Only God
Chapter 339 - 296: The Strings of the Qin

Chapter 339: Chapter 296: The Strings of the Qin

When Catherine told the other musicians about this story, they just laughed and thought she was letting her imagination run wild.

How could a harp turn into a nightingale? Such an absurd idea.

No matter how Catherine tried to explain and even took people to see her empty harp, no one completely believed her; at best they were half-convinced.

The reason was simple, Catherine was known in the Music Academy for being obsessed with music, she often described to the other musicians her mystical experiences while playing, which were filled with all sorts of whimsical embellishments. And now, the more she claimed her harp had become a nightingale, the more people believed this to be just another embellishment, because it was just too preposterous.

Catherine felt dejected that no one believed her story, but at the same time, she was filled with curiosity and anticipation about the foreign woman.

"Her words actually came true, and not just empty promises!"

In a corner where no one paid attention, Catherine muttered to herself over and over again.

When her lover, Prince Tyrone, climbed over the towering walls to sneak in and came to Catherine’s courtyard in the cover of night, Catherine recounted the story of the harp strings turning into nightingales once again.

She told it so vividly, as if it were true.

"Is this another figment of your imagination?" Tyrone, the prince, asked.

"No, it’s true!" Catherine insisted, fearing her lover wouldn’t believe her, she emphasized again,

"It really is true!"

Tyrone clearly didn’t care whether Catherine’s story was a real event or another fanciful tale; what he desired was simply a moment of closeness with her.

Tyrone was the third prince of the Kingdom of Danschel, with two older brothers ahead of him. The throne was far beyond his reach; one might say it was destined to elude him for life.

It was for this reason that Tyrone could sneak out of the palace late at night to meet with his lover, Catherine, in the music academy of the Kingdom.

Even during their rare moments of tenderness, Catherine’s mind was still preoccupied with her harp strings that had turned into nightingales.

My fifteen harp strings turned into nightingales, when will they return?

If they do return, will they turn into nightingales again?

All kinds of chaotic thoughts filled Catherine’s mind.

Under the moonlight, the night wind came, passing through the empty harp without any hindrance.

Days later, Catherine visited the residence of Solamus, the foreign woman whose words could come true.

Catherine excitedly told Solamus,

"My harp strings really turned into nightingales!"

Solamus nodded and said,

"I know."

Suddenly feeling somewhat disheartened, Catherine said,

"The musicians don’t believe me; they all think my story is a fantasy."

Solamus just smiled and didn’t say much else.

Through this incident, Catherine fully realized that this mysterious foreign woman might truly come from a place where dreams become reality.

Catherine and Solamus played the harp at the residence until dusk fell.

As they were parting, Catherine couldn’t help but ask suddenly,

"Are you a divine being?"

Solamus asked back with some surprise,

"Why would you say that?"

Catherine slowly replied,

"Turning the harp strings into nightingales, I feel that only divine beings could do such a thing."

Solamus just smiled and told her,

"I’m not a divine being, Catherine. Look at those divine statues, does any one of them have a face like mine?

Turning harp strings into nightingales, in my homeland, anyone can do it."

Catherine revealed a deep curiosity after hearing this. She could hardly believe it, yet she had no choice but to believe.

"Then your homeland must be truly magical..."

Catherine hadn’t finished speaking.

Suddenly, Solamus spoke up,

"Catherine, I know that you seem to have a lover."

Catherine was startled, truly startled. She leaped up from the ground and then stared stiffly at Solamus.

"How do you know?"

She seldom talked about her lover to anyone. Only a very few people knew about this romance—with a Prince, no less. If everyone found out about her affair with the Prince, oh Gods, who knew what would happen?

But how did this foreign woman, Sola, know? Who could have leaked the secret?

Catherine’s skin crawled with goosebumps.

"Catherine, I advise you to leave him,"

Solamus counselled,

"Otherwise, he will bring you pain."

Catherine was very stiff.

By the time she returned to the Music Academy, she had thought it over all night and still hadn’t heeded Solamus’s advice.

This music-obsessed woman seldom pondered too much. She cast this matter aside into a corner of her memory, living life as usual: playing her instrument, visiting Solamus, and secretly meeting with Prince Tyrone, just like before.

Solamus did not bring up the matter with Catherine again.

Normal life continued for half a year. The people of Danschel got used to the presence of the foreign woman and no longer crowded the streets to follow her movements. When the Goddess of Spring took the rushing rivers with her and the intense autumnal atmosphere swept through the Royal City, suddenly, news came from the Palace that the Crown Prince had passed away.

The Crown Prince fell from his horse while hunting and just so happened to hit his head on a rock. He groaned for two days and then died.

Life is unpredictable; it all happened too suddenly.

After the nation mourned, the second prince was established as the new Crown Prince that autumn. Tyrone, the third prince who had seemed unlikely to succeed to the throne, suddenly saw a faint opportunity to reach out for it.

The previously casual and lax third prince seemed like a completely different person overnight. He began to spend long hours in the Palace, appearing frequently before the King and the Ministers, no longer sneaking out to meet his lover, Catherine.

Finally, as winter approached, Tyrone sent a letter breaking off their relationship.

Catherine trembled all over that day, clutching her empty harp and crying madly. She couldn’t believe this reality.

In the Music Academy, few musicians knew what this music-obsessed woman had been through. They simply considered her actions as some sort of unconventional search for inspiration.

The following day, Catherine went to Solamus’s residence. She didn’t speak of the breakup, but the foreign woman seemed to know everything as if she were a prophet.

"Why didn’t you storm into the Palace?"

Solamus asked.

Catherine paused, giving a bitter smile.

Musicians in Danschel held a special status. They were not just performers of music but also priests of the Divine. Their presence was a staple at every major ceremonial occasion.

In this small kingdom, even if a musician offended the King, the latter often couldn’t do anything about it.

After a while, Catherine said softly:

"I thought about it... I thought about charging in there, loudly scolding him, creating a huge scene, and disgracing him. He cares about his reputation, but I never do...

But I don’t know why I just couldn’t do it, I couldn’t make up my mind..."

Solamus looked at Catherine gently.

Catherine raised her face, locking eyes with the foreign woman. She felt a little intimidated, there was always some magical power about this foreign woman.

"Sola... do you know why?"

Catherine asked absent-mindedly.

For some reason, this music-obsessed woman felt that the foreign woman before her surely knew her heart’s struggles, struggles she herself couldn’t face.

The feeling was unprovoked.

"A harp has fifteen strings, your heart intimately knows each one, and you know what you want to play. Before you even start, you hear the music. "

"The Music Academy is a harp, you know what lies within it, my residence is also a harp, and you know what you will encounter here... But what about the splendid Palace, or the vast world beyond? Are they also harps? What if they are a different instrument? If they are indeed harps, how many strings do they have? Only fifteen as well?"

"Catherine, you are afraid because you don’t know what fate you will encounter, and fate is the string of the Divine."