Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Chopin, Polonaise, Op. 53 -Heroic- (1)
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“Confess your crimes.”
The man spoke.
He was sitting on a lavishly decorated sofa, legs crossed.
Almost nothing was known to the public about the Crown Prince's personal life.
Though this was my first time meeting him in person, his personality was evident from his appearance.
A muscular build and a rugged face.
There was even a scar by his eye.
His hair was a black so deep it seemed darker than the abyss.
His crimson eyes, which seemed to emit their own light, were filled with killing intent.
This was the type of man who communicated with his body, not his mouth.
I was sure of it.
I’d heard people whisper, 'Could the performer actually be the Crown Prince?' and foolishly assumed he’d have the frail, elite air of a scholar.
This man was a warrior.
He was undoubtedly battle-crazy, and his hunting skills were probably exceptional.
Ruhan Flovitz.
He spoke to me once more.
“Did you not hear my words?”
How in the world should I answer to escape this hellhole?
I had to prove my innocence perfectly without offending the Crown Prince.
"I am but a humble artist. I have neither the qualifications nor the courage to impersonate Your Highness."
“Impersonate?”
Ruhan’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“So you knew I summoned you for that? I haven't said a word about it yet.”
“But you clearly told me to confess my crime...”
“So you already consider yourself a criminal. It seems your conscience is pricked.”
I’d messed up.
If I had known it would come to this, I should have feigned ignorance.
My judgment had been wrong.
This man was also a master of verbal sparring.
“So you had the audacity to go around selling my name.”
How did the story even twist into this?
I wanted to retort, 'I haven't even admitted to it yet,' but I held my tongue.
“I am merely a performer who conceals my identity to take the stage. However, the audience's imagination seems to have run wild. Though it was unintentional, I sincerely apologize for tarnishing Your Highness's name with such baseless rumors.”
As I spoke, I pulled out the flyer from inside my coat and offered it.
The very one I had distributed to the audience initially.
Evidence to prove my innocence.
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment.
His gaze seemed to pierce right through me.
Is this what it feels like to face a tiger?
“A deception?”
“There is not a single lie.”
He remained quiet for so long that I grew anxious and added an excuse.
“A commoner, no matter how high their status, would never even dream of impersonating Your Highness.”
“That does make sense.”
He believed me more easily than I expected.
The fact that the Crown Prince was reasonable was good news.
He uncrossed his legs and called for the knight standing behind him.
“Eins.”
The same man who had brought me here.
I had thought he looked quite intimidating, but standing next to the Crown Prince, he looked as gentle as a lamb.
“What are your thoughts?”
The Crown Prince asked Eins.
“Judging by his words, he seems to be without fault. Rather, I believe it is right to punish the nobles who dared to sully the Imperial name for their entertainment.”
“I agree.”
They seemed to have a very straightforward relationship.
The Crown Prince nodded slowly, then rose from his seat.
Was he finally believing in my innocence?
“By the way, why do you hide your identity?”
“...Because I believe that between a performer and an audience, nothing matters but the music.”
“It seems you are quite confident in your skill.”
“You flatter me.”
“At this point, I am curious about your performance. I wonder what the lords saw that made them use my name.”
“Pardon?”
“Follow me.”
And with that, he strode out of the reception room.
His gait was filled with confidence.
It was a heavy, imposing movement, much like his appearance.
Soon, we arrived at a vast banquet hall.
In the corner sat a single grand piano.
The Crown Prince took a seat and pointed at the piano, looking at me.
“Play.”
I was flustered, but I didn't ask again.
The atmosphere didn't seem like it would allow for a reply anyway.
“Eins.”
As I hesitated, he called for his knight.
Eins gave me a push from behind.
“Pardon my lack of skill, but I shall play a piece.”
I took a short breath and placed both hands on the keys.
A piece I was originally supposed to perform at the theater today.
Debussy's Clair de Lune.
As the serene melody continued, the Crown Prince watched me without a word.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Therese.”
“Yes.”
“Don't you hear music coming from somewhere?”
“You're saying that again.”
Therese was starting to just accept it.
It wasn't the first or second time her older sister, Elise, had started spouting such fanciful talk.
It was much worse than yesterday.
She wasn't even surprised anymore when Elise claimed to be hearing hallucinations.
“...I must be going crazy too. I think I can really hear something.”
“See? It's truly beautiful.”
Something was strange.
Therese furrowed her brow.
