Chapter 254

"Wang Wu!!!"

Just as Li Ang rubbed the yellow tuft on his forehead, about to say something, he heard an unusually excited puppy yelp.

The cry sounded familiar; Li Ang turned toward the sound and saw a small Husky with a tuft of yellow hair on its head standing up from the counter across the room, tail wagging wildly, face beaming with delight at him.

Little Husky… so you've got a role too?

Recognizing the pup by that unique yellow tuft, Li Ang was about to call out to it—when the silk threads on his body transmitted a will, twisting his words before they could leave his mouth.

"What do I want? Don't you know, Agatha?"

Pulling his gaze away from the pup, Li Ang—or rather, "Mr. Joseph"—smoothed back his waxed yellow hair, then brushed his fingers lightly across his lips, producing a vivid red rose between them.

Chewing the slightly prickly rose sideways, he struck a series of flamboyant poses before grabbing Agatha's arm and drawing close, his eyes smoldering as he raised an eyebrow:

"Compared to this tavern's watered-down wine, what I truly desire is to pluck you, this blooming rose~"

"…"

Holy shit… what the hell kind of line is that?

Li Ang wasn't the only one repulsed by this over-the-top display; sensing the overpowering perfume radiating from "Mr. Joseph," the waitress "Agatha"'s bright smile grew strained.

"Mr. Joseph."

Placing a hand gently against Li Ang's chest, she pushed him away with soft strength, then glanced at the rose in his mouth and smiled as she declined:

"That's not right. If you truly love a rose, let her bloom in the garden!"

"After all, the rose you desire doesn't want ornate, expensive vases—she longs for boundless open land and sunlight unblocked by glass!"

"Yes yes yes! You're right!"

Unfazed by yet another rejection, "Mr. Joseph" spat out the thorny rose, then grinned as he licked his lips, still smiling broadly:

"As for land, my family owns the most in the whole city—my father left me estates stretching endlessly, all on sun-drenched slopes, perfect for your lovely rose!"

"Dear Agatha, if you love wild roses, I'll plant you an entire field of them—ha ha! Clearly, we're meant for each other!"

"…"

Got it. My 2B role is the rich landowner's idiot son, right?

…

"Mr. Joseph, that's not what I meant…"

Surprised that the idiot son still didn't get the hint, "Agatha" sighed helplessly.

Considering she planned to stay in this city only two more weeks before fleeing her arranged marriage, she let it drop and smiled instead:

"We'll talk about this later. Why don't you order first?"

"Alright alright!"

Hearing his beloved goddess speak, "Mr. Joseph" nodded eagerly, utterly oblivious to his yellow hair, waved his hand carelessly at the menu, and returned it with a cheap grin and a wink:

"Just these—same as always—and bring them to the table closest to the counter, the one best suited for admiring my rose."

"Alright…"

After the bewildered Princess departed, Li Ang sat back down, slightly loosening the transparent threads on his body, then narrowed his eyes in thought.

While acting under the threads' will, Li Ang hadn't been passive—he'd seized the moment when gripping "Agatha"'s arm to tug at the threads on her sleeve, trying to free her too.

But sadly, with his current contamination level under 5, barely escaping control via the 【Materialism】's resistance was already pushing his limits; trying to rescue someone from the 【Theater King】's 16-point contamination was pure fantasy.

So he'd just have to play along for now…

After performing several flamboyant gestures on his seat and sensing no resistance from the 【Theater King】, Li Ang had roughly gauged the threads' range of control.

Actions that were plausible, true to character, and theatrically compelling faced little interference.

But actions like earlier—preparing to speak to the goddess's dog instead of immediately declaring love—violated the role and were blocked.

That meant there was room to maneuver.

Watching the handsome young man across the restaurant chatting merrily with "Agatha," Li Ang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Judging from the earlier exchange, his role was clearly just a comic foil for the male lead—even now, he was staring jealously in that direction, likely to clash with the protagonist over jealousy soon.

According to the Princess's words, the main villain in this "Twelve Days Together" was Agatha's family—so he'd probably only appear in Act One, get humiliated by the male lead, and vanish after that; he might not even show up in Acts Two, Three, or Four.

That won't do!

Glancing toward the couple, yellow-haired Li Ang began devising ways to steal the spotlight, while pondering the core logic of the 【Theater Master】's domain ability.

If he guessed right, the original actress playing Agatha had nearly broken under the 【Theater Master】's endless manipulation—so Princess Victoria, the capital's most beautiful woman, was chosen as the new heroine.

After all, if anyone else had been cast as heroine, Victoria's beauty, grace, and figure would have utterly overshadowed her, ruining the play outright—the 【Theater Master】 had no choice.

As for why he'd become the rich landowner's idiot son…

Recalling his past, Li Ang's face darkened.

Indeed, he was perfect—his title as Duke of Lionheart made him the largest landowner in the entire theater, matching "Mr. Joseph"'s backstory of inheriting his father's fortune to become the town's richest man.

And coincidentally, everyone saw him as a wastrel who'd squandered his entire fortune on Victoria's beauty, donating the entire Lyon family estate to the royal house—now even the "obsessive puppy-lover" trope fit perfectly. Who else but him could play the idiot son?

…

"Mr. Joseph."

Just as Li Ang, scowling, prepared to intervene in the next plot of "Twelve Days Together," Agatha finished taking the male lead Elijah's order, returned from the kitchen with a steaming tray, and approached.

"Your drinks and dishes are ready."

Pressing two faint marks into the menu with her rose-juice-stained nails, "Agatha" smiled:

"I have other guests to attend to—I won't disturb you further. Enjoy your lunch~"

"…"

Enjoy… my lunch???

Staring at the tray—where a familiar sheep's head, roasted crimson, glazed with peppercorn sauce speckled with bits of meat, and clutching a large red apple in its mouth, stared back at him—Li Ang finally lost it.

Not… even Little Husky, but you've got a role too?!