27. I’ve Been Invited to an Outing, but Our Distance is Close (2)

 By Antoinette Vanessa September 12, 2022

As salon concerts were held regularly at that old castle, mostly everyone in the audience seemed to know each other.

…Their gazes hurt.

Within a hall that was believed to have once been used as a grand hall, sitting on a luxurious couch, Avril slowly traced her surroundings.

…Why are they looking at me?

Instead of paying attention to the antique piano placed in front of them, she could see that everyone was looking at her. Most of the gazes were from the ladies who were escorted to that place.

For the dull Avril to receive such attention, it was quite a feat. Unable to stand it any longer, she asked Dylan.

“Does Lord Dylan come to this concert often? Everyone around here seems extremely concerned about us.”

“Is that so? This salon concert, which is being sponsored by Marquis Brandner family, has a long history. Although, it has been a while since I last attended one. Perhaps, that’s why. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, not at all, nope…”

Towards Dylan, whose sky-blue eyes darkened with concern, Avril shook her head.

I see, it’s partly of the beautiful duke’s fault, while the other half is the villainess’ fault.

That day, all Avril needed to do to fulfill her role as a villain was to stand there.

…Speaking of the Marquis Brandner family, isn’t that the house with the deep connection to the arts, the one that has produced many musicians? To be able to attend such a concert, I can only thank this contract marriage for the opportunity…!

As she inwardly thanked him profusely, Avril noticed that her familiar entourage was missing.

“Come to think of it, where’s Chris? He’s nowhere to be seen today, even though he’s usually with you…”

Inherently, Chris was supposed to be Dylan’s attendant. However, whenever Avril attempted to act like a villainess, for some reason, he was always nearby. To her, he was a precious existence who helped her.

“…You seem to get along quite well with Chris.”

“Indeed. Chris has taught me a lot of things. Just the other day, when I was about to reply to a letter from Lady Alexandra of Lindbergh, instead of applying kiss mark, Chris advised me to just sprinkle perfume on it.”

“I’ve not heard of any of this.” Dylan frowned. “More importantly, are there people around Avril who behaved like that?”

“Ye—I mean, no. I always behave like that.”

She saw Corinna leaving a letter marked with a kiss with the postman. Hence, she thought that villains usually sent letters in that manner.

“…As for the true implication behind that, I wonder if she’s aware? Ignorance is truly scary.”

“I, I’m sorry, I guess?”

The story didn’t seem to mesh well. She didn’t really understand, and apologized for the time being. But then, Dylan took Avril’s hand.

“Considering that today is a date, Chris won’t be here.”

“…Date.”

Date as in… a date?

At the term she thought would have nothing to do with her, Avril blinked her eyes. Then, Dylan whispered in a sweet voice.

“…Please refrain from leaving kiss marks when you write to others.”

“Yes, understood.”

You are reading story The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess at novel35.com

From Lord Dylan’s reaction just now, I can conclude that behavior is particularly nasty—even amongst wicked women…!

Avril nodded firmly, but Dylan’s intentions seemed to be slightly different.

“Otherwise, the letter will shock the recipient. If the receivers know that it’s you, some might appreciate you even more. That doesn’t bode very well with me.”

“?”

As Avril pondered what he meant by that, Dylan went on.

“Avril, will you write me a letter when we return today?”

“Yes, of course!”

Avril loved to write letters. If she were to write a letter to Dylan tonight, it’d surely be filled with many memories of that old castle concert.

She also desired to write about her daily gratitude and determination to fulfill her role.

When she smiled at her plans for the night, Dylan’s hand tightened around hers.

“You’re truly adorable.”

“…!? Ador—!?”

Surprised, she inadvertently let out a scream.

Apparently, the conversation between Avril and Dylan reached the ladies around them. A sudden commotion spread throughout the hall.

Lord Dylan is really good at acting like a proper husband in public!

Avril had no choice but to send him her heartfelt compliment.

***

The salon concert, which started immediately after, was wonderful.

Putting that aside, Avril was very troubled on her way back from the restroom during the interval.

…Uhm, what should I do? I can’t just ignore that—

—As for what Avril was having trouble with, it was a violin that was resonating roughly with a tune that didn’t at all resemble a pretty timbre.

In a practice room a short distance from the hall, a six or seven-year-old boy could be seen practicing. However, the tune was different from the sheet music.

Come to think of it, when I was a child, I also attended a salon concert in place of Corinna. Although, the venue wasn’t a wonderful old castle like this…

Surely, that boy would also appear in the salon concert later. No, he’d absolutely appear.

Strangely enough, the piece was the same violin concerto that Avril played when she substituted for Corinna at that time. She also used the same score. Avril, who had a good memory, still remembered the sheet music and could see the differences.

I shouldn’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but…

To eavesdrop in such a place, she was definitely a suspicious person.

As she peeped from the entrance of the practice room, she was unsure what to do.

“Who…?”

The boy’s voice made Avril jump.

You can find story with these keywords: The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess, Read The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess, The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess novel, The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess book, The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess story, The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess full, The Genius “Incompetent” Woman Wants to be a Villainess Latest Chapter