Chapter 42 How To Melt Him Down
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a recital.”
Ioannes said calmly.
“I don’t often indulge in such noble pastimes.”
She sat down in her usual carriage, feeling cramped all around with his overwhelming size sitting across from her.
Delphine inhaled deeply, as if to make up for lost breath, and answered.
“Yes… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, too.”
Not since her father’s treason, to be exact.
She had avoided socializing since then, but that would have to change.
‘If I’m going to gather even the slightest bit of information about this Empire’s shady side.’
As Delphine steeled her resolve, the man across from her spoke up again.
“Today. You look very beautiful, My Lady.”
Ioannes smiled softly, his red lips contrasting against his white face.
He seemed to be in a very good mood today.
Delphine smiled back, crisp and forced, and quickly turned her head away from the window.
Seeing him so happy made her conscience prickle.
It reminded her of what she had done to him over the past week to get to this recital.
All last week, she’d been desperately trying to flirt with him, almost to the point of coyness.
She wondered if it was too obvious a ploy, but he melted into her arms with ease.
“I’d like to go to the recital.”
“Not yet…”
“With you.”
Even now, he was pleased, as if it were an outing for him and her.
Hana herself had come only to fulfill a mission…
His chest tingled like a needle in a haystack.
“A violin recital, My Lady?”
Ioannes asked her, his tone tinged with amusement.
“Yes. Must be a very famous violinist in the capital these days.”
Delphine replied, slyly studying his expression.
“Haven’t you heard of…?”
“Well, I’m afraid I’m ignorant of such social gossip.”
He replied nonchalantly.
She wonders if he really doesn’t know, or if he’s just pretending not to.
As she watched him closely, her heart kept pounding as she sat alone with him in the cramped carriage.
Whether it was nervousness or remorse, Delphine couldn’t tell.
“We’ve arrived.”
The theater was near the first arrondissement, so it wasn’t far.
Soon the carriage came to a stop.
The real mission had finally begun.
“My Lady.”
Ioannes disembarked first and held out a large hand.
It was a hand that had saved and nursed her so many times that she had grown accustomed to it.
She took it and gingerly stepped out of the carriage, a voice coming from somewhere.
“Oh, my. Mrs. Pride.”
A pleasingly plump woman came toward them, her feather fan fluttering.
It was Countess Megan, an unusually talkative woman Delphine had never liked.
But now, in the midst of a mission, she couldn’t have been more pleased to see her.
“Countess Megan.”
Delphine greeted her with a gentle smile.
Just then, a gentleman called out, and Ioannes moved away to greet him.
Then, as if she’d been waiting, Countess Megan sidled up to her and whispered through her feather fan.
“I see. Even Mrs. Pride was curious to hear Nicolai play.”
Delphine asked, flinching awkwardly at the sudden contact.
“What do you mean, even I…?”
“Oh, no. You know, I mean, he is a very handsome man, so I’m sure you’re used to seeing handsome men by now, ho-ho.”
She nudged Delphine with a pleasantly plump elbow and laughed.
Delphine glanced away, and Ioannes was surrounded by gentlemen in the distance.
“Nicolai is a different kind of handsome, look at the proportions of the women here!”
Turning to her, Countess Megan lowered her voice even further and whispered.
“Why would he come here alone, leaving his men behind?”
“I suppose I’ve come to feast my eyes and ears.”
Delphine replied calmly, and Countess Megan’s eyes widened as she covered the corners of her mouth with her fan.
“Hoo-hoo, where’s the fun in that; a poor musician needs the patronage of a discerning nobleman… The word.”
“My Lady.”
It was then.
Delphine was startled by a large hand that suddenly reached out and wrapped around her waist.
“Oh, my. Surprise!”
Countess Megan exclaimed exaggeratedly, for he had come so unexpectedly.
“Lord Pride, how could you move so soundlessly!”
“Oh, no. I apologize if I startled your ladyship… Well, then, we’ll just go inside, My Lady.”
Ioannes replied gracefully, leading Delphine into the theater.
His hand still rested insistently on her waist.
