Chapter 172 Moonlight Sonata

The moonlight is like silver threads, sprinkling on the magnificent manor mansion.

Under the cover of night, a carriage drove along the quiet path, the patterns carved from mithril on the carriage body reflecting the faint light.

The four horses pulling the carriage were all pure Roland war horses, wearing silver saddles, with coats as white as snow, and they were majestic and awe-inspiring. They stopped in front of the main gate of the mansion.

On the steps, Prince Lothar was dressed neatly and had been waiting here early in the morning to welcome this distinguished guest who had come from afar.

Princess Celine.

The princess of the Grand Duchy of Lucia, the daughter of the Elector, the saint of the Moonlight Church...she is surrounded by all kinds of halos.

Even Lothar couldn't help feeling nervous and expectant when facing the exquisite silver carriage.

The attendant lifted a corner of the satin curtain.

Princess Celine wore a silver silk dress, a jewel-studded crown, and a large fan-shaped snow-white collar behind her neck. Her petticoat and collar were reinforced with whalebone.

She has delicate features, and her long snow-white hair sets off her perfect face and captivating emerald green eyes. Her temperament is as noble and elegant as a moon goddess.

Prince Lothar tried his best to suppress the ripples in his heart, but his flickering eyes still betrayed his hesitation at the moment.

He extended his right hand and said in a gentlemanly manner: "Princess Celine, this dinner will be more glorious with your presence."

Celine lowered her eyes, and it was hard to tell what she was feeling at the moment.

Led by a maid, Celine got off the carriage, nodded slightly to Lothar, and walked towards the gate of the mansion with dignity and graciousness.

Lothar was left aside. He calmly withdrew his hand and looked back at Celine's tall back, his eyes gradually becoming cold.

In order to make friends with the Moonlight Church behind Princess Celine, Lothair specifically inquired about the information related to this princess.

This princess was chosen by the Moonlight Church since she was a child. She lives deep in the palace, away from the outside world and is a mysterious person.

It was not until recent years, when the forces of the Dark Night became increasingly rampant, that she traveled to various countries on behalf of the Moonlight Church, taking it as her mission to spread the faith in the Moon Goddess.

It is rumored that Princess Celine is fond of classical music and has a unique perception and understanding of music. She once burst into tears while listening to a concert of the court orchestra in the Agate Hall.

That's why.

That's why Lothar invited Christian, one of the most famous musicians in the imperial capital of Tofanna, to attend the dinner with him.

As Christian's sponsor, Lothar encouraged the musician to compose music for the harpsichord in order to please him, impress Princess Celine, and indirectly gain the support of the Moonlight Church!

"A princess who is ignorant of the ways of the world, yet has such great power behind her... If the crown prince had not been decided and my father was hesitant between me and my brother, why would I have gone to so much trouble for this woman!"

Lothar thought of the embarrassing scene just now again, and a trace of annoyance flashed across his eyes.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

"However, this banquet is also a good opportunity for Christian to gain reputation for me."

He felt better when he thought about the exclamations that would be heard at the banquet. He thought proudly:

"In a poor and remote place like Jianhe County, there is not even one musician qualified to enter the Golden Agate Hall. Today, consider me as showing mercy and letting these poor nobles open their eyes!"

*In the lobby.

A huge crystal chandelier hung high in the dome. Servants holding silver trays shuttled among the guests, and glass glasses were filled with amber wine.

The moment Princess Celine stepped into the hall, the entire palace seemed to fall into a moment of silence. Everyone stared at her perfect face, and they all showed a trance look at the same time.

Even the music stopped, and a string player played the wrong note, disrupting the rhythm of the entire piece, but no one blamed him because it was really understandable.

June Lannister looked at the famous Moonlight Saint, and a look of surprise flashed across his heroic face.

Think about it.

"This beauty is suitable to be introduced to Baron Yeats."

June thought to herself, "As long as he's engaged, he won't compete with me for Elsa!"

In the hall, Christian, the stern-faced artist, saw Princess Celine coming and knew that it was time to complete his mission.

He pushed through the stunned crowd, came in front of Princess Celine, put his hands on his chest and bowed. His unpleasant hoarse voice echoed in the silent hall.

