Chapter 933:

“Fine by me,” Elyse said, unfazed. She knew Fiona had chosen a piece she was particularly good at, but Elyse wasn’t worried. Did Fiona really think playing that would guarantee her victory? Fiona could play it just as well, if not better. Confident that going first would give her the upper hand, Fiona set up her violin and threw a triumphant look at Jayden. “Now you’ll see what an amazing woman you’ve lost out on.”

Jayden’s expression darkened with impatience. If only he’d known he’d be tangled up with someone as delusional as Fiona, he would have let her be that night instead of offering help.

Fiona, oblivious to Jayden’s growing irritation, began playing. The notes of “Liebesleid” flowed from her violin—sad yet beautiful, filled with yearning and bittersweet emotion. She felt the music mirrored her own turbulent feelings toward Jayden. But what she didn’t realize was that her love for him wasn’t as pure or noble as she believed. Her performance, while technically sound, was shallow. The audience could feel the self-absorbed nature of her emotions.

Elyse stood quietly, listening. She scanned the reactions of the passersby. As expected, music that didn’t truly connect with the heart couldn’t captivate an audience. Seven or eight people stopped, but most were simply curious. They moved on once they’d heard enough, leaving no intention of staying.

Fiona’s confidence wavered as her performance neared its end. Panic crept in as only two people remained watching. How could her beautiful music fail to hold the crowd? She told herself it had to be a technical issue—maybe the sound wasn’t carrying far enough. But the truth was simple: her playing lacked depth, and as she grew more flustered, mistakes started piling up. She struck a wrong note, so painfully out of tune that even Jayden, who didn’t know much about music, noticed her error.

Elyse saw that Fiona had frozen. “Keep going,” she couldn’t help but encourage her. “Mistakes are a natural part of the journey. Have you forgotten our rules?”

Fiona was in a foul mood, and she was tempted to snap at Elyse for meddling. But she couldn’t do that in front of Jayden. She had no choice but to swallow her emotions and finish the piece.

Just as she neared the end, the two people who had come to listen turned to leave. No one else stayed, which meant that Fiona’s music had failed to capture any passersby. She bit her lower lip in frustration. The piece “Liebesleid” was her signature piece. How did things turn out like this?