The FeSchpiel Concert

The day before the concert, I was to return to the castle. I had to hold a final meeting and confirm details with my mothers, and I also needed to bring Ela into the castle kitchen and have her mass-produce cookies.

"I'll go on the day. I won't help with advance preparations. I already told you that."

While Fran and Gil were carrying luggage, I went to bid farewell to the Chief Priest together with Monica. The Chief Priest furrowed his brow in displeasure.

"It's fine. I remember everything perfectly. All the Chief Priest needs to do is play the FeSchpiel."

Right now, wagons were being loaded with beautiful illustrations that Wilma had drawn, so honestly, it would have been a relief if the Chief Priest didn't come along.

During the time up to today, I had printed as many of Wilma's illustrations of the Chief Priest as possible. Three designs, a hundred copies each. Running a little short would be ideal for stoking purchasing interest.

That was a lie. If they would sell, I wanted to print more and sell more. But I was desperately short on time. If I'd had more time, there would have been more varieties and quantities too. What a waste.

Ela and Rosina rode in the attendants' carriage, and I and two of my guard knights rode in the nobility's carriage as we departed for the castle.

"Come now, Rozemyn! There's no time left!"

My mother and adoptive mother were waiting at the castle. Before I could even go to my room, I was taken straight to the venue to check on the concert hall.

The seats were already prepared for the following day.

I walked through the venue where the stage had been set up for the Chief Priest to perform, checking the standing-room area and its dimensions. Even though it was standing room, it was a gathering of noble ladies and their wives. Just like at the entrance and graduation ceremonies, chairs were arranged at even intervals, and seats were roughly divided by faction.

The venue had multiple doors for entry and exit. We confirmed which doors the Chief Priest would use, which the servants would use, and which the guests would use. We also inspected the rooms that would serve as a reception area and a first-aid room.

"I believe everything has been prepared as we discussed."

After checking the venue, I went through preparations for the magical tools that would amplify sound, confirmed the confectionery arrangements, and reviewed the security setup with the respective people in charge.

After all the discussions, I ended up being assigned to be the master of ceremonies.

Nobody had ever served as a concert MC before, and beyond my general lack of understanding, the reasons they chose me were that I was too young to arouse jealousy for sharing a stage with the Chief Priest, that I was the organizer of this event, and that I was the one collecting the donations.

"Oh, by the way, Rozemyn. Whatever happened with those illustrations?"

Once the rough outlines of the meeting were settled, my mother leaned forward eagerly and asked. I puffed out my chest and answered proudly, "They're done."

"Let me see them."

"I'd like to see them too."

Since both of them wanted to see the Chief Priest's illustrations, we moved to my room.

The document box that Lutz had prepared for transporting the illustrations was a fairly thin one. Apparently it was normally used to hold papers at the Gilberta Company.

I lined up three document boxes on the table and opened the lids.

"Oh my!"

My mother peered in with sparkling eyes, while my adoptive mother seemed surprised that there were so many copies of the same illustration. She flipped through several from the top to confirm.

"I'd heard about it, but seeing it with my own eyes is truly surprising. This is printing?"

"Yes. I need donations to build an orphanage and workshop and to launch this printing business."

"Seeing it with your own eyes makes it easy to understand."

And then, of course, not only my attendants but my adoptive mother's attendants were mobilized as well, and we began coaching them as sales clerks. The concert programs would be sold from the start, but the cookies and illustrations would be brought into the venue by wagon after the Chief Priest's performance, and sold then.

"Oh? Wouldn't it cause less confusion to sell those illustrations beforehand?"

"No, I think it would be best after Lord Ferdinand has finished performing and entered the reception room. If they were discovered, they'd certainly be confiscated, and that's the one thing I want to avoid."

"Confiscation would be a problem. Let's do as Rozemyn says and make sure Lord Ferdinand doesn't find them."

My mother took on a serious expression and began considering where to position the illustration sellers and where to conduct the sales. I decided to raise one concern with my adoptive mother.

"Does my adoptive father know about the concert?"

"He was told I'd be hosting a tea gathering, but nothing beyond that. If he found out, he'd get excited and come poking around, so the less he knows, the better. That's why we've prepared magical tools to prevent sound from leaking outside the room as well. Rozemyn, please be careful not to let anything slip at dinner."

The adoptive mother who held Sylvester's reins so firmly smiled elegantly as she said this.

With that worry resolved, I set to work on drafting the MC's script. Promoting the printing business and showing that the Chief Priest was voluntarily cooperating were both musts. Time was running short.

And then, the next day—the day of the concert arrived, and the ladies of nobility began arriving at the castle one after another.