"My noble and beautiful Princess Celine, I heard that you have a unique understanding of music. In fact, Prince Lothair ordered me to prepare a new musical instrument. This will be a new instrument of the times. I wonder if I have the honor to present this instrument to you."

Under the gaze of everyone, Princess Celine showed a decent smile on her face and nodded gracefully like a swan.

"I have heard of your name, Mr. Christian, a famous zither player in the imperial capital."

"I am indeed very interested in the instrument you mentioned. I would be grateful if you could go and prepare it."

The harpsichord is quite light and can be played when placed in a case. You only need to open the lid and place it on a stand.

Next to the marble columns, on the velvet-carpeted floor, is a harpsichord.

This new type of musical instrument was the first time many of the nobles present had seen it, and curiosity showed on their faces.

Surrounded by the guests, Christian sat on the piano chair next to the harpsichord, with his ten fingers slightly bent and resting on the keys.

Christian looked solemn, his whole face glowing with a noble look, and he said seriously:

"Please allow me to use this instrument to sing a song for you on behalf of Prince Lothair, Princess Celine—"

"The name of this piano piece is Moonlight."

His fingers gently touched the keys, and the notes flowed out like spring water. The soft music was full of affection and tenderness.

Christian's appearance is ordinary, but the sound of his piano playing is enough to lead everyone to imagine a dreamy scene of moonlight lingering around the palace.

June suddenly knew why this piece of music was called Moonlight.

She seemed to see the bright moon shining on the snow-capped mountains, and the moonlight illuminating the quiet fields under the starry night sky.

Hazy, romantic, soft...Christian's piano music calmed June's mood, and she couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

He is worthy of being a musician who once performed in the Golden Agate Hall.

With Christian's piano skills and the harpsichord, a groundbreaking instrument, this performance was perfect! The song ended.

Christian closed his eyes, as if bathed in the bright moonlight.

There was warm applause all around.

"Mr. Christian, your musical attainments have improved again." Dean Richard applauded.

A bard is not only required to compose poetry, but also to have a knowledge of music, fine arts, architecture and other arts.

Richard had been immersed in music for many years and had to admit that Christian was a true musical genius who could use music to depict a picture under the moonlight! The guests whispered to each other and all gave high praise to the piano music. The discussion fell into Lothar's ears, and the corners of the proud prince's mouth rose.

"Princess Celine, what do you think of this piece of music?" Lothar asked calmly, "Can it be recorded and recorded, so that the musicians can enter the Moonlight Temple to perform?"

The music played in the temple usually has strict requirements. For example, only gospel music is allowed to be played in the church, while the music in the war temple is passionate war songs.

If the Moonlight Sonata composed by Christian could be performed in the Moonlight Temple, the reputation of Lothar, the behind-the-scenes sponsor, would also be enhanced.

"It's a very delicate instrument, and this piece of music is even more beautiful." Princess Celine was elegant and dignified, and declined politely, "But most of the music in the Moonlight Temple is played on the harp."

"I can ask Christian to rewrite this harpsichord piece into a harp piece." Lothar insisted, "Will this satisfy the Moonlight Church?"

Princess Celine's emerald eyes flickered slightly, and she said bluntly: "This song is very good, but it seems that there is something missing."

Lothar was slightly startled.

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

Christian stood up with a bang, his stern face flushed with a reddened look of damaged self-esteem, and he said quickly: "What's missing? Princess, please tell me clearly!"

Princess Celine smiled and shook her head gently: "I am just a listener, just expressing my thoughts. I hope Mr. Christian will not take it to heart... This piece of music is indeed quite outstanding and refreshing to me."

Lothar frowned slightly. Celine's reaction was not as enthusiastic as he had imagined. Could it be that the information was wrong and she didn't like music as much as the rumors said?

Glancing at Christian, Lothar saw that the artist was clutching the corner of his clothes tightly and thinking about something with his head down, so he coughed lightly and signaled him to leave with his eyes.

Christian did not follow Lothair's instructions, but stared at Princess Celine and said:

"Actually, just as you said, when I was composing this piece of music, I also felt that something was missing... But what exactly is it? I can't figure it out, and I'm almost going crazy! Princess, Moonlight Saint, what is missing from my Moonlight Song!?"

The second floor of the lobby.

