My Wife Is So Sweet (Natalia Dawson) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191 Contrived Plot

In contrast, Jessica cared a lot about it.

After all, they were still in the shooting phase and they hadn't even released any footage. All news was being passed out through this interview.

Because of that, when the media arrived, Jessica got her acting chops on and reverted to her gentle fairy image.

"It's the most important scene in the show that's coming up next, sis. You have to give it your best. Don't drag everyone behind."

Natalia shot her a mild look and casually said, "Worry about yourself."

Jessica smiled and said lowly, "With so many reporters here, of course I'll give it my best. You, though – don't think that you've done well enough just because you did well earlier. You can't succeed at acting with just hard work; you also need talent. There's a lot of explosiveness needed for the shooting today. If you don't perform up to par, everyone's going to see it. If rumors get out, I can't help you."

Natalia looked at her coldly, treating it like a joke.

Seeing her silence, Jessica thought she'd been affected by her words. She smiled contentedly and turned to leave.

The equipment was in place, and so were the actors. They were about to shoot.

This scene was where the female lead, played by Natalia, finally ascended to the position of Empress after many trials and tribulations.

While the original Empress had her plots exposed and got her just desserts as she lost favor with the Emperor, was dethroned as Empress, and locked up.

The new Empress and the former Empress met up in the palace where she was confined, where the new Empress passed her a glass of poisoned wine for her to kill herself with.

To hurt the new Empress one last time before her death, the former Empress revealed the true mastermind behind the deaths of the new Empress' entire family all those years ago – the reigning Emperor himself.

It was a contrived plot, but admittedly quite a twist, tugging on all the right heartstrings.

A scene like that was naturally the climax of the whole show.

Because of that, everyone had made preparations beforehand.

Last night, Vicente had called Natalia over in the middle of the night because he was afraid she wouldn't be able to give as good a performance, so he wanted to explain things.

After all, even though she'd performed well before, those were steady, run-of-the-mill scenes, not like today, where there needed to be emotional fluctuation.

The trap had come utterly unexpectedly.

Vicente was in a depressed mood, which had the whole cast feeling down.

With everyone ready, they began filming.

The palace was a dilapidated place, almost in ruins. Weeds grew around the courtyard. A bent willow was growing under a corner in the wall. It was spring, but most of its leaves were yellow. No one had taken care of it.

The bricks on the floor were covered with lichen, becoming a tripping hazard. The stench of mold permeated the place. Combined with a dank scent, it assaulted the nose.

Natalia had to wonder how the cast had found a deserted place like this.

The yard wasn't big. It took a few steps to reach the interior. Two handmaidens behind her pushed open the door, where a manservant bowed forward, reporting, "Her Majesty the Empress!"

And yet no one came out to welcome her.

It was dark and gloomy inside the palace. The moment the door opened, what greeted them was dust and the moldy scent of moisture.

Natalia frowned. The handmaidens beside her stood in front of her and fanned the air, trying to lessen the stench.

She raised a hand and stopped them. Then she lifted the hem of her dress and walked inside.

One could feel the sense of loneliness and failure from outside the palace. The moment she stepped foot inside, the feeling grew even more evident.