As the applause faded, the ballroom seemed to awaken from a trance. The music still hanging in the air dissolved, replaced by a flurry of excited murmurs.
Edward barely had time to catch his breath before being swallowed by a crowd of guests. Elegant people, draped in luxurious fabrics and expensive perfumes, gathered around him, eager for more.
"Young man, where did you learn to play like that?" asked a tall gentleman holding a crystal glass, his mustache trembling with emotion.
"Did you compose that piece yourself?" exclaimed a lady in a lilac dress, leaning in so close she nearly bumped into the piano.
"Do you play other classical works? Will you perform again tonight?" another breathless woman wanted to know.
"Have you ever thought about recording an album?" inquired a man with a bow tie. "You need to be discovered, young man!"
Edward blinked, dazed, like a cornered animal. His head spun with the buzz of voices, flashes of curious faces, compliments, and questions.
That's when Alyssa appeared, cutting through the crowd with determined steps. She approached Edward, stopped beside him, and shot a nearly defiant look at her grandmother and cousin following behind.
"See? I told you Edie-boy was amazing!" declared Alyssa, puffing out her chest with pride. "And if you thought that was badass... just wait until we play together. We're gonna crush any idiot who tries to get in our way!"
Lady Katharine raised her eyebrows, scandalized.
"Alyssa! For heaven's sake, watch your language! A lady does not speak like that."
Alyssa blinked, as if slapped by an invisible hand. She straightened her posture, adjusted her dress, and assumed the composed air of a proper lady.
Edward burst into laughter at the transformation. Alyssa shot him a wounded look, but he kept laughing, unable to stop.
"Edward!" she scolded, giving him a light shove on the arm. "Quit laughing, you idiot!"
Still laughing, Edward turned to Lady Katharine, who offered him a sincere smile.
"I must admit, young Edward, I am truly surprised. Your performance was splendid in every sense. May I ask... the piece you played—was it composed by you?"
Edward hesitated. Under different circumstances, he might have lied just to avoid curiosity or endless questions. But as he thought of his mother, the long rehearsals, the unshed tears, it felt unfair to take credit for something she had taught him so earnestly.
Besides, he reasoned, he doubted Beethoven would be offended.
He smiled, a little melancholically, and replied:
"No… my mother taught me that piece."
Lady Katharine raised her eyebrows, intrigued.
"Oh, how wonderful. Then it's her composition? What a remarkable talent your mother must have. I would dearly love to meet her someday."
Her words caught the attention of those nearby. Alyssa and Ane leaned in too, curious.
Edward looked away, slipping his hands into the pockets of his improvised suit, and said quietly:
"I'm sorry... she's no longer in this world. But I'm sure she would've been delighted to meet you too."
The room fell into a silence so deep that the faint clinking of chandeliers swaying in the breeze could be heard.
Lady Katharine blinked slowly, her eyes filling with a restrained sorrow.
"Oh... dear. I'm so sorry for your loss. It was not my intention to stir painful memories."
Edward swallowed hard. Part of him felt suffocated by that look of pity. The other part took comfort in knowing that, if people believed his mother was dead, maybe they'd leave him alone. He didn't have the strength to explain that he came from another world—where his mother was still alive—and that technically, she just wasn't in this world.
"Thank you, ma'am," he replied simply, offering a faint smile. "But it's okay."
Still, he'd be lying if he said the pitying looks didn't bother him. He needed to change the subject.
He began scanning the crowd for Desmond, his face anxious, but found no sign of him.
Alyssa, noticing his search, shook her head disapprovingly.
"Looking for that little shit? He ran off ages ago. Knew he didn't stand a chance after hearing you. Sometimes, it's better to dodge total humiliation."
After a few more minutes of answering questions and thanking people for their compliments, Edward finally managed to escape the ballroom, breathing a sigh of relief.
---
Outside, the night was cool, the gentle wind carrying the scent of flowers blooming in the garden. The estate was vast. About thirty meters from the main mansion stood a white wooden gazebo, bathed in moonlight.
Edward walked toward it, his steps echoing on the stone path. He climbed the steps and leaned against one of the columns, closing his eyes for a moment.
Inside, the music and voices still echoed faintly, muffled by the thick walls. Out here, there was only the rustling of leaves—and the hurried beating of his heart.
"Damn..." he muttered, rubbing his face. "That was freaking insane."
He stayed there, breathing in the night air, until he noticed a figure approaching along the stone path. At first, all he could make out was the silhouette of a dress swaying in the wind.
Then he heard a muttered curse and the sound of an almost fall.
"Damn it!" Alyssa exclaimed, tripping over the hem of her long gown.
Edward burst into laughter.
"You're going to break your neck like that!"
"Shut up, Edie!" she snapped, breathless, holding up her skirt. "I hate wearing these damn shoes!"
As she reached him, Edward noticed a wine bottle dangling from her hand. He frowned, surprised.
"I didn't know Miss Alyssa was old enough to drink…"
Alyssa raised the bottle with a mischievous grin.
"Since when is a future rock star such a goody two-shoes?"
Edward shook his head, laughing.
"You're going to get arrested."
"And you're going to save me, aren't you?" she said, stepping closer with a playful look.
In a few minutes, the bottle was halfway empty. Alyssa leaned against one of the gazebo posts, a glass in hand, her gaze lost in the night.
"Thanks, Edie-boy."
Edward blinked, confused.
"For what?"
Alyssa let out a long sigh, the moonlight reflecting in her eyes.
"Because normally, I hate these parties. I hate fake people, forced smiles, all this theater. But tonight… tonight I actually had fun. It was the first time I felt at home here."
Edward remained silent, absorbing her words. Then he looked up at the starry sky and murmured:
"I should be the one thanking you. Without you… I'd just be some lost idiot in a place I don't belong."
Alyssa smiled—half sad, half amused. Then she rested her head on his shoulder. Edward tensed for a second, his cheeks burning, but slowly relaxed. He wrapped his arm around her, feeling the warmth of her body against his.
"Edie…" Alyssa said after a while. "When you were playing today… you seemed like a different person."
Edward let out a soft laugh, looking away.
"You were incredible. Even grandma got emotional… and you have no idea how hard that is."
Edward smiled, almost embarrassed. Then he took a deep breath and, in a low tone, confessed:
"You know what's crazy? That was the first time in my life I played the Moonlight Sonata without a single mistake. I never managed that… not even with my mom teaching me."
Alyssa raised her face, surprised.
"Edie… I'm sure she'd be proud of you."
Edward swallowed hard, his voice tight.
"I just… wish she'd seen it."
Alyssa stayed quiet for a few seconds, watching him. Then she smiled and whispered:
"If she taught you to play like that… in a way, she did see it, Edie. She's in every note you played tonight."
Edward felt a knot in his throat. He tightened his arm around Alyssa, and the two of them stayed there, sitting quietly, the
world around them seeming far away.
And, for the first time that night, Edward felt that maybe—just maybe—he was exactly where he was meant to be.