This Wasn’t in the Script, Duke!

‘Even in death, I’m still a side character!’ Five years into my career as a no-name actress, a stage accident led me straight into the casting call of a god-written romance fantasy novel. For the seventh time, no less, I’d landed the role of a maid; a role with neither romance nor a compelling story arc. Still, orders are orders. A side character’s duty is to prevent the leads from going off-script and ensure the story unfolds as planned. When the frustratingly naive female lead becomes unduly interested in some random extra… “What?! You didn’t know that knight prefers men, my lady?!” “Oh, really? I almost made a terrible mistake!” With my quick thinking, crisis averted! Another day, a...