CH 2.5

“…..!” Marie woke up in a fright.

“What kind of dream is that? A detective on a crime scene? Will something happen at the banquet hall?”

Her previous dreams of battlefield were terrifying, but this one was no less unsettling.

‘Surely not. The Royal Guard Knights are there to protect those high-ranking nobles.’

But she soon shook her head, ‘No, accidents can still happen no matter how tight the security is.’

She’d been happy before falling asleep, but now her head was in turmoil.

‘What should I do?’ she agonized.

However, just like before, she didn’t know what precautionary measures to make.

While she’s aware that her dreams are something related to future events, she wouldn’t know for sure if it would involve a criminal case. She had no way of guessing what kind of related event it would be, just like with yesterday’s dream about a magician.

It could be something completely unexpected rather than a serious crime. ‘But I can’t just relax either. I can’t stand by and just wait, not knowing what might happen.’

Marie sighed in frustration. ‘First, let’s carefully observe the banquet hall for any suspicious individuals and signs of anything unusual,’ Marie concluded and headed towards the banquet hall.

The Glory Hall was bustling with activity, as it was approaching the grand banquet, the culmination of the empire’s founding anniversary festival.

‘After today’s grand banquet and the masquerade ball in two days, the festival will be over.’

She sighed deeply. While others might feel disappointed that the festival was ending, it was different for the maids. They’d worked so hard during the festival that she longed for it to be over soon and take her much needed break.

‘There’s no way I’m getting invited to the masquerade ball anyway. After that, things will definitely get better,’ Marie thought to herself.

‘Please, let the festival end without any incidents.’

Although she felt uneasy as the dream from last night kept resurfacing in her mind, there seemed to be no particular signs of danger. The banquet hall was peaceful, filled only with a pleasant atmosphere.

‘Let’s focus on preparing for the grand banquet for now. There’s so much work to do.’

But suddenly, while Marie was busy with her work, a familiar voice called out to her.

“Miss Marie?”

As she turned her head, a gentle-looking young man holding a baton was smiling at her. It was Maestro Vahan from the Imperial Court Orchestra!

Vahan smiled and said, “Long time no see. Have you been well?”

“Ah, yes! How are you, Maestro?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

The two, who hadn’t seen each other in a long time, chatted for a while. “I heard you became an official conductor. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I can’t help but feel ashamed. It should have been ‘that person,’ rather than someone as lacking as me.”

Marie responded with an awkward smile, feeling a sense of pity. Vahan, who devoted his soul to music, still seemed to be searching for the elusive composer who’d completed the Country Symphony.

‘I’ll definitely find them and become their pupil!’ Recalling the words he said in the past, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Vahan would’ve never imagined that the composer he was looking for was the maid in front of him.

“Are you going to perform at the grand banquet today?”

“Yes, since the banquet will start soon, I came here in advance to prepare for it.”

Playing music in the banquet was an important task entrusted to the court orchestra. As the grand banquet approached, they’re scheduled to perform.

“Where are the other members?”

“Since the banquet is about to start, they went to get their instruments. They should be here by now, but they might be running a little late. They’re probably on their way now.”

Marie nodded her head.

Then suddenly, a senior maid approached Marie and said, “Marie, could you bring me a tablecloth from the third floor?”

“Oh, sure!” Marie vowed to Vahan. “Then I’ll look forward to the performance at tonight’s grand banquet, Maestro.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Miss Marie.”

Marie went up to the third floor through the staircase located in a corner of the banquet hall.

‘Ah, as expected, the third floor is dark.’

The Glory Hall consisted of the banquet hall on the first floor, surrounded by the second and third floors.

The second and third floors were designed with an open space in the middle to provide a view of the banquet hall below, and the second floor, which had a balcony, was used as a resting area during the banquet.

On the other hand, accessing the third floor via the stairs proved to be quite challenging, leading it to serve primarily as a storage unit for items essential to the banquet. Since the light didn’t reach it well, it was engulfed in darkness.

‘Where could the tablecloth be? I heard it was somewhere in the middle.’

As Marie searched through the storeroom in the third floor, she discovered some surprising items. “Wow, are these masks for the masquerade ball?”

In one corner of the third floor, beautifully adorned masks were piled up. It was common for people to bring their own masks, but if desired, masks could be provided from the imperial palace.

“Wow, this one barely covers the eyes. And this one looks a bit provocative.”

Marie examined the masks with fascination. There were a wide variety of styles, such as masks that covered the entire face, those that partially covered the face, those that are made of leather, those with animal patterns, and those bedecked with jewels.

“Oh, there’s a piano here too?” Marie, who found a piano in the place she least expected, looked astonished.

The piano, unlike the one placed in the banquet hall, appeared to be worn out, indicating that it might’ve been relocated here after a new piano have been brought in.

‘I wonder how it sounds?’

Marie lightly pressed a key.

Ding~!

The sound reverberated louder than Marie expected, startling her. ‘The volume of the piano is incredibly loud.’

Given the structure of the Glory Hall with its open space in the center and a high ceiling, it appeared that playing music there would allow the sound to disperse and fill the entire banquet hall.

Marie look at the piano with interest.

‘Though it’s a bit creaky and worn, it still works perfectly.’

Was Mozart’s spirit from her dreams lingering around again? Without even realizing it, Marie spent a considerable amount of time examining the piano.

When she felt the urge to play it, she vehemently shook her head. ‘What a silly thought. Let’s quickly find the tablecloth and go back downstairs.’

