“My father’s anger was also directed at me. In his eyes, I was a failure who lacked the pride a daughter of House Selesnoa should uphold. At the time, my house cared little for music, so my family didn’t take kindly to my endless hours of practice. This incident was the last straw, and I was forbidden from setting foot into the music room again, and from seeing Irina.”
As the former empress spoke, Lydia’s expression stiffened. It looked like she had no idea her family had once been this way. Lydia had been pushed to devote herself to music since she was a child and had always received the full support of her house in this endeavor. Nowadays, House Selesnoa was a music powerhouse where musical abilities were praised above all else, and Lydia’s great-grandfather had likely passed away before she was born or when she was very young. She probably didn’t remember him.
I, on the other hand, was starting to understand some of the things I’d heard a bit better. I’d been told that Clementina had received poor treatment from her family because she wasn’t as pretty as her sisters, but I’d been surprised to discover an elegant woman upon meeting her. I now had a feeling that she’d been mistreated because her conduct hadn’t aligned with the family’s values.
Valentin once again rested a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“It all happened a long time ago, Your Imperial Majesty—a very long time ago.” Despite her words, she smiled softly at her husband, glad for his support. “My turning point came after I entered the Magic Academy. While I did spend time worrying over my strained relationship with my family and wondering if real music could only be produced by geniuses like Irina, I was finally free to sing and play as much as I liked by borrowing the music room. On my days off, I frequently went to the Music Sanctuary. During my last visit there, right as I was prepared to graduate, I was invited to the garden of the God of Music. Eventually, that led to my meeting with His Majesty.”
“Indeed,” the former emperor commented. “I remember the day I first heard your voice as though it were yesterday.”
Clementina was two years older than Valentin. After graduating and earning the favor of the God of Music, Clementina entered the Music Sanctuary. It was through that institution that she was invited to sing at a state celebration, stealing the heart of the former emperor in the process. To Valentin, a timid and feeble crown prince at the time, a songstress chosen by the God of Music himself must have appeared endlessly stunning.
This was all heartwarming, but seeing them gaze at each other so lovingly was a little embarrassing. My eyes wandered about, and I noticed Mikhail averting his eyes with an awkward expression on his face, and I smiled.
You too, huh?
Clementina seemed to notice, and she cleared her throat. “I apologize for straying off topic. While Irina and I couldn’t meet, we kept sending letters to one another in secret—until she married and left the marquessate’s capital, at least. Before I lost track of her, I asked the Music Sanctuary to send her a wedding gift on my behalf. Tell me, I heard you have a piano in your home. Is that true?”
No way...
“My house— Um, I mean, there is a piano at my family’s estate, y-yes. My grandmother brought it as part of her trousseau. It’s her treasure, so we all take good care of it.”
Clementina smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. That was my gift to Irina.”
Seriouslyyyyyyy?! Everything we did today was to protect that very piano! Lydia, you were about to force Olga’s family to throw away a heartfelt gift from the former empress herself!!!
Astonished, I turned my head to glance at Lydia, only to avert my eyes immediately. She was staring at the former empress, her eyes as wide as they could possibly go, her mouth agape.
Um, Lydia... You’re the daughter of a marquess. You can’t be making that face in public!
I felt as though I’d seen something I shouldn’t have.
She looks just like those clay figures from the Kofun period... A very noble Haniwa!
I remembered Olga telling me her grandmother had been a big fan of Clementina during one of her practice sessions.
“One day, we were on a walk and passed a group of people talking about the former empress. My grandmother rushed back to them and demanded to know if what they’d said was true. She didn’t know any of them—she was just that interested. Another time, she heard someone speak ill of the former empress. She rebuked them while in tears! ‘She’s not that kind of person!’ she said.”
I’d figured she’d been a die-hard fan, but that wasn’t it. She’d just never stopped believing in her friend! She knew Clementina personally. That was why she could affirm she “wasn’t that kind of person.” Most people would have bragged about how they had been friends with the former empress or tried to rely on her if anything happened to them, but Irina had never breathed a word of their friendship—not even to her family.
Irina must have remained a pure little bird, free of avarice, praying for Clementina’s happiness in secret, until the very end.
What a beautiful friendship...
Olga had also told me that she and her family played the piano every day and sang together. The fact that they’d all learned from Irina and were perpetuating the tradition made me emotional. I got the feeling that Irina had hoped the tune of the piano and the voices of her family members would reach Clementina, letting her know that Irina had kept loving music too. And she had been happy, surrounded by her family.