68

"Miss Lucia, would you like to come and see?"

Raphael ignored Ren's words and said to Elena.

"Now?"

"Yes, it's much better than I thought, so I'd like to show you."

Recently, Elena had never seen the portrait. She was afraid that Raphael would feel overwhelmed if she asked to see them. Even though she was curious, she held her ground, but she wanted Raphael to come first. She thought that he might feel burdened in his own way, and Elena was willing to go and see it.

"I'll look then. I'm looking forward to this."

Elena walked behind the easel and stood behind Raphael. Elena looked at the portrait on the canvas over Raphael and let out an exclamation.

"It's still incomplete, so please take that into consideration."

Elena raised her framed glasses and slowly looked at the painting. It was so highly finished that it didn't differ much from the days when he was in his prime.

'I wonder if I've ever been this refreshing?'

Elena's appearance in the portrait looked ladylike and full of life. The smile that gently bloomed on her face naturally made the viewer feel closer to her and gave a sense of comfort. What was obvious was that the portrait contained an impression that she had never shown when she was pretending to be Veronica.

"How is it?"

"I was surprised because it wasn't like me."

"Like a scam? It doesn't look like her."

Elena's frank statement was interjected by Ren, who was behind her. Raphael, who didn't even feel he was worth answering, continued to speak.

"That's when I said, I saw the light. I thought it was a strange feeling. Quiet but peaceful, graceful but pure. I tried to express all the mystery of it."

"Stop it. My face is burning. I can't hear it."

When Elena waved her hand, Raphael turned to the canvas with a gentle smile.

"A little sincere, isn't it?"

"Yes, I can feel it. Too well."

Elena's face smeared a smile. It was still incomplete, but she was sure. Raphael overcame his slump. This was because the touching friendliness and mysterious warmth that she felt when she saw Raphael's famous paintings in her past life was imbued in the portrait.

"Congratulations, senior. You're out of the slump."

"Thanks to Miss Lucia. Thanks to you, I think I can keep my promise."

"Promise?"

"Art festival entry. I think I'll fit in when I'm done with the finishing touches."

Elena's expression brightened. She was hoping for it, but her heart was already beating to think that she could submit Raphael's work to the art festival.

Elena dared to bet. It was an innovation. The art world would be in an uproar. In what appears to be a simple portrait, Raphael has, in a single painting, broken through the limitations of representation utilizing an old-fashioned framework and standardized techniques. He broke through the limitations of portraiture, which tries to capture appearances in a single painting, and even tried to depict the life and times of the model.

'It's this year. He's coming into the world two years ahead of the original history.'

The masters of the era under L's patronage would be joining Raphael as the lead runner. The moment the salon Randol was building was completed, the architectural world would be on tenterhooks. What about Diaz's basilica, what about the garments of the revolutionary designer Christina? The music of the genius composer Centonio would be unveiled, and the appearance of the orator and thinker Lil' Puccini, dubbed the "typhoon of the new era," would cause the breathless people to rise up. A new era would open soon.

"Wow, it's light. Light. Did I get goosebumps? This is a murder. You tried to kill me by soiling my ears."

"…"

Even in such an emotional moment, Ren acted uniformly and struck a second. Once, the word motherfucker was eternal motherfucker, and the words hung in her mouth.

It was then. The wooden door, which had been tightly closed, opened and an unexpected face visited. It was Sian.

"Greetings to Your Highness."

Elena and Raphael got up and greeted him politely. The visit came suddenly and without warning, but as he had often visited the art room, they were not confused. However, there was another problem.

"Why are you here?"

Sian's expression got cold when he found Ren sitting in a chair in a corner of the studio.

"I came here because I wanted to see someone. Your Highness, isn't this a humble place to be in?"

"It sounds like you have someone you want to bully."

Sian openly set the edge on Ren.

"Woah, woah. Calm down. We've been making up and getting along well these days. Don't you think so, junior?"

"…"

"If you ignore me in this situation, I'll get like that."

Despite Elena's lack of answers, Ren seemed to care little about it. Then Sian turned his head and asked,

"Are you all right?"

"Me? Yeah, well. I think I'm okay."

Elena answered Sian's unexpected question with a lot of embarrassment.

"I see."

The conversation was short, but there was no one in the studio so insensitive that they did not notice that Sian cared about Elena.

"What. Am I the only one feeling bad right now?"

"…"

In the strange sense of disharmony, Ren openly talked, and Raphael kept his mouth shut and saved his words. The response was different, but the eyes were full of doubts.

