As Mother caressed his face before the show, he instantly felt a faint cool breeze brush across his face.
He blinked in surprise and asked, "Mother, why is it suddenly so cold?"
As he began to shiver slightly, Caelum wished he had brought a coat to the event instead of just his outing attire, with his eyes fixed on his mother.
Meanwhile, her gaze shifted toward carved vents hidden high on the walls.
After a brief pause, Mother smiled.
"The opera house uses a climate array. Several ice- and wind-type artifacts, powered by enchanted crystals, keep the hall cool throughout every performance.
Without them, thousands of guests would suffocate beneath the heat of the chandeliers and the crowd."
Caelum, with an eager expression, replied, "So... the entire building stays cool because of magic?" She smiled faintly and responded, "Yes, that's how it works."
"Then tell me, Caelum. Do you happen to know what type of crystal is used?"
She closed her eyes for a moment before replying. "I can't remember, but all I do know is you have to infuse the spell beforehand."
Curiosity got the better of him. Caelum searched the walls for the source of the cool breeze, hoping to understand how such an array functioned.
After searching for a moment, he finally located dozens of decorative brass grilles worked into the walls beneath the balconies. A gentle breeze drifted through them, carrying the scent of polished wood and fresh flowers throughout the hall.
Magic-powered air conditioning... He couldn't help smiling. Even Earth took centuries to invent something like this.
Then, a clear chime echoed throughout the opera house as conversations gradually faded while the nobles returned to their seats.
The servants quietly collected the last of the finished refreshments from the nobles before slipping backstage.
One by one, the crystal chandeliers dimmed until only a warm golden glow remained over the stage.
Then a man in a top hat holding what looked like a baton stepped forward. He turned to face the already present instrumentalists while standing on a podium in a sunken area between the stage and the audience.
As he tapped his baton on the podium, the theater dimmed, but the silence was brief.
From the pit, a faint whisper of strings slid through the darkness—a frantic, buzzing murmur like a thousand mechanical clocks ticking in perfect, panicked unison.
The conductor stood coiled, his baton tracing tiny circles in the air, holding back a flood. Suddenly, he dropped his stance and slashed upward.
The orchestra exploded into brass and timpani, shattering the whisper into a roaring fireworks display of pure joy.
From his seat, Caelum couldn't help but feel energized by the performance, even though he had initially thought it would be boring. Instead, he became fascinated.
He turned to ask Scarlett, sitting right beside him, for the name of the song being played. As he turned to face her, he saw that she had a gleeful look as she watched the performers with such enthusiasm.
When he tried to tug on Scarlett's skirt, she, still caught up in the revelry, noticed someone tugging at her skirt. Turning to see who it was, she recognized that it was her young Master Caelum.
She looked down to ask, "Is there a problem, young Master?" Caelum, with a curious look, asked, "Please, do you know what this song is called?" Scarlett, scratching her head, replied, "I don't—no, young master," then apologized and said, "Why don't you ask the madam instead? She's more familiar with these kinds of things."
Caelum looked at her, replied, "Thank you," then shifted his gaze toward his mother, who was sitting opposite him, and moved to approach her.
He lightly tapped her shoulder and asked, "Mother, please excuse me. Do you happen to know what this song is called?"
She responded, "Yes, it's called The Overture to The Marriage of Nimaro, composed by Luciano Caruso."
She continued, "Caruso's works are considered treasures of Vienna," Mother said softly, her eyes never leaving the stage.
After a brief moment, she added that there's a saying in this city—that every child born in Vienna hears his music at least once.
"Many consider attending one of his operas a rite of passage; even nobles travel across the empire just to hear his compositions performed where they were first written."
Caelum thought silently to himself: This Caruso guy must have been a legendary composer if even nobles rush to hear his overture. If his overtures are praised so highly, what about his actual songs?
In the midst of his thoughts, the orchestra swelled again, drowning out the conversation for a few moments.
Listening to the swelling orchestra, Caelum couldn't help but marvel at how many instruments were needed to perform the piece. He turned to his mother and asked, "Is he also the founder of this city?"
She nodded gently, rubbing his head.
"Yes."
Seeing another question forming on his lips, she smiled.
"Save the rest until after the performance."
Caelum nodded happily and continued to watch as it went on.
Caelum thought, Don't operas usually have a play after the overture? If the overture is this amazing, I wonder what the play will be like.
While the music played, Caelum couldn't shake the feeling that he had heard it somewhere before. Though it sounded slightly different, the resemblance was striking—as if he had heard this kind of performance before.
