Chapter : 24
The Deal Between the Bachelor Noble and the Single Musician
“So, the reason you were stuck to the door wasn’t to file a complaint or to bother me, right?”
“Yes, I’m not involved in that at all.”
Katarina was the one who had sent a complaint to my workshop, but apparently, she had nothing to do with this strange behavior.
Well, that makes sense. If she had known from the start that our rooms were next to each other, she could have come directly to complain or dropped a request note into the mailbox herself.
For now, after hearing Katarina’s explanation, I decided to separate this incident from the complaint about the magical tools.
That leaves the question: if it wasn’t because of the complaint, then why was she sticking to the door in the first place…?
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your coffee. Sugar and milk are here if you like.”
As I pondered this, Rondel brought over the coffee.
Coffee was placed in front of each of us. There was a small pot of sugar and a milk cup, probably to make it easier for a beginner like Katarina to drink.
I wanted to ask her immediately, but first, I should drink the coffee.
“What a nice aroma. I’ve never seen a drink so black before.”
Katarina seemed intrigued by the color of the coffee, staring at it with interest.
I drank mine without sugar or milk, bringing the cup to my lips.
The bitterness and slight acidity spread through my mouth. The mellow richness came through clearly—a surprisingly calming taste.
Seeing me drink, Katarina timidly brought the cup to her lips.
“Bitter…”
She murmured while contorting her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
“Weren’t you used to drinks like this?”
“I am, but this flavor is unexpected…”
She complained softly, trying again, but soon grimaced and set the cup on the saucer.
I had told her to stick to normal drinks.
“If it’s too bitter, try adding milk. That will make it much easier to drink.”
“In that case, I won’t hold back.”
Taking my advice, Katarina tilted the milk cup and poured it into the coffee.
“…Wow, the color really changed.”
“It should be easier to drink now.”
She looked intimidated by the murky brown liquid, but I made sure she drank it anyway.
Even though she was warned, it would be rude to sip once and leave the rest.
Meeting her gaze with intensity, Katarina slowly brought the cup to her lips.
“Oh, it’s delicious. I can drink this.”
Katarina’s eyes widened, her expression softening.
It was more like café au lait than straight coffee, but she seemed pleased, sipping it repeatedly with a softened expression.
Now there was no way she would leave any coffee behind.
“Now, if it wasn’t a complaint, why were you stuck to the door?”
“Well… it’s a bit of a long story. Is that okay?”
“Make it brief.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
●
“…And that’s why.”
“You mean you were arranging the song I was singing…”
After hearing Katarina’s explanation, I sighed in disbelief.
No wonder the song I heard at the opera sounded similar to a favorite song from my previous life.
She had used that as a base to make her arrangement. It was impossible for it not to resemble the original.
“That song became popular, and then they asked you to make another one?”
“Yes.”
“And today, you stuck around to hear me sing so you could catch it clearly?”
“…Exactly.”
Katarina nodded weakly, shrinking a little as she did.
I had never imagined that a woman living next door would be listening to my song just because she felt like it.
“So, Katarina isn’t a stalker… she’s an eavesdropper.”
“Just so you know, I usually don’t do that. I could hear you fine even without sticking to the door. If you’re going to sing loudly, use soundproof magical tools.”
“Ah, it could be heard in your room too? My bad. But sticking to the door without permission is another matter. You can’t dodge that one.”
“I’m really sorry about that.”
Katarina bowed sincerely and apologized.
“Alright then.”
“Eh? You’re letting me off?”
“Well, I’ve been bothering you with my singing anyway. So that cancels it out. But don’t ever do the same thing again.”
I was annoyed when I first heard that someone had eavesdropped on my song, but since my singing had inconvenienced her daily, I couldn’t scold her too harshly.
“That’s fine, but you arranged my song and made it into a piece without permission? Aren’t you going to get mad?”
“I’m not a musician, and it wasn’t my song to begin with.”
It was a song from my past life, unrelated to this one. Hearing it arranged into a piece didn’t bother me.
Katarina didn’t act with malice either.
It was best to settle things peacefully without drawing attention from the caretaker or the McClare family.
The mystery of the door had been solved, and both apologies had been exchanged. There was nothing more to discuss.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Wait!”
I stood to leave, but Katarina tugged at my sleeve.
“What is it?”
“I’ve never heard your song before. Where’s it from?”
That was a tricky question. If I said it was from my past life, she wouldn’t believe me.
“Who knows? One thing’s for sure—it’s not from this country. Probably nobody else knows it.”
I gave an ambiguous answer to avoid her searching for it.
“So, it’s a lost song that only you know? It’d be a waste to lose such a wonderful song. Let me inherit it!”
Her response had the opposite effect.
Did she think it was a historical folk song? It wasn’t a song of great historical value.
“I’m not interested. Try someone else.”
“Please!”
“Let go!”
“I won’t let go until you agree! My future depends on it!”
“That’s your own problem. Handle it yourself.”
I sympathized with her plight but had no obligation to cooperate.
“Then a deal!”
Suddenly, she became rational and proposed a trade.
I could ignore her and leave, but she lived next door. If I upset her again, it would disturb my peace.
So I sat back down.
“You provide the song, and I’ll arrange it into a piece. Thirty thousand Soro per song as a fee, plus 40% of the sales.”
“Do you even know the exact sales of a piece? I can make that much with magical tools anyway.”
In a world without CDs or online downloads, the actual sales tracking was vague. Katarina probably just meant her 40% share, which wouldn’t be much.
I had a simple and reliable income from magical tools. There was no benefit in small money.
“Right, you’re a successful magical tool craftsman. Then what do you want?”
One thing came to mind clearly.
“A treasure artifact. Do you have a rare one? If not, one from the McClare family is fine.”
“A treasure artifact? I do have one…”
“What kind?”
I leaned forward, surprised that she actually owned one.
“It’s called the Sound Garden: Miniature Soundscape. It can store about five songs, depending on length, and you can listen anytime.”
It was basically a recording device—like a music player with storage.
With it, you could listen to stored songs at home anytime.
I hadn’t expected Katarina to own such a remarkable artifact.
“That’s perfect! I’ll take it!”
“Ehhhh! But it was really expensive!”
“I can provide as many songs as you want. One, ten, even a hundred. If you’re still worried, I’ll buy it for a fair price.”
An artifact like that would be worth at least 30 million Soro, maybe even 50–60 million.
“How much do you love treasure artifacts…”
Katarina looked a bit overwhelmed by my enthusiasm, but I didn’t care.
“I’m a collector. So, what’s it going to be?”
“Ehhh, I listen to my favorite songs at home too, but giving up the Sound Garden…”
“Then this conversation is over. I hope your next song goes well too.”
“Wait! I’ll give you the Sound Garden! Please help me!”
The deal almost collapsed, but Katarina tearfully nodded in agreement.
And so, in exchange for providing a few songs from my past life, I obtained the Sound Garden, the ultimate treasure artifact, from Katarina.
