Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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When Si Huang emerged after changing her costume, it was just as Lei Qie and Le Xian finished filming their first scene together.
In the sunlight, her short, silver-gray hair was bathed in a hazy glow, each strand meticulously crafted, just like her face beneath it— icy and aloof, yet exquisitely flawless.
Within this youthful face, like that of a divine being, lay a pair of deep, dark eyes, like the closing curtain of midnight, rippling with a galaxy of stars; if you dared to look into them, be prepared to lose yourself within. There was a moment of stunned silence on set. Xiao Jin and Finn, among others, remained relatively calm, having witnessed Si Huang’s allure in her new costume during their auditions.
“Haha, looks like you haven’t grown taller in the last six months? The costume fits perfectly; it was made to your measurements before,” Finn teased Si Huang as he approached.
Si Huang looked at him quietly, and only after Finn felt a little more comfortable under her gaze did she smile with narrowed eyes, returning to her usual demeanor. “It’s only been half a year.”
Finn said dryly, “Yeah, you’re only seventeen, right? You’ve definitely grown a lot!”
Seeing Si Huang nod with a smile, he silently walked to the side, giving his seat to Xiao Jin, thinking to himself: Strange, it’s just a change of hairstyle, but I feel pressured standing in front of him!
Xiao Jin asked Si Huang, “Ready?”
“Yes.” Si Huang.
Xiao Jin: “Okay, let’s go then. Everyone else, get ready.” He gave Lei Qie a particularly warning look, signaling him not to cause any trouble.
Lei Qie silently mouthed to him: Don’t worry!
He was now very curious about the surprises this young man could bring him. The group headed from the exterior to the ancient Roman palace.
The decorations here were extremely luxurious, with towering ceilings painted with mythological murals, and crystal chandeliers illuminating the entire palace and church as if it were daytime. A long, red carpet with gold trim stretched from the entrance to the staircase leading to the throne at the top. Lampstands lined both sides of the carpet, and candles flickered, their light more dazzling than starlight.
Leaving aside the cost of renting this palace as a filming location, the sheer amount of candles consumed by the set design alone would be staggering.
New actors, encountering such lavish and extravagant filming sets for the first time, might feel incredibly excited and confident, believing they will leave a lasting impression on the audience. And that was certainly true. However, only after actually trying it would one realize it was not that simple— the grander the set, the higher the demands on the actor. Either the set would enhance their performance, or the actor would be overshadowed by the dazzling spectacle, appearing dull and lifeless. The audience’s feedback will likely be: “No acting skills! So stiff! So out of place!” and similar criticisms.
Under Xiao Jin’s arrangement, the extras dressed as divine servants quickly took to the stage, dividing into two groups and standing ramrod straight with their heads bowed on either side of the red carpet.
“Attention everyone…lights, camera…”
“5, 4, 3, 2, action!”
A beautiful woman in magnificent robes strode into the palace, ignoring the assembled divine messengers. After looking around but not finding the person she sought, she shouted sharply, “Mithius! Mithius! Come out here! Where are you? I know you can hear me, come out now!”
The divine servants on either side of the floor remained motionless, like lifeless statues, even as the woman called out their god’s name.
“Mithius—!”
The sharp cry rang out, then abruptly ceased.
The magnificent woman seemed to sense something and abruptly turned towards the doorway.
The professional filming crew nimbly shifted the camera back towards the palace gate.
Everyone’s gaze instantly locked onto the figure at the entrance.
Then, everyone felt the atmosphere change— a silent, invisible yet real shift, all because of the sudden burst of that person’s aura.
The young, silver-haired high priest, the center of faith for all the people of the ancient kingdom, was a flawless being.
From the moment he appeared at the palace gate, his spotless white shoes stepped across the threshold, each step seemingly meticulously calculated, neither too big nor too small, neither too far nor too far. Each step on the crimson carpet left a shallow indentation that slowly healed, yet it felt as if his footsteps were pounding on one’s heart, each step adding to the pressure. By the time he stood before them, even their breathing unconsciously slowed.
Pressure!
Immense oppressive force!
Xiao Jin’s face instantly tightened. He realized he had underestimated Si Huang. This man’s presence on set was far more terrifying than during the audition.
He didn’t know if he had held back during the audition or if he had grown significantly in just six months.
Lei Qie tensed up for a moment, looking like a leopard ready to pounce, startling Le Xian beside him. But then, as if realizing his surroundings, he slowly tried to relax.
“I knew it,” he murmured, staring at Si Huang in the scene.
Le Xian didn’t hear him clearly but didn’t intend to ask. He looked at Si Huang, who was filming, with complicated emotions, wondering if he would be completely led by him again if he were acting opposite him.
Even those off-screen could feel the pressure Si Huang exerted, let alone the woman acting opposite him.
The woman stared blankly as the young silver-haired priest approached, her lips trembling slightly, momentarily forgetting her lines.
Xiao Jin frowned, already prepared for a retake and called for a stop.
“No noise is allowed in the temple, Your Majesty.” The cold tone couldn’t hide the beautiful and melodious voice.
The woman was startled, her steps involuntarily faltering backward, looking somewhat embarrassed.
The young, silver-haired priest seemed oblivious to her unseemly behavior, or perhaps it simply didn’t register in his deep, mysterious eyes.
