After the roles were assigned, Noa’s group immediately began rehearsing Act One.

First, Director Noa explained the scene to everyone,

"Act One is about the first encounter between the male and female leads in the dungeon. We’ll need three actors in this scene: Dad, Mom, and Muen."

"At the beginning, Mom brings Muen to the dungeon. Then, Mom wants to talk privately with the enemy knight imprisoned there, so she sends Muen away."

"After Muen leaves, Mom enters the knight’s cell. A brief dialogue follows. Since this is our first rehearsal, we’ll just read directly from the script for now."

"Once you’ve memorized the lines, we’ll start acting for real."

"Does anyone have any questions about this scene?"

Questions...

Not really.

But this first act feels a little *too* familiar.

How do you *know* your mom just wanted to talk privately with your dad back in the day, and then, well—you and your sister happened?

Ah, inspiration truly comes from life... Leon thought to himself with a twinge of emotion.

"No questions, Noa," Claudia said.

"Alright, then let’s begin Act One."

At Noa’s command, the rehearsal officially started.

Actors who weren’t part of the first act stepped aside, clearing a large space in the classroom.

Muen, playing the maidservant, trailed closely behind Roswitha. They circled the classroom once.

"Your Highness, the wicked enemy knight is locked up in the cell just ahead. We’re going to interrogate him soon," Muen read her lines earnestly, with script in her hands.

To be fair, her line delivery was pretty impressive—natural and fluent.

Especially the way she said "wicked enemy knight," with crisp diction and heartfelt emotion. There wasn’t a trace of pity in her voice for her “father.”

And hearing "Your Highness" made Roswitha feel a hundred years younger.

Before becoming a queen, when wasn’t she a little princess cherished by all?

Pulling herself back from her thoughts, Roswitha began to recite her lines as well:

"Very well. But before that, let me talk privately with the knight to see if I can extract any useful information."

"Understood. Please be careful, Your Highness."

"Hmm, I will."

Muen stepped aside, while Roswitha, holding her script, walked forward.

Meanwhile, Leon was already in character as the captured knight.

Although he hadn’t started reciting his lines, he perfectly embodied the defiance, shame, and stubborn resolve of someone who had been captured. His performance was so realistic, which was almost heartbreaking.

Damn it, General Leon. Your experience playing a prisoner is too refined—it hurts to watch.

What’s your secret? (Crossed out)

Roswitha stifled a chuckle as she watched him.

She stepped forward, stopping in front of Leon, and recited her line,

"Oh, dear captive, you’re more handsome than I expected. Such a pity that you’re in such a sorry state now."

After delivering the line, Roswitha frowned slightly.

Why did that line feel… weird?

She glanced over at Noa and Helena.

The director and screenwriter hadn’t called for a stop, so she decided not to halt the scene either and continued acting.

But before she could say her next line, Helena spoke up.

"Wait a moment, Aunt Roswitha."

"What is it?"

"Um… when I wrote this line, it didn’t seem like there was a problem. But now that you’re performing it, it feels… out of place."

Holding the script, Helena analyzed with reason and logic,

"The princess in our storyline is a proud and capable character. Everything is under her control. This helps set up the unexpected twist when she later falls in love with the enemy knight, creating a sharp contrast that’s central to the plot."

"So at this point, the princess—who controls the situation—probably wouldn’t say something like ‘more handsome than I expected.’ It needs a revision."

As she spoke, Helena looked up at Claudia, her expression seeking assistance.

"Your analysis makes sense, Helena. So how do we rework the line?" Claudia asked.

"Well…"

The dragon-girl writer scratched her temple, troubled. For the moment, she was at a loss for how to adjust the line to fit the princess’s characterization.

She stared at the script, which was already densely covered with revisions, yet couldn’t pinpoint the right words to convey the character.

"I have a suggestion," Roswitha suddenly said.

Helena looked up eagerly. "Auntie, please share!"

Setting her script aside, Roswitha turned slowly towards Leon and lightly cupped his chin with her fingers.

Meeting his dark eyes, her gaze turned silky yet aloof as she whispered,

"Such a ruggedly handsome man. The scars on your face—the perfect touch to a flawless visage."

Her voice was sultry but not overtly playful, her demeanor haughty yet tinged with a certain scornful amusement.

It fit perfectly with the characterization Helena envisioned for her protagonist princess.

"Yes! That’s exactly it! Auntie, you’re amazing!" Helena exclaimed in excitement.

Ha! Amazing, indeed. Back in the day, this was exactly what Auntie said to your Uncle.

Nearby, Claudia smiled with a look that seemed to say, *Ah, it makes sense now.*

But everyone’s attention was squarely on the leads, so no one noticed her expression.

"However… as good as the new line is, it still feels like something’s missing… maybe a conflict?"

Claudia offered a professional reminder, "Lines alone might not create enough tension. You could try using body language to heighten the conflict between the characters."

With this insight, Helena had an epiphany.

She and Noa tested a few movements on the spot.

But none of them quite brought out the dynamic they were aiming for.

Just as they were starting to feel stumped, Roswitha spoke up again,

"About body language—I have another idea."

Saying this, Roswitha extended her tail, slowly winding it around Leon’s neck.

"Wow~ Just one glance at the script, and Auntie, you already nailed the princess’s character!" Helena praised earnestly.

It wasn’t just your princess character. It was also who Auntie used to be.

"Dear dragoness… we’re just acting. No need to be *this* committed..."

"For the sake of our kids’ artistic pursuits, do bear with it, husband."

"...Fine. You win."

Despite Leon's reluctant words, Roswitha made sure to control the strength of her tail.

After all, a one-to-one reenactment of her “glorious achievements” back then wouldn’t do.

The couple continued reading their lines.

As the rehearsal progressed, the script underwent numerous adjustments, which became increasingly refined, with lines that better aligned with both the plot and the characters.

By the end of the morning, they had already reached the scene where the male and female leads developed romantic feelings for each other, though the male lead had no choice but to return to his homeland.

Over lunch, Helena lavished praise on the couple’s acting.

"Uncle, Auntie, you’ve perfectly brought my vision of the characters to life! It’s just spot on! Acting skills—ten out of ten!"

The couple exchanged a glance.

Hmph, kiddo, let us teach you a saying:

Life is just like a play. No acting required—it’s all just memories.