Despite the Queen's high praise for "Roman Holiday," Margaret also knew that the Queen had a point, but she still found "Yes! Prime Minister" more interesting.
At this moment, the Queen said, "The second act is beginning."
The two looked towards the stage.
They saw the curtain slowly rising,
The performance continued.
Anne bid farewell to Joe and wandered aimlessly on the streets.
She found everything fascinating, especially the girls' dresses, which always made her long for them, so she went to a barber shop and got a trendy haircut.
On the other hand,
Joe, unable to find a good news story, watched his job slip away and his wallet empty,
while his landlord came to demand rent, adding insult to injury.
So he thought of Anne,
The princess was simply a lucky star sent by heaven, able to help him through professional and financial crises.
With this in mind, Joe found his photographer friend, Owen,
The two planned for Joe to take Anne around Rome, while Owen was responsible for taking candid photos of Anne's life to get exclusive news material, turning the tide.
The second act ended.
This act was mainly about creating conflict and reflecting character motivations.
The Queen was even more satisfied, saying, "I knew it would develop like this. Professor Lu demonstrates stronger control over the creation of drama in 'Roman Holiday,' with a seamless structure."
Margaret sighed, "Although I know how the story will unfold, I still feel that Joe is a bit too much."
Thinking it's excessive because of deception,
Joe's impure motives for approaching Anne made Margaret, as a fellow princess, subconsciously sympathize with Anne.
The Queen said, "But that's the beauty of the story. Professor Lu designed it in such a way that Joe and Anne's later 'betrayal' is even more moving."
Margaret was puzzled,
"Betrayal?"
The Queen nodded and said, "Think about it carefully. Aren't Joe and Anne 'betraying' their original intentions at the end of the story?"
Margaret lowered her head in thought.
Joe had originally carried out a premeditated plan to make money, but in the end, it turned into unplanned love;
And Princess Anne, who initially longed for freedom, regained a sense of responsibility because of this brief love affair and turned to her duty.
The Queen's use of the word "betrayal" was quite apt.
Just then, the third act began.
Joe followed Anne all the way and engineered a chance encounter.
They had a meal and cocktails on the roadside,
During this time, they met Owen, and to avoid being caught, Joe acted all goofy, complementing Owen's baffled expression, creating various humorous situations that had the audience in stitches.
Later, Joe brought a bicycle,
And Anne tried riding a bicycle for the first time in her life, with Joe recklessly leading the way,
They caused chaos on the streets, inevitably causing traffic jams and were eventually taken to the police station for coffee.
Later, they visited the Mouth of Truth,
The bubble of love slowly formed.
In the evening, Joe took Anne to a midnight dance party, having a great time, but they ran into the princess's security team,
The security team invited the princess home in an unfriendly manner,
Anne resisted fiercely,
Joe came to her rescue,
Encouraged by Joe, Anne, fueled by alcohol, had her first act of "violent resistance" in her life,
At the critical moment, the two escaped by boat.
The third act mainly tells the story of the princess and the reporter's day of play, the climax of the entire "Roman Holiday."
Anyone who has experienced love can find shadows of their own romantic experiences in it.
The Queen smiled brightly,
That smile, like a mother watching her daughter fall in love with her own eyes.
She whispered, "Professor Lu writes so well."
Margaret asked curiously, "Grandmother, I also think it's beautiful, but is it really as good as you say?"
The Queen's lips curved into a smile,
"That's because you haven't experienced love yet. Hehe... I bet Professor Lu must have had similar experiences to be able to write such vivid and experiential scripts. Especially the part at the Mouth of Truth, where Joe's cunning and Anne's innocence are portrayed perfectly."
Margaret couldn't argue back,
Because she indeed had no experience in love.
She asked the Queen, "Grandmother, are you..."
The Queen retracted her smile and gave Margaret a stern look,
"Don't ask what you shouldn't."
In fact, Queen Victoria's first love was not Prince Albert, but the eldest son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia—
Tsarevich Alexander.
In 1839, at the age of 21, Alexander II arrived in England during his travels around Europe and met Queen Victoria for the first time.
The young Queen Victoria was immediately captivated by his handsome appearance. She wrote in her diary:
"I have truly fallen in love with the Crown Prince! He is such a kind and friendly young man. We dance together, laugh together, and share happy times together. I have never been so happy before. I went to bed at half past two, but I was so excited that I didn't fall asleep until five."
However, later, under the dual pressure of national interests and political considerations, the lovers had to give up their love.
So, the Queen also had her own story.
Margaret looked at the Queen curiously,
staring—
her gaze intense.
The Queen felt slightly embarrassed, not expecting to be put on the spot.
Fortunately, the fourth act began.
She said, "Alright, let's continue watching. The story should be coming to an end now."
The fourth act is the ending of "Roman Holiday."
Joe could have turned his life around by exposing Anne's exclusive photos,
but he hesitated.
His time with Anne had stirred feelings of love in Joe, and he couldn't bear to expose Anne's privacy to the public.
In the end, love triumphed over temptation,
Joe chose honesty and revealed the truth to Anne.
Kind-hearted Anne didn't blame him. She even showed genuine surprise and gladly accepted the gift when she saw the photos.
Afterwards, she returned to her lodgings and resumed her role as a princess.
Although she had only experienced a short day and night, Anne seemed like a new person,
no longer throwing childish tantrums, but more dignified, making the waiters truly submit to her.
As Anne was about to leave Rome, she held another press conference,
and Joe, in the crowd, gazed at Anne affectionately.
Anne wanted to shake hands and chat with Joe, so she arranged a handshake ceremony with all the reporters.
After the press conference, Joe reluctantly watched Anne's figure disappear,
he stared at a corner for a while, but not finding his beloved, he turned and left slowly, returning to his ordinary life.
The curtains slowly closed.
The people in the theater were all stunned,
Is that it!?
Anne and Joe didn't end up together!?
They couldn't understand.
Gradually, some female audience members reacted, and scattered soft sobs could be heard throughout the theater.
The Queen sighed,
"This is an incredibly excellent love drama. What's great about it is that it allows people to see reflections of themselves in love, whether it's happy or sad experiences, and it always reminds them of those scattered memories of the past."
The Queen looked at Margaret,
"Rita, do you really think Professor Lu..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the Queen's eyes widened,
because she noticed two faint tear streaks on her granddaughter's face.
Margaret turned her head to the side,
"Grandmother, I'm fine."
Fine, my foot!
The Queen said helplessly, "That Professor Lu of yours is truly a scoundrel."
Margaret, feeling defensive at the accusation against Professor Lu, retorted, "How can Professor Lu be a scoundrel?"
The Queen said, "If not a scoundrel, then he's certainly the most understanding scoundrel when it comes to women's hearts~"