She could hear the sound of a piano.
Why?
The only piano in the Imperial Palace was the one in the banquet hall.
It was kept there in case of an event.
It wasn't used normally, and there was no one in the Imperial Family at the moment who could play at such a high level.
'Who on earth is it?'
Just as Therese's questions deepened...
Elise shot up and looked around frantically.
“This piece!”
Then, she started sprinting across the garden.
Therese, caught off guard, followed her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After the performance, a heavy silence fell.
The Crown Prince, who had been holding his posture in silence, shifted his body and let out a single word.
“Well now...”
I was terrified of what would come next.
“That was an incredibly boring performance. Pathetic.”
In a word, it was the worst.
There was no problem with the performance itself.
In fact, to avoid making mistakes, I had focused my mind, making it far more stable than the performance I had given at the theater.
At least to my ears.
But the Crown Prince's evaluation was the complete opposite.
“For all your confidence, your skill is not that impressive. Utterly useless. What is wrong with the ears of the nobles in the capital lately? Eins, throw this man out.”
“As you command.”
The knight grabbed my arm right away.
Is it over?
How anti-climactic.
I was grateful to have my life, but leaving like this felt deeply unsatisfying.
Clair de Lune was a piece that had achieved quite good results in the capital.
It had received the audience's praise, and I had even gotten headaches from the stalking of ladies who wanted to sponsor me.
“May I say one thing?”
My stubbornness flared up.
You can't please everyone.
No one knew that better than me.
But no musician in this world could stand being told their performance was 'pathetic.'.
At least the Crown Prince was a reasonable person.
His tone was savage, but unlike his rough, brutish appearance, he seemed to be a sensible and rational individual.
At least based on what I'd seen so far.
So he wouldn't just trample over and ignore my opinion.
“...Speak.”
Everyone has their tastes.
Some like gentle, soft melodies, while others are the opposite.
When listening to music that isn't to your taste, it just seems esoteric and boring.
Like when I first heard Victor Korsolin's performance.
I had chosen the wrong piece.
I should have played a different piece, not Clair de Lune.
'Considering the Crown Prince's personality...'
Something more intense and grand, like an orchestral symphony, might have suited him better.
Debussy's lyrical solo piece couldn't capture his heart.
Even if it was a famous masterpiece that decorated the flame of late Romanticism.
“May I play one more piece?”
“Are you trying to disappoint me twice?”
“If I disappoint you, you may take my head.”
“Hah!”
He let out a hollow laugh, as if my provocation was absurd.
But he seemed curious nonetheless.
It was a performance he was so confident in that he'd stake his life on it. Even I would be curious enough to listen.
The problem was, all I had was a single piano.
It was impossible to play a symphony, and even with an arrangement, there were limits.
Of course, it wasn't that I had no other options.
I hadn't just shouted out without thinking.
Chopin's Polonaise Op. 53.
A piano solo more commonly known as 'The Hero.'.
As the title suggests, it has a cheerful and intense rhythm.
An elegant and splendid melody, along with dramatic dynamics, captivate the ear.
'However.'
I had only played this piece a few times, even in my past life.
Without the sheet music, it was impossible to play perfectly, and even with it, I might repeat noticeable mistakes in the middle.
Still, there was a reason I had thrown down this gambit.
I never intended to play the entire seven-minute-long polonaise.
A short section would suffice.
The melody that rises chromatically from the very first measure to provide a sense of elevation.
The highlight where both hands cross the keyboard together, followed by the exploding crescendo.
As the volume of the piece gradually increases, the listener's emotions are stirred.
All of this is contained in the intro, the beginning of the piece.
One minute is all it takes.
The Hero Polonaise isn't considered one of Chopin's greatest masterpieces for nothing.
I clasped my trembling hands together.
I imagined the sound and drew the score in my mind.
All that was left was the real thing.
Soon, the performance began.
I relaxed my wrists and pressed the keys with restrained movements.
It wasn't perfect.
The expression was awkward, and the tension was doubled by the occasional mistouch.
It couldn't be helped; it was a piece with such difficulty.
Even Christian Zimmermann, hailed as a grandmaster, makes mistouches.
The important thing here isn't to not make mistakes.
It's to maintain the momentum and push forward.
Music ultimately reaches emotions and moves them.
If I can do that, it's a success.
A cheerful melody filled the banquet hall for a while, and then, as if on cue, silence descended.