Chapter 741

Oh, dear… How will I ever carry myself in front of others after this? If everyone in my social circle is going to give me strange looks from now on, then I might as well kill myself right here and now!

Sisley tried her best to suppress her anger and said in the most casual tone possible, “Come on now, Ms. Canter… There’s no need for such harsh words, is there? They’re still young, and young people make mistakes every now and then!”

Sisley then shifted her gaze toward Mary as she continued with a forced smile, “If I recall, Penelope made a mistake too back at the hospital!”

Both of them are more or less the same, so what she did is basically the pot calling the kettle black!

Penelope’s reputation at the hospital is just as bad, if not worse!

No one had dared talk back to Mary like that since her return to the Count’s Mansion, so she got really triggered upon hearing that.

“You…”

“Am I wrong?” Sisley sneered.

Mary’s face was livid with rage as she pursed her rosy lips and said, “You’re not wrong, but Penelope is now the princess of the Count’s Mansion. Just so you know, Ryan was the one who invited Mr. Powell!

From what I’ve heard, Mr. Powell wants to have a duet with him on stage! Ryan might just become the next president of the International Piano Association!”

Thinking she had reestablished her dominance when she saw Sisley’s expression turn gloomy again, Mary flashed her a smug grin.

Before their little argument could escalate any further, Ashlyn grabbed the microphone and stood in the center of the stage. The spotlight shining on her highlighted her delicate facial features, causing the crowd to go silent as they were captivated by her dazzling beauty.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure you have all come here today in hopes of enjoying an exciting piano competition. I am terribly sorry to have ruined the mood with that humiliating incident that resulted from my personal affairs. As a token of apology, I have decided to perform a song for all of you,” she said in fluent French and bowed sincerely before handing the microphone back to the host.

With everyone’s gaze fixated on her, Ashlyn turned around and made her way toward the piano.

“Oh, my goodness! Is Ms. Saunders actually going to perform live? She never does that!”

“I never thought I’d get the chance to see Ms. Saunders perform! This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

What the… This isn’t a part of the plan! Mr. Powell is supposed to perform a duet with his friend instead! Ms. Saunders sure is ridiculously unpredictable! The host thought to himself in shock.

Everyone was holding their breath in anticipation as Ashlyn gracefully placed her slender fingers over the piano’s keyboard.

Both Caleb and Ryan leaped to their feet when she hit the first note.

“T-This is…”

“English Country-Tunes by Michael Finnissy!”

With her back toward them, Ashlyn closed her eyes and leaned slightly forward as she continued playing the piano.

Unlike the other contestants from earlier, she was completely relaxed as she lost herself in the pleasures and satisfaction that music brought her.

It wouldn’t even be an understatement to say that she was truly enjoying music with a burning passion.

Some of the more hardcore music enthusiasts in the audience, too, recognized the song she was playing.

“That’s English Country-Tunes! It was composed by Michael Finnissy in Ingland over thirty years ago! I hear it’s been labeled as the most difficult song to play on the piano!”

“If I recall correctly, it contains parts with over three hundred notes in a single bar! You’d need to make use of both your fingers and your elbows when playing this song!

“This song is way too difficult!”

Despite what they were saying, Ashlyn’s fingers continued to dance gracefully over the piano’s keyboard like it was the easiest thing in the world.