"My lady, let's prepare for today, his grace is already waiting at the banquet hall." I groan opening my eyes to be greeted by Wendy stroking my hair as I sit up stretching my arms.
"Here my lady." Wendy fed me a delicious waffle with cinnamon and apple sauce on top, with a glass of milk, it was a hearty meal.
After I'm done, I and get off my bed as Wendy assist me off and to the bathroom.
I was bathed and all, my hair was dried down and help me in my underclothes, Wendy and a white chiffon shirt with puffed loose cuffed long sleeves, a with triple rows of lace and a satin bow high neck collar, a black military style high waist cotton skirt with black ruffles on the ends that reaches below my knee.
Daisy assisted me to wear a tights under my skirt and a black silk shoes that Forema sent.
Wendy lastly put a black lace ribbon headband on top of my head, dusting my face and neck with gentle powder.
"My lady, Sir Harold, the head gardener, will head out to see the delegates' preparations and look for new plants, he'll definitely comeback with all sorts of flowers and plants we don't have here as you asked, I informed him and he's more than happy to know my lady loves flowers and plants." Daisy said which remind me, the red camellia.
"Thank you Daisy." I mumbled smiling tiredly while Wendy quickly open the door, to be greeted by Sir Ulysses who motion for me to come out.
"Good morning, my lady." he said as I automatically reach for him as he chuckled picking me up and walk our way down the hallway and down stairs followed by Wendy and Daisy.
We made it to the banquet hall which awaken my senses when a sight of people preparing all sorts of musical instruments at the orchestra stage on the corner of the huge hall.
'I just realize it's indeed a huge castle that can accommodate a good amount of people, more double of the invitees from the previous banquet that we had back in Wisteria.'
"His grace said you're playing piano." Sir Ulysses stated as I nodded looking at the black and gold grand piano placed on the center of the orchestra stage.
"Everything is all settles your grace, Madame Louisa here will look through my lady's capacity, she's a very capable music professor from the academy." I turn to see my father approaching us with Rupert and a familiar light blue eyed old lady with spectacle, salt and pepper hair tied in a low bun, and a purple walking suit, with a red carpet bag in hand.
'My piano teacher in my past life, and somehow looks exactly like my music teacher in previous life too.'
"See what's lacking with my child and give an honest critique." dad said and motion for Sir Ulysses to put me down on my feet.
I suddenly feel a bit nervous to my gut, but at the same time, my hands are itching to play the piano.
The last time I performed, I died because of Mary's foolishness.
"What made my lady have interest with music?" Madame Louisa asked curiously, as I look up to her, fidgeting my hands.
"I-I read books about melodies, scales and notes, I only watched the orchestra played on the banquet, and my music box, I like listening to it." I said honestly, but leaving out the fact that I am not normal to begin with.
"Well then, let's see what my lady learned then." she said motioning for me to go to the platform, Sir Ulysses help me and I hesitantly take a seat on the piano recliner.
I push the fallboard up revealing the black and white keys, it looks brand new.
"You're playing without a book?" she asked as I look up to her, she's standing on the side while father take a seat on the couch with Sir Rupert and Sir Ulysses at the side, all have curious face with full doubt.
"No? But I memorized the illustrations." I mumbled a lie, which made the teacher hum and nod.
"Alright then." she said smiling gently as if expecting me to fail already.
They all see me as a stubborn child.
I sighed and place my hand on the keys and just started pushing random buttons, checking if it's tuned properly, Sir Rupert stifle a laugh and groan, seeing my father elbow him hard enough which made me try my best to hold in my giggles.
"My lady, are you sure-"
I started playing the keys seriously, whatever easy song came in my mind first, not caring that I cut Sir Rupert off rudely.
It's Édith Piaf's La Vie En Rose, a song that never exist in this world but exist in the modern world I previously live in, and it's easy to play.
The light music echoed beautifully through the hall, I get to the chorus, loving how it turned out, I carry on and until the song ended shortly.
Silence engulfed the room which made me nervous all over again and take my hands off the piano.
"My lady, I've never heard that piece before, where did you learned it?" Madame Louise said in awe, her aura from purple turned pinkish red, while I gulp and look at my palms.
"I-I just play what comes in my mind, I wasn't formally trained, I only rely on my books." I mumbled hesitantly, not knowing how to explain it.
"Did my lady listen to it somewhere?" she confirmed while I shook my head and sighed.
I hate this.
"No, I only played what sounds nice." I mumbled looking up to meet her eyes.
'Please, stop questioning me.'
"Oh my, can my lady try play a Sonata?" she asked as I blink at how fascinated she looks at me, I blink looking down at piano with my hand moving on it's own to stop on top of the piano keys.
I learned all the Sonata pieces in this world.
I started playing the 3 acts of the Sonata of Heart of Forever Maiden, a composition made by a musical genius of the history, they made their students try executing it, it's a piece created by the music genius on the history of this world that no one dared to play because of how complicated the keys are.
I can feel her stare intently to my hands as I play the slow tempo of the first act which is the easiest.
It reminds me of Moonlight Sonata, a melancholic piece releasing all the tension to the end.
I finish the first act then proceed to the second, which is the coda part, a little harder to play but still melancholic yet a bit lively.
I've never played this piece in front of Madame Louisa before, but I studied it to make her proud after she praised me when I successfully played the first part only.
I can feel the auras around me intensify, signaling there might be more people watching that I wasn't paying attention.
I get to the last act which is the tailpiece of the song, and the hardest of them all to play, but my hands still knows how to perfectly execute the fast pace end.
I finish the piece at the end, applause field the hall which made me jump up to my seat.
My father has an unreadable but proud expression, the rest are shock and now even my brother and Paul who are still on their knight in trainee attire, clapping with the other scholars and father's vassals that I've met back in Wisteria, even the butler, and servants, especially my professor and Wendy who are both on the verge of tear but stopping it and in awe.
"Your grace! Why didn't you notify us in the academy? No one yet dared to play the full acts of the Heart of Forever Maiden for how many century, and only have a recording of it on the music box. Even I could only play the first and second, the third is something only a genius could play alone. But the full acts! Only my lady- my lady is a genius! " Madame Louisa exclaimed happily and excitedly, as if discovering something that no one else have.
'Oh God, no!'
'I shouldn't have played the last act.'
"My lady reads all of the music books we could find with illustrations, it's possible that my lady happens to have a really good memory and memorize the illustrations of the Sonatas and other compositions from the books at the library back in Wisteria." Wendy revealed and she wasn't lying.
"Is that so? Then your grace, my lady can freely visit the academy whenever she's ready."
"Really?!" "No." my dad oppose, shutting down my brother's excitement.
"She's only five, I cannot send a small frail child in the academy where reckless children study magic that could carelessly hurt her." my father said with an unimpressed expression to what Madame Louisa suggested, which is the same exact scenario but happened in Wisteria from my past life, in this life it happened here in the capital.
"Is that so?" Madame Louisa asked with a hum and nod.
"Then you can freely call for me if you wanted to learn more about music, my lady. I'm more than willing to visit you even if it's Wisteria's Grand Duchy." she said with a genuine smile as I nodded happily, she's one of the people I could trust.
"It would be great if you could play that piece again on the presentation for the delegates and the imperial family, I met the gardener earlier and was told you like flowers and plants, apparently the prize for the most favored performer would be a rare red camellia plant from the eastern delegates, an expensive tea set with silver interior and porcelain exterior from western delegates, I haven't heard what the north and south would offer as a prize, but the imperial family will grant one of their rare ruby jewelry."
I don't care about the ruby and tea sets.
I need the red camellia.