Delphine stared at his large hand, suspicious.
Surely this man hadn’t just overheard the conversation?
It couldn’t be, since Countess Megan had spoken in a whisper, and he was far enough away to be greeted.
And yet, somehow, his hand around her waist felt unusually strong.
“… I don’t want you to hold me too hard, or I’ll lose my mobility.”
“Ah. I’m sorry, My Lady.”
She grumbled a little on purpose, and he apologized, but still didn’t pull away.
“…”
In the end, Delphine had no choice but to remain seated in her seat, unable to attempt to find out anything else until the recital began.
‘I won’t have a chance to find out anything until after the recital.’
Delphine’s eyes scanned the theater nervously.
The balcony seats overlooked not only the stage but the entire theater.
Countess Megan was right.
At first glance, the audience was overwhelmingly female.
The ladies in the front rows of seats were all fanning themselves rapidly, their eyes sparkling.
She was beginning to feel a little weird in the strange heat.
Meanwhile, the high, delicate sound of violins echoed through the theater.
There was no introduction from the master of ceremonies to announce the start of the performance.
Delphine’s eyes darted toward the stage.
The stage was empty, and a very tall man stood alone in the spotlight.
‘When did he show up?’
The man had a strongly defined forehead and wavy, bronze-colored hair.
Delphine squinted and studied the man on stage, wondering to herself.
‘Handsome.., is that him?’
The thought was fleeting.
The music began to intensify.
A large man pounded away with fearsome momentum, performing colorful tricks.
His curly hair swayed back and forth in a frenzied motion, and a low wail of pain came from the women in the audience.
As the man pressed down on the strings with tremendous force, the violin emitted a screaming sound as it reached its climax.
The sound scratched at something inside him.
Delphine took a deep breath to keep her mind from being distracted by the sound of the violin.
She quickly scanned the theater, and the strangeness of this stage became clear to her.
Everyone in the theater was staring blankly at the stage, as if their souls had been stolen.
As soon as the ear-splitting performance was over, everyone jumped to their feet and gave a standing ovation.
The jubilant expression on the audience’s faces was so bizarre that it looked more like a cult meeting than a concert.
‘This man is definitely suspicious.’
La Luz was right.
Even though she couldn’t catch the way his eyes were changing, he was worth investigating.
She was thinking to herself.
Suddenly, her eyes locked with a man waving to the audience.
Delphine quickly raised her hand and clapped along with the rest of the audience.
The man’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, then moved away.
***
“How did you like it, Mrs. Pride?”
After the performance, the nobles don’t immediately leave the theater, but gather around a small table in the hallway for tea.
She deliberately lingered with Ioannes, and as she lingered, Countess Megan, who had been wandering about, approached her.
“Alas,” said Countess Megan, who had been wandering about, “your playing is worthy of your reputation.”
Delphine smiled and returned the compliment, trying to set the tone appropriately.
Ioannes beside her sipped his tea slowly, saying nothing.
Countess Megan, on the other hand, nodded enthusiastically, her face still flushed with excitement.
“No amount of praise can do justice to Nicolai’s playing, with such showmanship! Where did such a man come from?”
Chance.
Delphine asked, sipping her tea in a leisurely, nonchalant tone.
“Indeed, where did he come from? Usually musicians come from the Imperial Conservatory of Music, so maybe he’s from there, too?”
“Not really, I was actually curious and looked it up… Oh, as a fan, of course, you know, because I love music so much, and it’s a pleasure to support young musicians.”
“Of course I know, you’re very musical.”
Delphine smiled, reassuring her.
“Hmmm-hmmm. So I did a little research, but there’s no Nicolai on the alumni list, and besides, he just popped up out of nowhere about three months ago, and no one even remembers seeing him before then.”
“Well, with his height and good looks, there’s no way he wouldn’t be noticed.”
“Of course he is!”
“That’s a… strange thing.”
Just like Ioannes, the slave turned Marquis a year ago.
Muttering in a serious tone, she glanced away, only to find the man still gracefully sipping his tea.
