Chapter Fifty: Moonlight
The wind had stilled.
People fell silent, too.
I had no idea what was happening.
Maybe it was because I was leaving, or maybe it was the ache in his heart from long-held longing – a father’s intense emotional plea for his daughter, which, curiously, I couldn’t quite reciprocate. So he was left to reminisce with these heartfelt words.
But I didn’t know how to respond.
Deep down, I understood this body likely belonged to Peilo.
But… just calling a stranger… well, he wasn’t exactly a stranger. I’ll admit he treated me well, and I would hold onto that kindness. But to just call him ‘father’…
Sorry, it wouldn’t come out.
What else could I possibly do to cheer him up?
Suddenly, I recalled the Duke’s earlier words.
“Miss Silvya, do you like music?”
“…In the past, whenever I faced unpleasant things, I’d be pulled along to play a few soothing tunes…”
Then let’s do just that.
“Uncle Duke.”
My voice was soft and sweet, unsure if it resonated with the memories he cherished.
I took his hand.
Years devoted to the study of metallurgy had left his fingers thick and his palms dry, somewhat like aged orange peel — yet certainly warm enough.
He looked at me with surprise.
“Come with me.”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Back.”
Then I tugged him along, briskly heading towards the castle.
In the distance, the hunters were calling out.
“Oh~ Are you leaving?”
“Little Pepé, you’ve worked hard today!”
“Eat fewer desserts, or you’ll get fat!”
I rolled my eyes, feeling rather bored, and waved their way dismissively.
“Shut your bird beaks! Did you finish today’s training or not!”
The Duke’s shout sent the hunters jumping in surprise, immediately putting on a show as they began training, which made the Duke shake his head repeatedly.
“I swear, that old fool Hoover seems to be asking for a lecture. Look at what a mess he’s got everyone in, ridiculous…”
Though the words carried a hint of blame, his tone had a distinct sense of amusement.
I chuckled.
The sunlight was warm, still gracing my face even in this winter chill.
A graceful girl holding an old man’s hand weaved through the magnificent fortress, past the finely crafted corridors, dodging the curious gazes of countless hunters.
Eventually, we arrived at the piano room on the fourth floor of the castle.
Creak—
I pushed open the slightly ajar door and stepped onto the soft carpet.
A piano lay under a dust cover on its wooden tripod, not too far away.
It looked like it hadn’t been used in ages.
I released the Duke’s hand and turned to speak.
“Uncle Duke…”
“I’ll just sit here.”
“…Okay.”
The Duke smiled as he settled onto a chair beside me. I walked over, lifted the cover to unveil the piano, and with a flick of my skirt, gently sat on the piano stool.
After adjusting the seat height and lifting the keyboard cover, a familiar scent wafted upwards.
I had indeed checked this out before, and this world’s piano turned out to be exactly like the one from my past life. The alternating black and white keys formed a perfect reflection in my view.
I glanced at the Duke, who looked expectant and gently nodded at me.
I took a deep breath, having already decided what to play.
Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”, a piece I was intimately familiar with.
Actually, this piece should ideally be played in the dead of the night… but, oh well.
Slowly raising my arms above the keys, my fingers danced in the air a few times before suddenly coming down.
The first chord resonated.
A gentle, lyrical melody sprung forth, while the Duke tapped his hands and legs lightly to the rhythm, savoring the affectionate whispers of the tune.
I closed my eyes, as if lost under the bright moon, listening to the sound of birds singing.
Images began to unfold in my mind.
In a tranquil little chamber, a girl clothed in pure white sat gracefully at the piano, quietly playing in sync with the flowing moonlight.
A faint smile graced her lips, her body swaying gently with the melody.
I longed to go to her, touch her delicate back, but suddenly she looked up, gifting me a sweet smile.
It was a face very much like mine but notably younger.
The melody began to flow like a stream, and abruptly, my vision burst into white. The deeply buried images in my heart transformed into notes washing over me.
I saw hibiscus flowers of silver white, and amidst them, a little girl’s beaming face.
“Daddy, Daddy! Look at me, hurry look!”
Behind the little girl, a youthful man shone with vitality as he strolled along.
“Be careful.”
“Look at me! I’m going to fly!”
“Slow down, don’t fall!”
“Whoops~”
The tiny body toppled to the ground.
“Ha! I told you to slow down and you wouldn’t listen… Let me see, did you hurt yourself?”
“My b*tt hurts… don’t laugh at me!”
“Not laughing, Daddy’s not laughing… Pfft… don’t be mad! Daddy will rub it for you.”
“I don’t want to, I’m a big girl now…”
“What nonsense are you talking, little one?”
“I’m all grown up! See, I’m not crying!”
“Alright, alright, our little Pepé has grown up!”
“Giggling~”
…
I witnessed a little girl with pigtails rubbing her eyes and wailing in the vast castle, as a young lady hurried over.
“Wah—, wah—!”
“What happened? Who bullied you?”
