Chapter 15
The charm of Canon undoubtedly lies in its harmony.
A lyrical melody that repeats continuously.
It sticks in your ears and lifts your mood just by listening to it.
Add to that the poignant atmosphere that tugs at your heartstrings.
It’s no wonder it’s called a cheat code for romantic comedies.
I added my own arrangement as I played the keys.
Erdi jotted down the sheet music on the staff paper.
Then, a single drop fell.
He shed a tear without even realizing it.
“…It’s truly a touching melody.”
“The effect is quite powerful, huh?”
The end of the staff paper became wet with a round droplet.
“Young Master, how do you create such beautiful music so effortlessly each time?”
“There’s a trick to it.”
I’ve finished choosing the piece and have been practicing diligently.
All that’s left is to contact Edward and set a date for the recital.
The problem is…
‘I need to reconsider the entry method.’
When I played Clair de Lune, hundreds of people gathered in front of the theatre.
I can still vividly recall the complaints from lords who came all the way from the provinces.
I had to add extra performance dates because a riot nearly broke out when people were denied entry.
This time, it’s obvious that even more people will flock here.
If I leave things as they are, chaos will surely ensue.
‘Is there no solution?’
It’s something I need to think about.
To find the answer, first of all—
“Young Master, your meal is ready.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I need to eat first.
***
“Take my sword!”
“Argh!”
“That’s not how you thrust!”
At the Capital Orphanage.
Boys holding tree branches in their hands ran around playfully.
They swung their arms here and there, with fruit baskets on their heads.
What they were imitating was none other than knights.
It was because they had recently seen the knights’ departure ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
“If you run around like that, you’ll get hurt!”
Joel Valois, the head of the orphanage run by the monastery in the capital, scolded the children.
They were all making a fuss about becoming knights when they grew up.
However.
‘Is that what a knight really is?’
The sight of these unruly kids engaging in mock sword fights.
No matter how I looked at it, they were far from real knights.
Not that it mattered.
As long as they seemed happy.
Joel, smiling broadly, was about to turn away when he noticed one person.
A girl sitting alone in a corner, doodling.
She had been abandoned at the orphanage as a baby.
“Hey, Aria.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you sitting here? Why don’t you play with your friends?”
“I like this better.”
Aria was naturally shy.
Joel had thought she might become more outgoing if he took her to the departure ceremony, but she hadn’t changed at all.
Nothing was different.
She always stayed away from the group, spending her time lost in thought or drawing.
“Haha, is that so?”
Even so, Joel knew how to capture Aria’s interest.
“I was thinking of singing a folk song I haven’t sung in a while. What a pity.”
“Huh?!”
Sure enough, as expected, she quickly stood up and ran toward him.
Joel lifted Aria up with both hands and headed inside the building.
Just as nobles had pianos, commoners had folk songs passed down orally from one person to another.
No one knows when they started.
It simply began with someone singing a melody to words like “I don’t want to work today.”
And then, someone else would reply with a line like “But you have to, if you want to eat.”
That’s how it continued.
It didn’t follow any formal musical structure, so calling it a song might be a stretch.
But this was the music and culture of the commoners.
Aria loved those folk songs.
Both listening to them and singing along.
If she had been born into a noble family, she would have surely become a brilliant musician.
Joel felt regretful about that point.
Anyway.
“What should I sing today?”
“The Ancient Tree and the Bluebird!”
“Aria, you really like that song.”
The song tells a poignant and heartwarming story of an ancient tree that lost its leaves and flowers due to the weight of time, but finds solace in welcoming a bluebird as family.
It’s closer to a children’s song than a folk song, making it easy and pleasant for a child to listen to and sing.
“Director! Hurry!”
Unable to resist Aria’s urging, Joel started singing first.
Soon, a clear and pure voice gently covered his melody.
***
“For five consecutive days, you say?”
“Yes.”
I met with Edward.
It was to discuss the concert schedule.
My suggestion was none other than holding performances for five consecutive days.
Considering the crowd that would gather, this was the best solution.
Holding open recitals in the square every time isn’t an option.
Moving to a larger theatre is also impossible.
There’s no theatre larger than the one Edward operates, “Lunemoon,” in the capital.
What about remodelling it entirely?
It would cost too much money.
There’s only one solution left.
To split the crowd into several groups.
Five days should be more than enough to accommodate all the people.
And another thing.
We’ll have the audience send their requests in advance, and assign them specific dates.
That way, only those designated for a particular day would line up at the theatre, making things much less complicated.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? It’s going to be exhausting. Who was it that rejected all contact right after the departure ceremony, saying they were too tired?”
“Me?”
“No, I asked who it was, I didn’t say it was you, Young Master.”
“That’s why I added one more condition, didn’t I?”
“What condition?”
There’s only one thing that moves people.
“Let’s split the theatre’s revenue in half. The original thirty percent I received was too little.”
“Let’s do that.”
