While Aster and Astra were singing under the lantern-lit sky, a strange thing happened across the capital.
Even inside the royal palace—inside the glittering ballroom where the queen's birthday celebration was still underway—people heard something.
A faint hum.
A soft vibration.
A drifting melody carried by mana through the air.
At first, guests thought it was some magical illusion.
But as the song grew clearer, nobles stopped eating. Stopped talking.
They listened.
"…What is this?"
"This isn't part of the queen's performance."
"Is that… singing?"
"Whoever it is… they are extraordinary…"
Some nobles left the ballroom early, following the faint sound.
One by one, they slipped out through side corridors, curiosity overwhelming etiquette.
The queen noticed immediately.
Her smile cracked.
"Where are my guests going?" she snapped.
No one answered.
Until someone whispered:
"Your Majesty… the sound is coming from the city. It seems… a celebration is happening."
The queen's eyebrow twitched.
"A celebration? During *my* birthday?"
Her anger rose like a storm.
But before she could explode, the king raised a hand.
"Enough," he said calmly. "Let the people enjoy themselves."
The queen glared at him. "You would let another event overshadow me?"
The king's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
Meanwhile, unknown to the queen, one of her own daughters—Princess Seraphine—had already escaped the ballroom with a group of ladies.
She ran through the palace gates, breathless.
"I won't miss this," she murmured. "Not if it's Aster and Astra."
She arrived at the plaza just in time to hear the final rap verse.
Her jaw dropped.
Her little siblings were performing for a crowd of thousands, their mother crying in the front row.
She had never seen something so heartfelt… or so powerful.
And in that moment, Seraphine understood something the queen never would:
**This was not just music. This was love.**
***
The next few days shook the nation.
Newspapers, crystal broadcasters, gossip scrolls, tavern stories—every channel imaginable exploded with reports:
"Royal Twins Perform for the People!"
"A Birthday Surprise That Moved the Capital to Tears."
"A New Era of Sound Magic?"
"The Twins Who Sang for Their Mother Become National Icons."
Even villages far from the capital heard about the event.
Children mimicked rap clumsily.
Vendors sang the lullaby melody while working.
Travelers arrived wanting to see "the singing prince and princess."
Aster had unintentionally become the heart of the nation.
And the queen knew it.
She also hated it.
***
Two days after the celebration, Aster and Astra were summoned to the palace.
The king sat alone in his private chamber when they arrived. He dismissed the guards and gestured for them to approach.
Aster stood tall. Astra hid slightly behind him.
"Aster," the king began, "why didn't you ask me for help?"
Aster did not answer.
He couldn't.
Because he knew the truth:
*If he had asked… the queen would have forbidden everything.*
The king exhaled deeply, pinching his brow.
"You are my children. You could have told me."
Still, Aster said nothing.
He wasn't being disrespectful.
He simply… couldn't lie.
And he couldn't tell the truth either.
The king's expression softened slightly.
"…Your mother deserves happiness," he finally said. "I knew this much when I chose her."
Aster looked up in surprise.
"But this celebration… it has angered the queen. You know that, don't you?"
Aster nodded.
Astra squeezed his hand.
The king sighed.
"Go home. And… be careful."
It was the only warning he could give without deepening the conflict.
***
A few days later, the consequences arrived.
The Wynfall Mansion's monthly budget—allocated by the palace—had been cut.
Not slightly.
Drastically.
The steward delivered the notice with shaking hands.
"My lady… I'm so sorry. The funds allocated to the concubine residence have been reduced by half."
Arlienne froze.
Her face remained calm, but Aster saw her hands tremble.
He knew who was behind this.
Arlienne knew too.
But she said nothing.
She didn't complain.
She didn't protest.
She simply thanked the steward and continued with her day.
Aster hated that.
He hated the quiet acceptance.
The queen may have had power—but his mother had dignity.
Still…
The mansion could no longer afford the same food supplies.
Some maids were dismissed.
Training materials would become scarce.
Magic stones for practice would be limited.
Astra panicked. "Aster, what do we do? We can't— we don't have enough—"
Aster placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine."
"But—"
"It's fine," he repeated firmly.
Astra stared at him.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't scared.
He was determined.
Aster turned and looked at the capital from his window.
The people who supported him.
The merchants who helped him.
The thousands who gathered for his music.
He didn't want to rely on the palace anymore.
And he wouldn't.
"From now on," Aster whispered, "we won't use the royal family's money."
Astra blinked. "But… how?"
Aster smiled slowly.
Because he already had a plan.
A bold one.
A dangerous one.
And one only *he* could pull off.
"Mama raised me with love," he said softly. "The people supported us without asking anything in return. So…"
He clenched his fists.
"…I'll earn our own money."
Astra gasped. "How?! You're seven!"
Aster's eyes glimmered.
"With Sound Magic."
He turned toward the window, his reflection merging with the bustling city below.
"Astra," he said with quiet excitement, "we're going to do something no one in this world has ever done."
Astra leaned closer. "What?"
Aster smiled.
"A concert, and one more thing, that nobody would have expected in this world"
And with that one word—
He changed the history of music in that world forever.