Chapter 225

The last notes of Charlotte’s song still lingered in the air, delicate and breathtaking, echoing in a way that seemed to touch everyone in the room. One by one, people turned to look at her, their faces shining with admiration and envy.
Charlotte sat at the piano with her school bag carelessly slung over one shoulder. Her legs were crossed, her posture relaxed and almost slouched, as if she couldn’t care less about the crowd. Her features were striking, her expression calm, but her eyes held a mysterious depth that drew people in. Most mesmerizing of all were her slender hands, moving lightly over the piano keys, graceful and precise, like butterflies dancing above the black and white.
“What’s that piece she’s playing? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”
“It’s gorgeous, but you can tell just by listening how hard it must be to play. She makes it look effortless, and every note is perfect.”
“I’ve played piano for years. Getting to that level… you’d need at least twenty years of practice.”
“If she’s this talented, why isn’t she competing? She’d win for sure. Laura would probably beg to take her on as a student.”
As the praise swirled around the room, Olivia’s face turned white as paper. Her hands, hanging at her sides, curled into fists. She remembered how Charlotte used to show off her natural talent for piano as a kid, even though she barely had any lessons. But then, after that accident, her father smashed her piano and sent her away to the countryside.
Lamplighter Village was a poor, remote place. Owning a piano there was out of the question, let alone keeping up with lessons. So how was Charlotte still this good?
Olivia couldn’t take her eyes off Charlotte, jealousy burning hotter and hotter, threatening to swallow her whole.
The last note faded and silence fell.
“There were a lot of notes out of tune. I fixed it. Try it now,” Charlotte said, standing up with a cool, almost bored tone.
“Thank you.” The girl sitting at the piano blinked in surprise, then pressed a few keys. Her eyes went wide. She’d hired all kinds of professionals to tune this piano, but Charlotte had made it sound better In a few minutes than anyone else ever had. It was like she’d been playing on a completely different instrument until now.
“Thank you so much she said, looking up at Charlotte with excitement and gratitude. “Do you play piano too?”
“Just a little.”
The other contestants were starting to notice the change in the sound too In a competition, the the quality of
the piano could make all the of
difference.
After a moment, a pretty girl stepped forward, her voice hesitant. “Um, would you mind tuning mine too?”
Charlotte checked the time, then nodded and walked into the girl’s room. In just a few minutes, she had her piano sounding perfect.
The other contestants stared, then scrambled over, setting aside their pride and crowding around Charlotte, their voices a mix of hope and nerves.
“Could you help me with mine, too?”
“And mine, please. If you have time.”
“I can pay you. How much would you charge to tune one?”
Of the ten contestants, all but Olivia and the two with freshly tuned pianos surrounded Charlotte, their hopes pinned on her.
Watching all this, Elizabeth’s face
twisted in frustration. “At a time like this, she’s off helping everyone else? She’s clearly turning her back on Olivia. There’s no way Olivia can win if this keeps up.”