Edward took a deep breath and rested his fingers on the cold, smooth keys of the piano. For an instant, everything seemed suspended — even the air in the ballroom felt still, as if the world itself was holding its breath alongside him.
Then, he began to play.
The first chord of the Moonlight Sonata rang out low and deep, spreading through the ballroom like a dark wave. It was a sound so dense it seemed to vibrate through the marble beneath the guests' feet. A gentle melody emerged, almost like a whispered lament, sliding between the marble columns and weaving itself into the crystals of the chandeliers glittering overhead.
Soon, the audience's eyes were fixed on him, one by one.
Many furrowed their brows in confusion. Some exchanged glances, whispering in voices barely audible. Others simply kept their gaze locked on the boy at the piano, fascinated, as if they were witnessing something they didn't understand but couldn't look away from.
It was a strange piece for such a glittering party. Sad, heavy, full of shadows, as if Edward were revealing a secret only he knew. Yet there was also a delicate beauty there, a melancholy that squeezed the hearts of those who listened.
Alyssa, standing among the guests, seemed hypnotized. Her eyes followed the movements of Edward's hands as if each note pulled her closer to him.
And Edward, though trembling inside, kept going.
At times, his hands hesitated over the keys, and he came so close to making a mistake that his heart felt like it might stop. His lack of practice was taking its toll. His fingers ached with every chord, and his head spun with tension.
"Why did I choose this piece? If my mother hadn't taught me so many times… I'd be screwed."
He had chosen the Moonlight Sonata because he wanted to prove he wasn't just the guitarist in worn-out clothes. He wanted to show that he, too, could belong in that world of silk, gold, and crystal. Not to please society. No. But so that Alyssa would see it in him.
"Wait… I want to show this to Alyssa? Why? Why can't my eyes stop searching for her in the crowd?"
As he played, Edward saw fragments of the ballroom appear and disappear before his eyes:
Lady Katharine, usually so unshakable, watched him with the intense gaze of someone assessing a rare diamond.
Ane, who had started the performance chuckling softly, was now completely serious, her face illuminated by the golden lights, her lips slightly parted.
Some gentlemen in dark suits were leaning forward slightly, as if trying to absorb every note.
Women in long dresses, champagne glasses in hand, had stopped drinking. Their eyes shone, sometimes curious, sometimes moved.
The elegant Gardevoir listened to the melody, absorbed, eyes closed, while Milotic, on the other hand, watched every movement of Edward's fingers. Even the proud Arcanine seemed restrained, unmoving, attentive to the sound of the piano.
The ballroom, once noisy, now felt like a temple.
The music flowed on. The notes came soft as footsteps on snow, yet laden with an ancient sorrow. Every chord sounded like a confession, every melody seemed to hold secrets never spoken. It was like hearing the sound of a starry night, or the echo of wind blowing over calm waters.
Edward tried not to get lost in the pain the music stirred in him. Playing Beethoven, especially this piece, made him remember his mother sitting at the piano, her stern gaze watching for the slightest mistake. She was loving, but transformed into an implacable judge when it came to music.
"Each right note was a tiny sigh of relief… but also the prelude to another battle."
His heart was pounding, his fingers burning, but there was also a fire growing inside him. A strength he felt only when he played.
"Screw these rich, snobbish bastards," he thought. "Or whoever else. Right now, it's just me and the piano."
---
Ane, completely enraptured, felt a shiver run up her spine. As fun as it was to tease Alyssa, she had to admit it: she was mesmerized.
She herself played the piano, but had never seen anything so intense. The "street cat" Alyssa had brought to the party seemed to grow and shine with every note, as if he were transforming before everyone's eyes.
Ane cast a glance at her grandmother. Lady Katharine had her hands folded in her lap, but her eyes were fixed on Edward, burning as bright as flames.
"Intense. Beautiful. Precise. Inexplicable." That was all Ane could think.
That night, the world had stopped to listen to the ragged boy. And that was something no one could deny.
---
How much time had passed? One, two, five, ten minutes? No one could say when Edward finally released the last note.
When it ended, it felt as though all the time in the world had passed… and, at the same time, not a single second.
With the final note still echoing, silence fell over the ballroom like a veil. Edward remained motionless, breathing quickly, his chest heaving. He blinked several times, as if waking from a deep dream.
Then, delicately, Lady Katharine began to clap. At first alone, elegant, with restrained movements.
Soon, one by one, the guests joined in. First, timid applause. Then, louder. Until, in an instant, the applause turned into a tidal wave sweeping through the entire ballroom.
Edward felt as if he'd lifted a mountain off his shoulders. Sweat was trickling down his back and his face.
He lifted his eyes to the crowd applauding him and immediately searched for Alyssa.
She was there, clapping wildly, smiling openly, utterly forgetting the role of the refined lady that society expected her to play.
Music is not something easy to create.
Or do you think something capable of cheering the saddest of hearts or making the happiest man shed tears is a mere trifle?
But the effort is worth it when you can enchant even the toughest audience with your music.
Edward… one day you'll understand why I'm so hard on you…
A tear escaped Edward's eyes as he remembered his mother's voice.
"Mom… how I wish you were here to see this."
And, for the first time in his life, he realized something that almost made him smile:
he hadn't missed a single note in the Moonlight Sonata.
Moonlight Sonata had been his private nightmare for so long, but today, it had perhaps become his proudest performance yet.