45

"So please let me leave it there a little longer. Please."

When Raphael came out like that, Elena couldn't insist on taking the picture off anymore.

"Since you say it's helpful, I won't."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"Hey, I think you can let go of this hand now…"

Elena raised her wrist in embarrassment. Only then did Raphael let go of her hand to see if she was hurt.

"I've been rude without even realizing it. I'm sorry."

"Y-you didn't mean to."

Elena was quite surprised, even though she was trying to pretend nothing was wrong. But she changed the subject as if nothing had happened, thinking that Raphael would be more sorry if she kept showing signs of embarrassment.

"Can you paint well?"

"No."

Raphael laughed bitterly. It was a smile that held long agony.

Elena felt sorry. In other words, she drew a picture to help, but she was worried that it might have caught Raphael's ankle.

'What should I do? If he can't get over the slump…'

Elena's gloom deepened. She had heard countless stories of artists who couldn't cope with the burden and weight of art, who fell into a slump and collapsed. Raphael was a master of the times, so there was no way he would do that, but it was pitiful to see him in so much pain.

'Is there any way I can help you?'

Elena continued to feel uneasy because Raphael's slump seemed to stem from her. So she thought of a way that would help Raphael in a way that would not backfire.

'Oh! That!'

A good idea flashed through her mind. She was sure that the method would work well.

"Senior."

Raphael glanced at Elena's low call. Elena smiled at what she was trying to say, but her short, flickering hair made her look cute.

"…"

Raphael stared at Elena as if something had possessed him. Now, on top of Elena's smile was the image of her crying, breathless at that moment. It did not leave Raphael's eyes.

"I want to learn how to paint. Step by step from the basics."

"Are you trying to learn from me?"

Elena nodded with a smile.

"Who else is here besides you, senior?"

"That's true. It's so unexpected…"

Raphael was at a loss for the unexpected proposal. Well, it was the same in the first meeting, but Elena must have a knack for embarrassing him.

"I don't want you to force me to teach you, I just want you to look at my work sometimes when you have time or when you get stuck in a drawing."

There is a saying that one learns by teaching. When you teach others, you can also see your own inadequacy, which means that you reflect on yourself and develop through the process of supplementing them. Elena wanted to give Raphael an opportunity to develop further through her own inadequacy.

"Did I ask you too much?"

"No way."

Raphael regained his composure.

"Actually, I felt sorry, too. I thought Miss Lucia's talent might make her a better painter than me."

"Oh, that flattery is too much."

"It's not flattery, it's my honest opinion."

Elena felt a little burdened because Raphael was so highly appreciative. However, if Raphael's paintings could advance through this process, she was willing to take this much anticipated burden.

"Then you'll let me, right? You can't get sick of it later."

"Lucia, be prepared. I'm a bit strict."

"Well, I wouldn't be a very easy student. Then let's shake hands as a gesture of kindness."

Elena held out her thin and white hands and smiled.

'You are my teacher in my past life, and in this life, too.'

The connection was strange indeed. Elena didn't expect to be connected in such a way. She was even happier that the connection was not a bad one.

Raphael laughed awkwardly and wiped his hands on his clothes before turning to face her, as if the situation was awkward. At the same time, he found himself inwardly pleased with the new relationship he had formed. He felt as if he had moved away from a simple senior-junior relationship with her and had become much closer. Elena, who let go of the hand she was holding face to face, said with a will.

"Will the class be okay from today, senior?"

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Raphael readily agreed. It's time to establish the first class between teacher and student.

"Is this the right place."

Elena and Raphael turned their heads at the same time to the low voice.

"…!"

Surprised at the moment, Elena opened her eyes wide. The identity of the voice was none other than Crown Prince Sian.

"I see you again."

"… Greetings to Your Highness."

Confusion was just a passing emotion, and Elena's body was bowing to him with instinctively disciplined manners. Sian, who had been eyeing etiquette that would only be seen in the Imperial Palace, turned his eyes.

"Are you Raphael?"

"It's an honor to see you again, Your Grace."

