Chapter 34: Competitor
Shrugging his shoulders, unlike Ollie Berry whose expression was solemn, Shuka Berg, her scene partner, showed no pressure at all.
However, at this moment, as a fellow actor, Shuka Berg tried his best to remain quiet so that his "temporary partner" could immerse herself more fully into the role.
"I'm sorry, I feel deeply sorry..."
This time, it was Shuka Berg, playing "Loki," who started the scene.
Though he was just a supporting role, as a professional opera actor, Shuka Berg’s emotional progression was still on point.
"No, wait a moment!"
Upon hearing "Loki" bring news of her father’s death, the voice of "Natasha," played by Ollie Berry, trembled as if on the verge of breaking down.
"He was a worthy warrior. This... this is something your father asked me to give you."
As the dialogue progressed, a ring engraved with a golden rose appeared in "Loki’s" hand.
"It now returns to its rightful owner."
According to the script of Bloodshadow Rose, at this moment, Natasha still refused to believe the truth of her father’s death. However, the bloodstains on the rose ring struck her heart like a heavy hammer.
"Mr. Loki, please... leave."
"Natasha—"
"Leave!"
A hysterical scream burst from "Natasha’s" mouth. Her twisted face and tear-streaked cheeks made everyone present feel the genuine anguish in Ollie Berry's performance.
...
"Anna, looks like she’s your fan. That performance clearly had traces of your style."
"Mhm."
Hearing Klan Roland's quiet assessment, Anna Moonshadow, the current lead actress of Bloodshadow Rose, could certainly tell that Ollie Berry’s anguished and contorted performance was mimicking her own.
But for some reason, Anna Moonshadow frowned slightly.
"Her emotions are spot-on, the lines are clear, but... the performance is a bit too forceful."
"That's not what you call ‘too forceful.’"
Before Anna could finish, Roman Roland, the troupe leader seated in the center, interjected:
"It's just that her facial muscle control is off. Her facial muscles are all over the place. That kind of crying doesn’t really look like Natasha."
As someone who had seen countless performers, Roman Roland's critique was precise.
The people around him naturally understood what he meant.
In short, he thought Ollie Berry’s crying was too ugly...
Even though she was deliberately imitating Anna Moonshadow, Anna’s refined acting had already achieved precise control over every inch of her facial muscles.
Even in a heart-wrenching crying scene, she could portray both beauty and sorrow, making the audience feel sympathy while still thinking, "As expected of the most beautiful woman in the Rose Kingdom—she even looks heartbreakingly beautiful when she cries."
"But still, it’s barely passable. Her vocal quality is quite good, though still a few breaths behind Anna."
"Then why not just let me continue playing the young Natasha? Saves you the trouble of recruiting."
To Anna Moonshadow's half-joking, half-resentful remark, Roman Roland, who was still watching the performance on stage, chose to ignore it.
Instead, it was David Berg, who had been sitting quietly on the side without much comment, who chuckled and said:
"With your current height, if you played Natasha in her youth, the audience would be pulled out of the story. Of course, in your current condition, playing the adult Natasha is a perfect fit."
"If you keep quiet, no one will think you’re mute."
Shot down by David Berg's jab at her weakness, Anna Moonshadow rolled her eyes coldly and said nothing more, continuing to watch the performance.
And even after receiving that cold glare, David Berg still smiled cheerfully, shrugged, and refocused on the audition performance.
...
By now, the performance had reached its halfway point.
After driving out "Loki," the grief-stricken Natasha locked herself in her room and sang out her sorrow under the moonlight—mourning her father Payne, and cursing his murderer, the Bloodborn Count Charlotte.
Just as Roman Roland had commented, Ollie Berry's singing performance was truly outstanding.
At the emotional peaks of her singing, even the other auditioners waiting backstage felt a wave of shared sadness.
"Hmph, that Ollie Berry is sneaky, actually using her wizard talent during the audition."
"Really? Do you know what her wizard talent is?"
Janna, who had also been listening attentively earlier, couldn’t help but ask curiously after hearing Liji Silks mutter to herself.
"A C-level mental talent—[Emotional Influence]. When activated, it can subtly affect others’ emotions."
"How do you know so much about this?"
"We’re in the same profession, and even the same department. Gathering intel on potential competitors is just standard practice."
Nodding in agreement, Janna thought that if she were more familiar with David Berg, she would also collect information on all her competitors.
This wasn’t a matter of lacking confidence—just her cautious nature at play.
"Cut!"
At that moment, Ollie Berry, still immersed in sorrow, was suddenly interrupted by a loud call.
She then looked in confusion toward the judges’ table where Klan Roland, the director, had spoken up.
After pausing for about three seconds, she wiped the tears from her face, straightened up, and bowed toward the judges.
"That was a good performance. You may step down now."
"Thank you, Director Klan."
Though she tried to stay calm, Ollie Berry, whose performance had been cut off two-thirds of the way through, was visibly nervous. Her constantly fidgeting fingers betrayed her anxiety.
"Next auditioner, please come to the stage."
...
"What’s going on? The most exciting part—the ‘hair-cutting and enlisting’ scene—hasn’t even happened yet... To be honest, I was really looking forward to it."
"Me too."
Watching Ollie Berry return to her seat looking uneasy, Janna, as an outsider, hadn’t seen any glaring flaws in the performance.
In fact, aside from the slightly awkward crying, she thought the spontaneous performance was quite brilliant overall.
"Look! Auditioner number two is playing the Bloodborn Count Charlotte... that’s a tough role to pull off!"
The Bloodborn Count Charlotte was the antagonist in Bloodshadow Rose.
Though a villain, the author David Berg had invested a lot of effort into his characterization.
Unlike cookie-cutter villains, his tragic backstory and the reasons behind his hatred for humans made the Bloodborn Count a complex and multi-dimensional character.
Of course, he was never redeemed by the end.
From Janna’s perspective, the character was well-developed but had a severely twisted psyche...