Marie found the tablecloth in a corner and went back to the first floor. As she came down, she noticed the time was 5:50 PM.

With only a few minutes left until the grand banquet began, the hall was bustling with nobles.

“Here’s the tablecloth you asked.” Marie handed the tablecloth to the senior maid. However, the expression on the senior maid’s face seemed odd. She had a troubled look on her face.

“Miss, is something wrong?”

“Something serious has happened, Marie.”

“What is it?”

Marie’s eyes widened at the senior maid’s urgent voice.

“There was a fire in the storage room, and all the instruments were completely burned!”

“······!”

Marie’s eyes widened even further at the unexpected news.

What did that mean?

“Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before it spread to other areas, so there were no casualties. However, it seems that all the items stored there are unusable now.”

Marie thought it was strange. ‘Why did a fire suddenly break out in the storage room full of instruments? And right before the start of the grand banquet too.’

Of course, fires could happen at any time. Especially in this era, where candles, lamps, and direct use of fire for lighting were common. However, was it because of the dream she had last night? She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

‘How could a fire break out in a room where the lamps are securely fixed to minimize the risk of fire?’

It was also the duty of maids to manage the lamps placed in each room. The responsible maids were thorough in their job to prevent any possibility of fire. Marie, who had done it herself, was perplexed as to why the fire had occurred.

‘Could it simply be due to negligence? Or…?’ Marie carefully pondered. ‘Could it be arson?’

However, she quickly shook her head.

‘No, that’s not it. It would be hasty to think that way without any solid evidence.’

She hadn’t even seen the scene yet. No, she hadn’t even heard about the situation. She decided to put aside thoughts about the cause of the fire for now. Speculating wouldn’t reveal the cause, and it wasn’t the most pressing issue at the moment anyway.

‘What would happen to the grand banquet if the instruments were ruined?’

A banquet without music… Good Lord! How unthinkable.

Marie shifted her gaze towards the orchestra.

Conductor Vahan and several others turned pale in shock.

“A-A fire all of a sudden.”

“The banquet is about to begin. How are we going to handle this…?”

Count Gilbert, the palace manager, rushed over to them. “No, what are we going to do now?! How could you store the instruments like that? Today is the grand banquet; not only are the nobles of the empire are expected to attend, but also the foreign delegates!”

“We are urgently bringing the spare instruments that are stored elsewhere,” Conductor Vahan replied with a pale face, lowering his head.

While he was not at fault for the fire, as the conductor, he had to bear the responsibility for everything that happened in the orchestra.

“You’re bringing in other instruments? How long will it take?”

“It’s a bit far, so we may have to wait for about 20 to 30 minutes.”

“20 to 30 minutes?” Count Gilbert bursted in anger, incredulous.

“I need to start the banquet right now, and you’re telling me it will take 20 to 30 minutes?! What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I-I apologize. If we could delay the start of the banquet for a little while…”

“Delay? Is this some kind of local tea party?!”

Conductor Vahan tightly closed his eyes. The Palace Manager’s words were right. It was the day of grand banquet of the Empire’s Founding Anniversary Festival. Besides the risk of tarnishing the imperial family’s reputation in front of the esteemed guests, there were countless detailed schedules planned throughout the banquet, making it impossible to change the starting time. It had to start at the designated time without fail.

Then suddenly, an attendant with a troubled look on his face appeared. “Your Lordship, it’s almost 6 o’clock. What should we do?”

Count Gilbert’s face contorted.

When the clock strikes 6 o’clock sharp, the orchestra would signal the start of the banquet by performing a short prelude. Immediately after, a dance piece follows and once the guests begin dancing to it, the banquet truly begins.

“Your Lordship, what should be done…” the servant urged, prompting Gilbert to explode in anger.

“Shut up! Give me a minute!”

He grasped his head and agonized, ‘What should I do? His Highness is also expected to arrive at the banquet hall early. Oh God, why must you test me like this?”

However, they couldn’t come up with a solution no matter how hard they’d tried. How would they proceed when there were no instruments to play that would kickoff the banquet?

Once the scheduled time arrived, and the banquet still didn’t start, the guests started to wonder.

“Isn’t it time to start? What’s going on?”

“What’s happening?”

As the murmurs grew louder, Count Gilbert and Conductor Vahan, felt distressed and at a loss on what to do.

To think that the grand banquet, the culmination of the founding anniversary, should commence without music! It was unprecedented.

‘How should I take responsibility for this?’

The conductor, Vahan tightly closed his eyes shut. The beginning of the most important event of the year was ruined because of his orchestra. The responsibility was certainly not something to be taken lightly.

“Let’s just start! Anything will do, just start with any music!” Count Gilbert’s order made Vahan bite his lip tightly as he scanned the orchestra. Fortunately, a few members had their instruments with them.

‘One violin, one viola, one cello. No, it won’t work. Even if they play with these instruments, their sound will be drowned out by the guests’ voice.’

Music in banquet is different from music in a quiet concert hall. It requires a loud and sonorous sound to cut through the bustling noise made by the guests. That’s why the entire orchestra was entrusted with the banquet’s music.

‘With those instruments, we might be able to manage a dance piece somehow, but it’s impossible for us to play a prelude that launches the banquet. We need a sound that can replace the large volume of the orchestra if we want to kickoff the banquet.’

But how could they possibly perform such music right now? It would have been impossible without the orchestra. Unless a miracle happened, there was simply no way.