Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Rossini, William Tell Overture (1)
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Back at the mansion, I immediately went to find my father.
"Anton! Are you alright?"
Next to him was Count Harborland.
It seemed he had been waiting for me all day.
"Nothing happened."
"Thank goodness!"
Soon, it was time for dinner, and a modest meal was laid out on the table.
I gave a brief explanation of what had happened at the Imperial Palace.
The two of them seemed quite surprised, but they were relieved that everything had worked out.
"My son, standing on the stage for the Imperial Knights' departure ceremony!"
"How wonderful!"
"Thank you!"
After finishing the meal, I went up to my room.
"Now, what to do."
There was still a long way to go until the departure ceremony.
It would be good to prepare in advance, but there was no need to rush it already.
My head was filled with hundreds of classics... no, dozens of classics.
Finding a suitable piece shouldn't be too difficult.
Practicing, on the other hand, is a different problem.
"For now."
I felt a stronger desire to make up for the performance that was canceled today.
I had sent away all the audience members who had gone to the trouble of visiting the theater, only to be dragged off by the Crown Prince.
I put my outdoor clothes back on and went outside.
I ran into Theo, who was standing in front of the staircase.
"Are you going out, Sir?"
"If my father is looking for me, tell him I was captured by bandits."
"I will tell him you are asleep."
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"I am sorry about today."
I met Edward at the theater.
He looked haggard, as if he had lost weight in just a few hours.
"I was too complacent."
As I said that, Edward waved his hand dismissively.
"It was an event we were prepared for. I'm relieved you are safe."
"The Crown Prince was surprisingly reasonable."
"..."
"Was I a bit too harsh?"
"It's fine. It's not like anyone else is listening."
"He was a great man."
Edward smiled.
The reason I came to him was for nothing else.
I had a proposal to make.
"I will reveal my identity soon."
This was something I had been contemplating since the Imperial Palace.
I had no intention of being accused of impersonation any longer.
Moreover, there was the risk of causing trouble for someone else.
I heard the Crown Prince had even received threatening letters.
I looked into whether there was a spell to change one's facial features, but apparently, there isn't one.
There is a spell to change one's voice, but I wonder if anyone actually uses it.
In other words, it's a dead end.
"That is a good idea."
Edward agreed with me.
Had he also been hoping for this kind of conclusion?
"So, about that, I have a plan."
I laid out the plan I had already conceived for him.
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"Extra! Extra!"
A commoner boy running through the streets, delivering newspapers.
A noble gentleman, annoyed by the constant shouting, tossed him a silver coin.
"Give me one!"
"Here you are!"
The boy took the coin and pulled a newspaper from his coat.
A huge headline.
As soon as he saw the sentence, an exclamation burst from his mouth.
"You don't say!"
Then, I grabbed the boy who was about to run off quickly.
"Is this really true?"
"Our newspaper doesn't print lies."
At the boy's words, the noble gentleman shot to his feet.
"Extra! Extra!"
A short while later, all the people gathered in the street were shouting the same thing, unable to hide their joy.
"The Performer is finally revealing his identity!"
"And look at this! A free performance in the square!"
This fact spread throughout the Empire in less than an hour.
And finally, it reached the ears of the commoners and laborers as well.
A chance to see the music, once the exclusive property of the nobles, and the performance of the most popular performer in the capital.
They shared their excited feelings, each filled with anticipation.
"So I can finally hear him too?"
"You have no idea how curious I've been every time the Lord mentioned him!"
Of course, very rarely, there were voices criticizing the situation.
They argued that it was improper to open a concert to commoners who didn't even know the first thing about art.
The basis for their criticism was varied, saying that they wouldn't understand it even if they heard it.
The twisted nobles even approached the commoners in their territories to probe them.
"Do you know the title of the piece Victor Korsolin performed at the Imperial banquet?"
"...I don't know."
I learned all this a week before the public performance.
Edward came to the mansion to give me a heads-up.
"Many commoners are hurt by the nobles' insults."
"...Anyway, they're not being helpful at all. Do they think they've become gods or something?"
"I agree."
For some reason, he readily sympathized with my words.
Originally, the purpose of the public performance was to let those who are far from music experience 'cultural arts'.
But those damn nobles threw ashes on it again.
It seems that laborers are refusing to attend in droves, saying, 'What's so great about that music?'
They have a point.
What's so great about that music?
If only the nobles can enjoy it, it can't be called true culture.
The prejudice that classical music is a high-class hobby existed in my past life, but it's not true.
The people who attend concerts are not rich or tycoons.
They are ordinary citizens.
Sitting in their seats in ordinary clothes, clapping with ordinary faces.
They just like music.
Does liking something require qualifications?
"I'll have to step up myself."
"What are you going to do?"
"Edward. I hate nobles."
Even though I am a noble myself, I hate them anyway.
Then there is only one way.
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"Extra! Extra!"
The noble gentleman who received the newspaper groaned.
"This is ridiculous."
Dress Code: 'Linen Tunic'
"How can such a disrespectful thing happen!"
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Nobles participating in the performance tend to put effort into their attire.
It is common to wear expensive banquet clothes and an outer garment like fur.
The accessories are also extravagant.
The splendor is so extreme that it's hard to tell who is the performer on stage and who is the audience.
For them, the performance is a high-value hobby.
In addition, they must inevitably meet lords from all over the Empire, so it's natural, in a way, that they pay more attention to their appearance than usual.