“I… My brothers, they went to play on the snow… mountain, and they didn’t want to… they didn’t want to take me! Wah—, they won’t take me!”
“…Those two little rascals snuck away to the mountain again… Pepé darling, don’t cry, I’ll show them what’s what later.”
“Mommy, will you make them stand in a corner?”
“Yep! They’ll stand for a whole night!”
“And also… spank them, really hard.”
“Definitely!”
“Then you promise… to spank them hard, and I won’t cry anymore…”
Her tear-stained face wore an utterly serious expression.
“Sure, we’ll make sure to do as our Pepé says~”
“Okay!”
…
I saw three young figures sneaking around amidst the towering snow-capped mountains.
“Ugh… Pepé, aren’t you cold… Gah…”
“I’m not cold… A-choo!… Shhh, keep it down!”
“Shall we go back? There are no silver foxes here.”
“There are! Just wait a bit longer.”
“If we stay too late… Old Man will… ugh… find out.”
“Pasifal, are you scared?”
“…No, but you don’t want to get punished either, right?”
“I won’t get punished.”
“Why?”
“Because you both tricked me into coming up here.”
“?? You said there were silver foxes here and insisted we come help you catch one!”
“Not my problem.”
“You…”
“Pepé, who told you there were silver foxes here?”
“…Uncle Hoover.”
“…Well, that’s settled, let’s head back.”
“Why? Brother, you still haven’t helped me catch a silver fox, you promised me!”
“There are no silver foxes here.”
“But Uncle Hoover said there were.”
“That was when he was little. Ever since Shanter Castle was expanded, most of the animals have migrated.”
“…Why’s it like this…”
“Let’s go back.”
“…Oh… how about we wait a bit more…”
“I’m leaving.”
“Wait for me!”
…
On the ramparts of Shanter Castle, Hoover gazed puzzledly at the castle behind him.
“Hey, did you all hear this tune before?”
The nearby hunters wore thoughtful expressions.
“Hmm… seems like we haven’t?”
“Nope… the style of the piece doesn’t seem to belong to our territory.”
“It’s probably learned elsewhere by Miss Pepé.”
“Yeah… I think it sounds nice regardless.”
“What do you know about music? I think it’s called… what’s it called… that style…”
“Captain Hoover, I think we should just enjoy it instead of pretending to be cultured, right? Just knowing it sounds nice is enough.”
“…Shut up.”
“Captain’s angry!”
“Hahaha!”
…
In the piano room, on the keys.
Delicate, long fingers sped across the piano, the melody rushing into a high crescendo after four rapid glissandos, the notes cascading like a flowing stream.
The mood shifted abruptly.
The warm images before me began to twist, shatter, and ultimately dissolve into nothingness.
The air turned dark and cold.
In the darkness, a bl**d-soaked girl lay on a protruding cliff, her body trembling violently.
“…Ugh… ugh…”
The pure white snow beneath her was stained red.
She struggled to move, but could only barely shift her arm, revealing the extreme pain etched on her face.
“Cough, cough…”
bl**d spilled from her mouth, the girl breathed weakly, acutely aware of her rapidly fading body temperature.
Pain coursed through her, turning into a numbing ache.
“Ugh… is… is anyone there…?”
Such whispers could never reach anyone.
The girl forced herself to take a breath.
“Cough… is… is anyone there! Help me…”
“Is anyone there… I… I can’t move… I’m so hurt…”
“Edward—!”
“Edward! Cough! Can you hear… hear me!”
“Edward! I’m fine, I don’t blame you… don’t leave… I can’t move… it hurts so much… I can’t move…”
No response.
After a moment, she bit back the deepening pain and hoarsely screamed again.
“Edward… come back… come back…”
“Hurry and… help me… I’m in so much pain… think of something… help me…”
The biting cold wind pierced to the bone.
Slowly, the girl’s hands and feet lost feeling. Her once rosy lips had turned a dark, purplish shade.
Her body shook uncontrollably.
“…Ugh… Edward… I… I’m still alive… ugh…”
“Ugh…”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“Edward—”
Her suppressed cries faded into the darkness, without even an echo.
Before long, she could no longer make sounds, only weakly murmuring some pitiful and timid phrases.
“Edward… I… won’t… tell Father and Mother… please save me…”
“I will… listen to you… I… I was wrong… I’ll do anything… Just save me… I’m going to d*e… please, save me…”
“I don’t want to d*e… I’m scared… it’s so dark here… I’m so afraid… I don’t want to be here… I want to go home… I want to go home…”
Time became a blur; no one came to her aid.
Gradually, she felt the pain start to fade.
But she was so very tired.
“…Daddy… Mommy… I’m sorry…”
“Ugh—”
“Why… why… I was wrong… ugh… I was wrong… I’m sorry… ugh…”
“Why… k*ll me… don’t k*ll me… why…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Why…”
In her memory, the final image flickered like a faint flame in the endless darkness.
The last note faded.
I slowly opened my eyes.
