Chapter 32: Musical Encounter III

"As expected of Miss Wynter Morgrave, she truly is remarkable," one said just as Wynter finished her performance.

"Indeed, but she has those subtle mistakes."

"Yes, that is definitely a minus."

"If the other young man weren't around, surely she would still be at the top, but now it is quite close. Since the other performance was also great. Though lacking in technique, he performed really well," another commented.

"It seems she tried to support her accompaniment," another said, getting the attention of the rest.

"Mister Wood," one recognized him.

Lucius Wood was a well-known instructor of classical music in the country and abroad.

"But it is quite curious that she tried to support her accompaniment. She never did that before. After all, even with how lackluster her accompaniment is, she could perform brilliantly," Lucius added.

"Yes, because of that, Mister Justin Murphy has a chance of winning the competition," the man in the corner said after hearing the comments of the others.

"She could have done better, right?" Luca said to Justin.

"Yes, I wonder if something was wrong," Justin couldn't help but say.

"But it was still breathtaking. With those techniques, those are things I still couldn't do."

Luca nodded, though he was not as focused on music as Justin, he still listened to many classical pieces while learning the piano. Some even called him a prodigy for mastering it with minimal practice.

He also got the chance to listen to Wynter Morgrave perform at one of the banquets he attended. Compared to back then, he felt that she seemed lacking this time.

But even with that talent, he still missed what those who focused on music noticed, the same goes for Justin, who still lacked the experience to catch those subtleties.

The two of them only noticed that she had some subtle mistakes.

Wynter walked past the both of them, glancing subtly and giving a slight nod as a greeting before walking to the side.

"I am so sorry," her accompaniment said after they stood to the side.

"Don't mind it," she replied with a smile.

"Things happen," she added.

The accompaniment was so nervous about playing alongside her that he missed some notes despite being one of the best pianists.

Of course, Wynter Morgrave's accompaniment could not just be anyone. He was chosen after a long process. Who would have thought that he would make small mistakes while performing?

But he was also quite shocked that Wynter Morgrave supported him.

He knew how she always performed her best without minding her accompaniment.

That was why some who performed with her were criticized because as she performed at her best, the accompaniment could not keep up, destroying her performance.

"Thank you," he couldn't help but say.

The criticism was too much for him.

But Wynter did give him the chance to redeem himself because the performance ended well.

And that was all thanks to Wynter.

Wynter smiled again.

The other competitors already knew that they had no chance of winning here after listening to Justin and Wynter's performance. They were only waiting now for the announcement.

…

"Wow, we must be your lucky charm," Kathrine said after they met up with Justin and Luca after the event ended.

Justin grimaced at her words.

Beatrice laughed, "Congratulations on winning."

"Thanks," he replied.

"Now, you will be treating us to a meal for being your greatest supporters," Kenneth playfully took his award.

In the end, he was able to win due to those subtle mistakes that Wynter ended up making.

"Can I be the one to treat you all for taking good care of this brother of mine?" someone suddenly said from the side.

When they turned, Kathrine and Beatrice's eyes turned wide. Even Kenneth was obviously stunned. Luca and Gabriel were the same, but their shock was short-lived.

"Brother Elson?" Justin approached the man.

"Elson Murphy? A well-known pianist in Europe, even popping up in magazines in this country?" Kathrine was trying to hold back her excitement.

"Shhh, let's get out of here before those old geezers see me," Elson rushed them out of the venue.

Wynter watched their group leave from the side. She looked down at her phone where she received three messages.

'You cannot be too perfect; you did great in not winning.'

'I did not do it intentionally,' she thought.

'Make sure you tell me beforehand before losing. Do you realize how embarrassed I will be that you actually lost when I was flaunting you?'

She pursed her lips at the second message.

And she could only stare at the third message.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked after she boarded, evading all those who wished to interview her.

Especially Lucius Wood, who was hell-bent on taking her in as his student. But she did notice his eyes twinkle while watching Justin Murphy's performance. He might stop trying to get her.

Or maybe she could push him towards Justin Murphy instead.

"Let's go back now. Our business here is done," she replied.

"Very well."

Wynter looked outside the window, 'That performance blended splendidly. I guess I was so affected by it that I actually tried to do the same.'

She leaned back and closed her eyes, 'But this is fine. As my father said, I cannot be too perfect. Second should be something I attain from time to time.'

…

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elson Murphy, Justin's older cousin," Elson introduced himself after they settled in a private room of a restaurant.

They already knew that he was Justin's family but what shocked them a while ago was the fact that he was actually there. Even Justin was stunned.

"I am Kenneth Verlice," Kenneth introduced himself.

"Verlice… Hmmm, could you be from City B?" Elson asked.

Since they were outside school, they all did not mind talking about their families. And it seemed fine to befriend Kathrine and Beatrice.

They were already comfortable with one another after some schoolwork, so it was easy to treat one another as friends.

"I am," Kenneth replied with a smile.