Rhapsody (3)

The students of the third year were all gathered on the fourth day in the garden outside the Ceremonial Hall inside the academy. Along with them, specific students from all three years were invited as well either as Dance or Performance partners.

Prince Liam invited the Heroine, Matilda Ambrose, as his dance and performance partner; Richard Marshall was invited by a senior of his, called Reginald Ashcroft, to be a performance partner; and Valentine De Clare was also present since he is also a third-year student but it seemed that his partner was rather kept a mystery. As for the remaining capture targets, they were present one way or another but mostly as performance partners.

As for Vivian Moore, who invited Edith Black, it wasn't known what she had in mind since there was no common ground between her and Edith. It would be frowned upon to have a same-sex partner during the dance on this specific evening, as for the performance that was forced upon her unjustly, Edith can't be of help either. Vivian's performance was musical while Edith had no talent in music whatsoever.

While these were the initial thoughts, it soon became clear that Vivian brought Edith along as emotional support and a backup security measure for her absent knight. She also seemed to be going after Richard Marshall judging by their famously intense grievance.

But all of this and that soon became the least important thing in the minds of those young men and women when the organizer of today's event came to meet them at the garden.

It was none other than the friendly and enthusiastic Professor Amos Morgan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 176th graduation ceremony. My name is Professor Amos Morgan, but I am sure we've all met before in my History Class. Officially, I am proud to be your year's supervisor but unofficially, I am proud of you all on a personal level and I can't wait to see how well you did in the written exams. Your Highness, it has been a pleasure this year."

"Thank you for your guidance, Professor." Prince Liam replied with absolute respect.

"And here's my favorite student. Valentine, why are you hiding in the back, afraid someone may force you to eat something?"

"You figured me out, professor." Valentine De Clare gave an awkward laugh before walking out from behind the students to greet his teacher.

"Alright. I can't waste time saying hello to all of you even though I hope. Just get straight to the ceremony in an orderly fashion. Remember to move in pairs as instructed. Each one of you will sit according to your seat number from the exams. The students of the third year are in the front row, followed by the second and then first years. As for the students who will perform today, you stay behind along with your performance partners."

To that announcement, most of the students started moving and those who remained were only 41 students who were also split in pairs except for a lone student who got to stand all on her own.

Amos Morgan looked towards that student and then turned his head away with no expressions whatsoever.

"Alright. Let's see. The Martial Performances will go first. The order of the students will be Reginald Ashcroft, Percival Wentworth, Geoffrey Fairchild, Bartholomew Harrington, Archibald Fitzwilliams, Sebastian Thornhill, and Montgomery Blackwood."

The seven knight juniors along with their partners stepped forward. All of the students and their partners were males as it was extremely rare for a female student to go in the Martial class let alone participate in a third year's performance.

"Please, go inside and receive further instructions from the Martial class professors."

As Professor Amos said so, most of the students started looking at each other and then at Prince Liam, who was standing there with a passive look on his face.

"His Highness isn't participating in the Martial performance?"

"Well, that's a shocker!"

Most of the students anticipated that Prince Liam would be in the Martial performance judging by the sword he always carries on his waist but it seemed that something unforeseeable is in the working.

Prince Liam has always been a mystery as he was never seen training nor showing off his skills like his peers. He was known to be always training in his private quarters with an unusual array of professors going in to guide him.

"Next up, the Magic performance. Archibald Woodcroft, Percival Thorne, Bartholomew Ravenswood, Lysander Blackhelm, Mortim Woodworth, Percival Evernight, and finally the twins Cornelius and Octavius Morgan."

Again with no mention of Prince Liam. This made it even more ridiculous. The Prince's skill was anticipated to be witnessed at this performance but it seemed not the case at all.

The Prince remains secretive about his skill even on his most important day as a student.

Either way, the participants of the Magic Performance moved inside to meet their instructors and who remained in the garden were the last 13 students.

"Finally, the music performance. Isadora Wellesley, Arabella Buckingham, Maximilian Fortissimo, Isolde Melisma, Johann Cantabile, his Highness Prince Liam Harland, and finally Vivian Moore."

The last performance in the musical.

This is sly. Pure evil at that.

Vivian was infuriated deep within even though she knew that this was going to happen.

The culprit of this situation is standing just a few meters from her and on his face is all the innocence in the world.

Prince Liam and Matilda are not just extraordinary at music, they are the purest forms of talent one can find in Elgard. People would go as far as describing them as a couple blessed by Amadeus, the Patron Saint of Music and Arts.

Usually, when you have such a talent, you keep the best for last. You want to make an impression, some sort of a lasting effect to wrap up the whole show with.

But just like that, you put Vivian as the last performer after these two. People will just boo her off the stage. She neither brought a performance partner nor had any time to practice.

Moreover, she was brought on the spot. Students duel each other all year long for these seven spots of the performance day and you just pushed one out and gave the spot to Vivian, a student who was never seen in the Auditorium practices before.

The looks of hate and anger she has to endure from the students who missed their chance to perform and the anger of their families will just be the final nail in the coffin and will ruin her social life for good if there is anything left to salvage in the first place. People will accuse the Moores of corruption left and right even.

Vivian could easily imagine all that in her head and couldn't notice how many times Professor Amos was calling for her.

"Vivian Moore… Vivian… Vivian!"

At last, her gaze shook as she looked up and ahead at the instructor of her class. It was only she and Professor Amos were left in the garden now.

"Are you alright?" The Professor asked.

"I am fine, Professor, thank you." Vivian replied and was about to walk ahead but he stopped her.

"Vivian." He called her name and had a slight smile, "Chin up."

