Chapter 28

"Misses of the De Mare family are truly talented! The second daughter excels in theology, and now the eldest is composing music!"

The nun in charge of hymns at the Grand Cathedral smiled broadly as she received the score submitted by Isabella. Unhappy with being placed alongside Ariadne, Isabella forced a smile, but then changed her mind. After all, the incident with the apostle of Asereto was a significant event; if she could be considered on par with it without lifting a finger, wouldn't that be a good deal?

"This is a score. We will practice separately and then gather for a joint practice. I will invite the composer to come and see if the vision is being realized."

Isabella sent a radiant smile to the nun, as bright as a peony in May, and resolved to show off to her friends that day. Her half-sister, who was nothing special, was receiving excessive praise from the market. It was time to show who the true queen among the girls of San Carlo was.

* * *

As a debutante, Isabella, who had made her debut last year, could invite her other debutante friends in her own name. Another privilege of being a debutante was that she could visit respectable places like churches, palaces, and friends' homes without her mother's accompaniment.

The Grand Cathedral, where the first rehearsal of Isabella's Missa Brevis was taking place, was the perfect place to invite her debutante friends. After enjoying the rehearsal, they would move to the nearby Cardinal's residence for afternoon tea, receive praise for their beauty, and give a little praise in return, ending the day with a sense of fulfillment.

Of course, Isabella's mother, Lucrezia, who would faint at the sight of a fly, insisted on participating in the historical day when her eldest daughter's composition was first rehearsed, saying she couldn't miss it.

Despite Isabella's annoyance, Lucrezia, who promised not to interfere from afar, ended up attending Isabella's social gathering. Arabella, who wanted to see her composition performed, also insisted on going with her mother and joined them.

Isabella's friends were gathering one by one at the Grand Cathedral. Julia, the daughter of the Marquis of Baldissera, was the most prominent among them, and Camelia, three years older, from the Marquis of Castiglione, was a 'friend' selected to perform various roles.

Camelia was the most beautiful lady in society before Isabella's debut, and the Marquis of Castiglione, who made a fortune in the silk industry, had a well-matched fiancé, Count Contarini's Octavio, despite her relatively low status.

Camelia was only welcomed by Isabella when she brought her fiancé Octavio and his friends, not when she was part of the 'friends' Isabella displayed like a bouquet of flowers. Today, Octavio and his friends were invited through Camelia. Among them was Cesare de Como, the most sought-after figure in the social scene, except for Prince Alfonso.

As the invited guests arrived one by one, Isabella, who had set up a flower-decorated front row and a tea table, greeted them leisurely. She beamed at Camelia, who arrived first.

"Camelia! You're early."

"No, Miss De Mare. Thank you for inviting me."

"Oh, call me by my first name. For my first composition, who else would I invite but our music expert, Camelia?"

Isabella warmly welcomed Camelia and chatted about various topics. When she focused on someone, even other women found her charming.

Meanwhile, Julia, the daughter of the Marquis of Baldissera, arrived, and Octavio and his friends, Camelia's fiancé, also arrived one by one. The front row of the Grand Cathedral began to fill up.

"Octavio, you're as entertaining as always."

Isabella smiled at Camelia's fiancé, causing Camelia's expression to stiffen, but she didn't dare to protest.

"But, Count Cesare is late?"

Isabella tried to hide her impatience as she subtly asked Octavio the question she was most curious about.

"Have you ever seen Count Cesare arrive on time? He's probably still getting dressed. He'll show up, so let's proceed without him."

Isabella nodded and smiled, and the musicians behind the stage began to warm up. As the conductor raised his hand, the strings began to play, and the music started.

- Bum bum bum.

- Diddle.

- Dun dun dun.

Various sounds intertwined to create a melody. The melody became intense or soft like a whisper, following the conductor's gestures.

Isabella felt a thrill. So many people are moving in unison and following commands for a piece I wrote! Maybe I should try being a conductor as a hobby?

Although it wasn't really her composition, she had already rationalized it in her mind.

