!? Are those lilies her Mage Focus?"

"Is she going to give us a performance right now?"

"I have never seen such big, beautiful, round..... Hey! I was going to say flowers, don't be so dirty-minded!"

"With someone as glamorous and powerful as me, I only deserve to be the queen of the richest kingdom in Magecia, don't you think!?" Her voice was also amplified, and she was talking directly to Edelweiss, Ronin, and Klio.

She swung from her veil, gaining the applause of everyone who watched her with amazement.

Calla wore a wide smile as she swung over nearer to Cermin and Rabuka. "Am I right or am I right? This kind of beauty is not fit to be some milk maiden, or a farmer girl, or even just another no-named noble lady."

"No, this beautiful face and beautiful skill must only be claimed by the most illustrious prince from the most illustrious kingdom!"

And after a spinning motion like an acrobat high up in the air---

She landed directly on a surprised Cermin's arms, which caught her out of reflex!

"What do you think, Your Highness? You'll be the judge." She grinned with her cherry red lips.

"T-The judge of what?" Cermin was confused, and his face was too close to Calla's big, big 'skills'.

"Of my worth to be your bride~" She said, but then---

Rabuka approached the two in anger. "He just met you, you freakish, ambitious harlot! How can you even have the audacity to ask to be his bride!?"

The people gasped in surprise when they heard the usually nice and amiable Rabuka say the word 'harlot'.

"Every couple starts somewhere~" She clung onto Cermin and looked at him lasciviously. "But if you do not find me we worthy to be your bride, Your Highness, then I'd settle for being a concubine~"

The people were truly intrigued by such a scandalous scene, and every bit of Calla's action and tone commanded people's attention.

Most of them, of course, were men.

"Imagine some gorgeous woman just falling to your lap and asking to be your bride, and not even minding to be a concubine! How lucky!"

"Calla's really deserving to be the prized jewel of the Artisans! Her confidence is something else, who cares if she has high ambitions!?"

"I won't mind making her my harlot---"

Rabuka was deeply annoyed by the 'support' that the people were giving to Calla's unreasonable behavior. She pointed her long, delicate finger at this ambitious girl---

"The prince is grieving right now from the accident with his dear friend Volken, didn't you know? What kind of vile woman are you to make him even more confused and start a scene while he's suffering!?"

"Aww, my sweet poor prince." Calla just squished Cermin's totally bewildered face. "If that's the case, let me help you forget your problems by getting to know each other somewhere private~"

Cermin was speechless. "I-I..... uh....."

Ronin watched this with interest too, but more on waiting for how Cermin will react.

If this happened to him back then, as the Min Cheng he knew, he would just agree to 'get to know' Calla in a heartbeat.

But why was he hesitating now? Just because it was his first time to be betrayed and have a problem with a friend character?

Ronin never get to know what Cermin's answer would be as Rabuka suddenly opened her mouth---

And screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

It was not just random screaming. Her voice was so loud that everyone had to cover their ears and a surge of wind appeared, as strong as a hurricane's!

The scream was directed to Calla and so she was the most affected, her hair even coming undone and clothes tattering. Cermin had to cover her and back away to protect her from receiving any further damage.

Her Theater of the Mind was also broken too, and she was back to wearing her normal clothes, red lilies disappearing.

Once Rabuka was done shouting, her face was completely red and scary-looking. She looked like she can murder someone right then and there.

The now haggard-looking Calla just turned to her with a lazy, cattish smile.

"Wow, Rabuka. You could really use some peppermint. That breath was just explosive."

Many people laughed at this as it was such an unexpected reaction to what just happened. Rabuka was infuriated and looked like she was about to throw hands at her---

But stopped once seeing Cermin still carrying her, and scoffed to go outside!

Cermin let go of Calla, and followed after her. "Rabuka, wait!"

'Hm. Interesting. He's choosing friends first over his harem.' Ronin noticed. 'Or maybe he just didn't want to worsen his connection with them as it is after what happened to Volken.'

Edelweiss rushed into the frazzled Calla, whose hair was not flying off in all directions and already thin and revealing clothes barely surviving.

"Are you alright? You shouldn't have tested Rabuka, you know how powerful she can be with her Cordial Surge!" Edelweiss scolded her friend, covering her up with that wool vest again.

"Hah, that's not the worst surge she can muster. She was holding back because of the prince." Calla just scoffed. "And she calls me a harlot. She's the one with a lover here!"

Klio couldn't help but ask. "Do you two have some... bad history with each other?"

"Oh, honey. Every performer had some bad history with the other at some point. It's because everyone is trying their best to steal the spotlight." Calla just shook her head and somehow managed to make her puffed-up hair look fabulous.

"Acting is actually one of the most dangerous trades, my father always tells me. And everyone has an inner actor within them, playing a role and pretending. "

"The question of who rises at the top always relies on who acts their roles best. The world is just a stage and we're all vying to be at the center."

Ronin understood what she meant. "And you played your role very dangerously that it intimidated Rabuka."

"Hah, if you think I'm dangerous just with that act..... wait until you meet them," Calla said with an air of mystery. "They know not just to perform in the stage of life..... but own it."

As he was about to ask who she was referring to, a fanfare suddenly came from the Amphitheatre's stage itself.

A sweet voice asked. "Is it too late for me to make an entrance? It seemed that everyone is too preoccupied to watch the show."

The whole crowd erupted in cheers. "Lovushka! Lovushka!"

The sweet voice came from someone wearing a fancy, dove-inspired gown and with orange hair tied up in two pigtails like Hatsune Miku.

The skin was also orange, and Ronin identified them as an Amber Heartstone.

"Oh, gods! It's Queen Lovushka!!!!!" Klio said, immediately cheering.

She calls this Lovushka a queen but Ronin can tell for certain despite the impressive disguise.....

That this person was a man.