A clear voice sounded, answering Christian's obsession.

"What's missing is change, what's missing is a climax towards the full moon moment."

The hall fell into a brief silence because of these words.

A glimmer flashed across Princess Celine's eyes, and she nodded slightly in agreement.

Everyone looked up in the direction of the voice and saw a silver-haired boy with his hands on the railing.

He has outstanding appearance and extraordinary temperament.

Judging from the emblem on his body, he is from the famous family of Golden Lion, the Brown family.

Christian was stunned for a while, his eyes were confused and he murmured Yeats' words: "Change..."

Prince Lothar looked unhappy. Christian was his court pianist. Even if he could not get Princess Celine's approval, how could he let an outsider point fingers at him?

"You seem to be proficient in music," Lothar said calmly. "In that case, why don't you play a song for everyone to show you the difference between Mr. Christian and you?"

There was a sharp edge to his words, and anyone with a discerning eye could see Prince Lothar's dissatisfaction.

Obviously, Lothar took great pains to show off in front of Princess Celine.

Now that all eyes were drawn to Baron Yeats, how could he not feel resentful? Lothar asked Yeats to perform in public, obviously wanting to embarrass him.

After all, even if Yeats really knew how to play the harpsichord, a new musical instrument, his skills could not be compared with Christian's, and it would only expose his shortcomings!

"You don't need to be proficient in the instrument to comment on it," Princess Celine said calmly. "Besides, the harpsichord has just been invented. It would be a bit unreasonable for Your Highness to ask Mr. Blandi to play it."

Lothar was secretly annoyed. Was he going to let the young man get away with it? He was unwilling to give in, but he maintained his composure on the surface and said with a smile, "As Princess Celine said, the harpsichord is an epoch-making instrument that cannot be mastered by some showy musicians."

Richard frowned slightly. Lothar was a powerful and flamboyant person, so these words were really unsatisfactory.

At this moment, Richard heard Yeats's slow, pleasant voice like the spring breeze.

"Then I will respectfully obey your command and use the harpsichord to present a piece of music for everyone present here."

Baron Yeats is actually going to play?!

When everyone heard this, there was a murmur in the hall.

June frowned slightly... Yeats didn't seem like someone who would be easily provoked? Why did he not be able to resist playing in public after being provoked by Lothair?

Even if he really could play the harpsichord, with Christian's Moonlight Sonata as a precedent, he would never be able to surpass it, and Yeats's reputation would be greatly affected! Prince Lothar thought that the other party was ignorant and fearless, a trace of contempt flashed across his eyes, and with a smile on his face, he stretched out his hand and said:

“I look forward to your performance.”

Princess Celine's eyes flashed with curiosity as she watched the silver-haired boy walking through the hall with neither arrogance nor servility.

At the same time, on the second floor of the hall, Duke Vic looked at his daughter who was looking at him with admiration, and said puzzledly:

"Do you really think that his piano music is better than Christian's?"

In the eyes of Duke Vic, Yeats was just a helpless act after being provoked by his youth! Elsa smiled without saying anything, and Yeats' figure was reflected in her green eyes.

Under the gaze of everyone, Yeats came to the harpsichord and looked at it carefully.

Then he sat down calmly, adjusted his posture and seat, and placed his slender ten fingers on the keys.

"The piano piece I'm going to play is called Moonlight Sonata," Yeats said calmly.

The Moonlight Sonata by the music great Beethoven. It is said that the title of this piece, "Moonlight", was given to him by later generations, but this does not prevent it from being a great piece of music.

In fact, many listeners over the centuries have imagined a picture of moonlight shining on a quiet lake because of this title, accompanied by Beethoven's music.

Contrary to what many people imagine, the Moonlight Sonata is not as poetic as Debussy's "Moonlight", but is full of images of pain and struggle unique to Beethoven's works.

Especially the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata is even more passionate and enthusiastic. Rather than moonlight, it is more like a rainstorm. It uses a presto, is surging and powerful, and firmly captures the hearts of the audience.

Yeats wanted to "plagiarize" Beethoven's work in front of Princess Celine in order to gain the support of the Moonlight Church!

The words fell.

Everyone was shocked.

He even challenged Christian's Moonlight Sonata with a piano piece also called Moonlight! (End of this chapter)