Chapter 13
“Hey, Therese.”
“I can’t believe it either.”
A letter arrived early in the morning, and I wondered what it was about. The sender was Anton Tilburg.
“Oh my.”
With a fluttering heart, I took out the letter. But the moment I read its contents, my face stiffened. It was hard to even breathe.
“How could this happen?”
To Her Highness, the Crown Princess,
I hope this letter finds you well.
As I was preparing a congratulatory performance for the departure ceremony, an unfortunate incident occurred, compelling me to send this letter despite the discourtesy.
The letter mentioned that a commoner, who was supposed to perform with me, was harmed by the young lady of the Duke’s family. It was a petition.
As the Imperial family, I had to take appropriate measures.
“Should we ask Brother Luhan to handle this matter since it concerns the departure ceremony?”
“No.”
Elize’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“I will handle this personally.”
If people saw the Duke kneeling in his own home, what would they think? They might laugh and say he has lost his mind.
Yet, such a scene was indeed taking place at the Dressel Duke’s estate.
The person before her looked at least thirty years younger than her, a mere girl. Elize Flovitz.
But one must not underestimate her just because of her youth.
If one did so, they would face more than just the humiliation of kneeling.
“I Greet Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”
He bowed his head as carefully and respectfully as possible. He already had a guess as to why she came.
She must be here to reprimand his daughter for disgracing a family name that represented the capital.
‘Has the rumour already reached the Imperial Palace?’
He thought it unnecessary for her to visit personally, but as a mere lord, how could he fathom the intentions of the Crown Princess?
“Raise your Head, Duke.”
“It is not my place to do so.”
Elize did not rebuke his behaviour any further. She did not care at all about the Duke’s attitude.
“I have something to discuss with the young lady alone.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Still bowing, he retreated from the drawing room. He was worried about his daughter, but there was nothing he could do.
Now, only the two of them remained in the drawing room.
Elize sat on the sofa, looking down at Lea who was kneeling on the floor.
“Lea Dressel?”
“Yes, yes! Your Highness.”
“Lower your voice. You’re too loud.”
“…I apologize.”
“Do you know why I’ve come here?”
Lea’s shoulders trembled at the severity in Elize’s voice.
‘They said she was supposed to be friendly and approachable!’
It was the complete opposite of what she had heard. She even thought that the infamously violent Prince Luhan Flovitz was preferable at this point.
Lea wasn’t mistaken.
Elize was beloved by the people of the Empire for her easy going and selfless character and conduct.
But now, she was staring down at her like a demon, her face contorted with rage. One could easily guess how much fury was simmering within her.
“I asked you a question, didn’t I?”
At those words, Lea answered hurriedly.
“I, I don’t know!”
“That’s fine. I wasn’t really interested in your answer anyway.”
She could see no way out of this. No way to survive this ordeal.
What did I do wrong?
Elize lowered herself, gazing intently into Lea’s eyes.
Lea couldn’t bring herself to look back.
All she could see in those red irises was pure malice and hatred.
“You attempted to ruin the departure ceremony hosted by the Imperial family by committing a heinous act, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
Lea, despite her fear, foolishly asked back.
‘Me? Trying to ruin the departure ceremony?’
She had no memory of doing such a thing.
Could it be that the Crown Princess is misunderstanding the situation?
“No way! That’s impossible!”
“I heard that you tried to harm Erdi Villette. Am I wrong?”
“Erdi…”
She did hit him. Overcome with jealousy, she slapped his cheek and drove him out of the house. Immediately after, her father discovered the situation, and she was severely reprimanded. That should have been the end of it.
‘What does Erdi have to do with the departure ceremony?’
Lea widened her eyes in surprise. Elize did not budge. Feeling as if she were facing a beast, Lea ended up averting her gaze.
“Erdi Villette was selected to perform at the Imperial departure ceremony.”
“…What?”
She hadn’t heard that before. Since when?
Did that guy have some connection with Anton Tilburg?
She wanted to ask for more details, but it wasn’t the right atmosphere to do so.
“Lea Dressel.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I won’t punish you immediately, out of respect for the Duke’s face.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to be thankful. If I hear of any further misbehaviour, I will have your entire family beheaded.”
Lea couldn’t respond. She remained kneeling on the floor, her head bowed deeply.
Elize rose from her seat and walked out. The Duke was waiting outside.
“It’s my fault for raising my child improperly. Please, Your Highness, administer the appropriate punishment.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Elize’s brief response left the Duke with a clear understanding of her meaning.
It was a warning.
No matter how privileged a young lady of the Duke’s family may be, there were boundaries that must be respected.
Lea had crossed that line. If the same thing happened again, the Duke knew that even he would not escape punishment.
“For now, stay away from the theatre.”
No, that alone wouldn’t suffice.
“I’ll reconsider your admission to the academy as well.”
