33 Risen#re - Chapter 342

Lirian smiled not minding the skepticism of the ladies, “Listen closely to the chords,” Lirian whispered softly, but his words carried into the ears of the ladies with ease.

Lirian slowly started to play the song again this time the ladies listened intently and at the beginning, they couldn’t hide their shock as they listened to the opening chords, it was exactly as it was written in ‘Tranquillity Upon the Seas’.

But before long the ladies lost all their focus on paying attention to the notes and they were once more washed away by the majestic sound of the notes, and they found themselves walking along the sandy shores of the ocean, their bare feet dancing in the soft and ever-changing sands.

They even felt the slight heat coming from the sand licking the bottom of their feet, then the water rushed over their fair feet to cool it, and just as they felt like they entered heaven the song came to its end.

Leaving them in silence, the ladies sat around for minutes on end as the melody rested upon their minds, and they only broke the silence to request the song once more.

Lirian played the song over a dozen times before the ladies finally calmed down from the high that the song brought them.

“I never knew that you were such an amazing bard,” Lady Stella said with a look of reverence in her eyes as she looked at Lirian.

Lirian was glad to see the look in her eyes because currently, she had lost all the burning lust that filled her gaze earlier, this time there was only admiration in her eyes as she complimented Lirian.

“I am an artist fair lady,” Lirian said with a flourished bow to Lady Stella, “An artist will have days in which the muses sing in their ears, and upon such days we find ourselves with the ability to play like never before,”

“But it all depends on our heart and soul, today I find myself with the talents of a muse, but should my heart and soul change, I shall hear the voices of the muses no more,” Lirian said giving a gripping and emotional speech to the ladies.

His words were filled with passion but also heartfelt pain as if the fear of never hearing the muse’s voices was his greatest fear, Lirian continued his performance in the exact same way that Bell would have acted.

The entire routine was one that Bell himself had come up with, on those few occasions that he managed to play like he was possessed by a muse, but he found himself incapable of playing in the same way again.

As he continued with the performance Lirian remembered something else about the routine and felt like slapping himself on the head for not recalling it sooner, while the routine was initially birthed from Bell’s demons and fears of never hearing the voices of the muses.

Bell also learned that it was an incredible way to earn the sympathies of women, all women loved a man who showed his emotions, and the pains of an artist were enough to grip the hearts of many a lady.

As Lirian realised this he started to play, ‘Tranquillity Upon the Seas’ once more, and stopped the routine, he had spent a lot of time washing away all the lustful desires of the ladies.

When Lirian finished the song for the umpteenth time the ladies smiled happily in a joyful mood, much to Lirian’s relief.

“Bell,” Lady Selma said with a touch of familiarity in her tone, “You must come to House Corius the next time we host a party, you will be the life of the party,” she said with giddy giggles.

Lady Stella’s eye’s widened as she thought of something, “I have the perfect event for you to attend, in a few weeks Lady Izlandi will be taken by House Kant to Proge, there will be an entire reception feast and banquet,” she said with excitement.

“Yes,” said Lady Anthea nodding her head vigorously, “Even if your performance is only half as good as it was today, it will make the entire city go crazy, I’m sure that even the Crusader Kings of Riverfall and Proge would be delighted to have you play in their halls,” she said with excitement.

“Your words are too kind, I’m afraid that a bard such as myself is unworthy of such praise,” Lirian said shaking his head.

“I would only bring shame upon myself in the great halls of House Kurt, and besides I hear that the homes of nobles are no longer safe in these trying times,”

“I am merely a bard, what would I do if I were to wet my throat on a goblet of wine filled with liquid death, or worse what if I am as good as you fair ladies claim and someone were to grow jealous of my talents and slit my throat to quell their envy?” Lirian asked shaking his head.

A dark look crept upon the faces of the three ladies as they heard what Lirian had to say.

They couldn’t deny that there was truth to his words, first, there was the poisoning in the keep, then Cornick’s assassination, and most recently from the night just before there was Lord Grant Ventrano, he was found dead in his study, his throat was slit and his lungs were punctured with two large holes the size of a babies fist.

“It’s a shame about what happened to Lord Ventrano,” Lady Selma said in a somber tone.

“Lord Ventrano?!” Lirian asked with feigned surprise, “Did something happen to him?” he asked with horror and concern, the three ladies were surprised that he was having such a strong reaction to the death of Lord Ventrano.

“Did you know him?” Lady Stella Maxim asked curiously, her husband despised Lord Ventrano so it was ingrained into her bones to dislike Lord Ventrano and anyone who favored him.

Lirian however shook his head, “I wouldn’t say that I know him, but two months back he gave me the largest tip I ever received, it was a coin in gold, the first I ever owned, the first I ever held in my own two hands,” Lirian said it was the truth, for Bell at least.

“What happened how did he die?” Lirian asked curiously.

The three ladies shook their heads and Anthea described the scene of Lord Ventrano’s death.

“Does anyone know who killed him?” Lirian asked, and he noticed a change in expression both Lady Anthea Marshall and Lady Stella Maxim.

“No one is sure exactly,” Lady Selma said as she glanced at the two, “But the houses are pointing at House Maxim, House Marshall, and House Kurt.”

“All of it is just a bunch of lies,” Anthea and Stella spat out at the same time.

Selma continued to explain, “Everyone knows that Lord Ventrano and Lord Maxim never saw eye to eye, and yesterday they almost got into a fight, because of that many people think that Lord Maxim killed him,”

“Ridiculous,” Stella spat with her mood suddenly turning foul, “My husband never left the manor after he returned home, he fell asleep in my embrace, there is no way that he could have committed the murder,” she said.

However, to the others her words sounded just like a revised alibi, and who would believe her after all she was Lord Maxim’s wife, even if she was not loyal and had affairs, she’d be foolish to speak against her husband.

The alibi was likely something that she or her husband came up with when they heard the news about Lord Ventrano’s death.