Marie's eyes teared up seeing Eli and then her friends standing up and applauding her proudly.
And in their cue, the rest of the audience snapped out of their trance.
Following Eli's suit, they also stood and applauded her proudly. All the more when she saw that even the Emperor and the three princes themselves were clapping in approval.
Her heart stirred, she took another bow and a glance at her mentor, Princess Evelyn, backstage with a grateful expression.
If not for her and Eli believing in her talents, she might not be able to experience this kind of thing in her entire musical career.
But here she was.
When she heard the jury's thanks, she then exited backstage. Her eyes were focused on her mentor as she could no longer hold her tears up.
But as she walked towards it, she heard a voice passing beside her saying, "Your music is good, but not good enough to beat me…"