At the venue, I waited for the guests to arrive while doing a final sweep of the room's facilities. The sound-amplifying magical tools were all confirmed to be working properly, the servants had tea and confectionery ready, and I received word that the Chief Priest had arrived at the reception room.

Twenty knights led by Eckhart-brother were standing at evenly spaced intervals around the room. Most of them had heard the Chief Priest's FeSchpiel before, and though it was officially for security, they were apparently looking forward to listening at the venue.

"Oh my, the FeSchpiel performance is in such a large space? Will it even be audible?"

"Please look—using this many magical tools..."

"What about the knights lined up in the room? They aren't standing-room guests, are they?"

Amid the murmuring crowd, I ascended the stage.

I took a deep breath and held the voice-amplifying magical tool my adoptive mother had lent me up to my mouth like a microphone.

"Welcome to Lord Ferdinand's FeSchpiel concert. Today is a concert to raise donations to provide orphans with a place to live, food, and work. All proceeds from the tickets you have purchased will go toward building the orphanage. Additionally, we are selling programs here. Those proceeds will also go to donations, so we would be most grateful if you would consider purchasing them as an act of charity."

As I showed the cut-paper cover and explained how to purchase programs, my mother and adoptive mother, who were seated in the audience, were the first to stand. Then the women of the adoptive mother's faction began trailing after them one after another.

"Oh, look! They're all exactly the same illustration..."

"What a remarkably skilled artist they must be."

I could see my mother showing off a program to the ladies in the same row, in the seats closest to the stage. Each program cost three large silver coins.

"This technology for creating identical copies is called printing. I intend to provide orphans with printing jobs. We humbly ask for your cooperation."

As Richarda and Ottilie ran the sales counter, noblewomen filed past one after another to buy programs.

"Oh my, for orphans, how kind. I do wish that kindness were extended to others besides orphans, though..."

"I thought a single sheet of paper seemed terribly expensive, but this illustration is wonderful. A style of drawing I've never seen before."

"I've never seen so many identical copies made like this."

As expected, the standing-room area seemed to have mostly lower-ranking nobles, and not many people were buying programs. However, they were interested—when one person bought a copy, several others would crowd around to look.

"The tea and confectionery prepared for today are Lord Ferdinand's favorites. These confectionery are available separately, so if you are pleased with them, we would be happy if you purchased some after the concert."

At the table seats, servers were distributing tea and confectionery, creating an atmosphere of a tea party. Ladies looked at the programs and chatted, "I don't recognize any of these pieces," or admired the cut-paper technique, spending their time in an elegant manner—completely unlike the concerts I knew.

But for these women who only ever performed at tea parties as entertainment, this concert was something entirely different—an experience like no other.

"Then, let us have Lord Ferdinand perform."

Saying that, I stepped out of the venue and burst into the Chief Priest's reception room.

"Lord Ferdinand, are you prepared?"

"Yes."

The Chief Priest, wearing an outfit with the long sleeves typical of nobility, rose with his FeSchpiel in hand.

I could tell the Chief Priest froze for an instant upon entering the venue. He quickly resumed moving, but I caught a quiet murmur: "What is this crowd...?"

"These are the generous donors who contributed to the cause."

Since buying a ticket was equivalent to making a donation, I wasn't wrong.

"This is too many. No matter how you look at it, this is absurd."

"I was at the Temple, and my mothers handled most of the preparations, so I thought this was normal for nobility."

Playing innocent, I guided the Chief Priest to the chair placed at the center of the stage.

Then, with embellished words, I addressed the audience, saying that the Chief Priest, too, was concerned about the plight of orphans and had agreed to help them by promoting the printing business.

The Chief Priest looked displeased for a moment, but unlike me, excellent nobles were apparently skilled at reading the room. With a plastered-on smile, the Chief Priest surveyed the venue.

"Then, as a token of gratitude to all who donated, I would like to play the FeSchpiel."

With that, the Chief Priest sat down and took up the FeSchpiel—though his gaze was still boring into me with a look that said, "Remember this later."

Bright light streamed in through the windows from the right side, making the FeSchpiel appear to gleam.

The Chief Priest bowed his head slightly, his light blue hair swaying softly, casting a slight shadow over his face so his expression was hidden.

Gently, his fingers touched the FeSchpiel, producing several notes as if testing the sound. A soft "poon" from the left hand brought out a low note, and a crisp "peen" from the right hand drew out a high one.

The Chief Priest looked up once and met my gaze. It seemed he was ready.

