Gratitude

The young man who was invited onto the stage was tall and slender, with salient muscles that indicated hard physical labor he clearly had to do on top of being an artist. He was wearing simple clothes—plain black pants and a loose white shirt that was evidently tailored several times, either because of his rapidly developing body or the poor quality of the shirt's fabric.

The plainness of his attire, however, did not make his looks bleak in the slightest. He was indeed a gorgeous young man—tanned skin, prominent features, thick black eyebrows, dark brown eyes framed by thick black lashes, a sharp nose, and full lips that looked as if they had never smiled before.

His hair was black as charcoal, curling down his neck and shoulders akin to serpentine.

The artist stood out among the rest of the people in Geraldion, and Melania couldn't help but wonder—could his ancestors be from Lafad, too?