CH 2.6

‘Am I really going to ruin the start of the grand banquet like this? Lord, please bring about a miracle,’ Vahan prayed in despair.

But then suddenly—

Ding!

Out of nowhere, a sustained and high-pitched tone reverberated loudly.

It was the sound of a grand piano.

“.…?!”

“What’s that? What’s that sound coming from above?”

People exclaimed in awe. Before the commotion could settle, a fierce sound of keys being struck erupted in the banquet hall. It emanated a tone reminiscent of jubilant trumpets heralding a festival, accompanied by a gentle melody that followed soon after.

‘No way, this sound…’

Unbeknownst to himself, The conductor, Vahan clenched his fist. Could it be that the Lord had answered his prayer?

Like a miracle, a beautiful melody descended upon the banquet hall. A music that seemed like an angel from heaven was playing it themselves.

‘Who on earth could it be?’ Vahan pondered in a daze.

The music that kicked off the grand banquet with sonorous and intense notes reminiscent of trumpets, turned soft like a mountain breeze.

As if going on a hike, The joyous sounds unfolded in a poetic manner, repeating the themes with the use of fugue, gradually leading the listeners towards heavenly bliss.

The melody seemed to convey that today’s grand banquet would be filled with happiness and that everyone present would be blessed.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Such a captivating overture.”

The guests in the banquet hall listened to the music with enraptured expressions. The previously buzzing noise had suddenly quieted down. Everyone fell silent, as if they’d entered a serene concert hall, completely immersed in the music.

“Who could have composed such music…? Has an angel come to this grand banquet?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The music was lively and festive, but it went beyond that.

The recurring theme and gradually intensifying tones led the listeners to a heightened sense of euphoria, as if it were a divine blessing.

“To hear such music as the prelude to the banquet—it’s truly remarkable.”

“Indeed. Throughout my life, I have listened to countless pieces of music, but I’ve never heard music like this that resonates with me so beautifully.”

The nobles nodded in awe.

Among those admirers was none other than the Crown Prince of Blood, wearing an iron mask.

‘Who could it be? Who composed such music again?’

Crown Prince Rael stood tall at the entrance of the banquet hall, listening to the music.

He arrived at the Glory Hall on time for the grand banquet and unexpectedly found himself captivated by the enchanting melody, his steps halting and his ears attuned to the music.

‘This… doesn’t it resemble the piano performance I heard at the Crystal Palace?’

Crown Prince Rael recalled the music he’d heard before. The performance had given him a sense of tranquility, as if he were surrounded by nature. In the end, he couldn’t find the performer of that music, and yet, there was an uncanny resemblance between that performance and the one being played now.

‘Of course, it’s a completely different piece, but…’

Others may not have noticed if they’d heard it, but Crown Prince Rael, with his deep appreciation for music, could discern it. There was undoubtedly a similarity between the Country Symphony and the current piece being played.

‘Could the performer from back then be there?’ The Crown Prince looked in the direction where the music was coming from through his iron mask. The music was coming from heaven—no, scratch that—the third floor, right from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, a petite young woman was frantically moving her hands, pressing the piano keys. Despite performing music as if it had come from heaven, the girl’s face turned pale. ‘I’ve gone mad! What am I doing!’ The girl, Marie, screamed inwardly.

‘Playing the piano in such a crowded place like this. What would I do if I got caught?!’

Marie felt like crying. In truth, she had no intention of helping at all. She couldn’t imagine the consequences of getting caught playing. However, when she saw the look on Vahan’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to turn a blind eye to the person who’d always been nice to her.

No, actually, she tried to force herself to look away, but when she heard him sigh deeply, she couldn’t pretend not to notice.

‘Let’s quickly finish the prelude and then go downstairs! Maestro Vahan can take care of the next piece of music. Dances don’t require powerful music like the prelude that sets the mood for the start of the banquet, so they can be handled with just a few instruments they have now.’

Fortunately, it was a relief that she knew there was a piano on the third floor, beyond the reach of people’s eyes. If she didn’t know about its existence, she wouldn’t have been able to help at all.

‘Since the prelude is usually about 3 to 5 minutes long, I can finish it and go down before others could come!’

She thought so as she moved her hands. Her heart raced uncontrollably from concerns of getting caught. Of course, the likelihood of someone coming up in such a short time as five minutes was slim, but she was still worried.

‘Quickly! As fast as possible!’ The tempo, reflecting Marie’s anxious heart, gradually accelerated towards the finale. From allegro (fast) to vivace (very fast), and to vivacissimo (extremely fast). Her fingers moved brilliantly like those of a virtuoso, and with the most dazzling technique, she concluded the piece with the climax of its theme.

“Bravo!”

“Amazing!”

The passionate delegates from the Italian Peninsula exclaimed in admiration. Soon, applause echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

It was unprecedented for applause to occur after the prelude, as it was usually reserved for certain parts of the performance. Everyone was so deeply impressed, they applauded to their hearts’ content. But Marie, the person who’d just finished the amazing performance, didn’t hear the cheers of the audience.

‘I need to escape quickly!’

