Yasenia turned around and met a bunch of inquiring eyes. Their gazes were so intense that Yasenia almost chuckled.
"What are you looking at so intensely?" She lifted an eyebrow and smiled seductively. "I know I am beautiful, but please, restrain yourselves~."
Kali coughed, snapping everyone out of the dragoness's charm, and asked. "Why did you agree?"
The dragoness charmingly rolled her eyes and commented. "He was brave enough to finish the sentence even when he was stuttering so much and also didn't flee after he said it. Let him play a song. It's not like it can hurt anybody."
Elder Song muttered sourly. "It can hurt your ears."
Yasenia smiled and coaxed. "Then, you play something to heal them later. What do you say?"
Elder Song instantly nodded and smiled elegantly. "Well, if Lady Yasenia says so, I will reluctantly agree."
'Elder Song will play in public!? Didn't she dislike street performers the most?' Her disciples almost choked.
'Elder Song, you are selling yourself too low for Lady Yasenia!'
As many thoughts crossed their minds, the man approached a string instrument and said nervously. "This song is for the beautiful dragon lady on the corner. I composed it myself and called it [Soft Wind]."
When Elder Song's disciples heard the name, their eyes widened, and they looked at their Elder. 'Of all the songs in the world, you choose that one? Do you want to die an early death!?'
It was a very popular song that appeared not long ago. The rhythm was not fast nor slow, perfect for many situations, and very soft sounding.
Yet, nobody knew who made it. Therefore, many musicians who could play it wanted to appropriate the song.
As you should've already guessed, this song was Elder Song's composition.
She once played it for her disciples in one of her courtyards, and a passing person with an excellent ear for music copied it and played it in public.
The result was inferior to Elder Song's but was still leagues ahead of commonplace songs.
Elder Song's face became extremely cold, and her eyes focused on the man with killing intent.
The action she hated the most was artists who appropriated other works and those who didn't take art seriously.
Her usual anger was so high that there were cases of her either crippling or directly killing those who attempted it.
She was about to stand up to stop the man when she heard Yasenia speak. "Oh, an interesting name for a song. I'm curious. Also, what's that instrument? My Clan doesn't have it."
Elder Song swallowed her anger and began calculating in her mind. 'I can take advantage of this situation.'
She snorted and crossed her arms. 'I'll let you embarrass yourself, and then I'll slap you in the face by playing it myself. The humiliation and shame at that time will be enough to shake his heart.'
Then under Elder Song's disdainful eyes and Yasenia's curious eyes, the man used his fingers to play the instrument.
When the first notes spread in the room, the pleasant sound moved a few females on the stands.
'This song is one of the only ones I know, but I've practiced it to perfection!'
Yasenia had been pampered since she was little and harshly trained in almost everything. This meant skills like music, cooking, and similar.
Was Yasenia very good at them? Well, besides cooking, which she had practiced after entering her cultivation path, her other skills were mediocre at best for someone at her level.
However, although her skills were shallow, her ears were not. Her hearing sense was exceptional as a dragon, and she could identify music at a decent level.
While listening to the song, the dogkin woman approached and took their orders.
Yasenia looked at the dishes and was indecisive. "Elder Song, which food do you think I should try?"
Elder Song swallowed the anger of hearing that song playing and focused on the dish list. "Hmm, I recommend this Winter Board Steak. It is very juicy and meaty. I can guess that Lady Yasenia would like something like this."
Yasenia nodded, and her other dears also asked for something.
The dogkin was about to leave without taking the human's orders, and Yasenia cut her. "Hm? Waiter, you still have not taken their orders."
The woman was confused and looked at whom Yasenia was aiming at. Her face became confused, and she asked. "For the humans?"
"That's right. They are my precious girls, so serve them as well."
The woman was hesitant when Elder Song cut her thoughts. "Do it. Put it in my tab."
She nodded and heard their orders.
After the dog-kin woman left, Yasenia turned to continue looking at him playing. The song was not long, but it was also not short. The duration would be around ten minutes.
Cecile asked. "Do you like it?"
Yasenia frowned and commented. "The song is not bad, but… I feel strange listening to it."
Elder Song's eyes flashed, and she asked. "How is it strange?"
Yasenia thought for a second and criticized. "The flow of the music doesn't have its core essence. It is as if he has heard it somewhere and is copying it right as is without adding anything. Like an actor reading lines without putting emotion."
Elder Song and her disciples opened their eyes in surprise.
One of the younger girls asked shyly. "Does Lady Yasenia have musical knowledge?"
