Chapter 217 Mini Concert
While waiting for the dinner party to end, Sara's bedtime got pushed back a lot, so her piano performance was scheduled to happen before the dinner.
The dinner party would also include the Duke Arbal couple, who are Prince Andrew's aunt and uncle. Since there were many chairs set up in the hall where the piano was placed, it seemed they were also interested in Sara's piano concert. Lady Arbal used to be a fan of Arthur. She had even considered marrying him, but it never happened because Arthur ran away and became a commoner.
Sara was wrapped in a strange feeling of nervousness. She wasn't too worried about performing itself. However, the unpleasant events that happened earlier that day weighed heavily on her mind.
Guided by a footman, unfamiliar men and women entered the hall. They were probably the Duke Arbal couple.
Jeffrey, who was nearby, also felt a bit tense. Meanwhile, the Marquis, Edward, and Robert, who were near the seats, stood up to welcome the Duke Arbal couple.
"Welcome!"
"I heard that Sir Arthur's daughter will be performing for His Highness Prince Andrew. Marquis Grandchester, could you introduce us?"
"Of course. Sara, come here."
Called by the Marquis, Sara walked over to the Duke Arbal couple and made a graceful curtsy, bowing deeply.
"This is my foolish son Arthur's daughter, Sara Grandchester."
"Oh my, lift your head so I can see you well!"
As Sara gracefully lifted her face, Lady Duke Arbal peered into her eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Sara. I'm Victoria from the Duke Arbal family."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Sara Grandchester."
"Your eye color is just like Sir Arthur's. I can feel his presence in your dignified aura."
Then, Duke Arbal, who was standing next to Victoria, spoke to Sara.
"How old are you?"
"I'm 8 years old."
"You're quite mature for your age. Your manners are beautiful. I wish my children could learn from you."
"I'm honored by your kind words."
"Hehe. Don't be so nervous, just relax. I've known your father since we were young."
"Thank you very much."
At that moment, Prince Andrew and Crown Prince Gerhart also appeared.
"Aunt, Uncle, you arrived early."
"Hehe. I couldn't wait to see Sir Arthur's daughter."
"If you say that, Lady Sara will be surprised. She has to play the piano soon."
"That's true. I'm sorry. You must be nervous already."
Sara smiled gently.
"Thank you for your kind words."
Then Crown Prince Gerhart also spoke to Sara.
"I'm sorry for being selfish."
"No, it is an honor to be addressed by you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Sara deeply bowed her knees to Crown Prince Gerhart again. It was a perfect curtsy without a moment's hesitation.
"Please, Lady Sara, lift your face. It seems I've already put various burdens on you."
The Duke Arbal couple found this exchange strange, but they couldn't ask rude questions to the Crown Prince of a neighboring country, so they silently watched. They could ask Prince Andrew about the situation later.
The Marquis spoke up to take charge of the situation.
"Since we shouldn't delay dinner too much, shall we start the concert?"
At the Marquis's signal, Sara sat down at the piano. A child-sized pedal was already set up.
Then Sara quietly began to play. The piece was "Für Elise." The difficulty wasn't too high, but she thought the lively atmosphere would be just right.
However, every time Sara heard this song, she realized it reminded her of a pop, oldies-style arrangement. It seemed Sarasa's mother used to sing it while doing housework, so it stuck in her mind. It was a catchy tune. By the way, according to Sarasa's grandmother, she preferred the version sung by a twin female duo.
'Hmm. I guess my love for music comes from Sarasa's mom and grandma...'
Maybe because she was thinking about unimportant things, it felt like the tempo was a bit fast, but for now, the piano performance ended safely. Since she wasn't fully focused on the performance, it seemed she didn't impress Crown Prince Gerhart as much as she did during the violin performance.
'Phew, what a relief.'
"Well, Ms. Sara is really good at playing the piano. The late Lady Marquis Grandchester was also skilled at it. Surely, Ms. Sara has inherited her grandmother's talent. I want to hear more. Do you have any other songs you're practicing?"
Not knowing the situation, Victoria innocently requested this from Sara. Of course, Crown Prince Gerhart joined in.
"Hmm. I want to hear it too."
'This is getting troublesome...'
For now, Sara decided to play "Csikós Post," a piece from the beginner sheet music she was selling. She planned to finish it quickly since it was a fast-paced song, but for some reason, memories of "Heaven and Hell" and "Dance of the Knights" popped into her head, likely because it was a staple song from her school days.
'Music and memories are really connected, huh...'
