"Have you lost your confidence then?" he asked.
"No, that's not it. But…"
"Then keep being confident. If you are able to win in that competition, it will open more paths in your career and give you more opportunities."
Justin looked again at the paper in his hand.
"It doesn't matter if you won or lost against Wynter Morgrave. What matters is that this is a new competition, outside of the competition between you two. Surely, there will be greater violinists there, but losing in the competition in this country does not guarantee that you would lose there."
Justin was silent for a while.
It was not a shock that Lucius would make him join the big competitions out there. It would be normal if you were a violinist aspiring to become well-known all over the world.
But all throughout his young life, he had only performed alongside his grandfather and parents. Sometimes he joined small competitions within the countries they were in, just like how he did in this country.
It was his cousin Elson and some of his other cousins who had already joined these kinds of competitions.
As for him, his grandfather tried, but he was too playful as a child and just enjoyed playing.
He only started taking his violin path seriously when he decided to return to their home country and find out more about their music.
There was no particular person or event that caused him to have such a change. It was as simple as him waking up one day and deciding that he would like to become better and felt that to begin this, he had to learn more about the music in his home country.
Now, faced with this proposal from his teacher, he felt lost, but there was this thumping in his heart. Something he had never felt before.
As if it was truly the beginning of his desire to become even better. As if what he felt after watching Beatrice's performance was the premonition of this.
He looked back at Lucius with a more determined look in his eyes.
"Very well, teacher. I will surely do my best in this."
Lucius nodded his head, "If you perform well in this, it means that the six months you will spend doing what you want is the right decision."
Justin understandingly nodded his head, "I understand, teacher."
Lucius was still testing his decision-making for his own improvement.
But Justin did not feel like he was controlling him. Instead, it was Lucius seeing whether Justin's input would be a good thing for him or not, especially for his career in the long run.
Soon, Lucius left, and Justin started his plan.
A six-month journey through the countryside, those places that were far more secluded than the ones he and Lucius had already been to.
People who'd stop seeing him around would think he had left because of his defeat against Wynter. Some loved gossip like this, after all. Even though their world was not as messy as the entertainment world, people still loved comparing and speculating.
But they wouldn't know that it was not to escape, not because he felt empty, but because he wanted to improve.
Right now, he wanted to hear new sounds, learn new styles, and explore the music that lived outside the concert halls.
He wanted to learn from people who played for joy, not for applause. And he believed that in the voices of farmers, children, and elders, there was something that could shape him into a better violinist.
That is why he was hell-bent and had pressured himself during the last competition.
Because he felt that this was what he truly needed.
After all, since he was a child, he had already been surrounded by concerts and amazing musicians.
So, why not try seeing more of those who were unknown to the world?
His first stop was a small fishing village along the coast.
There, upon arrival, he closed his eyes as he listened to the waves as they sang their own songs: sharp and fast when the wind was strong, slow and gentle in quiet moments.
As he roamed and asked around, he got to befriend many locals.
In this plan, Justin had the right trait, friendly and easy to talk to.
An old fisherman taught him a short melody that he would whistle at sea. It wasn't in any book, it had no name, but it held years of memory, and Justin knew it was worth learning.
He sat by the shore that evening and played the tune on his violin. The sound of the waves became part of the song. People passing by paused to listen, surprised at how familiar it felt.
He smiled as he enjoyed this new melody while everyone watched him.
It had a different feeling than performing in a concert hall.
Despite the small number of people, there was fulfillment.
At the same time, the music allowed him to feel like he was sailing in the sea.
From there, he moved inland.
He walked or took buses to little towns, places he had only seen on maps.
He would stay a day or two at one place and then move to another.
'Should I say I am lucky that my family is rich?' he thought one time as he went to his next destination.
At this thought, he raised his phone once again, but there was no signal.
This caused him to have no updates from his friends and family.
'I'll hear another nagging from my grandfather because of this,' he chuckled.
His grandfather was against him doing this, telling him to return to their family home instead and learn from there.
If not for Lucius, whom his grandfather respected and vice versa, asking for permission, he would have just up and left without telling them.
Something his parents had anticipated was that they persuaded his grandfather to let him go with the condition that he would send them pictures and videos of where he was.
Of course, since some places had no signal, the report was sent a bit late, and all the time, his grandfather would nag at him.
Thinking about it, Justin chuckled.
'It seems that in our group, I am the rebellious type.'