The most troubled was Elena, who was caught in the middle. With the heartfelt mind of Sian she had never received, Elena was both grateful and unruly and confused. Elena stared at Sian in front of her, not taking her eyes off him. Even when she had first met him in the academy after her regression, she could see Sian of her past life overlapping. Every time she ran into him, the scars of her past tingled and she felt the pain like a thorn in her side.

But she didn't care anymore. From a certain moment, it didn't hurt to face and interact with Sian. It had been the same earlier. When he had appeared as if by chance and saved her from Avella, she had been so grateful.

As Elena's thoughts deepened, the cheek-opened wooden door opened and Cecilia entered forcefully.

"I'm here. I've packed a bunch of sandwiches for you in the studio today, too… Huh? Oh! Y-Your Highness was here?"

Cecilia, who greeted Sian, found Ren sitting crooked in the corner of the studio and opened her eyes like a deer.

"Senior Ren, Faculty of Swordsmanship?"

"That's my name. It's an honor to see you, Cecilia."

Ren smiled and pretended to be close, as if he had already seen Cecilia. Cecilia was standing in a perplexed expression. It was burdensome to deal with Sian over the past incident, but she didn't know how to deal with it, as there was even the most sardonic Ren in the academy.

"Hey, why are the members in this damp cellar so colorful?"

Ren, excited by the appearance of a new face, pointed one by one with his finger.

"Our Highness, who will lead the empire in the future. He's a very good man."

Ren applauded loudly as he introduced Sian. Sian ignored him, as if he didn't feel he was worth dealing with.

"Cecilia, the only child of the noble Count *Willem. Ah! I'd even have to add the words 'the next powerful Crown Princess', wouldn't I?"

(T/N: Even though it's said that Count Lyndon is her father, this is not a mistranslation. The name is really "Willem" instead of Count.)

Cecilia tried to plead something, but she closed her mouth when Ren continued.

"My artist friend who is considered a genius at the academy."

Ren's eyes were fixed on Elena.

"Lucia, the secretive schoolgirl who confused me and bewitched His Highness."

Elena's expression was frowned at the vulgar expression. Bewitched. Ren's misleading choice of words was annoying.

"Lastly, Ren Bastache. Isn't that creepy? You can do anything with these members. Let's clap, clap."

Ren, who was very excited by himself, clapped his hands. He even gave them a look as if he wanted a response, but everyone looked at Ren with disapproval as if they had promised.

"You don't know how to enjoy things. I'm the only one who looks like a villain."

Although he made a painful sound, it wasn't Ren to be despondent by this.

'Ha, how did this happen? It's been off since some time ago.'

Elena's head was throbbing with a rushing headache. Except for Raphael, these were all people she hadn't wanted to meet during her time at the academy. The bad connections from her previous life was so strong that she would rather they not see each other for their own sake. However, when she opened the door, they found themselves looking at each other in this cramped basement, connected by fate or bad fate, dancing together more intensely than in their previous lives.

"…"

When Ren fell silent, a silence fell upon the basement. The situation had become so tangled that it was difficult for anyone to break the ice first.

Sian and Ren did not get along well, and Cecilia was awkward with Sian without realizing it because of the matter related to the appointment of the Crown Princess. Raphael's status made it difficult for him to treat people well, and Ren didn't get along with anyone. Still, Elena's relationship was the most naturally formed, aside from their past fates. Oh, other than Ren.

He was also very ironic. In their original history, they had no contact. Not only that, but they had never been together, at least not all of them, although Sian and Cecilia had formed a matrimonial bond.

'It's because of me. It's all gone wrong because of me.'

Elena had to admit. That the reason these members, who had never had any contact with each other, began to gather in the cramped basement was because of the intervention of Lucia, who had never been in their lives before.

Elena let out a low sigh. These were the people who had gathered here because they were separated by Elena. If not a sense of responsibility, at least she wanted to make this awkwardness go away.

"Senior, didn't you say you brought sandwiches earlier?"

"Huh? Uh. I brought it because I thought you were starving again."

"Good. I was hungry."

Elena smiled and took the basket that Cecilia was holding and put it on the table. The number of sandwiches packed was just right.

"What are you staring at?"

"…"

"Senior went through a lot of trouble to bring it here. Let's have a sandwich instead of staring at each other."

Raphael, who had been sitting awkwardly at Elena's suggestion, grabbed a sandwich. Cecilia, embarrassed to remain silent, took out the tea she had prepared and poured it into an empty cup.

"They're not poisoned, are they?"

Ren approached and looked around the sandwich in the eye.

"Don't eat."

"Oh, big one. Thank you for the food."

Ren also picked up a sandwich and started chewing. Only the last one left standing, Sian, was unable to fit it in, and he was standing there in an awkward position.