Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Dress Rehearsal - [3]
The afternoon in the imperial palace was languid.
The aroma of high-grade black tea steeped from premium leaves filled the parlor, yet Elise de Roa's heart felt utterly empty.
Clink.
She set down her teacup with a deep sigh.
"Anna."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Elise propped her chin on her hand and gazed out the window.
The garden outside was splendid, but her mind was filled only with the drab scenery of the workshop.
"That piece... 'Für Elise.' It was definitely written for me, right?"
A flat tone. A tone confirming a fact. Anna, who had been at her side, fell silent before nodding.
As if it were an undeniable truth.
"The title alone makes it clear. And that heartbreaking melody..."
Anna's face took on a sentimental expression unlike her usual self.
"It had a depth that mere technique couldn't imitate. I think... it was a melody impossible without deep affection for its subject."
"Right? I'm right, aren't I? It's a song made for me. Hee... I wonder how Ria will react when she finds out it's me. It'd be hilarious. For real."
Color bloomed on Elise's face.
"A hundred times—no, a thousand times better than those court composers who drone on with the same old hymns and lute strumming, don't you think? Their music just makes me sleepy, but the piano... it makes your heart pound?"
"I agree. If the next piece is on that level... this might be crossing a line, but personally, I think it would be worth dismissing the entire imperial orchestra and putting that young man in their place."
Elise laughed at Anna's assessment. But her smile didn't last long.
She pouted and tapped the table.
"But why hasn't he contacted us?"
"..."
"I gave him gold coins. My favorites, too. And days have passed with no word... Did he ghost me?"
The gold coins Elise had Anna deliver to Aiman weren't ordinary ones. They were enchanted currency.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Special Currency Engraved with Communication Magic]
Crafted by the imperial palace's chief mage, it was a high-grade artifact that could send a signal to a pre-designated recipient with just a tiny infusion of mana.
Tiny magical runes on the surface of the gold coin even engraved a message.
-When the new song is complete, infuse mana to send a signal. I will reward you.
Something along those lines.
"Well... composing takes time, inevitably. Especially since the instrument he created didn't exist in this world before."
Anna soothed Elise calmly, trying to lift her spirits.
"Besides, he's a commoner. He might be afraid to contact a noble first. He probably needs time to mentally prepare."
"Hmm... you think? Am I rushing him too much? Or maybe... mana curse?"
"I doubt that's it. If that young man were afflicted with a mana curse, he'd already be dead."
"True enough."
Elise picked up her teacup again. Yeah. Let's wait. It makes sense that composing a masterpiece like that takes time.
He's probably in bone-deep agony right now, writing a second piece for her.
And it didn't take long for that belief to shatter.
"Your Highness."
The head maid entered the parlor with cautious steps. Her expression was peculiar.
"What is it...?"
"Um... there's a strange rumor circulating in the city that I thought I should report."
"Rumor? Did some scandal break out with another noble somewhere?"
"No. They say a young man played a bizarre black instrument at the central market."
Elise's hand froze. Anna's eyes flickered slightly.
"A black... instrument?"
"Yes. They called it a 'piano,' apparently."
The maid added,
"The reaction was explosive. People were fainting left and right, and the market turned upside down. The piece was titled 'Moonlight Sonata' or something..."
Clink.
Elise's teacup slammed against its saucer with a loud crash. Hot black tea splashed onto the tablecloth, but she paid it no mind.
'The market? Moonlight Sonata?'
If she hadn't thought it inwardly but spoken aloud, it would have come out in a piercingly high octave.
Elise stared at Anna in disbelief. Anna couldn't hide her own bewilderment either.
"Ha..."
Elise let out a hollow laugh.
"No word to me at all... but he performed in the market?"
She had waited anxiously. To hear that moving melody again. She had even considered sneaking to the workshop, casting aside her princess's dignity!
Yet he had shared that precious performance with commoners first? No, the order didn't matter.
The problem was that he hadn't invited her. If he'd at least called for her, she wouldn't be this furious!
