Chapter 349 A Counterattack

As Timothy said that, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Kayden and the others.

The atmosphere that had just started to feel normal suddenly dropped into a heavy, tense silence.

Kayden and Wade’s faces fell completely.

Bitterness bubbled up inside them, impossible to hide.

Santiago cleared his throat. “See? I told you not to get your hopes up too soon.”

Good thing he’d held onto his last shred of self-control and hadn’t touched that dish.

Otherwise, he’d probably feel like Tilda was mocking him and get frustrated.

Kayden and Wade stayed quiet.

Even though they had kind of expected that, they’d let themselves hope for a moment.

The higher the hope, the worse the letdown.

Timothy turned his face away.

In truth, Tilda had one more request. He was way too embarrassed to say it out loud.

He was afraid it would crush Kayden and the others.

He knew Tilda would reveal her second condition.

Right then, the sound of piano keys filled the room.

Tilda cleared her throat and said, “Next, I’ll improvise a piano piece at will.

“I’m calling it… “The Only One Touched Is the Fool Themselves.”

The diners at Ferris Wheel Diner froze.

Some didn’t understand Cetherese and whispered in Yvorian, “What does that mean?”

Those who did understand thought Tilda had lost it.

Nobody would ever name a piano piece like that.

The next second, music poured from the piano.

Every note felt like tiny sprites tickling deep inside, light and playful.

It made everyone’s heart skip.

The audience was instantly drawn in.

Tilda kept looking down while her long, fair fingers crafted a beautiful melody on the keys.

That piece was nothing like Kayden’s earlier “Moon in Clouds“.

It was bold, free, and full of life.

It didn’t feel like a reply and more like a counterattack.

The music seemed to shout, “I don’t need you! You’re not that important!

“Without you, I can live even better!”

Tilda’s hands made the piano speak.

The notes reached straight to the soul, showing why that piece existed.

“Tilda can actually play the piano…”

Wade clicked his tongue.

Even Santiago looked stunned.

That wasn’t just skill–it was talent on another level.

The last time Santiago had been that amazed was at Justin’s concert.

Justin had a reputation as the world’s top young pianist because his talent was just unreal.

His music felt magical, like he could turn every note into a vivid image in people’s minds.

That was exactly what Tilda was doing right now.

Even Kayden had never heard that piece before. It was completely new, which meant Tilda had composed it herself!

Her original work and performance matched Justin’s skill!

It was like a bomb going off in the room.

That was true composing and performing–pure all-around talent!

When the piece ended, Tilda lifted her hands from the keys.

With one hand in her pocket, she coolly stood up and walked away from the piano.

The audience stayed frozen, still lost in the music.

When they finally snapped out of it, whispers spread like wildfire.

“Oh my gosh! That piano piece… It was incredible!”

“Who played it? I can’t see from here!”

“I’ve been to tons of concerts, but nothing ever moved me like that. I can still feel the notes buzzing in my chest. It felt amazing!”

“That’s gotta be Tilda. She just won the International Art Competition. She’s the legendary X!”

“X?! I’m her biggest fan! No way, she’s actually here at Ferris Wheel Diner! I need her autograph!”

The whole diner was buzzing.

Meanwhile, Tilda, the mastermind behind all the excitement, had quietly slipped back to Mystro’s table.

His eyes were full of admiration. “Tilda, that was amazing. Honestly, you even outshone gold-medal composer Kayden.”

“Mystro, I’m done eating. Want to sneak out?”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

They packed up and left together.

Wade and Kayden were still dazed.

Santiago had been staring at Tilda’s table without realizing it. When he saw her and Mystro getting up, he shouted, “Kayden, Wade! They’re leaving!”

“Leaving?”

Wade finally snapped out of it and whipped his head toward her table.

But they were already gone.

“Kayden, Tilda’s gone …. Kayden?”

Seeing Kayden still frozen, Wade realized something was wrong.