“Franz Ritt’s Transcendental Étude?”

The moment Kyla arrived at the Royal Philharmonic Concert Hall and saw the program, she doubted her own eyes.

As she stared wide-eyed, unable to close her mouth, Jayden tilted his head.

“What is it, Kyla?”

“It’s a piece that’s famously difficult to perform. I’ve heard that there aren’t even ten people in the entire world who can play it.”

Thinking she must have misread it, Kyla blinked and examined the program again.

“My goodness… this can’t be real.”

Even for a male pianist with large hands, the piece was notoriously difficult — yet here was Clara Burke performing it.

Kyla had only ever heard of such a piece and had never had the chance to hear it performed live.

And now she was about to hear it, performed by Clara Burke.

Seated among the audience, Kyla tried to steady her racing heart with slow, measured breaths.

When Clara Burke stepped onto the stage in front of the packed concert hall, thunderous applause erupted.

The moment she took her seat at the piano, the entire hall fell silent.

Her performance was nothing short of astonishing.

The Transcendental Étude surpassed all of Kyla’s expectations.

Extreme arpeggios.

Unfathomable speed.

Relentless cascades of notes poured from her right hand at an impossible pace.

Not to mention the staggering difficulty of the octaves.

It was the kind of technique that had to be seen to be believed.

It seemed as though the music itself was flowing from her fingertips.

The way she moved and the way she moved her hands seemed to shape her own unique world.

By the time the performance ended, Kyla felt completely swept up in the music Clara Burke had brought to life.

After what felt like an endless curtain call and encore, it finally came to an end.

Kyla and Jayden then made their way to the waiting room.

In the letter enclosed with the tickets, Clara Burke had insisted that Kyla come and see her.

When they opened the door, they found her seated on a sofa, resting and surrounded by lavish flower arrangements.

“Miss Burke.”

“Miss Feilding! You came!”

Clara rose with a bright smile and approached Kyla.

“Your performance was incredible—truly amazing… I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

At Kyla’s praise, Clara let out a light laugh.

“That alone is more than enough. Thank you for coming.”

“No, thank you for sending the tickets. Just being able to hear a performance like that made me so happy.”

Kyla’s face was flushed with excitement and lingering emotion.

“By the way, who is this gentleman?”

Clara’s gaze shifted to Jayden.

“Ah, I’m sorry—I should have introduced him first. This is my brother.”

“I see. Hello, Mr. Feilding.”

Clara smiled gently.

“Hello, Miss Clara Burke. I’m Jayden Feilding. Thanks to you, I had the pleasure of hearing such a wonderful performance. Truly, thank you.”

“No need for thanks. In truth, there was something I wanted to say to Miss Feilding personally, which is why I sent the tickets. But it’s just as well that her brother came along too.”

“Something you wanted to say?”

Kyla blinked in surprise. The fact that Clara Burke wanted to speak to her at all felt astonishing.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kyla and Jayden sat side by side on the chairs in the waiting room. Under their curious gazes, Clara took a seat across from them and began.

“I was deeply moved when I heard your performance at the Duchess’s birthday banquet. That’s why I suggested a duet instead of the solo piece I had originally planned. And that duet performance—it was wonderful as well.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Kyla’s face turned bright red at the praise.

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m simply stating the truth.”

Clara smiled softly and continued.

“I’ve heard that you’re working as a piano teacher at the ducal house.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Kyla nodded, while Jayden listened quietly beside her.

“Being a piano teacher is certainly a fine profession. I believe it’s a meaningful role—helping people who aren’t performers themselves to enjoy music.”

Clara paused for a moment, glancing between Kyla and Jayden.

“But Miss Feilding, you have a talent that’s too precious to be confined to teaching alone.”

“Talent…?”

“Yes. A truly exceptional one.”

Clara smiled.

“To become a pianist, one must first possess the right physical attributes. No matter how remarkable one’s musicality is, there are limits if one has a small frame or short fingers.”

“That makes sense…”

Jayden nodded.

“Miss Feilding, you are tall, and your fingers are long. Would you show me your hands for a moment?”

At Clara’s request, Kyla extended her hands.

Clara placed her own hands against Kyla’s for comparison. Kyla’s fingers were slightly longer.

“You see? Your fingers are as long as those of most grown men. And you also have the ability to understand sheet music and memorize it perfectly.”

Kyla didn’t know how to respond to such praise. She felt embarrassed, almost dazed.

“On top of that, you have solid technique and expressive power. More importantly, you have the ability to fully immerse yourself in every moment of a performance—drawing the audience into the world of your music.”

Clara’s voice softened slightly.

“That is not a talent just anyone possesses.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. You, Miss Feilding.”

As Kyla widened her eyes and asked, Clara smiled brightly.

“So, I’d like to make you an offer. How would you feel about studying piano formally at the Brighton Royal Academy of Music, where I teach as a professor?”

