Olga and Renato were dumbfounded, but they bowed once more. Renato’s cheeks turned redder than tomatoes, while Olga had tears in her eyes. She must have been overwhelmed, because the woman her grandmother had admired for years was talking to her.
Clementina looked at Olga intently for a few seconds. “You remind me of an old acquaintance of mine. Tell me, is anyone in your family named Irina?”
Olga’s eyes widened even further.
“My grandma was called Irina,” she blurted out before panicking and correcting herself, “I-I-I meant to say that it is my grandmother’s name, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Clementina didn’t seem to notice Olga correcting herself, or even that she misspoke in the first place. To everyone’s surprise, the former empress started crying instead.
“I see... I knew it... I see her in you,” Clementina said.
“Clementina?” Valentin sounded worried, and he put his hand on her shoulder.
The former empress rested her own hand over her husband. “Do not worry, Your Imperial Majesty. I shall explain.” She paused before looking at Olga and Renato and continuing in a gentle tone, “I must have surprised you. Please, sit and rest. You must be tired.”
She seemed shaken, but she wasn’t forgetting her role as the lady of this house! I wouldn’t have expected anything else of the dignified Clementina.
I must learn from her! I thought, clenching my fists in my mind.
Olga and Renato sat down, and the chamberlain poured them some tea. Once they’d had a few sips and everyone had calmed down, Clementina started recounting a story—her and Irina’s story.
Irina had been born on the edge of the capital of the Selesnoa Marquessate, to a noble family that ruled over a small territory. Much like House Florus, the family into which she would marry later on in life, Irina’s birth family was an indigenous noble house, which the people of the marquessate apparently referred to as a “local clan.”
The members of the local clans were often ordered to complete tasks in the marquess’s residence in the marquessate’s capital. Depending on the season, they would maintain the garden, organize and clean up after banquets, and perform a wide array of other missions. When she was twelve, Irina accompanied her mother on such an assignment and stepped foot into the marquess’s residence for the very first time.
“Irina lost sight of her mother, and she found herself wandering through the unfamiliar residence alone. That’s when she happened upon the music room where I was. Well, I suppose saying she happened upon it, as though it was by chance, would not be very accurate. I think it more likely that she was drawn there by the sound of the piano. I still remember that day vividly. Irina had been crying, so her eyes were puffy, but she looked as though she were spellbound.”
Back then, Clementina was also twelve. The two girls became friends almost instantly, joined by their passion for music.
When she finally found her daughter, Irina’s mother was white as a sheet. Her daughter had intruded upon one of the marquess’s daughters. However, to her surprise, Clementina asked her to bring Irina to her music room again—and to keep that a secret from everyone else. Irina’s mother gave in to her request, and the two girls met from time to time.
“At that time, music was already special to me. Every time I played different instruments for Irina or taught her a song, her eyes would light up, and she would cry out with an excited ‘Amazing!’ It wasn’t long until I discovered that she had a natural talent for singing. She had a beautiful voice and always seemed to have so much fun singing... I used to think of her as a little bird, chirping away on a branch. I had learned singing with an instructor and knew the basics. The way I sang earned me praise. However, I started thinking that Irina’s beautiful and unrestrained singing was the real deal. I couldn’t stop myself from comparing the two of us and feeling inferior. Regardless, I taught her the piano, and she quickly became good at that too. I especially enjoyed our four-handed performances.”
Clementina looked as though she was reliving a dream, her lips curled into a soft smile. She seemed to dearly miss those bygone days.
When she spoke again, however, that smile disappeared from her face. “Our regular meetings continued for only a year, because my father discovered us.”
Clementina’s father—Lydia’s great-grandfather—was the Marquess of Selesnoa at the time. When he discovered one of his daughters playing piano with a girl from a local clan, he flew into a rage. The man had no interest in music, and he never went to the music room. He only found them out because he passed in front of the music room and thought it strange that so many notes were being played at once.
Irina dressed and wore her hair in accordance with the laws of the marquessate, and a single glance at her was enough for him to know her identity. So the marquess barged into the music room, shouting, and struck Irina.
“I screamed in horror. That Irina—just a sweet little bird—should be subjected to violence was unthinkable... She was as delicate as a bunny.” Clementina nodded at Olga. “Much like you, she embodied the complete opposite of violence.”
I’d thought many times that Olga was like a small animal, so I agreed wholeheartedly! And hearing what had happened, I was outraged.
How could you strike a child?! You were the absolute worst, Marquess!
If I’d been there, I would have slammed a big drum in his face! Not that I even knew if they’d had a drum!