“Mithius…” The woman opened her mouth, but aside from the priest’s name, she couldn’t recall what else to say. A little flustered, yet still maintaining her professional demeanor, she didn’t break character before the director yelled “cut.”
“I already know the Queen’s purpose here.” The young, silver-haired priest walked forward without looking back.
The woman looked up in astonishment.
“He changed his lines,” Finn whispered in Xiao Jin’s ear.
Xiao Jin’s face was ashen. “Let’s see.”
At this moment, the young, silver-haired priest had already ascended the red carpeted steps, reaching the highest seat.
As he sat there, looking down at the woman standing below…
So what if she was an ancient queen? Second only to the emperor.
In the eyes of the gods, she was nothing more than an ant among the masses.
The woman wanted to resist, but found herself, under those eyes, her already jumbled lines incoherent, unsure how to utter a single word.
“The divine water is ready; Your Majesty, please fetch it yourself.” The priest on the high throne uttered a slight movement of his lips.
This was an attempt to dismiss her.
The woman, however, finally remembered her lines after being reminded by the words “divine water.”
But her lines were already jumbled, so she could only slightly alter them to better suit the current situation.
“No! I didn’t come to fetch the divine water! Bishop Mithius… His Majesty’s health is failing, and the parasites within the dynasty are eager to corrupt this rich and beautiful land. They have even induced His Majesty to find a filthy bast**d to impersonate His Majesty’s noble bloodline! What’s terrifying is that His Majesty actually believed them!”
“I simply cannot believe it… Your Majesty, only you can uphold justice now! His Majesty’s bloodline belongs only to Prince Aske; who else is more suitable to inherit the throne? Don’t you agree?”
The woman spoke with dramatic intonation, her eyes flashing with resentment and ambition, the last sentence subtly carrying a hint of threat.
This performance was remarkably lifelike, quite different from her previous dazed demeanor, prompting scoffs from the audience, “Although the lines were slightly altered, it suits her perfectly!”
“It’s thanks to Si Huang’s excellent guidance,” Xiao Jin shook his head. “Si Huang is different from Lei Qie. Lei Qie only cares about himself; the more he overwhelms his opponent with his aura, the happier he is. Si Huang, however, considers the overall situation. Even if his aura overwhelms his opponent, he still leads the drama. Sometimes, he can even make his opponent perform exceptionally well under his pressure.”
Finn’s expression shifted continuously before he let out a laugh, “I told you this kid is amazing!”
Xiao Jin didn’t reply, thinking to himself that this was more than just amazing! For Si Huang’s age to possess such strength was simply terrifying!
“Yes.”
After a brief silence, the young silver-haired priest on the high throne spoke slowly in his usual clear and selfless voice, “Aske will inherit the throne.”
Upon receiving these words, the queen revealed a relieved and joyful smile, as if the priest’s words would surely come true.
The Queen straightened her robes, raised her chin, and adopted her usual elegant demeanor, smiling demurely at the priest. “The whole kingdom knows that the words of the Bishop Mithius are the will of God. With your words, I can rest assured.”
The young, silver-haired priest remained silent, lowering his gaze. His long, thick eyelashes cast soft shadows on his snow-white skin.
Such beauty surpassed even that of the Queen, once hailed as the kingdom’s most beautiful woman, making the Queen unable to resist taking a second look, her heart filled with both amazement and envy.
After the Queen lifted her skirt and left, the silver-haired priest on his high seat raised his hand.
A priestly attendant immediately brought a vessel.
The silver-haired priest placed his hand above the vessel; his slender fingers, like his face, seemed sculpted from ice and snow.
Such flawless, clean hands had effortlessly stirred up a bloody storm in an ancient kingdom.
“Take the divine water to His Majesty,” the young, silver-haired priest said calmly, pulling his hand back into the wide sleeves of his priestly robes. “Inform His Majesty’s guards that the Queen is plotting to assassinate him. If she resists, she may be executed on the spot.”
The attendant beside him, head bowed, remained motionless. Upon hearing the last sentence, his hand holding the vessel trembled slightly.
The young, silver-haired priest glanced at him.
“Thump—!”
The attendant suddenly knelt, his hands still holding the vessel high, his head touching the ground.
“A kingdom cannot be without a king. Tomorrow, Prince Aske will ascend the throne.”
“Yes!”
This scene should have ended here, but no one called for a halt.
Everyone stared at the person on the high seat.
When the young silver-haired priestess closed his eyes, obscuring his dark pupils, he appeared bathed in holy light under the glow of the crystal chandelier.
His white high priestly robes, silver hair, snow-white face, even the red of his lips resembled the color of a lotus nurtured in a sacred pool— he was almost too holy to be real.
Could you call him hypocritical?
Yes! He was utterly hypocritical! With such a holy, almost divine face, he took several lives with just a few words!
He was ruthless, vicious, and petty.
He took the life of the woman merely because he was threatened by the Queen and then burdened her with a crime that would incur the wrath of the entire nation.
Such a ruthless and vicious person!
If you hadn’t witnessed it with your own eyes, you couldn’t imagine he was this kind of person.
Even if you had witnessed it…
“Cut,” Xiao Jin finally called out.
He glanced around and noticed that everyone’s gaze was fixed on Si Huang, even Lei Qie.
Strangely, their eyes didn’t show any disgust for the villain; instead, they were completely focused, unaware that their attention had been drawn to her.
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