Chapter 30: Chapter 30

The man said with a smile, “You are right. I think I’ve asked you nonsensical questions. But do you know there’s one thing wrong with what you said? What the nobleman regards as the highest value is not respect for etiquette. The most important thing for them is loyalty! Any nobleman in the Benyahan empire regards loyalty to the imperial family as their highest value. ”

He continued, buttoning his shirt, “A moment ago you asked who I am, right? I’m violinist Isaac von Benyahan. I’m on stage today with the Jerus Orchestra. Everybody who has seen me playing says the same thing about me. Genius! Yes, they call me a genius without any hesitation, though I’m ashamed to say it myself. Haha.”

Wendy, wary of the man speaking and laughing to himself, furtively moved a step backward

“So far, I’ve told you about my reputation in relation to my competence in violin playing. Now, let me tell you about my name that I have gained through social status… Isaac von Benyahan. I slept in the Imperial Palace before coming to Jerus Hall today. They call me Crown Prince. Everybody calls me by that title. ”

He stretched his shoulders and tapped on the crumpled shirt. He smiled as she opened her eyes wide with surprise.

“… By the way, didn’t you actually know who I am? ”

He spoke to her, assuming she knew of him but pretended not to know. But if she had known him from the beginning, she would not have foolishly walked into the strange corridor where he yelled at the imperial knights!

She spaced out after he revealed his identity. She wanted to dismiss his remarks as a lie, but she couldn’t because it was a fact. She recalled the complaint of a has-been bard poet who was giggling in front of the Berrington Fountain saying the crown prince was crazy about the violin.

‘Is the crown prince that’s crazy about the violin this person?’

Breathing in with a tense expression, she looked at the crown prince’s wrist because she twisted his wrist. She regretted it belatedly.

Hiding her complicated thoughts, she greeted him formally, “I’m honored to greet you, Crown Princess!”

His name, Isaac von Benyahan, was as unrealistic as the old-fashioned characters in storybooks. Wendy felt the name of the little forest fairy the size of a finger, allegedly born with the queen’s blood, was more realistic

‘Oh my god, Crown Prince?’

A man she would never likely have never met in her life was standing before her now. She had never imagined meeting him even when she lived as a noblewoman. As she had never attended any imperial banquets, she could not recognize his face. It was natural that this kind of thing happened to her.

“Oh, no, this is not what I wanted. Just stand up. Well, you told me you didn’t know who I am. Let me just believe it.”

Standing up as he asked, she retained a calm expression on her face as if nothing happened, but she was troubled and felt terrible deep inside. Although she thought that her outing would not go smoothly, she never imagined she would run into this kind of trouble. She didn’t know what to do in the future.

‘Why do I keep meeting people that I don’t want to see?’

In fact, her encounter with Dylan today was driving her nuts, but she met the Crown Prince, which was a complete shock to her. She felt like she would crumble from fatigue.

“How could you twist my wrist? You won’t have anything to say even if you get a summary trial right now. Besides, you twisted the violinist’s hand. If today wasn’t my last stage, you would be in big, big trouble. I want to wrap up my retiring performance beautifully, so I don’t want to make a fuss about this. Oh, you don’t have to have a scared look on your face. Don’t ever think I will take your life even if I hold a summary trial. I’m generous to women,” he spoke, rolling his wrist joint round and round.

She didn’t have a scared expression on her face like he said, but she did not correct what he said. The best she could do for him was to make him feel he was generous to her.

“As you say this is your retiring performance…”

She repeated his words because she felt he wanted her to ask about it, since he emphasized his retiring performance. She didn’t feel it was hard if she could be forgiven for having twisted his wrist.

“Didn’t you know? There have been lots of rumors about me recently. Everybody is stomping their feet, calling on me to fulfill my duty as the crown prince. What should I do? I have no choice but to stop playing the violin. If I want to keep this violin by my side, I have to give up my name as a violinist,” he said, stroking the wood of the violin.

There was kind of fierceness in his mischievous tone, so she shut up. She knew there was nothing good for her if she stirred up his suppressed anger.

Was he so beside himself as to rebuke the imperial knights because it was his last performance?

“Now let’s get to the point. Now, you can honestly answer my question. What is your name and who did you come with?”

Wendy closed her eyes once in a conflict.

‘Can I tell him my name as it is?’

She looked up at his face as if trying to size up his character, but it was a meaningless attempt. His brown eyes, which had no emotions like a portrait hanging in a frame, smiled at hers, but she was not foolish enough to judge him by his smile. She thought he must be pretty good at hiding his real intentions behind his smiling face.

“My name is Wendy Waltz. I’ve come here with Lord Lard Schroder of the Imperial Knights. ”

She chose to speak frankly. How could she lie to the Crown Prince? Even if she had several lives, she couldn’t lie to him. Of course, the name ‘Wendy Waltz’ was not true in the strictest sense.

“Lord Lard Schroder? Are you talking about Lard Schroder of the First Imperial Knights? ”

The light of turbulent emotions passed through the prince’s brown eyes. His eyes trembled, apparently at the name “Lard Schroder”. This name seemed to have the power to reveal his feelings, even for the crown prince who easily concealed his feelings.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hahahahaha! That’s funny. That insensible guy accompany a woman? And that at my concert? ”

He made a big fuss about it as if he had never seen a funnier thing in the world.

“Wendy Waltz? It sounds like it’s not a noble family’s name…”

He spoke as if he were pondering over something. But it was hard to find any contempt of the common people in his words.

“What a strange association between you! Oh, don’t worry! I’m not opposed to the union of the nobles and the common people. Rather, I want to support them!”

The prince approached Wendy and patted her on the shoulder as if to cheer her up.

She flinched at his unexpected actions and raised her hands high up to her chest in a defensive posture. Surprised at her posture, the man grinned, opening his palms wide as if to calm her down.

“Among those that I know, there were some who were like you, a noble man dating a commoner woman, although their union didn’t end beautifully… I hope you and Sir Schroder will succeed!”

He jokingly spoke with a light voice, grasping the bow that was lying on the violin case.

“I’m…! ”

She opened her mouth to clarify the misunderstanding about Lard and her, but the prince did not give her any time to talk.

“Well, listen carefully.”

He lifted the violin and pulled a bow over the strings. As he played gently, beautiful melodies began to flow. Although she was not immersed in the music at all, listening to his playing up close had such a strange power that it captivated her like magic.

Surprisingly, while he was playing on the spot, she went through a momentary change of emotion that seemed to melt away all the previous events that had bothered her. It was dramatic and bizarre like watching a pupa transform into a butterfly. She couldn’t resist her overflowing feelings in the thrall of the violin’s magic resonating through the small wooden barrel.

The sad and warm melody filled the room and occupied even her mind deep down.

“What about this melody? I’m going to name it ‘The love of Wendy and Lard.’ It’s a bit tacky, but all love is like that, hahaha! Oh, as your last name is Waltz, I think a three-four time waltz melody would be better. ”

Wendy hastily recalled the melodies that deeply touched her. Did he mention love? She felt nauseated again. The butterfly that was about to fly fluttered back into its chrysalis.