Raphael bowed his head as if he had already met Sian.

"Is this your studio?"

"That's right."

"I'm here to see Cecilia, but she didn't come here."

Sian looked around the studio and revealed that Cecilia was the reason he came here. Presumably, Sian was looking for her for some reason, and Cecilia seemed to be avoiding him.

'The Empress is truly a blessed person.'

She thought it was all in the past, but Elena felt bitter again. Even though Elena desperately craved for it, she felt that she was being treated excessively. It was too obvious.

"I haven't seen Cecilia in days."

"Is that so."

With his unique expressionless expression, Sian looked closely at various things, including Raphael's paintings hanging here and there in the studio, human proportionality under study, and anatomy.

"Cecilia praised you for being the artist who represents the times."

"I'm still not enough."

"It seems she's telling the truth. I can even sense your genius through my lacking eyes."

Despite the praise of the future emperor, Sian, Raphael only bowed his head and was not very pleased. The truth was that he was not satisfied with his own painting, but even if it was a compliment from the Crown Prince, what was the point?

Elena looked at Sian and inwardly hoped that he would leave the studio quickly. It was less than the first meeting, but still uncomfortable for Elena to face Sian.

Sian, who was admiring the works in the art room as if he were in a salon, stopped at one work.

"Did you paint this painting?"

"…!"

It almost took Elena's breath away. The painting pointed out by Sian was a portrait of Ian drawn by Elena. More than ten paintings of Raphael's hung in this studio that would be enough to rise to the ranks of masterpieces. But Elena was embarrassed because Sian put them all aside and pointed out Ian's portrait.

"No, this is a painting by Miss Lucia here."

"You?"

Sian reacted unexpectedly, glanced at Elena and turned his gaze back to the painting.

'Why did Your Majesty do that painting…'

If she could, she wanted to turn back time so that Sian wouldn't see Ian's portrait. Aside from painting bad, Sian's eyes, which had been looking at Ian with contempt during his lifetime, kept overlapping and made her suffer. It would be nice if he didn't say anything. Despite Elena's wish, Sian seldom left in front of Ian's portrait.

Why? Why? Why was Sian paying so much attention to Ian's portrait? Elena was just eagerly hoping and hoping that he would quickly get his interest and leave.

"I don't know."

Sian's expression looked somewhat complicated as he opened his mouth after breaking the long silence.

"This angelic child's smiling face… I don't know why it makes my heart pound so hard."

"…!"

Elena cried. She couldn't get the words of the proposal out of her head. There was no common sense in it. This whole moment was like a lie. Sian didn't know who Ian was. He couldn't know. Nevertheless, the lump of one corner of her heart melted with the tenderness felt in Sian's gaze at Ian's portrait. It was late, it was very late, but Ian can still catch his father's warm eyes.

"What's your relationship?"

"… My brother."

'He's your son.'

Elena swallowed, holding back her feelings. She knew it was the truth that no one in the world could believe. She was sorry for Ian, but she had no choice but to borrow a younger brother who didn't exist in the world.

"I see."

Sian nodded small, and held the portrait in his eyes again.

"Please, I hope you grow up well."

Elena was now angry at Sian and was quick to swear. He hadn't seen him once in his life.

Why was he so cruel then? Many words that couldn't be poured out were stuck at the end of her throat.

'Don't say anything.'

There's no Ian anywhere in the world. He's not even in his father's memory. He only exists in Elena's memory. Why didn't he look around Ian a little earlier? She couldn't bear to hear him say such warm words now because he was so hateful and resentful.

Eventually Elena collapsed.

After letting go of everything, the tears Elena had been holding back flowed from her eyes. She didn't even have time to calm down her emotions before she burst into tears as if she were coughing. Elena's tears made Raphael and Sian quite embarrassed. Especially Sian, who saw her tears for the first time, felt very embarrassed.

"Why are you crying?"

"…"

"Did I make a mistake?"

Sian seemed to be at a loss as to what to do in such a case. If he knew exactly why, he would have done anything to comfort her, but he had no idea why she was crying.