Hey, what am I thinking? His lips were beautiful. They were thin, and most would think people with that kind of lips were hard to get along with, but she got along well with him. She stood beside the piano, closing her eyes and enjoying the music. Eventually, she felt her heart calming down.
Eugene had finished the tune, but since she was still immersed in it, he played another tune. Olivia noticed that, but she stayed quiet. When the second tune was done, Eugene stopped. âDo you like this one?â
Olivia nodded. âThe story behind this song made me cry back then. I wanted to learn, but my teacher didnât teach me.â Eugene said, âCome here. Iâll teach you.â Olivia frowned, feeling a bit embarrassed. âBut I donât know how to play.â
âItâs fine. Sit down.â Eugene sat her down. âIâH teach you step by step.â He held her hand and placed it on the keys. âLighter.
Relax. Relax your fingers and your body.â
Olivia knew that she had forgotten all her basics, and it was worse than she imagined. Eugene had to correct her hand posture a few times, let alone how she played the piano. Eugene would ask her to play after him, but sheâd either play the wrong note or forget the notes in the middle. She had to play one bar a dozen times, but she still forgot most of it at the end of the day.
She was getting nervous, but Eugene seemed patient enough. âTake it slow. Being able to play well takes years. Nobody can master it in a day. You can fool lots of people if you master this.â
Olivia smiled. âPeople would think Iâm a maestro if they donât know better.â âSo?â Eugene said. âYouâre talented. Itâs just a piano tune. Nothing hard, really.â Olivia looked at him. âYouâre getting better at praising.â
Eugene answered, âAll thanks to you.â Olivia glared at him playfully. âYeah, right.â Eugene smiled. âYou asked Jewel about the necklace, right? What did she say?â
Olivia answered, âItâs the same thing as the one we brought back from Eurosia, but she doesnât know if itâs real.â Eugene paused for a moment, and he looked at her. âYou canât be a princess, can you?â
Olivia was speechless. âThatâs what she said too. If I was really a princess, I wouldnât have been abandoned, alright?â
Eugene frowned. âNot necessarily abandoned. Maybe they had no choice. You said the necklace is priceless, right? If you were abandoned, thereâs no way you would have that necklace on you.â
Olivia nodded. She thought he had a point. âBut that doesnât prove anything. The real article is in Eurosiaâs princessâ hands. They probably made a lot of fakes to prevent the real one from getting stolen, and one of them was given to me.â
Eugene didnât believe it. âThey started making fakes twenty years ago?â Olivia answered, âNot impossible. Itâs expensive, and they want to keep it from being stolen, so they made a few more fakes to distract the thieves.â
Eugene said, âIâm more inclined to believe that both the necklaces are real.â Olivia said, âHey, there are fakes. The one we gave was a fake, right? The princess said they made a lot of fakes to prevent theft.â