Her relationship with Professor Amos wasn't anything special but she was one of the best students in his classroom and he was one of the best teachers in the academy. There was mutual respect between the two and despite how hostile the great houses are against Vivian. Thankfully, he can at least have his own opinion about his students.

"Thank you."

With this little bit of encouragement, Vivian regained her composure. So far, she has endured everything thrown at her and skillfully managed to handle herself. If it is the musical performance, Vivian has one final card to play and it is no less than daring.

So daring, in fact, she was actually afraid and having second thoughts about pulling that one out. However, she has already trained for her performance and prepared her music sheet along with everything she needs.

Will it go wrong? Only one way to find out and that's by walking to that building and meeting the music instructor.

And that she did, she walked into the main building of the Ceremonial Hall and crossed its main hallway to a large room in the far north wing of the building. There, she found all the Music Performance applicants and their partners gathered around a tall and slender woman who is nothing less than a legend in the academy, the world-famous Madame Sophie Dubois, a renowned composer and the Professor of the Musical Arts in the First Royal Academy of Great Elgard.

"Ah, it is so nice to 'ave you join us, mon cher. Venez, venez, stand 'ere alongside the others. Comme je le disais (as I said), all of you… or rather most of you 'ave been practicing together all year, so you will 'ave the plaisir (pleasure) of meeting seven troupes of première classe musicians. You will show them the piece you are going to play and they will 'elp you with a quick rehearsal and try to compliment you with their instruments. Since they are professionals, they will adapt to you right away, which means you will be the ones managing them as you perform. It is a test of your capabilities as well as your adaptability, so I am sure you will do as well as I 'ave trained you. Bonne chance, mes amis."

After hearing Madame Sophie, she gracefully started introducing the participants to the musicians who would help them in the performance. She made sure to follow the orders of participants until it came to Prince Liam who seemed quite patient and waited for his turn despite some students trying to get him ahead of them.

Finally, all the students were getting to know their support musicians and it was Vivian's turn. Madame Sophie approached Vivian and spoke to her.

"I am sure we 'aven't met before, Dear Vivianne, I am Madame Sophie Dubois." She spoke first.

"Nice to finally meet you, Madame." Vivian replied respectfully with a slight bow.

"You don't look like ta mère (your mother), pardon de le dire." Madame Sophie spoke bluntly despite the follow-up apology.

"I was told that." Vivian replied sensing a bit of hostility in the madame's tune, "Were the two of you acquainted?"

"Acquainted? We were rivales, mon cher! Your father didn't say?" Madame Sophie said and then shrugged, "No matter, le passé est derrière nous (the past is behind us), let's not waste more time."

The Velleuxian professor guided Vivian to the last band of musicians which seemed to be composed of three individuals. Each of the three is an expert who can play nearly all the classical instruments with some specializations. As Vivian met the three men, she showed them her performance idea and their reaction was…

"Are you mad?"

"You'd face three of the most esteemed musicians of this era with that?"

"Do you think this is a joke?"

It was already this bad they all seemed like they were about to quit. One of them went as far as actually walking out.

"I quit! I am a musician with a reputation to uphold. I won't go in front of Madame Sophie Dubois, Sir Hans von Steinberg, and Sir Theodore Nightingale to mess up my reputation with whatever that is."

This scene happened in front of everyone in the rehearsal hall and it caused Vivian great embarrassment. Everyone simply kept staring at Vivian for a while before returning to their own business and whispering about her.

Vivian had to suck it up and endure one more time.

"Miss Vivian, if you pardon me, this piece seems like some effort was put into it but tradition is tradition. We can't come up with something new on the spot." One of the two remaining musicians spoke.

"It is customary to play a piece that was composed by one of the judges. With Sir Theodore being a judge this year, there is no shortage of that, I am sure." The second spoke.

"I am sorry. It may affect your career when you follow my lacking opinion but it is what it is. I have no knowledge of any other piece nor I had the time to practice anything I don't know. Even though I have no partner, I am taking a big risk on my own."

"The piece you want to play is one thing, Miss Vivian, but you are going to play two roles on the stage. You may distract yourself and end up not performing well." The musicians plead with her to change her mind.

"I know that you know my situation well, Good Sirs. Things are out of my hands and this is an extraordinary problem that demands an extraordinary solution. Now I have played this piece so much and I know what I can and cannot do. And I promise in the name of my family that the reward will be worth the risk, whatever the result may be."

The two musicians looked at each other and were fearful. They aren't anyone important, unlike those aristocrats they are about to play their instrument in front of, and the situation they are in is no secret since they were informed by the faculty and rumors were circulating between the musicians since they arrived here.

On the other hand, making a member of the Moore family indebted to them may lift them with riches for life.

As Vivian said, there is a reward if they were to follow her.

The rules of the performance are simple, all they need to do is to complement the main role with a simple play to make the main players stand out, in this case, it is only Vivian, who will play the piano and perform as a vocalist as well.

She has prepared their music sheets. All she needs is one musician at the drum set and another at the cello and she was confident as a pianist. As for her performance, she had to start calming herself as she will be the last of the last to perform and she has to beat everything the crowd has ever seen tonight across the three performance types.

The only way she can win this is to make the most lasting impression of all and only one song she knew how to perform was the most fitting song in this situation. She can't use anything other than the biggest gun in the arsenal for an occasion like that.

One by one, the performances passed in two hours and she was the only one waiting in the rehearsal room. She found herself sitting on the piano to calm herself and simply touched the keys to make the sound echo through the empty dim hall.

She started with a B Flat Major and as she played, she started singing alongside it right away.

🎵 Is this the real life? 🎵

Then elevate the following note.

🎵 Is this just fantasy? 🎵

And then she became ready to rock the world.