Hibiren Flowers And Recital (12)

Meanwhile, the Emperor was pondering whom to declare as the winner in front of the noisy crowd.

If the skill level wasn’t clearly superior, meaning if it was close, it became a matter of choice.

Of course, in such cases, one had to resolve it politically, in a way most advantageous to the imperial power.

So he thought it would be best if the Dragon won, but considering he had heard the performance before, he found it difficult.

Of course, it had been about five days since he heard the performance.

At that time, Rurin’s performance was still terrible, but thinking that was all there was, the Emperor groaned as he contemplated various possibilities.

El had taken a seat near the dukes and the Emperor, where he could see their faces clearly.

Beside him, the boy from Greek was trembling with nervousness.

And finally, the long-awaited final stage began.

The first contestant emerged from the waiting room and walked onto the stage.

Clap, clap, clap, clap-!

Contestant number one took a seat at the keyboard amid the applause.

“The piece is titled ‘The Wind Crossing the Valley’!”

With the MC’s announcement, the performance began shortly after.

El thought the performance was fairly ordinary. Of course, they played well enough to pass the preliminary round, but that was about it.

There was nothing special about it.

Most of the performances after that were the same.

They played well, but the performances weren’t particularly impressive. It wasn’t until the fifth turn that a familiar face appeared.

With the loudest applause, as if enjoying it, Lorianana Delian, dressed in a dazzling dress, began walking onto the stage.

The frontrunner.

El realized after the preliminaries that she was the overwhelming favorite. The Emperor also began to take a keen interest in her.

Duke Delian had absolute confidence in Loriana, so he looked very relaxed.

Loriana Delian sat at the keyboard, and simultaneously, the MC began to shout loudly.

“This contestant has brought an original composition. The title is ‘My Glorious Days!’ Please give a round of applause!”

El smiled, thinking how incredibly confident she must be to present an original composition.

With all eyes on her, Loriana Delian placed her hands on the keyboard.

As soon as she started playing, a hush fell over the hall, with only the sound of breathing being heard.

Loriana Delian’s skill was indeed impressive.

It was true that she was on a different level from the other contestants.

Every time her hands moved across the keyboard at a speed that made them almost invisible, a beautiful melody emerged.

The melody itself was quite good, and combined with her dazzling hand movements, speed, and the melody, no one could take their eyes or ears off her.

Even as a layman, El nodded, thinking that the technical mastery was extremely high.

‘She’s not called the frontrunner for nothing.’

When her performance ended, thunderous applause erupted from all sides. Even nobles not associated with the Delian house stood up and clapped, which says it all.

It was a brilliant performance.

The piece matched its title perfectly.

Among the contestants, there would probably be no other performance as flashy, beautiful, fast, and intense as this.

El made this evaluation and began comparing it to Rurin’s.

The performance was certainly good, but the thought of negotiating with that woman for the Hibiren flower was utterly unappealing.

He could threaten Duke Delian and make the negotiation possible, but he absolutely detested the idea. He didn’t even want to negotiate with her.

A typical noblewoman. She had the mindset that if someone wasn’t a high noble, they weren’t even a person.

The woman who had slapped Berna.

El wished that Rurin would crush that woman.

Of course, there was still a chance of winning. If that woman competed with flashiness, Rurin had a cheat code in the form of technical skill and a high degree of complexity.

El was betting on that.

Loriana Delian returned to the waiting room under the dazzling spotlight, and finally, Rurin walked out.

“This contestant also brings an original composition. The title will be ‘Fate’!”

He felt a little guilty using a masterpiece from Earth, but since it spared him from threatening with force and saved the Emperor’s face, such a cheat code couldn’t be helped.

Since the dukes knew Rurin’s identity, there could be no issue regarding status or anything like that.

Duke Illen, who was next to Duke Delian, recognized Rurin and spoke up.

“Ah…that person…”

“Even if she plays poorly, just keep it to yourself. Just to yourself.”

When Duke Delian said that, the other dukes chuckled and nodded.

“If she gets angry and decides to destroy the Capital, we’d be the only ones to suffer, wouldn’t we?”

Count Michel also chimed in from behind.

The Emperor had declared that no one would be crowned the winner just for being a Dragon; it would be based on skill.

It was none other than El who made the Emperor declare that, so no one questioned it.

That explained their reactions.

Of course, even so, the Emperor sincerely hoped that she wouldn’t perform too badly. He absolutely wanted to avoid any unexpected incidents.

Just thinking about the fierce attack from a few days ago made him dizzy.

For that reason, the Emperor didn’t forget to discreetly check El’s location.

In case of an unexpected situation, he felt he needed to be near El to ensure his survival.

With the Dragon’s skill being so underestimated that he was worried about such things, Rurin finally placed her hands on the keyboard.

Of course, the beginning was still the same.

-KWAAANG!

Thanks to that, El had to put his hand on his forehead again. The headache was starting.

‘That foolish girl? I told her not to do that, and yet she still does it during the actual performance.’

El clicked his tongue, and the audience also looked dumbfounded.

At that exact moment, another KWANG sound echoed. But this time, it wasn’t just a loud bang.

The proper performance had begun.

And it was none other than Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, known as “Fate”, that began to resonate throughout the concert hall.

Even those who were baffled by the start began to lose themselves in the majestic piece, which was like a cheat code.

While she didn’t showcase the flashy, fast techniques like Loriana Delian, she was striking the keyboard with a sufficiently intricate trajectory.

A genius’s composition was creating quite a stir, even in this world.

