The melody drifting down from the second-floor study was graceful and pleasing, the piano notes delicate and gentle, like birdsong at dawn and murmuring streams. Clear and elegant, it filled all who heard it with a sense of peace, drawing them into the atmosphere of the music.
—A very high standard.
That was Ian's assessment. He knew nothing about music—or rather, he had never studied it. Enjoying music and being able to perform it were entirely different matters, and he had never imagined that Isengard possessed such accomplished piano skills.
But thinking about it now, as Marquis Ellen's youngest son, Isengard could hardly have spent all his time studying alchemy while knowing nothing else—he had received the full noble education. Being able to play one instrument, or even several, was the norm.
Ian came to the study door and saw that the blond youth's shoulders, back, and arms were utterly steady. His slender hands stretched out, tapping and pressing the keys with relaxed yet swift movements, sending one note after another into the air.
"Ian, did I wake you?"
Noticing his friend's arrival, Isengard brought the practice piece to an end with a smooth cadence. He rose to his feet and said somewhat sheepishly, "I sensed that you were awake, so I thought it should be fine to practice a little."
"It sounded wonderful," Ian praised him frankly. "There's no need to stop because of me. You could have kept playing."
"Honestly, I never expected your piano skills to be this good. It really took me by surprise."
By Ian's reckoning, Isengard's standard was enough for him to hold a small recital... Of course, perhaps the enhanced bodily control brought by being an Ascender played a part, but the other boy clearly had talent.
"It was nearly time to stop