She hurriedly got up from the piano and ran towards the stairs. Since the performance had ended, someone could come up to the third floor. If that happened, she would be easily caught.

‘I Just need to go down to the second floor! If I pretend I was there the whole time, no one will suspect a thing.’

Eventually, soft music flowed from the banquet hall below. Maestro Vahan, after regaining his composure, began conducting. However, the people continued to applaud without any intention of dancing. Everyone was still captivated by Marie’s performance and couldn’t move on.

‘Alright, I’m almost there!’ Finally, when Marie arrived at the entrance of the stairs on the third floor, she sighed in relief. Going down the stairs meant she would escape the crisis. But just as she was about to step foot on a flight of stairs, she heard the sound of footsteps.

Creak. Creak.

The sound of a wooden staircase that led to the third floor creaked.

“······!”

Someone was coming up here! Marie’s face, as she glanced down for a moment, turned pensive.

She saw a cold iron mask that covered half of his face. The person coming up was none other than Crown Prince Rael, the one she feared the most in the world.

Once Crown Prince Rael finally arrived on the third floor, he looked around. “Is this the piano they played?”

As he noticed the piano in the corner, he approached it and pressed the keys.

“It’s not well-maintained and feels stiff, yet they managed to play the piano like that. How amazing,” he exclaimed once more.

“But where is the musician?” Rael scanned the entire third floor. The third floor had a structure with railings along the edges, and a large open space at the center, overlooking the first floor. And so, this structure obstructed his line of sight.

‘Are they over there?’ He moved his steps in the opposite direction.

He took a step in the opposite direction. Struggling through the piles of storage, he reached the opposite railing, frowning.

‘What’s this? Why aren’t they here? Aren’t they supposed to be here?’ Tilting his head, he examined the railing on the opposite side once again. However, it was the same. There was no one there.

‘Did they already go down?’ Rael gave a look of confusion. He’d gone up immediately after hearing the music, but did they somehow manage to go down at the same time? He searched for any other passageway, but there was none. Apart from the shabby wooden staircase he’d climbed up, there was no other way to go down from the third floor.

‘Huh?’

He searched the third floor once again.

The third floor was filled with countless storage items such as clothes, tables, chairs, and cabinets, making it difficult to navigate.

‘Could it be that I couldn’t see them because of these storage items?’ He wandered around the third floor again, thoroughly searching every corner. It was an exhausting task for the Crown Prince, but he was determined to find that musician this time.

“…….”

Meanwhile, the musician was still on the third floor, as Rael guessed. The musician, Marie, swallowed a lump in her throat, thinking, ‘W-Why isn’t he coming down?’

She crouched beneath one of the compartments of a storage cabinet, hiding herself in the corner.

She was waiting for the Crown Prince—who had yet to discover her presence—to come down, but there was no sign of that happening. On the contrary, he was busy rummaging through the storage items, meticulously searching every corner. As the crown prince gradually approached her, Marie’s heart raced as if it would burst.

‘Please. My Lord, help me. Please.’ It seemed like it was only a matter of time before she would be caught—there was no way out. Unfortunately, despite her desperate prayers, the Crown Prince arrived right in front of the storage compartment where she was hiding.

‘P-Please…’

Marie’s mind went blank. The Crown Prince was silently staring at the storage compartment where she was hiding, wondering whether someone could be hiding in such a place.

Marie cried inwardly, ‘Please, just go away! Please.’

However, contrary to her wishes, the Crown Prince slowly raised his hand.

“······!”

Marie covered her mouth with her hand. The pounding of her heart felt as if it would burst out.

And then…

Creak!

The door of the storage compartment opened, and the Crown Prince murmured, “Oh. It’s empty.”

What he’d opened was the compartment just above where she’d been hiding! Marie gasped, her nerves on edge.

Outside the compartment, the Crown Prince clicked his tongue. “Well, it’s not like they’re a mouse or anything. There’s no way someone could hide in such a small compartment. Plus, they haven’t done anything wrong to hide like that.”

He put on a look of confusion. He’d searched thoroughly, but there was no one on the third floor. “Did an angel really come down from heaven?” Unable to comprehend the situation, he murmured helplessly. Of course, that couldn’t be true.

‘I just don’t understand. No matter how much I search, there’s nobody here. Where could they be?’ He considered opening the remaining compartments but shook his head. There were over ten compartments, and they were too small for an adult to fit in. It was a size that would be difficult even for a woman to enter unless they have a small build.

Moreover, why would a performer who’d displayed such remarkable talent hide in a storage compartment? He wasn’t trying to punish the performer; he wanted to reward them.

‘I don’t know.’ At that moment, a single thought crossed his mind. A way to find the elusive musician’s identity.

‘Could it be?’ If it’s true that the musician was still on the third floor, then surely he could find them using that particular method.

t/n: life has been hectic lately, so i translated these in a rush. the quality of translation may or may not be slightly… off than my usual best, so brace yourselves. ik it’s not bad but the perfectionist in me is cringing that i haven’t thoroughly proofread and/or copyedited any of these… anyway. im still alive. don’t worry, this translation hasn’t been caught (yet) (don’t steal this aggregator websites so we can have nice things)