Of course, Rurin’s skill had also improved significantly over the past week. Her delicate hand movements were even beautiful.

And her hair fluttered in the air due to the intense performance.

Rurin’s beauty, combined with the melody from the keyboard, created a peculiar harmony.

Rurin, absorbed in her performance, looked incredibly fresh and beautiful.

Watching her, El felt like this wasn’t the Rurin he knew.

She was that refreshing.

El couldn’t take his eyes off Rurin’s fingers.

He found the sight of Rurin so engrossed in her performance both lovable and admirable.

Soon, the performance ended, and when Rurin took her hands off the keyboard, applause erupted that rivaled Loriana Delian’s.

And Duke Illen looked at Duke Delian in disbelief.

“What, what is going on!”

But then he quickly sat back down. In any case, Riendal had already been outdone by Loriana’s flashy technique. So it was quickly decided that it would be better for the Dragon to win.

Duke Delian was so flustered that he jumped up from his seat and clenched his fist, trembling.

‘-Damn it.’

He barely held back the curse that was rising.

Just moments ago, he had thought the victory was assured. But even with her technique, he had never heard such a grand piece before.

Even if it were only similar, the Emperor would undoubtedly choose the Dragon.

And with this level of skill, it would be hard to challenge the selection process.

When did she master such sophisticated techniques while performing such foolish pieces?

Grr.

While Duke Delian was fuming with frustration, the most excited person was the Emperor.

Choosing Loriana Delian would only benefit the Delian family. The Emperor wanted to avoid that as much as possible, but if judged by skill alone, Loriana’s victory was inevitable.

Of course, that was before Rurin’s performance.

Now, things were different.

A smile crept onto the Emperor’s lips.

After finishing the performance, Rurin looked at El.

When El signaled her to return to the waiting room quickly, she stomped back inside, grumbling because she hadn’t received the praise and recognition she felt she deserved.

The next turn was an ordinary performance as expected. The nobles, perhaps because of Loriana and Rurin’s performances, looked completely uninterested in the other ordinary performances.

As the turns passed, it was finally Berna Greek’s turn.

Of course, El was very interested in this performance as well.

If either Rurin or Berna won, it would be fine. But in his heart, he was rooting for Rurin to win.

In any case, he was intensely curious about how the Greek boy had helped Berna overcome her trauma.

“That woman is Greek’s…”

Duke Illen opened his mouth, but Duke Delian did not answer. Who could he blame for underestimating the Dragon’s skill?

His face was flushed with anger, and he no longer had the capacity to worry about something like Greek.

“The next contestant is Berna Greek!”

Berna appeared, and not even the usual applause was heard.

All the nobles looked at Berna with disdain, as if ready to boo her the moment her performance was poor.

But Berna walked forward to the front of the keyboard with an unshaken, composed demeanor.

“Three contestants have brought original compositions, and this will be the last one. The title is simply ‘Original Composition’. It seems they haven’t decided on a title.”

-Hahaha!

-Puhaha!

Laughter spread throughout the hall at the explanation.

It was laughter mixed with ridicule.

The Greek boy trembled even more, but Berna herself calmly placed her hands on the keyboard.

But her calmness only went so far.

She hesitated for a moment, then her hands began to tremble slightly. Then she quietly looked around the hall.

“Start!”

Boo!

As the performance didn’t start, the boos poured out. But it was different from the preliminaries.

There was something strong in Berna’s eyes. After seeing that look, El was sure this time would turn out different.

The Greek boy’s hands were sweaty. Even more so when Berna froze, unable to press the keys.

But soon.

Berna, after a deep breath, began to play as El had thought.

Slowly, slowly, the keyboard began to draw out a melody at a very slow tempo. Soon, that slow tempo transformed into a melody filled with deep sorrow and began to fill the concert hall.

The years of confinement.

The years spent loving her husband.

The years after losing her husband.

The presence of her son, who supported her through it all.

Her son’s growth.

When she thought her son was fully grown but still depended on her.

Berna had tried to stab her arm with a knife for her husband and son. To stop her trembling hand.

Of course, it was the Greek boy who stopped her.

Thus, the melody was completed.

It had a tremendous resonance.

Even those who had been booing and those who had grown tired of the ordinary performances had their expressions change.

When Loriana had played, people had remained silent, but you could still hear their breathing.

But at this moment, except for the melody Berna was producing, even the sound of breathing had stopped.

The immense sorrow contained in the tone of Berna’s playing.

The technical brilliance had already surpassed Loriana. And the technique wasn’t just about being flashy.

Music is art.

And sometimes, music brings people to tears. The melody alone can awaken deep sorrow and evoke empathy.

Berna’s tragic fate became a deep sorrow at her fingertips, creating a mournful melody.

In the endlessly sad melody, El found himself recalling the sad events of his past, feeling his eyes moisten.

And it was the same for the other nobles.

It made everyone recall sad memories, while certain tones evoked happy ones.

It was Berna’s life journey itself, and the deep sorrow that lay within it.

Something Loriana Delian could never express.

No contestant so far had been able to draw out the deep emotions in the hearts of the listeners.

Rurin too had lived a life that wasn’t smooth, but she had learned to play the Regana in too short a time to convey it.

It was just a situation where she had quickly learned the skills to win.

But Berna was different.

The melody where technique and sorrow met was already art, and the silence continued until the moment the performance ended.

The keyboard had stopped, but even the sound of breathing still couldn’t be heard.

They say when you’re too shocked, you can’t react.

Duke Delian, as well as the other dukes, just stared at Berna with wide eyes.

And it was the same for the Emperor.