He tried to remember for a while, then quickly pushed the thought aside and focused on enjoying the show.
During the performance, Caelum wondered if Leonard was among the performers. He stood up, trying to spot Leonard playing. After scanning the stage and recalling Leonard's outfit, he remembered that Leonard wore a white shirt and a black tie.
Based on what he saw, Caelum looked from his vantage point but couldn't find him.
While searching, he noticed a group moving backstage, carrying heavy black boxes in groups.
When one worker paused, glanced toward the Imperial Gallery, and checked a silver pocket watch, one of the men adjusted his coat collar before subtly scanning the balconies.
Another leaned a gloved hand on one of the black crates as if making sure it hadn't shifted. Neither looked like ordinary stagehands, and the man in the back whispered something to him before they both disappeared behind the stage.
Sensing something suspicious, Caelum initially wanted to follow them but decided against it, realizing that in his current defenseless six-year-old body, he couldn't do much.
He told himself not everyone going backstage was suspicious—maybe they were just carrying heavy instruments—and started to think he was getting paranoid.
After another look across the orchestra, Caelum finally spotted Leonard sitting among the second-row violinists.
As his bow moved with effortless precision, even surrounded by seasoned musicians, he never seemed out of rhythm.
A look of joy appeared on Leonard's face as he was completely absorbed in the music being played.
Caelum felt relieved; he thought Leonard was very talented to be playing at such an event.
Then a thought occurred to him: wasn't Leonard a Navy officer, just like his dad? Well, according to him, at least.
He wasn't sure because he had never asked Leonard directly.
As he muttered, he saw Scarlett signaling him to come back to his seat from afar—someone had just bumped into him. Caelum quickly apologized to the man and returned to his seat.
By the time he sat back down, he noticed the music had sped up, and the volume was increasing.
As he sat, he began to hear faint chatter of nobles quietly in the background—some praising the piece and some criticizing the speed. Everyone had their opinions, and it wasn't right to judge someone for that.
Looking past Scarlett, Caelum realized he hadn't heard Diana speak for several minutes.
Curious, he leaned closer.
Her head rested against the velvet chair.
Tiny cookie crumbs stubbornly clung to the corner of her mouth.
She was asleep.
Caelum blinked.
He wondered how she managed to fall asleep amid all this noise.
He couldn't help but laugh while saying, "And she calls me childish." Caelum thought, unable to resist seeing her sleeping face. He gently lifted her chin for another look before letting out a quiet laugh.
Shaking his head in astonishment, Caelum thought to himself, How in the hell did she fall asleep in such a loud place?
Mother, seeing this, immediately signaled Caelum to come over and asked, "What are you doing to your sister, and is she really asleep?" Caelum replied, "Yes, Mother." She smiled and said, "I saw what you did to her. Don't let her find out, or you're on your own."
Scarlett, seeing Diana sleeping with food on her face, quickly covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Even Mother struggled to suppress a laugh before returning her attention to the stage.
She instructed Scarlett to bring Diana over so she could hold her on her lap while she slept.
Scarlett replied, "Of course, Madam," right away and moved to Diana's seat, lifting her from her chair.
Scarlett adjusted her grip, her wrists trembling slightly.
"The young mistress is heavier than she looks."
Caelum, noticing that Scarlett struggled to lift her, immediately asked her if she was heavy. Scarlett replied that the young mistress was quite heavy, but her body didn't show it.
Hearing his mother's initial reaction, Caelum quickly covered his mouth to hide his laughter and nodded obediently before returning to his seat on stage. He asked if he could sit on her lap.
The conductor's movements grew broader with each passing second, violins climbed higher, and cellos followed while the brass thundered beneath them as the trumpets answered triumphantly.
Every section of the orchestra seemed perfectly synchronized as the conductor relentlessly drove them toward the finale.
Even the audience had fallen silent.
Then the final note rang throughout the theater.
Silence.
For a heartbeat, nobody moved.
Then thunderous applause erupted from every corner of the opera house.
The conductor bowed.
The performers stood.
Some musicians smiled in relief after the exhausting performance.
The stage lights brightened.
Above them, the brass grilles continued releasing cool air throughout the hall.
The breeze carried the scent of polished wood.
While ushers began preparing refreshments for the intermission, nobles rose from their seats, stretching and applauding.
A few musicians laughed quietly among themselves, relieved that the difficult overture had gone well.
Caelum guessed the intermission is about to begin.
The applause gradually began to die down.
Then the stage lights flickered.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted from somewhere behind the stage.