But.
Commoners don't have that.
Most of them belong to a territory, farming or working in manual trades.
They don't need flashy and cumbersome clothes.
They must be comfortable and light, no matter what.
A linen tunic with short sleeves and a good fit is an example.
Nobles also wear tunics, of course.
They are quite comfortable.
Of course, the design and materials are different.
Much more high-end.
But even then, they don't wear them to performances.
At least, based on what I've seen, there are none.
How can they show up to an event with fellow nobles wearing the clothes commoners wear when they work?
It's not proper for the occasion.
That is the reason I set the dress code to linen tunics.
Clothes represent a person's identity.
If the clothes of commoners and nobles were the same, who would be the commoner and who would be the noble?
Who could point fingers at each other?
I wanted to break down their boundaries, at least during the performance.
One more thing.
A few nobles with high pride would never accept this dress code from the start.
The reason they criticize the public performance is none other than this.
'They dislike commoners enjoying the same culture as them.'
It's a sense of superiority.
Those who are going to drop out will drop out on their own.
I can't outright ban them from entering, but this is much more effective.
Daring to laugh at commoners under the pretext of having no knowledge of music?
It's unbearable.
My performance must be something that everyone can enjoy equally.
"Are you sure about this?"
Edward asked in a worried voice.
Well, I'm not sure yet.
If nothing happens until the day of the event, it should be fine.
"Let's wait and see."
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"Is this even possible?!"
"How can they tell us to wear commoner clothes at such a high-class performance? I don't like the idea of a public performance to begin with. Even if it is the Crown Prince's order, I cannot accept it."
"What?!"
The Periton County.
Two men were talking.
The head of the family, Count Sola Periton, and his son, Herman Periton.
"We cannot allow our territory's people to attend this performance. If such a thing happens, we will hold them accountable for a grave sin."
"Are you suggesting you will defy the rules set by the Crown Prince?"
The two men were viewing the situation caused by Anton negatively.
However, until now, they still believed the performer was the Crown Prince.
They had seen the carriage on the street, so there was no room for doubt.
That's what made it a bigger problem.
"Father, you know this too. The one who will become the ruler of the Empire in the future is not Crown Prince Ruhan, but Crown Princess Elise."
"...That may be true, but..."
"This incident makes it even clearer. You must know that the relationship between the two imperial heirs is not good. This time, we should submit a petition to the Crown Princess."
"What are you thinking?"
"We cannot stand by and watch this behavior that ignores the authority of the nobles. Commoner clothes for a public performance? It's preposterous."
Herman took out a piece of paper and started writing something.
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"Oh my."
Elise's expression twisted as she quietly gazed at the letter adorned with gold.
"Therese, dear. Do you know what this means?"
"It seems like the pathetic whining of some foolish noble who doubts Ruhan's qualifications."
Even though my relationship with Ruhan isn't good, to so brazenly slander my younger brother.
Are they crazy?
"By the way, what they said was true."
The nobles firmly believe that the performer is the Crown Prince.
Elise, who knew the truth, found the situation quite amusing.
"Do they really think this is an act of ignoring the nobles?"
"This is truly the worst."
I hear the 'real performer', Anton, is planning to hold a free performance in the square.
The dress code is linen tunic.
Commoner clothes.
Elise immediately figured out the intention.
The purpose is to showcase his music and inspire a diverse range of people, regardless of their status.
If the venue had been a theater, it might have been different, but this is, after all, a public performance.
It could be freer from etiquette.
"His thinking is profound."
She herself had stepped into a new world through Anton's performance.
In a way, he was her guide.
If more people could have the same experience as her, Elise agreed with Anton's opinion.
That aside.
"Who is the sender of this letter?"
"It's anonymous."
"We must find them. This has gone too far."
Fortunately, there was a suitable person for the job.
She called Eins.
Originally, he was a knight assisting Ruhan, but there was no one else to ask.
Moreover, he was a rare talent for making inquiries in the capital.
A master of his craft.
Elise handed the letter to Eins, and this fact soon reached Ruhan's ears as well.
"Hahaha!"
As soon as he read the contents, he burst into a hearty laugh.
"This Anton fellow, he's got more guts than I thought."
"I was surprised as well."
Not content with trying to evangelize music, once the exclusive property of nobles, to the commoners, he even set the dress code to linen tunics.
Ruhan was the same as Elise.
It didn't take him long to catch on to the intention.
That aside.
He looked over the letter's contents again.
"Who does this punk think he is?"
He had already planned to catch the nobles who carelessly invoked the Imperial family's name and hold them accountable for the false rumors.
In the midst of that, a letter slandering him had arrived at the Imperial Palace with incredible audacity.
He wondered what kind of crazy noble would do such a thing, but there are always a few like that.
"They've locked themselves in their territories and think they've become Emperor or something."
Instead of being grateful for his magnanimity, they try to climb all over him.
Ruhan looked favorably upon Anton's plan while contemplating how to punish this despicable noble.
Actually, there was no need to think about it.
The price for slandering the Imperial family is death.
"Bring him in. Alive, of course."
A killing intent filled his beast-like eyes.
As Eins was about to turn around after receiving the order, he asked.
"Will Your Highness be attending the public performance?"
"I won't go. If I show up, everyone will be too anxious to focus on the performance, won't they?"
Then he thought.
Elise might go.