After finishing her performance, Sara stood up from her chair and greeted the audience. She managed to avoid mistakes, but it didn't feel like she was fully into the performance. That might be more effective for Crown Prince Gerhart.
However, Sara noticed that as she played music, her memories from her past life started to come back more and more. She was wrapped in a strange feeling, as if the broken memories were connecting again.
'Now that I think about it, I felt like I remembered a lot of things when I was recording in that sound box...'
Sara suddenly wanted to play the piano in a place where no one would disturb her. Unfortunately, there was no piano at the Jeffrey residence, so it seemed like she would have to wait a while.
"Lady Sara, I'm sorry for asking you to play at such a late hour. I can't forget your violin performance from earlier today, and I wanted to hear how you play the piano. Your piano playing is quite charming. It seemed like you were holding back on purpose, though."
Crown Prince Gerhart seemed to find Sara's piano performance lacking.
"I apologize for my poor performance not meeting your expectations. I believe there are other young ladies who excel at piano playing participating in the hunting tournament."
From this exchange, Victoria noticed that Sara was trying to keep her distance from Crown Prince Gerhart. However, it seemed that Crown Prince Gerhart was trying to get closer to Sara instead.
'Should I step in? But since she's Sir Arthur's daughter, she was born from a runaway couple, right? She's beautiful and charming, but her status isn't enough to support the alliance between our countries. I think the age difference is too much, too. Is His Highness the Crown Prince Gerhart a pedophile?'
As Victoria looked around, she noticed that not just Sara, but also the people from Grandchester seemed to be subtly concerned about Crown Prince Gerhart. Moreover, the leader of the Grandchester knights was personally guarding Sara.
'Ah, I see. This Crown Prince must have done something earlier today. I need to help before things get complicated.'
Victoria used her intuition as a woman to imagine a situation that was almost correct.
"At this hour, it's not right to keep a young lady waiting. Thank you for listening to my request. Will you play for me again another time?"
"Of course, Lady Arbal."
"Hehe. Ms. Sara, I'd like you to call me Victoria. So, will you be my friend?"
"Yes. It's an honor, Lady Victoria."
"Hehe, I've made a cute friend!"
At that moment, Sara gained a significant shield in the social world.
Victoria is the younger sister of the Crown Prince of Avalon's wife and the head of the prominent Duke family, which carries strong royal blood. Duke Arbal is her husband, but according to Avalon's laws, women cannot inherit titles, so it's just that Victoria's husband inherited the title.
Compared to her influence in society, someone like Elizabeth is nothing. It can't be said that it's completely lucky for Sara that Victoria's first love was Arthur, but it also meant that she couldn't stay away from the social scene.
"Should I have my daughter Eugenie start piano lessons?"
"Hey, she's only 3 years old!"
"Oh, you have to start instruments early! Don't you think so, Ms. Sara?"
"While it's not good to start too early, I believe it's about time for a 3-year-old to touch the keys. However, if she overdoes it, she might injure her tendons, so it's best to avoid long practice sessions or heavy keyboards. Make sure she plays with the correct posture, and if she feels any pain, please let her rest immediately."
Crown Prince Gerhart interrupted.
"By the way, aren't you going to play the violin today?"
'I was all set to go home, and now this!'
"I didn't bring my violin since you requested a piano performance."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, as a mother of a young child, I don't want to push this young lady any further."
"Ah, it seems I didn't consider that enough. I'm sorry. Thank you, Lady Sara. Please take your time to rest after this."
"Thank you very much. I will take my leave now."
'Wow! Nice one, Lady Victoria!'
Without being held back like during the day, Sara left the main castle. Jeffrey helped Sara onto his horse and decided to take her home. Two knights followed behind them.
"It's tough that we need such strict security within the Grandchester Castle grounds."
"It's the result of my carelessness."
"Still, I've heard about it, but your performance is really amazing. Should we get a piano at our place?"
"I'm not going to stay at Sir Jeffrey's house forever, you know."
"That's sad. You should just stay with us."
"My father would come yelling, you know?"
"Haha. That's definitely true."
When they arrived at Jeffrey's house, Scott and Blaze rushed out. Despite the late hour, they had been waiting for Sara to return without even eating.
"Welcome back, Sara."
"I'm glad you made it back safely."
When Jeffrey helped Sara down from the horse, the brothers rushed over.
"I'm back! I'm so hungry!"
"Ha! That's so like you, Sara. Dinner is ready. Let's go together!"
"I heard there's wild boar stew today!"
And so, a peaceful night finally arrived for Sara.
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