An Invitation from the Legend
A strange smile played on their lips, especially the elves who had insulted us—they looked like they'd seen a ghost. Seeing their faces washed away even the last traces of my lingering negativity. Music isn't about winning or losing, but anyone could see we'd come out on top this time.
And right then, the crowd parted, and Selenie walked through the gap. Drawing all eyes to her, she said,
"Intense. Thrilling."
Her eyes curved like a crescent moon. Then, in a clear voice loud enough for everyone to hear, she continued,
"Mind if I invite you all to my place?"
Her sudden invitation made me blink.
"Your place?"
"Yes. Seeing talents like yours has piqued my curiosity. How about dinner and a chat?"
My god. An invitation from Selenie herself.
I wasn't the only one caught off guard—Monica beside me was rolling her eyes around in shock. It was only then that I realized we were still on stage, with countless people watching us. Staying silent probably wasn't the best move. And Monica and Temi... their expressions said it all about what answer they wanted.
So I told Selenie,
"No reason to refuse. It's an honor, Lady Selenie."
My response deepened her smile. Nodding in satisfaction, she ignored the surrounding stares and said,
"Wonderful. I'll send a guide at dinnertime. Where are you staying?"
"Yes."
With that, I stepped off the stage, chatted a bit more with Selenie, and left Selenie's Play. For the record, we felt piercing gazes on us the whole way out—admiration, envy, surprise, curiosity, all mixed together.
"Whoa, that was thrilling! I didn't expect it to be this fun!"
The moment we stepped outside, Temi burst out laughing, her face lit up like she'd watched the best show from the front row. Fair enough—it had been spectacular. Some elves picking a blatant fight, a head-to-head performance duel, and then an invitation from Selenie. None of it was anything I'd foreseen before coming here.
"This isn't a dream, right? An invitation from Lady Selenie..."
Monica was still dazed, her expression blank. No wonder. Selenie was a legendary musician. In this world where gods were so close, she didn't have nicknames like "god of music," but her status was practically that. She might even be more famous than Lady Armonia around here. Musicians idolized her. Me included. Half my crystal orb collection back home featured her performances. One of my favorite pieces in this world was composed and played by her.
And now she'd given us rave reviews and invited us to dinner.
That's when Temi clicked her tongue.
"Should we head back to the inn first? You two look out of it."
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah."
"Sure."
Temi liked music too, but not to the fanatic level Monica or I did, so she snapped out of it quick. I followed her lead—the most level-headed of us—back to the inn. We were planning to stay a few days anyway, so resting on the first was no issue. Besides, we only had two or three hours till dinner.
Time to crash for a bit.
Monica sat blankly on the bed after entering her room. Temi had gone out to sightsee more before dinner, leaving her alone.
"A dream? No... probably not."
She mumbled dazedly, unaware she'd said it more than ten times already. Who could blame her? Who was Selenie? Plenty of great musicians served as role models. But few picked Selenie—simple reason: she was beyond a role model.
The most revered, most beloved musician. The very spark that made Monica vow to pursue music.
And now that Selenie had invited her to dinner! Right after praising her performance to the skies!
"Dream..."
Monica nearly mumbled it again but barely stopped herself. She still couldn't believe it was real, but repeating it wouldn't change anything.
"Hoo."
Instead, she turned to something productive: replaying their performance before Selenie.
"Storm."
That was the piece they'd played. Arden had said it was one for the Armonia Church concert. Monica murmured,
"How does he even compose something like that? And not just one—back to back."
Truth be told, when Arden first mentioned receiving revelation from Armonia's god, she'd been stunned. Not that she underestimated him—he oddly downplayed his own talent as average, but to her, he was anything but.
Honestly, meeting him as a kid had been the first time she'd doubted her own genius. Despite their similar ages, his playing carried an undeniable depth.
But his recent compositions... they leaped far beyond her imagination. To the point where she wondered if it really was divine inspiration.
Maybe that's why lately, Arden gave her a strange feeling. Like he was... different somehow?
Suddenly, she recalled performing together earlier. Him standing beside her, violin in hand. Eyes sparkling like stars, face deep in focus. Sweat trickling down his forehead. Lips pressed tight. And those pale, slender fingers drawing endless beautiful melodies with every move.
Moments when playing together felt like reading each other's minds...
Those sights, those instants were utterly...
"Ah, no!"
Monica jolted, shaking her head. No one could read her thoughts, but she anxiously scanned the room anyway. Empty, of course. Relieved, she cooled her burning cheeks with her palms.
"M-maybe I'm just tired lately."
Yeah, that must be it. Overpracticing, exhaustion sparking weird ideas. Arden was just a friend. A childhood one. Any recent awareness of him during duets, any tension—it was all illusion. She repeated this to herself. For a long while.
Knock knock.
When someone knocked, Monica jumped up with a start.
"Wh-who is it?"
"Why?!"
Monica yelped at Arden's voice from outside. A brief silence, then,
"What? No! Of course! Wait a sec!"
Only then did Monica realize she'd zoned out on the bed for hours. She scrambled up—thankfully still dressed for going out. She checked the mirror a few extra times before opening the door, though.
Anyway, there stood the guide, Temi, and Arden.
"Let's go."
"O-okay!"
Monica replied too loudly, nodding. For some reason, she could barely meet Arden's eyes. Like he'd read her thoughts if she did.
Arden tilted his head at her briefly but soon said casually,
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
And so they followed the guide.
Monica's acting weird. Like she's mad or something? She shrieked before even opening the door, and now she won't meet my eyes at all.
"What's up with her?"
"No idea? Something happen?"
Temi just shrugged, clueless too. Hmm. I pondered, but nothing came to mind. Not like this was her first moody spell. Anyway, thinking about where we were headed, she'd perk up soon enough. We were going to Selenie's mansion, after all.
I put Monica out of my mind and looked around instead.
"Whoa."
Sunset was turning the city into a whole new spectacle. Lights blazed everywhere, mingling with the white buildings to feel like another world. But the real eye-catcher was Selenie's mansion, now drawing close—ivory-hued, smack in the city center.
The guide stopped before it and turned to us with a faint smile.
"The mistress has prepared a very special dinner."