Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

When Evan reached the ending, in spite of following the regular tone, she adjusted it to the way she always wanted to play. Deafening silence engulfed the ballroom. As if everyone was frozen and could not even react. The music shook their souls completely.

An applause finally sounded after a full three seconds, followed by a second applause, then a third applause...

The applause that sounded like rolling thunder resonated throughout the entire ballroom.

"No, that is not possible. She didn't even know how to play piano. She had cheated. She had…" Olivia continued to mumble as she shook her head. She took two steps backwards as if she did not want to face the reality and tumbled down on the stool again. Her face was ashen. She continued to stare at Evan in disbelief. How could a commoner be this elegant and graceful? No! She pinched herself to get rid of this nightmare.

She knew that the tune was very difficult. She had learnt it from the assistant of the musician who played the tune with its owner and practiced it so many times. That was the reason she had told everyone indirectly that it was the most popular tone these days, so she must have heard it. But even then she made a few mistakes which she covered well, she thought that no one would know. 

But when Evan played it, it was flawless. And in the last section, even she felt the emotions so high, that tears welled in many eyes. She has doubled the tempo and her coordination was perfect to the tune. She was sure even the composer of the tune had not played it this way. Even if she was given a second or third or many chances, she would not be able to pull off the tune that way. It had an insane level of difficulty.

She could not believe that a commoner could play piano that perfectly. No! That was not possible. She had cheated somehow!

The applause in the ballroom continued for a very long time. Even the listeners were not able to believe that the girl had touched their soul with her song.

"Once more, once more." The girls that were scolding her and passing sarcastic comments were looking at her like she was a legend now. 

Evan, who was still lost in the tone, did not need to be told twice. Her hands roamed on the keys again. This time she played a song of her choice. It had been weeks since she had touched her love and did not want to be part with it now. As if the keys were calling her name, asking her to touch them and feel them. Her fingers continued to dance on the piano and everyone held their breath.

If one even had doubt before that she cheated somehow, they could not. she was too engrossed in the performance that she did not listen to their words of applause or any other thing. As if her fingers had a mind of their own, she continued to play the tune and when she finally stopped and looked at others, they were all too stunned to even react.

It was not only the guests, even Eve and Eli's jaws were touching the floor. They were looking at Evan with bulging eyes. As if the girl in front of them was not the Evan they knew.

But instead of feeling proud and joyous Evan felt embarrassed. She had been playing piano since the time she didn't even remember but her father only took it as a nuisance. Even her friends and neighbors thought that she was wasting her time. She should concentrate on other chores more. This was the first time that she was receiving applause for this..

She turned and looked at Leo subconsciously when she came back to her senses.

At the moment when both of their eyes met, she became stumped for words.

His dark and burning eyes were so deep, like an abyss. A ray of light which she could not understand stayed hidden in his eyes, different from the others around them. She did not understand what he was feeling but she could not move her eyes away as if she was getting sucked by his orbs. Was he not satisfied with her performance?

No! The way nobles were reacting, she should have won. Was he doing that because he did not want to pay her four times the jewels? She forgot everything about Leo and others present as she thought about the things she could have with that wealth. She did not have the greed to live in a castle. But she was upset that all her home and land was taken by the royal family. 

Now she was assured of her future. She could have a house and some land to herself now. Then her eyes fell on the piano. Should she ask Leo to give three times the jewels and this piano as a gift! No! It was her wages, not a gift. 

She stood up from the piano and was about to bow her head to give respect to them when she remembered that she was a wicked woman there. So, she stood up haughtily and walked towards Leo.

But none of them felt wrong about what she did. She had his status as the future wife of Leo and now she had earned respect through her talent too. So, no one felt apprehension from her anymore.

When she reached his side, she lifted her head and looked at Olivia with a sweet smile on her face.

"So, who is the winner of the competition?" she asked so innocently that Olivia choked on the words she was about to say in her defense.

She was very confident that she would be the winner. Since childhood she has been having piano classes every week by experts. There was no one in the nobles who could challenge her for her skills. Even her majesty had personally praised her many times. 

So, the defeat was unimaginable to her yet the reality was in front of everyone.