Chapter 49
A man with a golden mask and red hair stood out. His presence alone made everyone guess his identity. It was Crown Prince Mikael, and when he appeared, Mathieu’s expression darkened.
Regardless of that, the Crown Prince only looked at me and smiled.
“You promised to be my partner at the Clina Salon, didn’t you?”
“Me?” I asked, surprised. Mikael winked beneath his mask, and it suddenly clicked in my mind. I had forgotten about that.
“Oh, right! How could I forget?” I slapped my palm against my forehead, then quickly slipped out of Mathieu’s arms and stood next to Mikael.
“That said, we’ll be leaving now, mysterious gentleman,” I said. Mikael, who clearly recognized Mathieu, acted as if he didn’t and casually led me away. Mathieu let us go without a fight, though he looked like he was deep in thought.
Why was I even worried about his feelings?
Since Mikael was the Crown Prince, Mathieu didn’t act recklessly. Maybe agreeing to Mikael’s proposal was a good decision after all?
As I was thinking this, I saw a waiter signaling to me from the crowd, and I quickly snapped out of my thoughts.
Oh no! I had no time to waste!
The event was about to start.
I turned quickly and thanked Mikael.
“Thanks for your help! But I’m really busy now, so I have to go!”
“Helping you and then being ignored? I’m disappointed,” Mikael said, pretending to be upset. I gave an awkward smile and hurried off.
“Be sure to check out the exciting event in the basement later!” I added, making sure to mention the event in the basement, knowing that Mikael’s appearance would draw more attention.
***
Backstage in the basement
The performers I personally recruited—Samuel, the double bass player Hans, pianist Lillianne, drummer Sabrina, and the rest of the band—were all looking nervous. I clenched my fists and said to them, “Come on, everyone, don’t be nervous! You all know the rehearsal plan, right?”
Samuel, holding both a guitar and violin, muttered, “I’m not sure the nobles will want to hear a guitar performance.”
“Don’t worry. These people love fresh and stimulating things, so they’ll definitely react,” I reassured him.
“Well, I’ll do my best,” he replied. I knew that despite his grumbling, he was really looking forward to this performance, and I smiled in return.
Lillianne, on the other hand, nervously fidgeted with her fingers.
“This is my first time performing in front of so many people. What should I do?” she asked.
“Just play comfortably, Lillianne. Samuel will handle everything else,” I encouraged her.
“But…” she hesitated.
Even though she was worried, I wasn’t concerned. Once Lillianne gets into a role, she performs flawlessly.
“Just think of it like playing the role of a pianist,” I suggested.
Lillianne seemed to relax at that, muttering to herself, “Playing the role of a pianist… playing the role of a pianist…”
I couldn’t help but smile at her muttering. Just then, Sabrina poked me in the side with her drumsticks. Ouch!
“Why not join us on stage? You looked like you were doing fine playing the guitar earlier,” Sabrina said.
I smiled awkwardly. “There’s no need for me to go up with Samuel here.”
“Does that mean Lillianne and I are pros?” Sabrina replied with a teasing grin.
“You two are irreplaceable. Just please do well on this performance. After this, I’ll have the band members practice and take over the next stage,” I responded firmly.
Sabrina pouted but then smiled. “Don’t forget the payment.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t forget that,” I replied, and she laughed.
Everything was ready. All that was left was for us to take the stage.
It was thrilling to see the band I’d assembled performing on the stage I’d created.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my excitement, and looked back at the performers.
Then I shouted the cheer I had prepared. “The stage!”
Sabrina led the cheer, and everyone, albeit awkwardly, followed.
“Let’s crush it!!”
With that, the band members grabbed their instruments and walked onto the darkened stage. Their serious expressions made it feel like warriors heading to battle.
I watched proudly as they disappeared into the shadows, eagerly waiting for the performance to begin.
The stage lights flickered on.
Lillianne, sitting at the piano, and Samuel, holding his guitar at the center of the stage, were revealed. I nervously watched the audience’s reactions.
At first, they seemed confused. They probably had never seen a guitar before.
The silence in the air was broken by Lillianne’s lyrical piano playing, followed by Samuel’s guitar, blending beautifully. It was soft and sweet at first.
But as Samuel’s guitar continued, murmurs started among the crowd.
“Isn’t that a guitar?”
“What’s a guitar? I think I’ve heard of it…”
“It’s the cheap instrument that commoners play, right?”
“Are they seriously playing that cheap instrument right now?”
The whispers quickly grew into louder complaints, like drops of water creating ripples in a pond. Some people started to show clear signs of displeasure.
“I didn’t pay all this money to listen to such cheap music!”
“Is this what you call a VIP event? Refund us!”
“Show us a proper performance!”
“Get that cheap instrument off the stage!”
The crowd’s anger escalated, and soon people started throwing trash at the stage.
Lillianne and Samuel, shaken by the crowd’s reaction, stopped playing. Samuel, hit by the trash, stood up and grabbed his guitar, ready to leave the stage.
Lillianne looked at me, her face filled with anxiety.
I bit my lip, unable to watch any longer. I couldn’t let this end like this.
I quickly looked around and spotted an extra guitar that had been left nearby. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and rushed onto the stage.
My sudden appearance shocked both the audience and the band members. I glanced at Lillianne before striking the strings of the guitar hard.
Chaeng!!
It wasn’t the intense sound of an electric guitar, but thanks to the sound equipment on stage, the sound was loud enough for the crowd to hear clearly.
Fortunately, as I had hoped, the noisy audience quieted down.
A woman in an elegant dress suddenly jumped onto the stage. As I realized all eyes were on me, I swallowed nervously.
I then tapped the body of the guitar in time with the rhythm to signal Lillianne.
Tap-tap-tap-tap
Lillianne, now alert, quickly started playing. Her piano melody blended smoothly with my guitar.
This was the introduction to the song we had originally prepared.
Samuel, who had been walking away, slowly turned around. I smiled at him, a grin that was almost a challenge.
“Hah.”
Unable to stop himself, Samuel grabbed his guitar again and, with his stance unchanged, began to play along with my guitar.
The crowd, who had been murmuring, started to focus on the performance.
I smirked as I watched them. This was where the real performance began.
Playing alongside Samuel, I then glanced toward the back. The lights turned on, revealing the drum set and Sabrina.
Sabrina, having caught my signal, grinned and raised her drumsticks high.