What?
He accepted it more readily than I expected.
In that case, I’ll push for one more thing.
“Let’s sell souvenirs, too.”
“Souvenirs? What do you mean?”
I took out the sheet music of Canon that I had prepared in advance and handed it to him.
“We sell these. As a limited edition.”
“Ooh!”
We’ll sell the sheet music of the new piece performed at the concert to the audience as souvenirs when they leave.
They can only buy it during the performance period.
What noble wouldn’t open their wallet at the sight of this?
We spread classical music and make money at the same time.
It’s a brilliant plan, even if I say so myself.
“As expected, Young Master, you have a knack for business.”
“Does it make me seem materialistic?”
“I’m not the one to say, am I! I’m just curious why your mindset has changed.”
Indeed.
Up until recently, money wasn’t my priority.
A noble’s life is far from poverty.
Three square meals a day, and a butler to take care of everything.
But now?
It’s because of Erdi.
If it were just me, it would be fine.
But if I’m going to support Erdi as well, things get a little tight.
There’s the maintenance fee for the estate, the salaries of the servants, and the monthly interest payments to Count Haverland.
Our family isn’t penniless, but we aren’t overflowing with wealth either.
The money Erdi earns from delivering newspapers is barely anything.
It’s always a good idea to earn money when you can.
Besides, it’s only right to repay the help I received.
“We’ll schedule the concert for a week later.”
“Very well. Please promote it well until then.”
After saying goodbye to Edward, I stepped outside.
The glaring sunlight made me squint.
And in this situation, I had to keep my robe on.
I’ve unintentionally become a public figure, and if I don’t go around like this, it will cause a huge commotion.
When I arrived at the manor, Erdi was already waiting.
We went up to the room together.
“By the way, Erdi.”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it about time you held your own solo recital?”
Erdi thought for a moment before speaking.
“I think it’s still a bit early for me. Right now, I’m more than happy just to assist you, Young Master.”
“Is that so? Let me know when you feel ready. The door of opportunity is always open.”
It would be an utter shame to use someone as talented as Erdi merely as my assistant.
When the time comes, I’ll definitely get him up on stage.
I have no intention of reigning as the king of the piano in this world.
I’m not capable of such a thing in the first place.
I’m just here to ignite the hearts of many performers and audiences.
That’s enough for me.
I want hidden masters like Erdi to emerge and showcase their own works, seizing opportunities to stand on stage.
Ultimately, I want to elevate the cultural level of the Empire by a notch.
That’s the kind of world I want to create.
When that time comes, I’ll retire from my performing career and leisurely visit theatres, enjoying music purely as a hobby.
Just the thought of it makes my heart swell.
“So, Erdi, please work hard.”
“Pardon?”
“Well, it’s just something like that.”
For now, I should get back to practicing.
***
The day of the recital.
A large banner hung at the entrance of the theatre.
– Anton Tilburg Piano Solo Recital, Continuing for Five Days –
“Is this for real?”
Where did they even prepare something like this?
I still don’t fully understand Edward’s taste.
I made my way to the back door to avoid the people who had been lingering around since dawn.
“I’m here.”
“Thank you for your cooperation today as well.”
“They’re already starting to gather.”
“However… there’s a bit of a problem.”
Edward looked at me with a worried expression.
“They say your Canon sheet music has already started appearing on the black market.”
“What? We haven’t even started selling it yet. Wasn’t the release scheduled to begin today?”
The sheet music, which hasn’t even been made public, is on the black market?
How did this even happen?
“Upon further investigation, it turns out it’s neither a forgery nor a fake copy.”
“Please explain in detail.”
The situation was as follows:
Some merchants interested in the limited-edition souvenir sheet music made deals with certain nobles.
It seems there were transactions among them.
The nobles, after attending the recital, would purchase a large quantity of sheet music and hand it over to the merchants, who would then sell it at high prices on the black market for profit.
In short, they were hoarding.
They’ve even put it up for sale without having the actual product, simply to secure their spot in the market and draw in buyers.
It’s as if they’re taking pre-orders, confident that they’ll get their hands on it.
“Is there really money to be made this way?”
Enough to catch the attention of merchants?
“Absolutely. Didn’t the collection of performance pieces we released last time sell hundreds of copies in an instant?”
True, it did.
Besides, since this is a limited edition, the price could skyrocket.
I do all the work, and the merchants pocket all the money.
“Should we limit purchases to one copy per person? For now, that seems like the best solution.”
“No, I have a better idea.”
They’re hoarding because it’s a limited edition?
Then I’ll just cancel the limited edition.
“Edward.”
“Yes?”
“Contact the workshop and have them print as many sheet music copies as possible.”
“Pardon?”
They dare try to profit from a sacred venue like this?
Let’s see them suffer a loss for a change.
T/n: A Lot of Research is Going on in this, So Leave some Comments to keep me motivated people!! I am Loving this~~
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