It was the moment when the high-standing position of the Duke’s daughter came crashing down.
***
Thanks to Elize, the matter was resolved smoothly.
Some may ask why I involved the Imperial family for a personal revenge, but they’re wrong.
I need Erdi.
Moreover, this is an event commissioned by the Imperial Prince.
It was never personal revenge in the first place.
If there’s a problem at work, you should report it to your superior. If the departure ceremony stage is compromised, it’s only proper to petition to the Imperial family.
I figured Elize would be of help, so I sent the letter to her.
Lea Dressel will no longer be seen in the capital from now on.
With the hindrance gone, it’s time to proceed with the plan.
“Um… Young Master?”
“Yes?”
“Why am I here?”
“There’s a reason for it.”
I invited Erdi to the manor.
There was still a long time before dinner, so I brought him to my room first.
There are a few things I want to test.
“Can you read sheet music?”
“Please speak casually.”
“Alright.”
I handed the sheet music to Erdi.
It was a collection of pieces published under my name.
“The Duke taught me how to read it.”
“That’s good. What about writing?”
“I haven’t tried that yet.”
It would be best for him to learn notation first.
It would be great if he could eventually compose music as well.
I sat down at the piano and played a few chords in front of him.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Is it a C major tonic chord with a dominant seventh? The tonic is G, right? After that, I hear a tonic chord again with an added minor seventh.”
“That’s correct.”
This time, Anton pressed only one chord.
“This one’s a bit difficult. I think I hear C and D-sharp, but… the last note is confusing. A diminished seventh chord?”
“Close. The last note was B. It’s a diminished major seventh chord because I added a major seventh to a diminished chord. You missed one note.”
Once more.
“D? No, is it E?”
“It’s B-flat. Aren’t you a bit off this time?”
Now, it was confirmed.
Erdi Villette.
This boy has relative pitch.
It’s the ability to perceive music through the progression and changes in pitch.
It’s different from absolute pitch, where one can identify the exact pitch of a sound without reference.
Relative pitch is more of a skill, where one deduces pitch based on the melody that comes before and after.
Erdi’s response to the first chord progression was remarkably accurate.
However, he missed both the second chord, which was a single chord, and the third test, which was a single note.
Although he lacked absolute pitch recognition, he had a high level of skill in identifying pitch from listening to melodies.
In fact, most musicians have relative pitch to some extent.
But Erdi’s specialty doesn’t end there.
Anton placed his hands on the keys again and this time, he played a combination of rhythm and melody.
“Try playing it back exactly as I did.”
“Me?”
“It’s fine if you make mistakes.”
They switched places.
After a brief moment of thought, Erdi moved his fingers.
As expected.
It wasn’t perfect, but he replicated it fairly well.
The fact that he could play it back after hearing it only once was astonishing.
‘Is he really human?’
Does he never forget a melody once it enters his head?
The combination of excellent memory and relative pitch.
It’s a talent worth coveting.
A perfect candidate for advancing this world’s musical culture.
“Hey, Erdi.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Would you like to work with me?”
***
From that point on, Anton met with Erdi almost every day.
After finishing his newspaper delivery, Erdi would run straight to Anton’s house to practice piano together.
The reason he didn’t refuse Anton’s offer was simple.
“Being able to play as much as I want… It feels like a dream!”
As a commoner, he likely never had many opportunities to play the piano throughout his life.
Now that his relationship with the Duke had soured, he might never have had the chance again.
But Anton offered him something far better.
“Come over anytime you want to play.”
Anton’s family wasn’t influential enough for anyone to criticize him for associating with a commoner.
Moreover, they had a new grand piano and excellent soundproofing equipment.
It was more than enough to capture Erdi’s attention.
Whenever Anton taught him sheet music notation, he would quickly master it.
To gauge his reaction, Anton played a piece for him.
“This is the piece I’ll be performing at the upcoming departure ceremony. What do you think?”
“It’s really great. It feels somehow uplifting.”
Of course, it would.
The Great Gate of Kiev.
A masterpiece by the Russian composer Mussorgsky.
**T/n: Modest Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881) was a Russian composer who was a leader of the Russian nationalist movement in music. His works were inspired by Russian history, folklore, and other national themes, and he often defied Western music conventions to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity.**
Its grand chords, ascending progression, and magnificent atmosphere create a sense of glory.
“Do you think you could write down the sheet music after listening to my performance?”
“Absolutely!”
With Erdi’s help, things progressed much more smoothly and quickly.
His enthusiasm was contagious.
Moreover—
“What if we add a bit of ‘forte’ to this part of the rhythm and play it strongly?”
“Sounds good. It’ll definitely draw attention. It’ll also add tension.”
He even offered suitable suggestions.
Having a partner was truly beneficial.
After some preparations, the day of the departure ceremony finally arrived.
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