The Gamer's POV

"I didn’t know he played the piano," Leon muttered. He was now dancing with the princess, watching Cedric out of the corner of his eye.

As the melancholic music filled the hall, many people were stunned. Some had turned toward the dais in complete surprise, while others who were dancing continued on, enjoying the deeply moving cadence of the tune.

It was unlike anything they had heard before. Something about the melody pulled at their hearts, lingering heavy in the air.

It was a masterpiece.

"Once again, he surprises me." Even Princess Aurora, who had her hands resting against Leon’s shoulders, spoke in a quiet tone. "This melody, I’ve never heard something like this before." She watched Cedric intently, entirely captivated by the song.

Not too far from her, Vivienne, who was dressed in a long, beautiful green dress, smiled.

"I have to say, this makes him look even hotter," she murmured, swirling the wine in her glass. "Tsk. I was giving him signals to ask me to dance earlier, but he kept avoiding my gaze." She sighed, but then her expression changed and she licked her lips with a sly smirk. "I’ll just have to ask him for a dance the moment he steps down from that bench."

’If you don’t ask him, I will,’ a sly voice suddenly echoed in her head, followed by a quiet hiss, like a snake.

Meanwhile, Cedric, who was oblivious to the attention he was drawing, kept swaying his head gently to the rhythm. His eyes were closed, lost entirely in the nostalgic pull of the melody.

Under the light of the moon that spilled through the tall arched windows, he seemed bathed in a silvery glow.

With his long black hair draping softly over his shoulders, he looked majestic, and so many in the hall found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from him.

At this moment, he wasn’t aware that Aika Soryu, whom he had left behind at the hotel they were staying at, had stepped inside the opulent hall.

She was dressed in a long, form-fitting black dress that hugged every curve of her figure. High slits along the sides revealed her smooth thighs with every step, and a daringly low neckline gave a generous view of her cleavage, striking a perfect balance between elegance and lethal charm.

It was as if she emanated an irresistible, dangerous aura, making it so that anyone who caught sight of her simply couldn’t help but stare.

Stepping into the hall, she casually took a glass from a passing servant’s tray and leaned against a marble pillar, sipping slowly while watching the man she hoped to claim play the piano.

He was the only one she could see in this place.

At this moment, she remembered that Cedric had definitely asked her if she would come to the gala, but as always, she had refused. She didn’t like galas and preferred staying alone to read.

But tonight, she suddenly felt afraid and found herself overthinking. She felt afraid that the more galas he attended, the more other women would try to sink their claws into him.

And with his induction as count coming up, things would change. He’d be surrounded by high society, and she would slowly lose him to a world that didn’t belong to her.

She couldn’t have that!

She couldn’t leave him alone!

So, she made up her mind to show up. It seemed she would have to start liking these tedious events after all.

’I’ve decided. I won’t wait for you,’ she thought as her gaze locked onto him. ’I won’t wait for you to fall in love with me. I’ll take you by force if I have to. I won’t let anyone have you except me. No one can have you.’

Not long after, the solemn, rolling notes of Moonlight Sonata began to slow. Cedric eased his pressure on the keys, allowing the final, delicate chord to linger in the air. The lingering resonance drifted through the hall like a fading whisper before dissolving into silence.

Cedric slowly lifted his hands from the piano, exhaled softly, and opened his eyes. At that moment, he could hear the clapping of a few people, which quickly swelled into a small wave of polite, appreciative applause across the hall.

Only then did he realize that he had unintentionally drawn attention to himself once again.

He didn’t pay any attention to that, though, and simply gave the musician a quiet word of thanks before standing up from the bench.

While he descended the dais, Vivienne licked her lips. At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she could see another woman with brown hair preparing to make a move on Cedric. Seeing that, she quickly cut across the polished floor, expertly intercepting her competition. As she did, she placed her empty wine glass onto a passing servant’s tray without missing a beat.

When she finally reached him, stepping gracefully into his path, a subtle smirk played on her lips.

"Now that was quite the performance, handsome."

Cedric paused and looked her up and down with an unreadable expression. Then he gave a faint, tired sigh. "I was just passing time."

She chuckled, and her eyes gleamed with amusement as she leaned in slightly. "Well, you certainly know how to pass time in style. Now, how about you make yourself useful and dance with me?"

"...?"

Cedric was quiet for a few seconds. He didn’t want to dance with this snake, and he felt that her eyes were going to be troublesome for him to avoid. So he pondered how to politely decline. Just when he opened his mouth to speak, however, he suddenly froze.

His mouth then began to part slightly on its own, his gaze locked onto something past her as if he were suddenly awestruck.

Seeing that, Vivienne arched a brow. She grew slightly upset that she was being ignored so completely. This had never happened to her before. So many men would jump at the mere chance to breathe the same air as her, let alone stand this close.

Yet he wasn’t even looking at her.

’What is he looking at?’ she wondered as she turned to look behind her, and then she frowned in disbelief.

Aika, who was now standing right behind her, looked even more striking up close, exuding an undeniable elegance that was enough to make even the beautiful Vivienne feel momentarily eclipsed.

She extended her hand toward Cedric with a faint, knowing smirk on her lips. "I believe this dance belongs to me."

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