Soon, it was time for Furina to take the stage.
Furina had prepared backstage early. Although it wasn't an official performance, it was her first time performing in front of outsiders. She felt a bit nervous, her heart rate quickening slightly.
In the Inner Space, Rina keenly sensed the change in Furina's heart. She quietly emerged, placing her hands gently on Furina's shoulders and infusing Hydro into her body, calming Furina's flustered heart.
Although Rina had no physical body and Furina couldn't feel her touch, she could vaguely sense that Rina was comforting her.
This was the telepathy between twins.
Furina gradually calmed down. She reached up to straighten her collar, adjusted her state, and prepared to go on stage.
"Thank you, Other Me."
'Hmph!' Rina huffed in a tsundere manner.
"Lady Furina, it's your turn." A backstage staff member reminded her.
"I know," Furina replied, and then she stepped solemnly onto the path leading to the stage.
"Clack... clack... clack..." The crisp sound of Furina's shoes hitting the floor echoed in the empty room. Her previously casual demeanor vanished, and her entire aura seemed to shift instantly as she walked toward the stage with a serious, solemn expression.
It was as if she was born for the stage.
"Vin ou bière, (Wine or beer,)
Bière ou vin, (Beer or wine,)
Que mon verre (May my glass)
Soit plein!" (Be full!)
[T/L: French Opera Faust, Act 2: Vin ou bière?]
Furina began to sing, her clear voice resounding through the entire rehearsal room.
Every pitch and every scale was perfectly accurate, and her beautiful timbre was truly intoxicating.
"Stunning vocals!"
"Ah? This singing level crushes every actor in our troupe!"
"For sure! I don't even know if anyone in all of Fontaine can surpass Lady Furina!"
After finishing a section of the lyrics, Furina began to perform according to the script.
She handled almost every movement, expression, and detail perfectly.
Although her acting couldn't yet match her heavenly singing, her skill was already on par with the star actors of the Opera Epiclese Troupe.
Thao and the troupe members watched in a daze.
"No, I mean... well..." He admitted that his previous worries were unnecessary.
Who would have thought the usually busy Lady Furina would be such a genius at acting!
Immediately after, everyone was overjoyed.
This was a guaranteed hit. Once Furina finished her scene, she went backstage to the lounge.
In the lounge, Thao was already waiting for her.
Thao looked at Furina with an adoring expression and said excitedly. "Lady Furina! I didn't expect your performance to be so exquisite!"
Perhaps Thao's previous words and actions were out of fear and awe of her status as the Hydro Archon, but this time, he was deeply impressed by her high-level performance, without any hint of flattery.
Furina said proudly. "Really? Am I that good? Perhaps as a god, I'm usually so excellent in all aspects that I didn't notice how suited I am to being an actor."
As she spoke, she put her hands on her hips and looked at Thao with a beaming face.
Thao didn't feel jealous or dissatisfied by Furina's humblebragging; instead, he admired her even more.
The same went for the other troupe members. They had initially questioned whether Furina had real talent, but once she took the stage, all doubts vanished.
Furina used her strength to earn the respect of everyone in the Opera Epiclese Troupe in their professional field, drama.
Rina watched Furina's performance. Though she said nothing, she was very happy and relieved in her heart.
'Hehe, my Furina is just that amazing!'
Furina completed the rest of the performance with equally excellent results. After returning to the Palais Mermonia, she went into the Inner Space.
Having successfully completed her first performance for others, Furina was very excited.
"Other Me! Other Me! Did you see my performance just now?" Furina excitedly grabbed Rina's hands and shook it, wanting to share the joy.
"I saw it, but it's just a rehearsal. Don't get too excited."
Rina promptly poured cold water on her, signaling her not to get ahead of herself, though her poorly hidden smile was fully seen by Furina.
With 6 days left until the performance, Furina basically didn't need further rehearsal. She only needed to do a stage walkthrough at the Opera Epiclese the day before. Instead, the other actors in the Opera Epiclese Troupe needed more practice to avoid dragging Furina down.
Now Thao could confidently build up the hype.
Over the next few days, he brought in media reporters, leaking insider info like squeezing toothpaste every day. Combined with the already widely spread news, the heat of the event continued to soar.
Opera Epiclese Troupe Rehearsal Insider! Lady Furina's Performance Is Actually...
Breaking News! The Opera Epiclese Troupe Collectively...
Similar news headlines were released in quick succession. The public's attention was captured repeatedly, keeping the discussion at its peak for a week. The Opera Epiclese Troupe became one of the most famous troupes in a short time.
Thao was somewhat similar to the Otto of the other world; at least in terms of controlling public opinion and grasping people's hearts, they both played the game very well.
Meanwhile, other troupes... As one of Fontaine's top-ranked troupes, the Entropy Reversal Theater Troupe was currently in a frenzy. Their performance heat had declined significantly, with almost all the benefits being swallowed by the Opera Epiclese Troupe.
The troupe leader, Vacher, inquired everywhere for insider info on the Opera Epiclese Troupe. Unfortunately, Thao managed the troupe like a solid block of steel. Aside from the information he wanted people to know, not a single bit of other intelligence was leaked.
A troupe with Furina involved was essentially a troupe backed by Fontaine's authorities. He couldn't possibly look for death by trying to pull any sneaky tricks.
Fontaine's drama world seemed peaceful and prosperous, but internal struggles were inevitable, and some unspeakable methods would be used to some extent.
It couldn't be helped; ultimately, their essence was commercial competition.
Fortunately, with the macro-level regulation of Furina and Neuvillette, the competition between troupes remained healthy and wouldn't develop into a cutthroat situation.
Soon, six days passed.
Furina's debut performance was about to take place at the Opera Epiclese...