If there was one thing Lamenta knew a lot about it was the beauty that existed in the night. But if there was anything else she knew a lot about, it was music.

Having traveled with her parents every step of Carmine and Caroline's career before and after creating the persona Count Crescendo, Lamenta got to know all kinds of genres of music and dance.

Like her parents, Lamenta loved the musical arts, especially dancing. Lamenta had always been a shy girl, and what she liked most about dancing was that it didn't necessarily need words to express how the dancer was feeling. All she needed was her body, the music, and her heart.

But despite her father's specialty being pop music, Lamenta's true favorite was classical.

Lamenta loved to play beautiful music on her violin, she loved going to operas and ballets, and she loved to dance ballet too.

Lamenta loved the stars, and she loved ballet, so it was no surprise that in the garden on a beautiful starry night like tonight, Lamenta donned her purple ballerina dress and her favorite lavender slippers, and danced gracefully under the stars.

La-la-la

La-la

La-la-la

I may not be a ballerina

But I'll always dance

And I may not sway in partner

But I'll know romance

Counting each step with steady breath

I'm practicing my pirouette

I'll move without apology

And every step will set me free

Lamenta gracefully stood in an arabesque and turned as beautifully as a ballerina on a music box.

I will always dance and dream of my plié

They'll see with just one glance

Me land a grand jeté

They'll smile and they'll all talk

I prance in steps I walk

'Cause I will always

Dance

Lamenta had no music playing, but she could hear an orchestra in the night when she took the time to listen, the sounds of the wind in the trees, the sound of crickets chirping in the night, and the beautiful sight of fireflies in the night added to the joy in her dance.

Despite her initial stage fright and the fact that she was only four years old, going on five, Lamenta knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She had dreams of being a prima ballerina in one of the biggest ballet companies in the galaxy.

Her mother came from a long line of great dancers, and her parents originally planned to send her to a fantastic ballet company once she graduated music school. But just before graduation, Caroline got pregnant, meaning she had two choices: either get rid of the baby, or put her career on hold. And as you may have guessed, Caroline chose the latter.

Initially, Caroline's parents were furious at both her and her then boyfriend Carmine.

Caroline's father seriously considered disowning her, but Carmine stuck by his lady and said to his future in-laws, "Caroline and I both had a part in creating this baby. Yes, it'll be difficult to raise him or her ourselves especially while we're still so young, and yes it'll be harder for us to have both a steady career and a steady relationship with the kid and each ither, but that doesn't mean it's impossible."

And Carmine finished with the same thing Caroline always told him and their daughter, "Every dancer has their times when they fall. What makes a dancer truly strongest is when they have the courage and the will to get back up."

And Carmine and Caroline both worked really hard before and after graduation to get their lives together. Upon graduation, Carmine got a job at a music shop where he put his knowledge to good use while Caroline continued to practice dancing as her pregnancy progressed. Her doctor said that she could still dance as long as she didn't do anything too strenuous during the pregnancy or right after birth.

The day Lamenta was born, her parents felt that they couldn't be happier.

Very soon, it was going to be her coronation day, her biggest celebration yet. All her other birthdays, Lamenta didn't do much. The first because her parents couldn't afford to give her much, not that she could remember, but her second birthday, they brought her to her first real ballet in the most beautiful theater in the galaxy, and their seats were amazing. And it was that performance of Swan Lake that inspired Lamenta to want to be a ballerina. The way the swans danced in such time and harmony so gracefully, the way the dancers were so light on their feet, the illusion of flying when the orima ballerina gave her biggest grande jete. Magnificent.

Lamenta hummed to herself as she continued her dance. The fireflies seemed attracted to her as they flew around her while she practiced her turns.

"Someday, I'm gonna be dancing on a real stage." Lamenta told herself. "I'll pirouette, glissade, grand jete, and bourre with pride and joy, truth, and passion."

Carmine was in bed with his wife that very same night, when he suddenly got thirsty. He quietly got out of bed, but gently planted a kiss on his wife's head.

Ever since they'd first moved in together, Carmine did his best to be a good husband and father. He might not have been away for random periods of time in a war like his twin, but that didn't mean he didn't face difficulties from time to time. Working retail and sales at the music store didn't pay well enough for him to be able to afford his old apartment, and when their baby was born and Caroline's parents died, Caroline couldn't get a job or afford a nanny. Carmine just didn't feel right making his wife get a job and have to leave the baby at home; even if they could afford a nanny, they didn't feel right leaving their baby with anyone else. They were both exhausted enough with taking care of their baby alone.

So, Carmine ended up getting a second job as an assistant piano teacher at a school near where he and Caroline lived. But it wasn't enough to be able to afford their apartment, Lamenta's pediatrician, and food. And then, he got a third job working in a clothing store. But between all those jobs, grocery shopping, watching their budget, and taking care of Lamenta on occasional sick days he had to take when Caroline got sick, Carmine was exhausted all the time.

It wasn't until one day when Carmine decided he was tired of how difficult things were for his girls. He hated that he had to spend so much time away from his wife and child just to provide for them, and he believed they deserved better. So, he he rolled up his sleeve, grabbed the guitar his grandmother gave him, hid his face under a blanket, and recorded himself playing a song and posted it on the holo-net. To his surprise, he got a lot of likes and comments in a matter of hours. So, he posted another video, which got more likes, then another with more likes, then another with even more likes and even several shares, and then he moved up to hiding behind a veil made with some old material, and then he looked into an old spell book his grandmother gave him and found a couple of spells that would allow him to transform his hair and clothes in a matter of seconds.

Soon, he got contacted by record labels, and he found one that gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. One tour later, his voice was famous across the galaxy, and he became Count Crescendo.

Anyway, as he was returning to his room after getting a cup of cold water, he heard someone humming outside.

Carmine followed the sound to the garden and saw Lamenta, awake and dancing. He watched her for a little while. He knew how much Lamenta hated being interrupted in the middle of a dance routine. And she was dancing so beautifully.

She was as graceful as a swan, as beautiful as an easter lily, shining bright like a little star.

Lamenta dancing now, it reminded Carmine of the first time he'd seen Caroline dancing at music school. The whole class was astonished, and it didn't surprise Carmine that every guy was attracted to her. But to his surprise, she rejected every guy who tried to ask her out, but she had no problem approaching him when the teacher said to pick a dance partner.

But, Lamenta inherited her father's shyness, which made it hard for her to perform despite her natural talent. She managed to sing in front of her parents and her cousins, but she still hadn't mastered performing in front of people. How was she going to handle her coronation in a few weeks.

Lamenta still didn't do well with crowds. She sometimes turned invisible during big events, especially in the event she got separated from her parents and wanted to get back to them. But she was a princess, so she had to get used to that sort of thing. It was already hard enough when people learned she was the daughter of Count Crescendo's manager. Paparazzi swarmed her anytime she was visible, and she hated the constant flashing of the cameras getting into her eyes.

"Oh, Little Lamb." Carmine sighed. "If only you knew just how wonderful it would be if everyone could see how beautiful and talented you really are."

Lamenta finished in a beautiful reverence and started yawning as she was finally ready to go back to bed.

The little girl began walking back to the door to get back to bed, when she found herself being picked up by her father.

"Daddy?" Lamenta said.

"Back to bed, Little Lamb." Carmine said, kissing his daughter's head and carrying her back to bed.

The song Lamenta sang were the beginning lyrics to a song called "I Will Always Dance" from the 2022 remake of Pinocchio. I thought it was a great song.