21. We must continue the journey

The king declared with a stern and commanding tone, his desire to end this awkward situation as quickly as possible evident.

The feeling of annoyance that overwhelmed the king was much more than anger from seeing Selene with the young man in such a friendly, if not more intimate, attitude. Frederick's first impulse was to find the entrance to the cabin and separate Selene from Marcus, but before he could even move, he heard the notes coming from the piano under Selene's fingers.

They were not perfect notes, he thought it might be a Mozart melody, but he couldn't be certain because it didn't sound right, but there was something that kept him still and focused, watching Selene slide her fingers clumsily across the keys.

Marcus moved a little closer to the edge of the bench, giving Selene more space to play and, unintentionally, providing some relief to the king's agitated heart. Selene's occasional facial expressions when she made a mistake drew a few tightly pressed smiles from Frede