Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 367

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 137.
May Your Final Performance
Be Your Greatest (12)
“But couldn’t other people just watch what I do and copy it? Naturally, the person who goes first is at a disadvantage. The person who goes last will obviously do incredibly well….”
The crowd watched Joshua’s face, anticipating some brilliant rebuttal. But their expectations were dashed. Joshua furrowed his brow and wagged his index finger.
“Ugh, enough with the noise. Do you think I won’t notice if you do well? Stop complaining and just sing.”
“….”
Bin suddenly stood up, cleared away the table where Joshua had been standing, and created space. Then he placed two chairs atop a table pushed against the back wall. Joshua understood immediately, nodding and climbing onto the table, settling into one of the chairs. From there, he rested his chin as if gazing down below the window, and gestured to the participant who still hesitated with paper in hand.
“Begin.”
There was no choice. The participant looked up at Joshua on the table, exhaled once, and began singing in tune with the note Strauss’s violin provided.
Hidden prince,
No, young Count,
A serenade? How absurd—there’s no moon in the sky,
When they reached that point, Joshua rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and tapped the chair beside him sharply.
“Stop. You fail.”
The participant’s mouth twisted.
“See! I told you I was at a disadvantage!”
“Don’t worry. I think you’d be perfect for the head maid role.”
“I’m not playing the head maid!”
“Is that so? Then farewell.”
As Joshua turned his head, the participants who had scrambled backward to avoid being selected next became visible, pressed against the wall. Joshua raised his eyebrows slightly.
“It won’t matter when you go. Mrs. Molte, send the next one.”
Thus the next selected participant began singing the very next verse from where the first participant’s song had ended.
This is no rose garden,
And I am a lady.
The decision was made right there. Joshua showed no concern for the participant’s feelings, nor did he ask for anyone else’s opinion. The moment he decided it wasn’t right, he cut them off, and didn’t even tell the departing person to wait just in case. He seemed utterly indifferent to anything that didn’t meet his standards.
The next person looked frightened even before beginning.
One who feigns sleep—
Failed on the opening note.
No, one who laughs,
We should sing the morning hymn, but the sun has already risen,
We are not tragic lovers,
And it is time to depart.
Joshua waved his hand to stop the song and spoke.
“How about the role of Princess Albertine?”
Though disappointed, this participant accepted readily enough, as it was a substantial role.
Next.
The night we spent together,
No, the night we actually deceived each other,
“Sophie Abdel’s role.”
Your lies were endearing, you know. I saw right through them.
You’re not the sort of person who can hide their true feelings.
And your siblings knew it too, didn’t they?
“Joshua’s Sister, take the stage.”
Come down here.
Your voice alone disqualifies you.
This may not be a rose garden,
but Joshua, squinting his eyes, didn’t even bother saying she was disqualified—he simply gestured for the next candidate.
though we do have primrose and miscanthus,
and a Priest to absolve us both of our sins
chirping away in a tuxedo,
“You yourself could serve as the head maidservant, if you wished.”
Among the few remaining participants, not a sound escaped. The moment Joshua deemed someone unsuitable, he dismissed them with a gesture within seconds—much like a child selecting toys, carelessly tossing aside anything that displeased him. A few of the onlookers coughed, and Mrs. Molte cleared her throat several times. Finally, Bin Olfranje, who had been sitting askew, opened his mouth.
“Aren’t your decisions rather hasty?”
An immediate response came.
“Yes, they are.”
“There are three left, and if you cut them all down like this, where do you intend to find the leading lady?”
“New participants will arrive.”
“Will you reject the newcomers just as ruthlessly? I understand the preparation period is already tight.”
“No matter how little time we have, I cannot share a stage with someone lacking talent.”
“Perhaps your standards are simply too high. If you listened further, they might prove adequate, wouldn’t they?”
“I’m already lowering my standards considerably.”
Joshua’s retort—arrogant and bordering on offensive—seemed to bore him, so he stood and leaped down from the table.
“Yet there’s not a single person worth salvaging.”
Bin responded coldly.
“At this rate, we’ll all be preparing the stage without a leading lady.”
“If I can’t find anyone by the end, I’ll rewrite the script.”
“By reducing Marie’s role?”
“No. I’ll eliminate the character entirely.”
Giovani, listening in, let out an exasperated whistle.
“Are you saying you’ll rewrite the script so Marie de Trois doesn’t appear at all? Then who on earth will be in it?”