Surveying the venue, I could see that the upper-class noble ladies and young misses who had paid the high ticket price for the front rows were already watching the Chief Priest with mesmerized expressions.

"Today, Lord Ferdinand has prepared a new piece for everyone. The first piece is dedicated to the Fire God, Leidenschaft."

The Chief Priest lowered his gaze toward the instrument and let his fingers drift gracefully. Supporting the neck with his left hand, he plucked a string with his middle finger, and the air trembled, carrying the sound outward. A slightly lower tone from his left hand was joined by a crisp, clear high note from his right.

In the next instant, the Chief Priest's usual expressionless face softened just a little. The habitual furrow between his brows vanished, and the sharpness drained from his golden eyes. It was subtle enough that you'd miss it unless you looked carefully, but the corners of his lips had turned upward naturally.

That alone was enough to dramatically change his impression. The front row was united in pressing their hands to their mouths, trembling.

The Chief Priest's long, prominent fingers slid smoothly along the FeSchpiel as if caressing it, plucking the strings. Notes were spun out one after another, resonating and dissolving into the air.

The sound spun from the Chief Priest's fingertips was always beautiful and tender, no matter when you heard it. Despite the man being so spiteful in person and flashing those dark smiles, the sound he produced was so gentle and soft that you'd never sense any of that.

I had expected that once the Chief Priest began playing, my mother—first among the thrilled—would cause an uproar. But perhaps because of their good breeding, the ladies simply gazed on with dreamy, languid eyes, listening quietly to the performance.

When the Chief Priest began singing in his rich, low voice, a sensation swept through the entire body, like a full-body shiver. Perhaps because of the magical tools amplifying the sound this time, the voice seemed to enter from right beside the ears, as if listening through headphones.

"Haah..."

"Huuh..."

Dreamy, languid sighs began to arise from all around.

My mother, who was always squealing and making a fuss, was nevertheless accustomed to the Chief Priest in her own way. She simply held her hand to her cheek, listening with sparkling eyes. But the young ladies who had no opportunity to interact with the Chief Priest were blushing and misty-eyed, or pressing their hands over their hearts, or covering their faces with both hands and pressing against the table, staying quiet on the surface but seemingly in absolute turmoil within.

...I could almost hear their silent, anguished cries of the heart.

Perhaps because the young ladies were making their quiet uproar and nothing was visibly happening on the surface, the knights were also focused not on the venue but on the Chief Priest.

I was just beginning to think that maybe the knights hadn't been necessary after all, when a woman fainted during the love song the Life God was dedicating to the Earth Goddess.

They were already using magical tools to amplify the sound so it would be audible even from distant seats. When the Chief Priest's beautiful voice sang sweetly, pleading with love right beside your ear, what on earth would happen?

Even I, who knew what lyrics he would be singing, had to catch my breath for a moment. The young ladies' hearts fluttered wildly, their hearts raced out of control, and they couldn't sit still.

...The piece was an anime song, though!

The Chief Priest's love song—the same one that had shocked even Wilma, who distrusted men—was indeed devastating in its power. A woman let out a small "Hau—" and swooned forward onto the table.

"Angelica, tell a knight to escort her to the first-aid room."

I whispered the order, and Angelica slipped away soundlessly from behind me. The next moment, several more fainters appeared in succession, and the knights hurriedly began carrying them out.

My mother, who had been saying from the start that "fainting and missing Lord Ferdinand's FeSchpiel would be an unforgivable waste," was enduring through trembling. Hang in there, Mother.

While the knights were in full action, Angelica slipped back and told me that Eckhart-brother was calling for me.

I slipped out of the concert hall mid-performance. Waiting there wasn't just Eckhart-brother.

"Quite the entertaining affair you've got going here, Rozemyn."

"Adoptive father..."

My adoptive father stood there with a crooked smirk, and my father was holding his head in his hands. According to Eckhart-brother, the adoptive father had happened to pass by while they were carrying out a collapsed lady.

Sylvester's deep green eyes glinted.

"I don't seem to have received a report about this?"

"I thought adoptive mother was handling it..."

"Rozemyn?"

The look told me not to play dumb. I glanced at the door leading to the venue. Everything was going so well. The one thing I had to avoid was total chaos right now.

"I had assumed my adoptive father had no interest in collecting donations, but if you would be willing to cooperate, there could be no greater reassurance."

"Oh?"

Meeting Sylvester's raised eyebrows, I racked my brain for a way to end this peacefully.

"If you bring a FeSchpiel, there's still time. I'd like to entrust my adoptive father with the important role of closing the show as the leading performer. The true star always arrives fashionably late, after all!"

"Very well. I like that reasoning. Karstedt, go fetch my FeSchpiel."

