Final Tuning and the Flood of Guests
Early morning preparation routine. At the set time, I woke up, did a light wash-up, and headed straight to the basement workshop.
“Good morning, young master.”
Dale greeted me as soon as I arrived at the workshop. I returned his warm welcome cheerfully, then sat right down at the carillon.
Ding, ding, ding—
I pressed the keys one by one, letting each note burrow into my ears. Closing my eyes, I savored them.
“Hmm. This part needs a bit more tightening.”
“Just a moment. Like this?”
Ding—
“Hmm. Let's raise it a touch higher.”
“Yes, sir!”
Dale worked diligently on the carillon under my guidance. This tuning process went on for nearly two hours.
“Hmm. This should do it for now.”
“Understood! Just say the word if you need anything!”
I nodded at Dale's response. Truth be told, the carillon modifications were already mostly complete. If I were dead set on perfectly recreating a piano, it would take not just days but months. But that had never been my goal from the start. All I wanted was to play a great piece for my brother's wedding—not to indulge some personal obsession.
Ding, ding—
Each key I pressed sent vibrations rippling through my body. I communed with the carillon, absorbing it all with my entire being.
As you'd expect, the carillon differed from a piano in every way—its tone, its vibrations, the feel under my fingers. But as I'd sensed before, it wasn't inferior; it simply had a different soul.
That's why I'd set my modification goals clearly from the outset: not a total overhaul, but tuning it specifically for the piece I'd perform.
Suuuuh, haa.
After tapping a few more keys and taking a deep breath in and out, I began playing in earnest. A familiar melody flowed forth—the very piece I'd rehearsed relentlessly these past few days.
Dale watched me with a dazed expression as I dove into the performance. But his gaze didn't distract me for long. As the music swelled, the world around me faded. My vision filled only with the black and white keys. Their layout and pitch differed from a piano's, but once I started playing, those differences melted away.
I played the full piece from start to finish right there in my seat, then finally caught my breath.
“Hoo.”
After steadying my breathing, I turned to Dale, who stood blankly to the side.
“How was it?”
“It was phenomenal.”
He answered almost reflexively. I chuckled and pressed him.
“Be honest.”
“Honestly? I'm just proud to have helped modify an instrument like this.”
“Come on, that's exaggeration.”
I waved it off, standing up as I added, “Anyway, I think we've wrapped up the modifications at a good point.”
“But you'll tweak it more later, right?”
“How'd you know?”
“I could tell. Why not hand over the blueprint now? I'll get started ahead of time.”
Unable to resist his enthusiasm, I pulled out the piano blueprint and handed it over. For my brother's wedding, we'd use the modified carillon, but separately, I planned to proceed with the piano build. For future pieces, a perfect piano would be ideal.
Knock knock—
Just as we finished talking, a knock echoed from the workshop door—urgent and insistent. I smirked at the familiar rhythm and opened it.
“You're here.”
“Yeah. You said the mods were done?”
Sure enough, Monica strode in. I'd told her she didn't need to come, but she'd practically been living at our estate lately, insisting every second counted for a flawless performance.
“So, no more major tuning left?”
She plopped down at the modified carillon and asked. I nodded.
“Yeah. No big changes from here.”
“Great. Mind showing me the score?”
“Wanna play it right now?”
“Yep. Let's sync up while we're at it.”
I'd just finished one run-through, but I didn't turn her down. Practice was never excessive—especially with less than two weeks left; if anything, we were pressed for time.
“Alright, start by looking here...”
And just like that, we launched into the duet. For a perfect wedding performance.
Lately, the capital had been abuzz with a hot topic: a musician who had received a divine revelation.
It started as mere rumor, but when some folks checked directly with the Armonia Church, it proved true. The people went wild.
And how could they not? Everyone in this world knew the gods were real—far closer than on Earth. Yet even so, those recognized by the divine were rare. Few were born with talent worthy of such favor.
Conversely, most who earned divine acknowledgment left massive marks on imperial history.
So whenever someone in any field received it, people paid attention. And 'music' was a field nobles fixated on especially—basic lessons were de rigueur for their cultured upbringing.
“I hear it's the second son of the Clover family?”
“Really? Well, there were always rumors of his prodigious talent as a kid!”
Once the nobles took interest, the subject's identity spread fast: Arden Clover, second son of the Clover Count family.
Naturally, eyes turned to the Clover estate.
“I heard the eldest Clover son is getting married soon?”
“Yeah, and Arden's performing at it!”
The word that Arden—the second son—was preparing a piece for his brother Kyle's wedding spread like wildfire.
Noble weddings already drew big crowds, and the Clovers were a top-tier house with a hefty guest list planned.
But after the rumor of Arden's Armonia blessing broke, interest exploded.
Even families with no ties to the Clovers inquired about attending. The count, of course, accepted most—weddings celebrated unions but also flaunted family prestige. More guests meant more gain, no loss.
The result?
“Uh... how many people are coming now?”
“Hmm. At least double—no, more than that over the estimate.”
The guest count had ballooned insanely. Arden's face paled at the numbers.
“That's basically every noble in the capital, isn't it?”
“More than that. Plenty from the provinces want to witness Kyle's wedding too.”
Count Clover eyed his son's ashen expression.
“Feeling the pressure?”
Arden paused instead of a direct yes, then spoke.
“No. Actually, it's perfect.”
He'd anticipated some uptick. Unwilling as he was to admit it, his reputation as the capital's divinely blessed genius preceded him. Though the surge far exceeded expectations...
Still, considering the ripple effects, it was hugely positive.
Brother's authority will be rock-solid now.
At noble weddings, every guest carried weight. A massive turnout signaled blessings and recognition from countless houses—elevating the family's status outright.
And even beyond that, Arden saw upsides.
The church performance is coming up anyway.
Plenty would attend the Armonia Temple show too. No avoiding a big audience.
“I'll give it my all.”
With resolve etched on his face, Arden told his father. The count nodded, pleased.
As their warm exchange wrapped up,
“Oh, right—one more thing. Some special guests are coming too.”
“Special guests?”
“Yes.”
He nodded at Arden's question.
“They say envoys from the other major churches are attending. High-ranking ones, at that.”