The Brighton Royal Academy?

It was a place where only the most talented students in Brighton could gain admission.

“But how could I…? I don’t even know if I’m good enough for something like that.”

“Miss Feilding, you don’t need to worry about your ability. I know the standard of the students there better than anyone.”

“Ah… I see. But still… wouldn’t I be too old?”

She had heard that most students entered the academy at seventeen or eighteen.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you this year?”

“I’m nineteen.”

“A bit older, yes. But not so much that it would prevent you from being admitted.”

Clara’s calm, steady voice eased Kyla’s tension, and in its place, a wave of surprise and joy surged through her.

“I understand there’s an entrance exam… Would it be possible to prepare for it starting now?”

“Of course. There’s still plenty of time. Applications are accepted until the end of April next year, and the piano performance exam takes place in June. What do you think?”

“If it’s possible…”                          

Kyla had never once imagined that she could enter a royal academy of music.

The idea felt like a dream.

“Yes… I want to try.”

For the first time in her life, she could sense something awakening within her: a quiet hope and a vision for the future.

Jayden had always been her greatest source of strength, but while he was away at university, she had felt lonely.

Throughout this period, the piano had been her constant source of comfort.

She loved music.

She loved the piano.

She had practiced diligently, but without a clear goal.

However, if she could enter the academy and become a performer or a professional instructor. Then she would no longer have to fear what would become of her if she had to leave the Lester estate.

The prospect of living a life surrounded by music alone filled her with deep, quiet joy.

The idea that she might one day achieve something through music, like her idol Clara Burke made her heart swell with emotion.

“Ah, right. There is the matter of tuition. One thousand sovereigns per year. But I imagine that wouldn’t be a significant amount for a young lady of the Feilding family, correct?”

Clara smiled lightly as she looked at Jayden, seeking his agreement.

“One thousand sovereigns a year.”

For the Feilding family, that would surely be nothing.

However, it was a sum that Kyla could never save, even if she worked as a piano teacher for a whole year and didn’t spend any money.

“Would it be possible… to receive a scholarship if I perform well on the entrance exam?”

Kyla asked.

“Of course, many students receive scholarships. Some even have their full tuition covered. However, those are not awarded based solely on performance—they are intended for students from financially difficult backgrounds.”

Clara’s words made it clear, as long as Kyla bore the name Feilding, no matter how talented she was, she would not qualify for such support.

“I thought you were working as a piano teacher simply to gain experience…?”

Clara looked back and forth between Kyla and Jayden, her expression filled with confusion.

***

It was after ten o’clock by the time they had finished speaking with Clara Burke and left the concert hall.

Kyla and Jayden decided to spend the night at the Feilding family’s townhouse on Simon Street, before returning to Chatsworth the next day.

During the summer, most of the family and servants lived at the country estate, leaving only a few members of staff at the townhouse.

“My goodness… Miss!”

Kyla hadn’t expected Mary to be among them.

“Mary. Have you been well?”

At the sight of Kyla appearing without notice, Mary’s eyes widened, quickly filling with tears.

“Of course I have! Sob…”

As Mary broke into tears, Kyla gently patted her shoulder, her own eyes beginning to sting.

“You haven’t changed at all, Mary.”

“Of course not! How could someone change in just a few months?”

Even as tears streamed down her face, Mary raised her voice in protest.

At the sight, Kyla burst into laughter.

“But… doesn’t it look like you’ve gotten even thinner, Miss?”

Mary’s eyes welled up again as she looked at her.

“Have I? Haha. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown taller.”

“I hope that’s all it is…”

Hearing the way Mary’s voice trembled as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, Kyla could feel the affection behind it. She smiled—but her heart ached.

“How about we leave the reunion at that for now? Kyla, you must be tired. You should go upstairs and get some rest. Mary, see to Kyla’s room.”

Jayden, who had been watching the two of them, spoke gently.

“Yes, young master.”

Mary answered brightly.

“I’m not tired at all…”

Kyla smiled faintly.

She knew that, even if she lay down, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

As she looked at Mary, a quiet thought crossed her mind.

Living felt like walking a path for the first time.

There was no way of knowing where it would lead.

A road that seemed to climb upwards might suddenly end at a cliff.

A path that felt like an endless descent might open up into a forest.

When she had heard Clara Burke speak of the Royal Academy, it had felt as though she could fly — as though a new dream had taken shape within her.

However, when she discovered that the annual tuition fee was one thousand sovereigns, that dream seemed to vanish before it could even begin.

She thought she would never return — and yet here she was, standing before Mary once more.

She didn’t know what lay ahead.

But she remembered this: That a cliff did not mean the end, and that a dead end only meant she could turn back.

That would be enough.

Kyla pressed her lips together firmly.

Then, following Mary, who was shifting between tears and laughter, she climbed the stairs towards the room where she had spent the past five years.