"Do you think I'm a joke? You take my gift and then pretend it never happened?"
Elise's violet eyes cooled to ice, then blazed like flames.
"Anna."
"Yes."
"Prepare at once."
Elise shot to her feet.
"We need to go catch that insolent man. Right now."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Today was another huge hit, bro! Do you know how much in tips we got?"
"I know. I know. You've said it like ten times already."
I dragged my exhausted body homeward.
Serika was clinging to my arm, chattering away. Her pocket was heavy.
The clinking of coins and silver pieces from tips was music to my ears!
'Haa... I'm beat.'
I got decent tips every performance, and if we kept doing shows weekly... no more money worries!
Awesome! I bet I even have fans now?
Just get home, shower, and crash for some sweet sleep—perfect day... or so I thought, until Ria and Anna showed up.
"...?"
Familiar silhouettes appeared.
A small figure in a brown robe pulled low over her head, and beneath the hood, a woman with violet eyes. Ria.
And behind her, like a shadow, a woman with a chilling aura. Anna.
The vibe from both was off.
Ria's eyes burned like a furnace, and Anna... she looked like the Grim Reaper.
The air temperature dropped five degrees, or something?
'What the...?'
My legs shook. Anna was a noble! Why would a noble come looking for a commoner like me!
'W-What's going on? Did I do something wrong?'
As ominous thoughts raced through my mind, Anna stepped forward.
"Aiman."
Her voice was low and calm, but the anger within was unmistakable.
"Do you find a noble's favor amusing?"
"What do you...?"
This is so unfair! What did I even do? We parted on good terms!
"Didn't you read the gold coin?"
"...Pardon?"
I blinked dumbly. What did I just hear? Read the gold coin?
Anna frowned at my reaction.
"It clearly said to contact us when the piece was complete. And yet you ignored that command and performed in the market? No, that I could forgive. But you should have at least called for us."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Are you deceiving us? Or can you not read? No, you can read. If you could draw the blueprints for that 'piano,' you must be literate."
I gaped like a floundering fish.
'A message on the gold coin? Why would you read money?'
It made zero sense.
In fifteen years in this world, I'd never heard of reading money. You count it, not read it.
As I stood there speechless, Anna's expression darkened further.
"You didn't lose it, did you?"
I waved my hands frantically. Lose it? Do you know how much that was worth?
I'd designated it house heirloom number one and stashed it deep in my bosom!
I pulled out the gold coin, wrapped snugly in a handkerchief to prevent even a scratch!
"Here..."
Under the lamplight, the golden coin gleamed brilliantly.
"As you can see, it's pristine."
To prove my innocence, I held it up and turned it this way and that.
This might be disrespectful, but... I have to say it. I'm too wronged right now!
"But read it? No matter how I look, it just seems like a plain coin."
Heads: imperial crest. Tails: emperor's face. Done.
Just your standard, spotless, mouthwateringly delicious-looking lump of gold.
Letters? Messages? Not a trace, even if I squinted.
At my reaction, Anna and Ria's faces froze, then paled.
"So, what exactly is supposed to be on it? I'm sorry if my learning is lacking..."
That was when it happened.
"Huh?"
It was Serika, who'd been flustered beside me, reacting to the coin.
"Huh?"
Serika stared at the gold coin, eyes wide, going "Huh? Huh? Huh?" like an idiot.
As if in disbelief, she focused intently with those big eyes. And then...
Her emerald irises dilated massively, pupils expanding like an earthquake.
"Th-this...!"
Serika's hands began to tremble. She looked back and forth between the coin, Anna, and Ria in utter shock.
'What the heck?'
I tilted my head at her.
"B-bro."
Serika turned to me, her face ashen.
"Who are these people? And what the hell is that gold coin?"
I hadn't shown it to Serika before, figuring she wouldn't be impressed by mere gold...
Was that a mistake? Should I have shown her earlier?
And what she just said... that's exactly what I wanted to say, Serika.
Isn't this just a gold coin?