RYL Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The band stepped down from the stage, leaving behind endless applause and cheers from the crowd. Everyone looked thrilled and a bit dazed, still not quite believing how well the performance went.

“We… we really did great, right?”
Hans, the bass player, asked in disbelief.

Samuel, who didn’t usually get along well with others, smiled and answered,
“It was a big success.”

Only then did the band members’ faces light up with excitement. As I watched them proudly, Sabrina came over and slung her arm over my shoulder.

“It’s all thanks to you, Claire.”

Lilianne joined us, smiling brightly.
“I was totally blank when I saw the crowd’s reaction at first, but you helped me snap out of it.”

Feeling embarrassed by their praise, I scratched the back of my head.
“It’s only because you two and the rest of the band kept up so well.”

“Oh gosh, when the audience started throwing trash, I thought we were doomed…”
Sabrina shuddered at the memory.

Just then, from beside the stage, a group of young noblewomen spotted us and started shouting.

“Drum Goddess! You were amazing!”
“Drum Goddess! Please look over here!”

Sabrina and I looked at each other.

“Wait… do they mean me?”
Sabrina asked, stunned.

I giggled and replied,
“Looks like it.”

“What even is a drum goddess…?”
Sabrina covered her face with one hand, clearly embarrassed.

Even though she was wearing a mask so no one could see her face anyway.

Then it happened.

Behind the noisy girls, a dark figure was approaching fast. I looked at the shadowy figure curiously. Sabrina also saw it and gasped, quickly turning around.

“Eek! Claire, handle that for me!”

That’s when I realized the dark figure was the villain.

Panicking, I turned to Sabrina in protest.
“What do you mean, handle it?!”

But she had already disappeared behind the stage curtains.

As I stood there in shock, the villain was already right in front of me. When he tried to go behind the stage, I stepped in front of him without thinking.

“Only staff members are allowed backstage, sir.”

He looked down at me coldly and replied,
“I just thought I recognized someone and wanted to check.”

“Sorry, but our salon strictly protects private information with masks. Even if you know someone, you can’t go backstage unless you’re staff.”

Hearing my firm tone, the villain tilted his head slightly.
“And are you staff?”

He stared at me, clearly trying to figure out who I was. I adjusted my mask and replied bluntly,
“Yeah, I was on stage. I’m one of the performers.”

It seemed like he finally recognized me as the guitarist from the performance. But luckily, he didn’t realize I was a noble from the Devonshire family.

He was sharp enough to recognize Sabrina even with a mask, yet he didn’t seem to recognize me at all. Should I be happy or insulted?

While I was facing off with him, someone stepped between us and glared at the villain.

At first, I didn’t realize who it was. But once I saw the familiar navy mask, I knew it was Mathieu.

Why was he here, glaring at the villain like that?

“If you have something to say to the lady behind you, you can say it to me.”

I looked at Mathieu in disbelief.
Why are you getting involved now?

The villain sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.

“I’m not interested in this lady, but the one who went backstage.”

I quickly replied,
“I already told you—you can’t go back there.”

Mathieu backed me up.
“You heard her. You’re not allowed.”

As this weird standoff continued, suddenly, Crown Prince Mikael appeared.

“Why are two men confronting each other over my dance partner?”

Mathieu turned sharply toward him with an intense glare.
The villain still looked as cold and indifferent as ever.

What is this? Why am I caught in a three-way standoff?

I stood frozen in awkwardness until a savior appeared.

“There you are! Everyone’s looking for you.”

Lilianne, wearing a gold mask, pulled me away from the tense group.

As we stepped behind the curtains, I glanced back. The villain was following us. But Mathieu blocked his path.

Before I could figure out what was going on, Mathieu looked back at me and gave a bright smile.

Ugh. Just seeing these men is giving me a headache…

***

The event performance at the Clina Salon ended in great success.

That night’s stage left such a strong impression that word quickly spread among the nobles.

To people who were used to boring classical music, the bold and free-spirited punk-pop performance was a refreshing shock—and an exciting one.

Even now, most of the conversations among noble ladies sitting in cafes were all about the band from that day.

“It was such an incredible performance! The violinist’s playing was amazing, like she was possessed…”

“But they say the drummer was like a goddess!”

At those words, Sabrina, who had been drinking tea across the table, almost spat it out.
She didn’t, thankfully, but she started coughing as if something had gone down the wrong way.
Lilianne gently patted her back and handed her a handkerchief.

“They say the drummer is being called the goddess of war, Athena.”

Well, if you saw Sabrina pounding on the drums like a madwoman, it did seem like even dead soldiers on a battlefield would rise again.

“And the woman who played the piano was supposed to be stunningly beautiful…”

But she was wearing a mask — how could they tell if she was beautiful or not?

“Oh! That’s why they call her the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.”

Who’s even coming up with these nicknames?

At this point, I couldn’t help but get curious.

Do I have a nickname too?
I mean, they’ve already got Athena and Aphrodite.

I listened closely, secretly hoping, and just as I thought, they finally mentioned me.

“What about the woman who jumped into the middle of the stage and started playing the guitar?”

“Oh, I haven’t heard a nickname for her yet, but if I think about how wild her playing was…”

After pausing for a moment, one lady suddenly clapped her hands and said,

“Hades?”

Why am I the god of the underworld?!

Sabrina and Lilianne were covering their mouths, shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Stop laughing already, Athena.”

Then Sabrina quickly wiped the smile off her face and looked serious.

Lilianne, watching us, let out a soft chuckle.

Just then, familiar music came from outside the café.

It was the same music performed at the Clina Salon.

It had only been a few days since the performance — I didn’t expect the sheet music to already be out.

A street violinist was playing it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough that Sabrina frowned in disapproval.

“Could the sheet music have been leaked?”

Lilianne had organized the sheets and shared them only with the salon musicians.

I didn’t think any of them would have leaked it.

But then again, genius musicians can often play something after just hearing it once.

“Is it okay to just leave it like this?”

To Lilianne’s question, I smiled meaningfully.

“This is actually a good thing.”

Sabrina and Lilianne looked confused.

I continued with a confident grin.

“Do you know why cafes and streets play music in public?”

Even in our world, popular songs were always playing in stores and on the streets.

And it’s not just for people’s enjoyment.

“It’s because when music gets into people’s subconscious, it becomes a trend.”

Sabrina and Lilianne finally understood and clapped their hands together.

“So this is actually a positive sign.”

At my meaningful smile, the two ladies gave me a thumbs up, as if to say, “That’s our planner.”