Yasenia laughed and shook her head. "My knowledge of art is minimal. I can paint and touch instruments. I can sculpt and maybe write a book. However, the quality won't be able to compare with people like you who dedicate themselves to art. I'm just an amateur at these things, and I would embarrass myself if I called my knowledge otherwise."
Another disciple asked. "C-Can you play something? With Lady Yasenia's beauty and elegance, it would be-."
"Disciple! Don't be rude to Lady Yasenia." Elder Song frowned and scolded.
Yasenia laughed and spoke. "Although I will embarrass myself. I don't mind playing one song. I'm probably going to sound not too good, so don't fear stopping me."
Tatyana humbly commented. "Mistress, how about you play Foretold Story? That's one of your best-sounding works."
Angel and the others became excited. If Tatyana said it sounded good, it couldn't be bad.
Yasenia nodded. "Sure. That's a piece I'm familiar with."
This song was one Tatyana played to Yasenia when she was in her early younger days. Therefore, Yasenia learned it and became very good at it.
After waiting a few more minutes, the song ended, and silence returned to the room.
Many people clapped and showered him with praise. He became encouraged by the applause and looked at Yasenia. "Lady, can I have the honor of learning about your name?"
Yasenia smiled and spoke. "You played not bad. Thank you for the song. Also, no, you can't. My name is not something easily given."
Then, she turned her body toward the table, leaving behind a stunned group of customers while ignoring him.
The man was sweating after playing since he placed his all into the song. Yet, he received a half-hearted compliment and a perfunctory glance, leaving him stunned on the spot.
Even the people who applauded looked a bit awkward. 'This woman's standards are truly high.'
Ashamed, he stood up and returned to his seat. His companions began saying things like that person probably doesn't understand music or that the dragoness should be a brainless beauty. 'Right, I was playing a song to a cow! I'll speak to her later.'
When the man sat, he heard gasps and turned around.
He was stunned when he saw Yasenia moving toward a piano-like instrument.
Yasenia sat elegantly and smiled at the people surrounding her. "It has been many years since I last played, so excuse me if I'm unskilled. I'll try not to embarrass myself."
A few people said compliments aloud. Some were normal, and some were inappropriate.
Then, under their eyes, Yasenia's long, slender fingers began to play slowly, key by key.
Everyone got silent the second she played the first notes, and their eyes locked onto the elegantly playing dragoness.
The notes were soft sounding and slow, calming the listener's heart. Yasenia continued at this rhythm for a few seconds, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
However, it didn't take long to pick up speed. Her previously slowly moving fingers looked ethereal as her movements were like water, connecting from one to another with outstanding precision.
Nevertheless, it didn't become a rushed melody but a heavy and empathetic one.
All of them were swayed into Yasenia's music and felt their emotions follow her melody.
Yasenia's beauty as she played and her smile and movements made them feel as if they were looking at a siren smiling and seducing them.
Elder Song was shocked, and her eyes didn't move. 'Lady Yasenia is indeed amateurish, but her technique for this song is really not bad. The music she is creating is also not the greatest, but it can't be considered bad. An overall passable performance.'
As Yasenia said, she wasn't as skilled as someone like her. However, the way of telling a story through music was present and easy to follow.
Our girls were also impressed and looked at the dragoness with undisguised love and praise. Now that they thought about it, this was the first time they saw her play anything.
'She is so beautiful while playing. Her every moment feels like she is not playing with the instrument, but your heart.'
The song was a five-minute long. However, time seemed to speed up as Yasenia played, and they all felt time pass by too quickly.
After Yasenia stopped her fingers, letting the last note drag, everyone woke up from their stupor and began cheering.
Yasenia looked around with a smile and stood up, silently returning to her seat.
In the end, Elder Song did not play. She did not want to wash away the feeling of Yasenia's song with her music.
If Elder Song were to play, Yasenia's music would be washed away as her music was too many levels ahead of Yasenia's.
The disciples were also gladly surprised and praised Yasenia. "Lady Yasenia, you play very well. Would you like to join our sect?"
Yasenia chuckled. "I'm not interested. However, I'm really glad I could impress all of you. I was afraid I would make your ears bleed."
"What are you saying, Lady Yasenia? We've loved every second of it!"
Yasenia observed the increased opinion of her and internally smiled. 'This should help strengthen our ties further. Understanding, even if just a little, the thing the other party is fond of is usually the best way to close ties.'
Either way, the day went by rapidly after such an incident, and night arrived.