They were nothing more than children born of a concubine; the family had never even acknowledged the existence of her mother. For the family to allow her to sacrifice herself for them was, in their eyes, already a tremendous favor. After all, if she were an ordinary woman, she could never dream of holding the title of “Countess” in her lifetime. Had she known this earlier, perhaps she shouldn’t have exhausted herself chasing after her mother’s fantasies. Even after she was recognized by the family, her mother still died, didn’t she?

What she felt inside was a faint resentment and sorrow. The summer air could not be completely blocked by the mountains and forests, and so, along with it, came an inescapable sense of frustration.

She drew the white curtains at the window, blocking out the annoying sunlight. Lazily, she got up and walked toward the ornate piano in her room. At this moment, perhaps only music could bring her a bit of peace.

A moment later, light and graceful music filled the room. This was an instrument invented just over a hundred years ago by the musical genius Vera Cole. Even among the nobility, it had not become widespread, but in private, it was already recognized as the king of instruments.

Unconsciously, she thought of the person Aunt had mentioned to her a few days ago. In a sense, that was also one of the reasons Aunt had invited her here.

“…An outstanding, unique genius boy in music. Although he’s as delicate as a beautiful girl, his musical accomplishments are absolutely astonishing. He even adjusted my piano for me using techniques I’d never seen before…”

That was one of the reasons she had been brought here. Of course, the main reason was that Aunt had once avoided the family’s marriage arrangement in such a way. But in her heart, she truly wanted to meet the boy whom Aunt admired so much.

However, she had yet to see him.

“…He’s always lived in the mountains. According to him, he’s the child of a hunter, but that’s obviously a lie. Someone who truly lives in the mountains could never have such musical talent… Of course, no one wants to investigate the origins of that beautiful boy… He doesn’t come out at fixed times, probably only when he needs something and comes out to buy it. That’s when you might catch a glimpse…”

“…Originally, no one knew he had such abilities. I think it was last autumn. He always wandered around town, curiously observing everything, never speaking, never interacting with anyone. But a boy that beautiful was bound to attract attention. According to some people who took the initiative to talk to him, his Imperial language wasn’t fluent. I heard he stuttered as a child… But of course, that’s probably a lie too. Sometimes he sings in very strange languages, and his manners are refined and polite, so I suspect he’s a noble who fled from some small country, probably persecuted in his homeland and came to this remote place to seek refuge…”

“…I think it was last winter when a circus came here. It was a rather arrogant troupe. Seeing how poor this place was, they only stopped to rest and didn’t perform. You know, I’ve never liked those lowbrow things, so I didn’t invite them to put on a show. But during those days, some children kept trying to sneak in and watch them train. After all, in the countryside, there’s nothing much to do, and suddenly seeing a circus was quite novel. But the circus master was rather mean. If he caught them, he’d curse and throw them out, saying things like these paupers wanted to see a show. Once, that boy happened to pass by, saw a group of children crying after being thrown out, and, moved by compassion, began performing for them at the circus entrance…”

“…At first, it was some amusing little tricks. He could make a coin disappear in his hand and then pull it out of your hair, or cut a rope in half and, with a breath, make it whole again. He called these things ‘magic tricks.’ Of course, there were several techniques. To me, it was just skillful use of muscles or skin, but without training, it would be impossible to pull off. There were many I couldn’t see through, and the children were delighted by it…”

“…Then he sang and danced. Honestly, I was truly shocked at the time. It was fundamentally different from the popular songs of the Empire. Compared to the current music, which is always so dull and drawn-out—I only developed this impression after hearing his music a few times—his music was much lighter and livelier. Maybe because he was performing for children, he deliberately chose children’s songs. Before, I would have thought children’s songs were beneath the realm of fine music, but his children’s songs clearly had profound meaning. Sometimes lively and vivid, sometimes stirring and passionate, but in his voice, every part sounded pure. Even though he didn’t use the Imperial language, after hearing it, the mood lingered for days—you just couldn’t forget that sound…”