As the music progressed beautifully, just before the end, all the other instruments fell silent, and a pipe organ solo began. The abrupt change made it awkward to discuss the musical beauty.

After about sixteen bars, the pipe organ solo abruptly ended, and the other string instruments joined in without context.

Even Isabella, who was about to yawn from boredom, was startled and sat up straight. Arabella, in a dark corner, watched her composition being performed for the first time in the real world, feeling a mix of excitement and unease.

She should have been sitting in the front row. She thought it was a good deal to get the pipe organ in exchange, but she still felt uneasy.

Suddenly, the pipe organ solo began. Arabella bit her thumb.

'Oh no!'

The score must have been mixed up. Arabella's original Missa Brevis had no pipe organ solo part.

'The lute solo score from the original version must have been mistakenly included in the Missa Brevis score!'

While Arabella was gnawing her nails, the conductor on stage seemed to be asking Isabella a question.

"Miss De Mare, the rehearsal is over. Did you enjoy it? We had trouble understanding the pipe organ solo in the middle. Why was it included?"

Isabella, without showing any sign of panic, smoothly deflected.

"I wanted to emphasize that part of the melody."

"Ah... A bold musical challenge."

The conductor was more flustered, as anyone with a basic understanding of music could tell it was a mistake in the production process.

Julia, the daughter of the Marquis of Baldissera and a skilled harpist, tilted her head and whispered to the young man next to her.

The conductor, who had expected Isabella to fill in the missing parts, stammered as he asked her for help.

"The score... As it is, the pipe organ solo part feels very awkward. It jumps from the 'C' scale to the 'A' scale. It's hard for a regular player to cover this part with one hand. Even if it was intentional, it's difficult to apply in actual performance... Could you play it with me to see if there are any modifications needed?"

Isabella was finally flustered.

"You want me to play it?"

She couldn't read the score properly. Isabella was a beginner at the organ, needing several days of practice to barely play a single piece.

She hadn't even opened the score, thinking she could just hand it over. If she had glanced at it, she would have noticed the difference and wouldn't have reached this point, let alone practiced.

Isabella couldn't play this piece even if someone threatened to kill her.

"Can't a professional player play that scale? Are you a professional player?"

Isabella, instead of getting angry, looked around the Grand Cathedral, searching for Arabella, who was sitting in a corner, with a panicked expression. It was a silent demand for a solution.

But as soon as their eyes met, Arabella, thinking it was a different kind of permission, sprang up.

"No!! Do you have a pencil?"

A priest brought a pencil and sheet music, and Arabella filled in the score without hesitation.

"The string parts were missing from the score. It wasn't intentionally left blank."

Arabella filled five sheets of music with a flourish, correcting the introduction of the pipe organ solo.

"The jump in scale wasn't intentional. It's impossible to play that scale with human hands. A part is missing here."

Handing the completed five sheets to the conductor and specifying where the revised score should go, Arabella finally looked around, noticing the uneasy atmosphere.

Isabella was biting her lip, and the guests were whispering heatedly.

- 'What, the composer wasn't her?'

- 'I've never heard that Isabella De Mare was good at music, so I was surprised when she dedicated a composition for the consecration mass.'

- 'To steal her own sister's work, she really has no conscience.'

While Isabella's friends were gossiping among themselves, Camelia de Castiglione, who was criticizing Isabella, seemed to glow with satisfaction.

"Enough!"

Lucrezia, who had been observing the situation from a corner, stepped in.

"It seems there was a misunderstanding."

Lucrezia, tall and elegantly dressed, approached the center of the stage, exuding a considerable presence.

"This piece was composed by both the older and younger sisters. The older sister provided the main ideas, and the younger sister handled the details."

Lucrezia looked at the young men and women, choosing her words carefully.

"Isabella definitely contributed. In fact, it was mainly Isabella's work. I hope there are no false rumors."

Lucrezia's firm words were met with a laugh from someone leaning against a pillar in the Grand Cathedral.

"Is that so? Beautiful Lucrezia."

It was Cesare de Como, wearing green deer leather boots, matching gloves, and a hat adorned with a kingfisher feather, looking every bit the dashing figure.