I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 44: An Old Friend

**The video above is my imagination of what Hugh sounds like when he sings. Please put it on a loop while you read this chapter. And again, thank you for reading my stories. Please leave a comment if you can, your comments motivate me to write more. Enjoy!**

I didn't expect much, but I still wanted to give those people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps someone was forced to participate in Tristan's reckless plan. No one should be naive enough to think this wouldn't backfire on the LILY Opera. While Hugh may be a commoner by birth, and his punishment will be much harsher than the others, the LILY Opera will still face the consequences. They will be held accountable for humiliating the King and defying the royal decree, especially since one of their own, Hugh, failed to comply.

"What should we do?" Rebecca asked.

"Let's wait for Hugh to return," I told her.

After waiting for a few minutes, Hugh returned with a pale expression. It turned out that not only the LILY Musician had been bribed, but every person at the ball who could play a musical instrument had also been bought off. It was astonishing to think that Tristan would go this far just to humiliate Hugh. The thought of how petty this man was gave me a headache, and it became clear why such vile rumors about Rebecca spread so quickly.

"It's over..." Hugh began to cry uncontrollably, "The LILY Opera is finished... My life is ruined..."

Both Plan A and Plan B had failed. I didn't think Tristan would take it this far.

"We're out of options. Hugh, I think your only choice left is to tell them you're sick," Rebecca said, after thinking hard.

"Is that our only option?"

"Well, you can't sing a cappella because of your stage fright," Rebecca sighed. "And I can't play any instrument, let alone the piano."

Piano...?

"Wait, there's a piano here?" I asked, surprised.

"Ah, yes," Rebecca replied, "There's a grand piano in the royal ballroom."

Grand Piano...

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my mind as a fleeting phantom figure flashed before my eyes.

You're getting better at playing the piano. Do you like the piano, ####?

I flinched from the pain but managed to stay on my feet, not wanting to alarm Rebecca and Hugh. I wasn't sure if the memory was mine or if it belonged to Five, but judging by the voice, it seemed I had some knowledge of playing the piano. 

Should I take the risk and try playing it?

I glanced at Hugh, still crying, and Rebecca, who was desperately trying to find a way to help him. I wanted to help Rebecca, the first friend I made after arriving in this world. If there was any way I could assist her in helping Hugh, I decided I should try. I could worry about the consequences later. At worst, I'd be blamed for ruining the ball. It wouldn't harm me since I didn't have any significant reputation, and if I caused trouble, Zwei could easily discard me to protect the Sigma name. If that saves him face, I wouldn't mind if he did.

"I can play the piano," I said.

Rebecca and Hugh both turned to me, their eyes wide with surprise.

"You can?" Hugh asked, astonished.

I hesitated for a moment before responding, "It's been a long time since I last played, so my skills are a bit rusty, but I can still play."

I stare down at my hands before griping them into a fist, "Can you trust me to play as your accompanist, Hugh?"