“I’ll have Maximilien fall in love with the Cat in the Backyard instead.”
The expressions on everyone’s faces were a sight to behold. They even exchanged glances with one another, and soon laughter erupted. Mrs. Molte was the first to laugh.
“Ha, ha, haha, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”
“Listen, Mrs. Molte. That fellow doesn’t seem to be joking.”
“Does it matter? As long as it’s funny. I think I’m dying of laughter, I’m about to collapse. Haha, hahaha….”
Joshua stared at Mrs. Molte for a moment, then suddenly burst into song.
Hidden Prince,
or rather, young Count,
A serenade? How absurd—there’s no moon in the sky,
This isn’t a rose garden,
and I’m a young lady.
Someone pretending to sleep—
no, someone smiling—
I should sing the morning hymn, though the sun has already risen.
We’re not tragic lovers,
and it’s time for me to leave.
That night we spent together,
no, that night we deceived each other—
your lies were endearing, you know. I understood it all.
You’re not the sort of person who can hide your true feelings.
And your siblings knew as well, didn’t they?
Come down here.
This isn’t a rose garden,
but there are primroses and silver grass,
and a Priest to absolve us both of our sins
is chirping away in a tuxedo,
and even without a single silver coin, it’s your land—
I stand upon it with my feet.
I stand here waiting for you.
When the song ended, the silence that fell was inevitable. Joshua turned toward the contestants.
“In case you didn’t know, I’m the one playing Maximilien. Since time is short, only those who can perform a duet with me should come forward. If you don’t think you can manage it, there are only minor roles left—you can stay for those, or you can simply leave.”
The result was predictable. In the Practice Room now emptied of all remaining contestants, Joshua muttered in apparent bewilderment.
“So I really am the Backyard Cat.”
“If you think anyone would stay after hearing your song, you’re delusional. Hehehehe.”
Hearing Mrs. Molte’s voice, Joshua turned and said, “Ah.”
“Why don’t you give it a try, madam? We could rewrite it so that Maximilien becomes infatuated with Madame Constance de Bandeville’s wealth and dignified charm, and they marry instead…”
“What on earth do you think a script is!”
“Changing a script is hardly difficult, is it? If you’d like, I could write twelve different versions in a single night.”
Mrs. Molte glanced at Giovani and shrugged her shoulders.
“He doesn’t sound like he’s joking, does he?”
“Well, he’s not. Didn’t you say he wrote the current script in just a day or two?”
But Bin Olfranje lacked the flexibility of older men. He stood up sharply, striking the armrest, and spoke.
“Let’s keep the jokes within reason. You’ve set an impossibly tight schedule, but do you actually intend to create something properly? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that comment about rewriting the script. I’ve heard that among the students Mrs. Molte taught, the ones who came here are the most talented, but if you chase them away like this, where do you plan to find someone better? If there’s no other way to cast the role of Marie by today, we’ll have no choice but to pick one of the supporting actors we’ve already assigned.”
Joshua laughed unexpectedly.
“Is that so? Then who do you think would be best?”
Bin hesitated for a moment, blinking his eyes several times.
“Well, who would you pick? Albertine? Sophie? Irene? The head maid? Choose quickly. I honestly can’t decide.”
“In my opinion…”
Bin looked over the contestants and furrowed his brow, attempting to single out one of them. But it wasn’t easy. The problem wasn’t really their abilities; rather, Bin simply lacked the capacity to assess them based on hearing only a line or two of song.
The door opened at that moment.
At first, only a few turned to look, but soon everyone did. A person entered and strode directly toward Bin, then suddenly kicked out his knee. Simultaneously, they cried out loudly.
“Even if you come back now, I will never—never open this door for you again! Go ahead and live wherever you please, however you like!”
Paying no mind to the others present, the girl spat out the words and immediately turned toward the door. In the doorway, Etern, who had followed her in, was desperately trying to salvage the situation, struggling to meet the eyes of the bewildered onlookers one by one. But the girl had walked forward so blindly that she headbutted Etern directly, then stumbled backward in shock.
“What?”
Everyone stopped what they were thinking and stared at the girl. Several had their mouths slightly agape. Only then did the girl feel their gazes upon her. Her face flushed crimson, and her breathing became ragged before she finally burst into tears.
“Wait, um, look here. Yes? Olfranje?”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The copyright to this book belongs to the author and 14 Months Publishing.
To reuse all or part of the contents of this book, written consent from both parties is required.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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