NovelEnglish"No, please! Stella's so talented and elegant-if she can never play the violin again, what a tragedy that would
be!"
"Please, let's hope she doesn't draw one of Harry's pieces. Fingers crossed!"
The intewas ablaze with speculation as the host reached into the lottery box. He unfolded the slip of paper.
The moment he saw the chosen piece, the color drained from his face.
It was *The Gaze*.
*The Gaze* was even harder than *Echoes of the Wind*-and it was notorious for being the most vicious of the so-
called "Devil's Trilogy."
Of all the possibilities, they hadn't drawn one of Stella's own compositions, but instead ended up with the most
impossible challenge.
This was bad. For Stella, this was real danger.
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If he could, the host would have torn up the slip and drawn again. But with so many eyes on him, there was
nothing he could do but unfold the paper with a look of defeat.
"Miss Stella and Mr. Harry will be performing... ¥The Gaze*."
The auditorium erupted into chaos, the noise rivaling a bustling marketplace.
Speople cursed Harry; others rallied to Stella's defense. But nearly everyone felt a pang of pity for the
prodigy-a woman with both beauty and genius, now facing such unfair odds.
"Damn it. Harry really is the Violin Warrior. Another rising star, about to be snuffed out."
Harry glanced at the host, then turned to Stella with a confident smile.
"Stella, what a shame. Didn't get either of your originals. | wonder have you ever even played *The Gaze*
before?"
He paused for effect, lips curling into a smirk. "For fairness' sake, I'll go first. That way you can get familiar with
the score. Of course... if you'd rather spare yourself a second humiliation, you can forfeit now. No one would
blyou for losing to me. Don't worry-I won't make you beg on your knees like a dog. You just have to keep
your promise."
Stella barely glanced at him. Ignoring his taunts, she addressed the host. "If Mr. Harry wants to play first, that's
fine. I'll go backstage to prepare."
Inside the dressing room, Stella unlocked her storage case and took out the Nocturne Stella.
She always brought two violins to
competitions, but she almost alwet
played her own "Nameless." She
ely used the Nocturne Stella.
Her fingers traced the strings-Nora's strings—and a gentle melody drifted through the quiet room.
A soft knock at the door. Antoney entered and paused, surprised to see her holding the Nocturne Stella.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end said nothing at all.
He knew Harry had gotten under Stella's skin.
And when Stella was angry, she was a force of nature.
At her best, she could play at one hundred percent-but when provoked, she was unstoppable.
In all the years he'd known her, he'd only seen her truly angry once before.
Harry had insulted not only him, but also Stella's mother, Nora.
Harry destroyed the dreams of so many brilliant young violinists-he was exactly the kind of person Stella
despised most.
Antoney stepped forward. "Are you really planning to use the Nocturne Stella for your performance?"
Stella nodded. "Yes. | want to use the Nocturne Stella to defeat Harry. It will mean more to both you and my
mother."
Her voice was gentle, her tone calm, as if she were talking about the weather.
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