He was born with talent.

And the fruit of rigorous practice repeated since childhood was,

'Genius.'

A word he never doubted would define him forever.

But that vain expectation came to an abrupt end in a sudden carriage accident.

When he realized his fingers could no longer keep up with the pieces he used to play for practice, he felt fear for the first time in his life.

They said he was lucky to be alive,

But what meaning does a life of just existing have for a pianist with ruined hands?

Since then, he quit the piano and never left the mansion.

As soon as his future hit rock bottom, his so-called parents Immediately adopted a child who seemed more talented.

A 'replacement'.

He knew it even without a name being given.

Trying to suppress the cold, chilling emotions he felt upon first seeing them,

There were times he prayed that the child would fail to meet their expectations.

However, a short while later, as if by a cruel twist of fate, his parents also passed away in a carriage accident, leaving only him and his 'replacement' in the vast mansion.

Though he vowed never to play the piano again,

At the same time, a longing to awaken that talent while projecting his past self onto the child began to crawl up.

Contradictory emotions soon tore him to shreds.

The thrill and pure joy felt when listening to a performance, followed immediately by the despair of remembering his own situation.

He was sick and tired of these repetitive, tediously monotonous cycles.