Chapter 678: Returning to the Townhouse

The afternoon arrived, and it was time for the recital. If I was going to perform, I had to give it everything I had. After all, I would be playing before His Majesty and Her Majesty.

Very well, let us begin the Julius Recital, whose number I had long since lost count of. How did I keep ending up in these situations? My own talents frightened me. If I had known this would happen, I would never have acquired the Performance skill. It was far too late now, though.

The venue was a dance hall inside the royal castle, roughly the size of two music classrooms. It was smaller than the great hall, but still felt spacious.

There was only one exceptionally expensive-looking piano inside. Apparently, this would be a piano solo recital. Well, it could not be helped.

Besides His Majesty and the others, several unfamiliar faces were present. Were they high-ranking officials? There were also some young people among them. They were probably friends of His Highness the Crown Prince or Sister-in-law Daniela.

Axel and Ijidol were naturally there, and so were Commander Giovanni and the others.

After briefly introducing myself, I began the recital without delay. Everyone here was surely busy. Even if I had been allotted roughly an hour, I could not take up too much of their time.

Accordingly, I focused on the pieces His Majesty and the others had requested in advance, while selecting other songs that seemed likely to appeal to the audience.

I thought I had worked quite hard. No, apparently, I had worked too hard. When I finished the planned performance, I received thunderous applause and a request for an encore—from His Majesty himself, no less. I could not refuse that.

In the end, the recital greatly exceeded the allotted hour and lasted almost two.

“It’s over… I’m exhausted…”

“Well done. Please have some tea and sweets.”

“Thank you. What did you think of my performance?”

“It was incredible!”

“I was moved!”

I looked towards the three of them, including Nero. Axel and Ijidol said that with sparkling eyes, while Nero nodded again and again.

“I wasn’t sure whether to come right up until the last moment, but I’m glad I did.”

“Me too. If we’d decided against it, we would’ve missed such an amazing performance.”

“You could at least lie and say you’d been looking forward to it.”

We all laughed. We could turn it into a joke now because the recital had ended without incident. His Majesty had also promised me a reward for arranging such a wonderful performance, so everything had worked out splendidly.

“You won’t be staying at the castle from tonight onwards, right? Does that mean you won’t join our training from tomorrow?”

“That’s right. Still, I think I’ll be coming to the castle for a while.”

“I wanted to train with Julius some more.”

“Wait a moment. You haven’t shown me your magic yet.”

Ijidol puffed his cheeks slightly. Even if he said that, magic was not as simple to demonstrate as swordsmanship. It required various preparations—a target, for example, and a suitable place to cast spells.

For that reason, I invited them to visit the House Heine townhouse. We had targets and enough space there. I also would not have to worry so much about prying eyes. Some people here seemed to find my presence irritating.

After making those arrangements with them, I began preparing to leave. Sister-in-law Daniela came into the room with her beautiful eyebrows drooping sadly, lending her an air of melancholy.

“Do you really have to leave?”

“Yes. I’d rather not impose by staying here any longer. Even one additional guest must create a considerable burden.”

“It really doesn’t…”

“…To be completely honest, I’d like to relax at the townhouse.”

The elegant arches of Sister-in-law Daniela’s eyebrows drooped even further. Apparently, she understood.

Could Sister-in-law Daniela be feeling the same way?

“I suppose it can’t be helped, then. I wish I could say the same thing you did.”

“Why don’t you return with us?”

“I’d love to, but there are a few more things I have to do here. Once those are finished, I’ll return immediately.”

I nodded silently. His Majesty and Her Majesty would surely be sad if they heard this. No, they might say that they wanted to come with her. They visited the territory every year to watch the horse races held in the Heine Margraviate, after all.

After saying goodbye to Sister-in-law Daniela, we set off for the townhouse. Mira naturally came with us. I could not possibly leave them behind.

Perhaps because Mira and I had spent so much time apart while I stayed at the castle, they were now pressed tightly against me. No, they were clinging to me. I stroked Mira’s head.

“You did very well too, Mira. Once we’re back at the townhouse, I’ll brush your fur.”

“Kyuu!”

“Lionel, did you hear anything interesting?”

“A few things…”

What was with that suggestive answer? Since he would not discuss it here, was it something he did not want us to hear? Surely there were not still people planning to assassinate His Majesty? Sister-in-law Daniela would have mentioned something like that, though. In that case, perhaps it was something else.

I was still tilting my head in thought when we arrived at the townhouse.