MPO

CHAPTER XVl

He intently watched Leila, who was playing comfortably with her eyes softly glowing with gem-like light in the middle of the sun-filled room. The eyes that did not see him kept catching his attention since yesterday.

He liked that she was with him but looking elsewhere. It was also nice that his nose wasn’t tormented by strong perfume. Her body scent was sweet and fresh like grass, reminiscent of the Darjeeling tea he often drank, bringing afternoon tea time to mind.

Lazy sunlight and teatime, along with violin music.

Just the thought made him feel languid, so his posture became increasingly relaxed. His appearance, enjoying the performance with his eyes closed, would have elicited exclamations of amazement at this new side of Lucas, so elegant and beautiful.

Meanwhile, Leila felt odd about the presence right in front of her. It wasn’t like her usual secret, breath-catching performances, but rather her first time confidently performing in front of someone.

No, she had performed in front of her mother when she was young, but those memories were so old they felt unfamiliar. Anna, standing hidden in a corner, watched the two.

Thinking that no one but herself could protect her lady from Lucas’s possible ulterior motives, she glared fiercely.

Three people, each with entirely different stances, coexisted in the space, somehow unfamiliar yet harmoniously blended.

***

A week had passed since Leila was lent the space. She came to the building daily to play, arriving early in the morning and playing passionately until dusk.

From the listener’s perspective, it was a welcome affair, so he too made it a point not to miss a day of her performances.

Today, as usual, Lucas finished his work early and headed there, entering through the familiar back door.

“Hm?”

Feeling a sense of unease as he closed the back door, he hurried to the room where Leila was supposed to be, but just as he already expected, she wasn’t there.

He could tell immediately because her scent was not present at all.

“Seems like she’s running a bit late today.”

Considering she might have encountered an unexpected matter, he fetched a book from another room and came down to the first floor.

Planning to wait leisurely by reading, he felt disappointed as the day faded and she did not appear.

“Maybe she’s taking a break today. After all, she’s been coming every day for a week. A day off seems reasonable.”

Trying to sound nonchalant, he muttered to himself and slowly made his exit, steps heavy with reluctance.

However, she did not come the next day, nor the day after.

When she hadn’t shown up for five straight days, he too stopped visiting the building.

Philip glanced at Lucas, who, unlike his usual self, wasn’t humming and looked frustrated as he stared at the documents.

Even without saying, it was clear he was in a bad mood, flipping through the papers irritably.

“……Your Grace, is there something displeasing you?”

At Philip’s inquiry, Lucas put down the paperwork and leaned back in his chair.

“The preparations are running smoothly, so why do you ask? Is there a problem?”

Recently, from the trading operations run by the dukedom to new distribution channels and jurisdiction areas, there hadn’t been a single issue. Everything was proceeding so smoothly it almost seemed too good to be true.

Then why such an expression? Mulling over it, Philip ventured a guess.

“Are you enjoying the performances to your heart’s content? She was the violinist you sought for so long, wasn’t she?”

“Ha….”

Predictably, Lucas’s lackluster response led Philip to press for details.

“She hasn’t been coming?”

“Yes, after consistently showing up, now suddenly she hasn’t for over five days…… Wouldn’t her fingers stiffen? One shouldn’t neglect practice, not even for a day. That’s not why I lent her the space.”

Watching Lucas grumble, Philip discreetly signaled to one of his men. A person who was sorting documents nearby approached and bowed.

Philip ordered him,

“Go to the Este Countdom’s residence and find out what’s happened. Of course, it’d be better if they didn’t know who we are.”

“Yes, understood.”

As the subordinate left, both Philip and Lucas watched.

Lucas then quietly asked,

“……Could something have happened to her?”