My father looked at me with concern.

"Is this really okay, Rozemyn?"

"It's better than having everything fall apart."

After my father rushed off, I asked Sylvester which pieces he could play without having rehearsed with the Chief Priest, and jotted notes on a writing board.

My father soon returned with the FeSchpiel.

"Lady Rozemyn, the performance has concluded."

Brigitte cracked open the door and whispered to me. I hurried back to the venue and took the stage.

"Now I would like to introduce a special guest. Aub Ehrenfest, please come in!"

The knights standing outside the venue opened the doors, and Sylvester entered carrying his FeSchpiel. Daum followed behind, carrying a chair to place near the Chief Priest.

The genuine surprise that caught even me off guard naturally threw the venue into chaos. They probably never expected the Lord to appear at what was essentially an extension of a tea party. I wanted to scream from the bottom of my heart that I felt exactly the same way.

On the stage, the Chief Priest glared at me—you didn't tell me about this—and I quietly replied, I was discovered just moments ago. I could see my adoptive mother in the audience, shrugging helplessly as if to say, So he found out after all.

The ladies who had been listening quietly while the adoptive father made his entrance began to buzz, so I held the voice-amplifying magical tool to my mouth and offered a plausible excuse.

"The Aub Ehrenfest has expressed his desire to support this printing business and wishes to give something back to all who have donated. For that reason, he has taken time out of his busy schedule to come here today."

Looking at Sylvester, who held his FeSchpiel with an air of someone who had been planning this all along, everyone but the organizers would surely see it as part of the proceedings.

"The piece that Aub Ehrenfest and Lord Ferdinand will perform together is one you all know well."

I introduced the piece that Sylvester had played during the prayer ceremony and gave the Chief Priest a look. The Chief Priest heaved a sigh and repositioned his FeSchpiel.

Perhaps because the piece was familiar to the audience, or perhaps because Sylvester casually waved his hand and gestured for everyone to sing along, their duet became the highlight of the evening—a wonderful finale that unified everyone.

When the piece ended, applause erupted naturally. Shining batons produced out of reverence were raised high as the two withdrew from the stage.

"What a wonderful concert it has been. Now, as a memento of today, may I suggest these items? The proceeds will also go to donations. For charity, for the cause, we would be grateful if you would consider purchasing them."

After the Chief Priest and the others exited, it was time for merchandise sales. Attendants pushing wagons came in, starting from the highest-paying seats and working their way around, selling the beautiful illustrations and cookies. Naturally, program purchases continued simultaneously.

Cookies were sold in sets of ten for one small silver coin, while a beautiful illustration cost five large silver coins. Since programs were three large silver coins, I hadn't expected anyone other the wealthiest madams to buy the illustrations, but everyone wanted one.

Perhaps because seeing everyone else buy made them want to, ladies who had agonized over it quietly reached for cookies, or after staring down their coin purses for a while, picked up programs while gazing at the illustrations—even the ladies in the standing-room area loosened their purse strings a bit.

After all, the beautiful illustrations by Wilma, coming on the heels of a love song so powerful it made people faint, had a different kind of appeal. The ladies who purchased an illustration carefully studied it once, then rolled it up so it wouldn't crease, and held it against their chests as they carried it away. They looked like they would treasure it as a prized possession.

...Illustrations sold out. Thank you so much.

"Thank you all for attending today. I would like to report on the amount of donations collected and how they will be used this winter. Please be sure to watch your step on the way home."

I sent off the noble ladies, who looked as though they were still lost in a dream, unsure of their footing.

The Chief Priest's charity concert could be called a resounding success. Seeing my mother's blissful smile with all the illustrations she had purchased, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now, shall I hear your excuses?"

Several days after the concert, one afternoon. I was summoned to the Chief Priest's sermon room.

The Chief Priest, his pale gold eyes stained with fury and an aura that seemed to emanate cold air, laid three illustrations out on the table in front of me.

Seeing the illustrations I thought I had sold without the Chief Priest discovering them now lined up before me, I wanted to faint.

"Sylvester showed these to me with a stupid grin on his face, saying a knight had them. With their names clearly written on the back, it's easy to figure out who the responsible party is."

Ohhh! Printing the colophon because I figured it was necessary for anything printed—I was such an idiot!

I received a thorough scolding from the Chief Priest and was made to promise never to sell them again.

A love song that caused mass fainting. And the star who arrives fashionably late (lol)!

The concert was a great success in terms of donations, though perhaps not entirely without incident.

Next time: The summer coming-of-age ceremony and the autumn Baptism Ceremony.