FMV 04

Chapter: 04

It had already been several days since Aurelia had shut herself inside her room, doing nothing at all and spending each day drowning in tears.

In the end, David smashed the doorknob of her locked room and entered. He wrapped Aurelia in her blanket, picked her up, and carried her out of the room.

He didn’t know what had happened to his daughter, but he couldn’t possibly let her stay shut inside her room like this forever.

“I’ll understand whatever you decide to do. But I can’t let you die in your room like this.”

After forcing Aurelia to sit at the dining table and feeding her spoonfuls of soup, David’s eyes were already filled with anger toward his daughter, who had lost all her will.

David had tried to make the soup thin and light, thinking it would be easier for her to eat, but Aurelia had eaten nothing for days, leaving her stomach empty, so even that tasted nauseating to her.

In the end, after repeatedly accepting the soup her father fed her like a baby bird only to run to the bathroom and throw it all up, she finally reached the point where she could force the remaining soup down.

“You don’t have to go to the conservatory. What does that school matter, anyway? But rather than shutting yourself up in your room like this, come out to the workshop and at least learn the work there.”

“I don’t want to do anything.”

“Then are you planning to live like a parasite forever? Even after your father dies?”

David had always tried to do anything Aurelia asked of him.

Worried that his young daughter might show the signs of growing up without a mother, he had raised her not only as a father but even taking on the role of a mother. But this time, he had absolutely no intention of giving in to his daughter’s wishes.

‘She may resent me now, thinking I dragged her out and forced her to sit here without understanding how I feel.’

But he believed that someday, once his daughter became more mature, she would surely understand why he had no choice but to do this.

Bernhard Instrument Workshop.

It was his father’s workshop, standing in this very place since before Aurelia had even been born.

Aurelia flipped the sign around to indicate that the owner was inside, then picked up a dry cloth and began wiping the shelves in an effort to clear away the distracting thoughts crowding her mind.

She had only come out because of the pressure from her father, but now that she was here, she realized that it was actually better than staying shut inside her room. At least if she worked hard, she wouldn’t have time to think about useless things.

Her hand tightened around the dry cloth.

Ding—

A cheerful bell rang through the workshop as the door opened, cutting through Aurelia’s thoughts.

“Welcome. This is Bernhard Instrument Workshop.”

After speaking, Aurelia’s eyes naturally turned toward the customer who had just entered.

He was a man with blond hair that glittered even more brightly under the light, and blue eyes the color of the hottest flames.

“I came here at Aiden’s recommendation, but it seems the owner of the workshop is away.”

The late-afternoon sunlight pouring through the open workshop door made his hair shine even more brilliantly.

Even the languidness in his relaxed voice suited his appearance so perfectly that Aurelia couldn’t take her eyes off him.

‘How can a person be so….’

Beautiful.

“Ah, my father just stepped out for a moment.”

It was only when Aurelia saw the man, beautiful enough to be mistaken for a statue, stride toward her that she finally came to her senses and managed to say what she needed to.

Standing before someone who seemed to shine as though sunlight touched only him, Aurelia was able to breathe life back into the green eyes that had been losing their light ever since she had lost her will.

It had been a long time since there had been such light in her eyes. Ever since hearing Professor Schneider’s words, she had done nothing until her father had barely managed to drag her out of the house and force her to work.

“When will the owner of the workshop return?”

While Aurelia stood there absentmindedly, Leonard took another long step farther into the workshop and asked with a slight frown.

The coldness of his voice, which seemed to stir up even the dust inside the workshop, finally brought Aurelia back to her senses.

“He’ll probably be back soon.”

“How soon?”

Thinking that he probably wasn’t from Zerphium, Aurelia’s hand moved to find a notebook and quill.

“Are you in a hurry? If you could tell me your name and where you’re currently staying, then….”

“Leonard Deimus.”

“Leonard Deimus?”

The moment she heard his name, Aurelia involuntarily pressed the pen, which had already begun writing ‘Leo,’ firmly against the notebook and abruptly raised her head.

As someone involved in music herself, she couldn’t possibly fail to know who he was. The name ‘Leonard Deimus’ was far too familiar.

The greatest violinist of the current era.

How could she not know the name of a man who was dominating an entire generation?

‘The talent of a devil.’

Those were words she had heard dozens of times from Professor Schneider, who had spoken such harsh and painful words to her only a few days ago.

He said that Leonard had stolen the talent of a devil and become such an extraordinary musician because of it. Otherwise, there was no way a human being could play sheet music that was so bizarrely difficult without a single mistake.

Even though their instruments were different, Aurelia found herself face-to-face with someone who had already seized the position she desired so desperately, and for a moment, all thought stopped.

‘Is this man standing before me really the person who possesses the talent of a devil?’

“This workshop seems to have a habit of calling customers by their names so casually.”

It was only after Leonard’s indifferent remark reached Aurelia that she realized she had simply called his name without any formality.

Even though she covered her mouth in surprise, there was no way to take back words that had already been spoken.

‘I’m crazy. Completely, utterly crazy.’

Virtuoso.

It was a title bestowed only upon the most outstanding musicians of their time.

The man standing before her possessed that absurdly prestigious title, one given only to those extraordinary individuals. He seemed like someone who had been born holding that reputation in his hands from the very beginning.

‘I should have realized it when Aiden’s name came up.’

“And no apology.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was momentarily distracted by something else…. You are such a famous person, after all. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Keep your verbal honor. My being famous doesn’t give you a reason to casually call my name.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

She thought he was holding onto it a little longer than necessary, but he wasn’t wrong.

“Would you mind sitting down and waiting for a little while? He’ll really be back soon. I think he probably went out to buy something for a moment.”

At Aurelia’s words, Leonard waved his hand dismissively, as though shooing away an annoying fly.

Aurelia dragged over a chair for him and placed it in front of him, but Leonard didn’t seem particularly interested in sitting.

‘I’m nervous.’

Even though she lived in Zerphium, it wasn’t every day that she found herself standing face-to-face with a young and promising musician. Aurelia was more nervous than she had ever been.

“I’ll take a look around.”

Leonard slowly walked around the workshop, examining the violins displayed outside one by one.

After looking over the instruments David had painstakingly crafted, Leonard even nodded as though he was satisfied with what he saw.

At the sight, Aurelia unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

She had expected Leonard to look only at the violin displayed in the most prominent position and finish, but his footsteps continued toward the back of the workshop, reaching a slightly secluded area.

‘That’s where the violins I made are.’

Aurelia’s skill wasn’t particularly exceptional, but the instruments she made were nevertheless quite popular among children who had just begun learning the violin.

Wondering what kind of reaction Leonard would have, Aurelia swallowed nervously.

“It’s a mess.”

Leonard ran his hand over the dust in a place Aurelia hadn’t managed to clean, and his brow furrowed.

At his words, ‘It’s a mess,’ Aurelia bit her lip and hurried over to his side.

“That’s because I haven’t been able to come to the workshop for a few days. Since this is a place where we work with wood, dust piles up like this if we neglect cleaning even a little. My father has been too busy….”

She wanted to say that he had no time to clean, but Leonard silenced Aurelia’s rambling by bringing one of his long fingers to his lips.

“Busier than me? Aiden praised this place so highly that I decided to come see it for myself, but now I’m wondering whether violins made in a place this dirty and covered in dust could possibly produce a good sound.”