At the end of Roger’s gaze was a wooden signboard with a violin drawn on it. It was the only instrument shop in Hosha village market. The instruments of my siblings, as well as the violin next to me, were all purchased there.
“Is the violin you have now bought from there? It seemed quite good.”
“Yes.”
At my reply, Roger leaned his head out of the window. It seemed he told the coachman to pause for a moment.
“Why stop all of a sudden?”
“Let’s take a look.”
He dashed into the instrument shop in an instant. My mouth dried up at the sight of his excited back. He had bragged about buying me a gift, but surely he wasn’t asking me to buy him an instrument?
Even the cheapest violin here was out of my budget.
‘Roger has a conscience too. He wouldn’t ask for it, would he?’
He probably would. Once inside the shop, I kept my distance from Roger and glanced at the price tags.
The prices were insane.
“Is this violin by any chance an instrument that came out from Hudgers ten years ago?”
A radiant smile broke out on Roger’s face, who had previously been indifferent to me. Could Roger be expecting such an expensive instrument from me, a tenyearold who doesn’t even receive an allowance?
“You have good eyes, sir. This is the most expensive instrument in our shop. Would you like to see it?”
No!
Whether happy about a knowledgeable customer, the shop owner overstepped his usual boundaries. Sensing danger, I tried to prevent Roger from playing the violin.
“Ro, Roger.”
“I’ll play you a piece. What would you like to hear?”
“……Anything.”
If possible, a farewell piece for my soontobe empty wallet would be great.
As I sighed deeply, Roger tuned the violin a few times and then played “And the Pulpit,” the piece he’s teaching me.
I had felt like the sky was falling, but I was immediately drawn into Roger’s performance. The same went for both Roger and the shop owner. People passing by the shop also paused, clearly impressed by the crisp sound.
Once again, I felt that Roger had a natural talent for the violin.
When Roger plays, he doesn’t feel like my peer at all. His unpleasant demeanor and sarcastic tone are erased, leaving only the image of Roger now.
What an enviable talent.
“……So, how was it?”
“If you’d just play the violin and keep your mouth shut, I might fall for you, Roger.”
“No one can be perfect. You liked it, didn’t you?”
Roger shrugged and handed the violin back to the flustered shop owner.
“I played well. And I want to buy this instrument. My friend here will pay for it today.”
“……!”
Roger pointed at me. That’s when I remembered a forgotten fact. The performance was great, but buying the instrument was a different issue.
“Hey! Don’t you have a conscience……!”
“Ah, you’re talking about this violin? I’ll give you a discount as a reward for the fine performance.”
“No. I want to buy this bow.”
At Roger’s words, both the shop owner and I were bewildered.
“Huh?”
“This bow. It seems like a plain practice bow, right?”
“Yes……. It’s 2 gold coins, but you really only want the bow?”
“I’ll come back for the violin next time.”
Roger handed the violin back to the owner and took only the bow into his hands. 2 gold coins were not a burden. I reluctantly took out gold coins from my pocket and paid the amount.
“……Here are 2 gold coins.”
Even though I need a practice bow, it would be worthless for Roger, who mainly performs. Still, he looked at the bow and smiled like a child.
“It’s a cheap bow, but I’ll cherish it, Lise. I’ll practice every day with this. Thank you.”
Seeing Roger so happy made me happy too.
“I was invited to the Duke of Boren’s residence. They want to hear my performance. Exactly one month from now, around this time, I’ll be performing there.”
Throughout the journey to Roskof village, Roger’s mouth never stopped moving.
“If you go to the Duke of Boren’s residence… you’ll perform in front of Prince Boren?”
“Right. If the performance goes well there, my skills will probably become wellknown, won’t they?”
While any other kid would have been shaking with fear, Roger was already worried about his fame.
“So, be nice to me, Lise Marsen.”
“I’m always nice, aren’t I?”
“What are you… Never mind. Let’s talk about you now.”
“What about?”
“Why can’t you practice violin at the Marsen estate?”
My mood instantly sank. Roger, who had been observing my expression, hid his playful smile.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing much. My parents are getting divorced.”
“… That is significant.”
“All my siblings and I will be going to Polong Ga eventually. Not immediately, though. We still have things to do here, so we’re staying in a temporary residence. So… I don’t think I’ll be going to the Marsen estate anymore.”
Roger paused, then nodded.
“… Alright. In that case, it’s probably best to take a break from violin lessons for a month. Do as you please.”
“Oh, just take a break?”
Roger’s eyes hardened at my question.
“Were you planning to quit?”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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