CHAPTER 224: WHEN THE MUSIC DIED

The lyrics and melody didn’t match at all.

The way Louis sang was so loud and so energetic, made it sound more like a battle anthem than a love lament.

When the melody climbed too high, his voice cracked completely and by the end, he was pretending to cry dramatically.

After that laughter exploded across the tavern.

People slapped him on the back as Louis bowed his head deeply and smiling like a fool.

The tense air in the room softened instantly.

The new recruits, who had been nervous at first, began to relax.

One by one, they began to introduced themselves and sang, each of them revealing a bit of their personality in their performance.

The shy-looking man who sang with surprising confidence and a steady tone.

The cheerful one who picked a silly song, clearly destined to be the team’s mood-maker.

The burly rough-faced man who surprised everyone with a gentle beautiful song that showed he had a sensitive heart.

And the laid-back man with droopy eyes, who unexpectedly sang a solemn hymn with perfect composure, showing that behind his easygoing appearance, he was actually very serious.

Then came a booming voice—

"Next!"

It was Louis again.

Dominic snapped back to reality.

"I cannot sing," he said firmly. "I’ve never sung before. I decline."

He spoke clearly and without hesitation.

The knights around him fell silent and then glancing away.

Some of them nodded their heads awkwardly and stepping back as if to say it couldn’t be helped.

Even before joining the Order, Dominic had always been the one others kept their distance from.

Whenever his eyes met someone else’s, they quickly looked away, their faces stiff with unease as though they were afraid of him.

"Your face has no expression at all. It’s frightening."

Who had said that to him? Dominic couldn’t remember.

But it wasn’t something he could help.

It wasn’t that he was trying to hide his expressions, this was simply how he was.

At least now, he thought, no one would dare ask him to sing. He sat back in his chair, feeling relieved, only for a loud voice to suddenly echo through the room.

"No one gets to skip! Dominic, stand up and sing!"

"I will not sing. I cannot sing."

Dominic glared sharply at Louis.

The moment he did, the other knights around them flinched and stepped back, leaving only the two of them standing in the middle of the tavern.

"Stop it, Louis."

"Calm down! Leave him alone!"

His fellow knights tried to hold Louis back, but the man was already far too drunk to listen. He grabbed Dominic’s shoulder with one massive hand and leaned in close, his breath thick with the sour-sweet stench of overripe fruit.

"Come on, rich boy. No one gets a free pass tonight. Stand up and sing, like everyone else!"

Dominic couldn’t make a scene, not in such a cramped space full of people. Losing his temper here would only make him look childish. So, with a quiet sigh, he rose to his feet.

He didn’t bother to hide his irritation and his piercing glare sent shivers through the men watching, everyone except Louis, who only grinned wider, delighted.

This idiot... he really is hopeless, Dominic thought.

"What song are you gonna sing?" Louis asked, his words slurred.

"I don’t know any songs."

"Then, uh... that one! What was it called again?"

Clearly, the man hadn’t heard a word Dominic said.

"’The Story Untold Under the Moonlight!"

Dominic froze. Of all songs, that one? He happened to know it, his old music teacher had made him practice it when he was a child. He had practiced endlessly but never once earned her approval.

He still remembered her voice. The way she sang it had been hauntingly beautiful.

It was a serenade about a quiet night when two moons were reflected on the surface of a spring, telling of love, betrayal, and farewell, woven together with deep longing and sorrow.

Dominic knew he couldn’t sing such a song.

He had never known what it meant to let emotions tremble through his heart.

Yet, if he refused now, the red-haired drunkard would never leave him alone.

So, he made up his mind.

It was just a song.

He wouldn’t let anyone think he was too much of a coward to even try.

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, letting the first phrase escape.

He had underestimated how difficult it would be to actually put sound to his voice.

He had practiced the piece on instruments, yes but never sung it out loud. And back then, he had been a little boy. Now his voice had deepened with age and he realized he had never once sung a proper song since his voice had changed.

It was far harder than he expected. He couldn’t control the pitch or rhythm. The melody he knew so well in his mind came out completely different when he tried to voice it.

Sweat began to form on his forehead. What came out of his mouth could hardly be called a song. The tune fell apart; the rhythm shattered. Even he no longer understood what he was singing.

And yet, his face didn’t move. Not even a twitch.

Without any expression, he stood perfectly still, his voice flattening the song into a series of mismatched tones that bore no resemblance to the melody at all.

The tavern fell completely into silent, the air thick with a heavy uncomfortable tension.

If only they had laughed, it might have been easier to bear but there wasn’t even a single awkward chuckle, not a single pitying smile.

Every face he could see was stiff and pale.

Dominic understood at once that he had just destroyed the cheerful festive mood of the room.

Still, he thought bitterly, he at least deserved credit for making it through the first verse of the serenade. He didn’t have the courage to attempt the second.

"Is that good enough?"