Part to Play
Evil Witch: "Ah ha ha ha! Foolish princess! I'll never allow ya to marry the prince!" "His lawful wedded wife shall be me, the witch! Now seize her, yeah?!"
Witch's Underlings: "Right!"
Princess: "N-no, I will never allow you to..."
Valentine's Hildegarde: Oh, but this is foolishness itself. What are we even DOING?
Notte: Wait, what?! YOU were the one who said you always wanted the princess role whenever your orphanage put on a play! We're just trying to help you do that. You weren't just making all that up, were you?
Valentine's Hildegarde: Heaven forbid! Lies are this world's most abominable of evils! However, I merely wanted to TELL you of this memory—not to have you attempt to rectify it in the present day.
Ranzal: Look, you're dressed all princess-like, and I spent at least ten minutes tryin' to memorize these lines, so we might as well do this thing, yeah?
Cleo: Ranzal is correct about your dress; it truly does make you look like royalty.
Elisanne: I quite agree. Incidentally, now that we've all broken character, what roles DID you used to play when you were a child? I assume the fact you always wanted to be cast as the princess means you were usually given other roles instead?
Valentine's Hildegarde: W-well...
Ranzal: Uh oh. Is it that bad? Were ya like Sad Mute Villager or somethin'? Or didja have to play Big Bad Fiend?
Valentine's Hildegarde: DEFINITELY not!
Euden: Still, I never pictured you wanting to be a princess.
Valentine's Hildegarde: I'm well aware the role does not suit me.
Euden: Oh, that's not what I'm saying at all. I just think it's kind of cute.
Valentine's Hildegarde: Pray do not tease me about this; I had a very serious reason for wanting to play such a part.
Elisanne: And what was that?
Valentine's Hildegarde: Someone always comes to the rescue of a princess in the end. I have always been...intensely jealous of this fact.
Notte: Oh, man. You wanted to be a princess because it meant your parents might come back for you?
Valentine's Hildegarde: ......
Ranzal: "Enough'a the gloominess! Seize her!" No, seriously, there ain't no reason to be so down about this—ya got a chance to make yer childhood dream come true!
Notte: Yeah! Just have fun being a princess! Hey, why don't we just skip to the scene where a prince comes to rescue you?
Valentine's Hildegarde: And who is playing this prince?
Euden: *cough*
Notte: Hee hee! Well, if you want a serious method actor, he's your man! Okay, so we're gonna do the scene after the evil witch is defeated, which is the climactic kiss! Let's gooo!
Elisanne: A k-kiss?!
Valentine's Hildegarde: I don't remember there being a kissing scene in this play.
Notte: Eh, I figured it'd be more exciting this way, so I threw one in.
Euden: You probably should have run that decision past the rest of us first.
Notte: It doesn't have to be a REAL kiss! Just get real close and act like it or whatever. Now places, everyone! And remember, this is all for Hildegarde!
Euden: O-okay...
Notte: Aaaand...ACTION!
Euden: "I have come for you, Princess. I was so worried when I heard that you had been captured, I thought my heart would break."
Valentine's Hildegarde: (A-are we really going to do a kiss scene?!)
Euden: "But the pain I endured made me realize that what I feel for you is true love."
Valentine's Hildegarde: (W-well, I'm older than him, I should be able to handle this...)
Euden: "Can you possibly return my feelings?"
Valentine's Hildegarde: (Everyone is pouring their heart and soul into this play, and it's all for me.)
Princess: "I...I l-l-love y-yoo..."
Valentine's Hildegarde: (I can't make all of their effort for nothing. B-but a kiss?!)
Euden: I'm so glad that you feel the same way. Then let us kiss, that our feelings for one another may never change.
Valentine's Hildegarde: Noooooooo!
Euden: Aaargh!
Notte: You okay, Euden?!
Euden: Yeah, I think she just grazed me.
Notte: Okay, what is this, Improv 101? The script clearly does NOT tell you to knock the prince out!
Valentine's Hildegarde: I'm sorry, but I simply cannot do something so obscene as a public display of affection. And even if you weren't all watching me, the goddess would be! Such lewd behavior would not please her in the slightest.
Cleo: I see acting in a play only goes so far toward changing a person's nature.
Valentine's Hildegarde: I cannot and shall not lie to the goddess. You all have my heartfelt apologies.
Euden: I think we're going to have to come up with a plan B here, everyone.
Notte: Heck, "plan B" is my middle name! What else you want, Hildegarde?
Valentine's Hildegarde: I can only think of a single wish I have truly ever wanted...
Euden: Is that...
Valentine's Hildegarde: Yes. I want to find my parents. Oh, but I am a pathetic fool to continue to cling to this! Still, I have always yearned for them to come and see me perform. Every time I took the stage, I would search for their faces in the audience.
Euden: Hoping your parents will show up for a play seems like a VERY roundabout way to find them. Why don't we just go look for them?
Valentine's Hildegarde: Oh, this is all naive foolishness. What interest would they possibly have in seeing me after all this time?!
Euden: If you're always afraid of the first step, you'll never take a journey. There are some wishes that prayer alone can't grant, remember? And just hoping for it won't get the job done either. So let's go out there and make your dream come true—together.
Valentine's Hildegarde: ...... Your guiding voice has reached me more plainly than any oracle.
Euden: Then...?
Valentine's Hildegarde: Yes. Thanks to you, I feel I can finally leave my weakness in the past. Will you help me find my parents?
Euden: You've dreamed of this long enough; let's go make it come true.
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