novelPlease don't come to the evening concert (3)
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Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Please don't come to the evening concert (3)
As she suddenly introduced herself, he looked at her brown hair in embarrassment.
When she put her index finger on her lips gently, however, he nodded several times as if he knew what she was trying to say.
"Oh, I was really surprised. I just don't know what the hell is going on here. In fact, I have escorted Sir Altarin's daughter here just in case the captain came alone. I think I've chosen the wrong seat. Look at her sharp glance! It's really terrifying, " he whispered, pointing to the woman he left behind in his royal box.
The woman was casting a stern glance toward Wendy as if to kill her. Obviously, she was one of those noble ladies longing for Lard.
After exchanging a few more words with Wendy, Jean had to leave, pressured by Lard's eye signals.
Seeing him closing the door of the royal box quietly, Wendy hoped that the concert would start as soon as possible.
As she wished, the concert seemed to start in no time. She relaxed when the members of the Jerus Orchestra finally entered and tuned their musical instruments here and there. As if to announce the imminent start of the concert, the lights were brightly lit on the stage, while the lights in the hall were turned off.
Whew!
She sighed with great relief and sipped a drink.
Pott!
She almost spit out all the drink in her mouth because the bright lights were instantly lit around the royal box seats. The eyes of the people who filled the hall all turned to those sitting in the royal box.
After hesitating for a moment, she quickly turned her head to the side unconsciously.
Altarin's daughter, who was seated in the royal box to their left, came into her view. Not only she but also other noble guests were sitting with a conceited air under the bright lights.
Wendy burst into laughter. She felt nauseated at their desperate efforts to show off their dresses and hairdos even in the dark concert hall. While sitting with a haughty attitude, they were busy squinting at one another as if they were evaluating each other's outfits.
While searching for each other, they came to discover Lard and Wendy. After they noticed Lard, who rarely appeared at these kinds of events, and his partner, they showed feelings mixed with yearning and jealousy.
Wendy barely held back her nausea under their attention. She was worried that someone might recognize her face under the bright lights. She even doubted that her colored hair would be able to disguise her as she intended. The dazzling lighting was as cruel as tormenting her.
Fortunately, the lighting on the royal box grew dim when the conductor climbed onto the stage and raised the baton. Finally, the concert began. Although they played magnificently, she couldn't focus. To her, their playing was just meaningless music.
She fixed her eyes on the stage and had to endure the awful time throughout the concert.
A little later, a thunderous applause was heard, and a curly-haired young man dressed in a black tailcoat set against the background appeared on the stage with a violin.
When he appeared, the applause of the audience was loud enough to overwhelm Jerus Hall.
He must be the main player on the stage today. Looking at his curly, light chocolate hair, she earnestly hoped the concert would begin as soon as possible. She hoped the painful concert would pass quickly!
In short, his violin playing was very good. The moment he bowed the violin, it changed the atmosphere of Jerus Hall in the blink of an eye. The audience instantly got carried away with his wonderful performance. She could now feel much more relieved because she was freed from some of the spectators' intense attention.
Wendy also recognized the curly-headed man's excellent performance. Unlike the music-loving aristocrats who came to the concert, she couldn't afford to enjoy the music at all because she had no interest in music and she was nervous for fear that somebody might recognize her.
Of course, Wendy would have been very impressed with his performance but for her tense situation like today. Fortunately, she could sit through the concert in the dark even under his bad situation. After his performance was over, she joined the enthusiastic cheers of the audience and continued to applaud.
She felt relaxed while clapping her hands enthusiastically, so she continued to clap until the cheering almost disappeared. The curly-haired man waved at the audience and slowly disappeared behind the stage. A little later, the intermission began as the lights were turned back on the audience seats.
Feeling their intense attention again, she cynically said to Lard, "I just have no idea whether they came here to enjoy the concert or see me."
"You know, they are needlessly interested in others' matters, so don't pay any attention to them, " he responded.
"I'm afraid I have to act like a princess, which I learned at the shoe store. Everybody is crazy about my dress."
Instead of replying, Lard just grinned at her.
She let out a sigh lightly, as if trying to relax. She gently stood up when the ladies took their seats after coming back from the restroom. She deliberately chose this moment to avoid bumping into them.
"Excuse me for a minute."
She went out to find a women's lounge and walked on. After she went through the tension and anxiety, she felt greatly relieved. But she couldn't help but stay wary. Straining her wobbly legs, she walked down the hallway while avoiding people's eyes.
"Is the security on the left side of Jerus Hall okay?"
"Yes, Sir Witches and Sir Jerome have just shifted their duty."
At that moment, Wendy stiffened as she heard too familiar a voice behind her.
It couldn't be his! Never, ever!
She felt ominous feelings surging deep inside. She turned stiffly, nervously like the tender blades of grass before gust. Her neck muscles felt stiff.
"Oh my god!"
She was shocked at his light blue hair. She quickly turned her head before he saw her face.
Olivia, Olivia. His voice shouting her name like a lost echo filled her ears.
Thump thump thump.
Her heart was beating hard. She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling as if she would smell the scent of a red dahlia coming from somewhere to devastate her. She was spaced out in shock and embarrassment because she vividly recalled her former lover Dylan and Francis kissing passionately with the red dahlia flower in the background.
She barely managed to take a step, short of breath like a person with breathing difficulties.
Dylan Lennox.
Wendy chewed her lip as if she couldn't stand hearing the name.
The images of his uniform as an imperial knight were not erased from her mind.
'Oh, you have become an imperial knight as you dreamed. You have achieved your dream. '
She breathed roughly and bit her pale lip. As soon as she saw his face, she could hardly breathe and grew pale as if she were afflicted with cyanosis. She urgently walked as if she were struggling for survival.
Like a fish caught unfortunately, she writhed in agony. Although she barely managed to breathe, her staggering steps were very dangerous. As a middle-aged woman passing by her looked at her face with a worried look, obviously her condition looked serious even in the eyes of others.
It was when she pulled herself together and moved one step that he spoke, "Ma'am, are you okay?"
It was Dylan's voice. She felt her heart sank. Obviously, he asked her, not any other person, if she was okay, but she ignored and quickly moved again. She had no other choice.
However, her desperate efforts were to no avail when the knight began to walk toward her, which sent shivers up and down her spine. Clenching her teeth, she tried to calm down while walking.
Was it because she was pushed into an extreme crisis? She fell into the illusion that her whole body was sinking in the eerie feeling that her heart had stopped. Paradoxically, when her pounding heartbeat began to go back to normal, she could regain calmness little by little.
She gradually regained her breathing despite the cold that was filling her. After taking a deep breath, she walked more confidently.
When she walked down the hall with a steady steps, Dylan stopped following her.
She was on edge, wondering if the sound of his footsteps were muffled by the carpet, but she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, but she was nervous as if he was still watching her.
She tried to adjust her hairstyle a couple of times with a strange gesture, so that the knight would not suspect anything was amiss. She did not let her hair down until she reached the corner of the hallway. She couldn't allow Dylan to ruin her life twice.
How long did she walk? She found herself standing alone in a strange hallway. Given that the color of the carpet on the floor was different, it was obvious that she had gone the wrong way.
There was nobody in the corridor, only her nervous breathing was heard in the air.
She already began to feel depressed. She felt like she would suffer from serious aftereffects after today. She cupped her face between her palms helplessly.
At that moment, she heard a man shouting nervously to his subordinate.
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