Duke Ximel’s husband, Orleans, glanced at his daughter.
“Father, this is the 20th time you’ve looked at me today. You should look straight ahead.”
It was something he did in secret, but his daughter seemed to be watching it out of the corner of her eye.
While he was caught, Orleans took a close look at Alois.
His daughter’s face, which had been as lifeless as dry wood for a while, was clear. Even a faint smile was lingering on the face that seemed like it would break at the touch of a hand.
Orleans was very happy about his daughter’s change, but at the same time he was curious and a little worried.
“Are you all right, Alois?”
“That’s the fifth question today. Is my condition not good enough for my father to worry about?”
He lowered his voice so that other nobles around him couldn’t hear.
“That’s not what I mean. Isn’t it the first time you said you’d go to the auction first. I know you’re interested in art, but the public auction is…what can I say?”
“It’s boring, uncomfortable, and too public, isn’t it?”
“Oh, my, Alois!”
“It is held in the name of Hadasa, but Hadasa is not here. It is an event that hints to the people of the empire that no matter how powerful the nobles are, they have no choice but to be mobilized with a single command from Hadasa. Like a clown who desperately needs to make a party attractive while the host is away.”
Alois was still smiling as her father neatly summarized the key points of the auction that had been blurted out.
Before Orleans, who was stunned, could even close his mouth, Alois rolled the corners of her eyes.
“But it’s not that it’s uncomfortable or that I don’t like it. It’s a natural thing for us living under the imperial sun. Moreover, I ended up purchasing a wonderful painting at a private auction held in the imperial palace courtyard.”
What Alois said was a ‘wonderful painting’ was actually not that great a work of art.
Every noble who participated in a private auction knows that the event doesn’t require an eye for art or a behind-the-scenes battle of wits to obtain a good painting.
They just need money and judgment. It is the ability to calculate how much gold and jewels, which are clearly going to be used as slush funds for the organizer, to give so that loyalty is not questioned, and how much to minimize losses.
Aloise, who participated in the first auction, raised her hand on the first painting. And she immediately made the highest bid.
Everyone there was surprised. The host, Diana, also looked surprised at the amount that shocked not only Orleans but also Bradbury and Menelik.
“Princess Alois. I thought it was fortunate just to hear that you, the jewel of the West, were in good health, but now that I get to see you in person, I am so happy. You remind me of when I was young, and it fills me with new emotions.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty the Regent.”
Alois answered softly and calmly, but the expressions on the nobles’ faces when they heard the title she chose were not calm.
They heard that the princess of Ximel has been absent for a while. Isn’t she really ignorant of the current situation? Of course, since she is the regent who represents the emperor, it is correct to call her majesty, but isn’t it still time to be careful?
It seemed as if she could hear the inner thoughts of each person as they glanced at each other, but Diana was not surprised this time.
Diana looked at Alois for a moment and smiled softly. Orleans read Diana’s muttering lips. Clever, she certainly said so.
Alois’s opportunity was over, so his daughter left with the painting.
It doesn’t matter because the amount bid at the auction wasn’t that much money by Ximel’s standards. Since the title “Your Majesty, Regent” is also correct according to etiquette, the whispering will subside for a moment.
There will be rumors that Cimel is leaning toward the empress consort, but that’s about it. His wife and Ximel’s master is someone who can pull any word she wants, so there won’t be a big problem.
However, Orleans’s mood was as complicated as if it had been disturbed throughout the auction.
‘Did Alois really like the grip? Was that all?’
Alois, smoothly ignoring her father’s gaze still on her face, took a sip of chamomile tea.
Like her father, she was also thinking about a private auction, but the timing was a little different. What Alois recalled was after she bombarded the auction with just three words.
After informing Ximel’s servant of the winning bid amount, Alois glanced down the dreary hallway of the imperial palace.
The guards at the imperial palace are strangely few. Even the few guards are gathered in the courtyard where the auction is held.
Alois, who won the bid for the first painting, was given time to move around the imperial palace without anyone stopping her. Diana made herself known by paying a high price, and Alois, who took off her servants who were busy carrying the gold, headed straight to the north.
Her steps were relentless as if she were going the way she already knew.
Alois raised her head after passing through a complicated corridor and standing on a land where a few dry trees were planted, unlike the bright and fresh courtyard. The North Tower was visible. She also saw a man with black hair looking into the distance.
Alois mentioned the name of the green-eyed boy from Rodante.
“Revinas.”
Disturbingly dark and red eyes turned downward at the call.
The moment he identified the owner of the voice, the faint anticipation that had permeated his gaze disappeared at once, and Alois watched for several seconds as numbness filled the empty space.
Nevertheless, Alois didn’t waste any gold she paid for this work.
All the way back to the courtyard, voices passed through her ears like hallucinations.
“Oh, my. You look bad, Princess. Did you get lost? Or do you want to get some fresh air? There’s a place where you can rest quietly, so would you like to go?”
On the night of her first and last meeting at the Imperial Palace, when she had to leave by saying she needed to change clothes because the meal was so uncomfortable, a voice led her to the North Tower.
“The garden in which you stand now is off limits. Go back.”
The voice of a boy with glasses who looked down at an uninvited guest who appeared suddenly and was very neat and calm.
“The story is over, Your Highness.”
The voice of Revinas, who was walking away with a friend with the same eye color, was the reason he dared to cut off the Duke’s conversation.
Even after moving to the public auction, Alois’s brow furrowed as she was captivated by the voices. Does he know?
The reason why his friend whom he thought terribly got caught in a fire accident might have been because of her mother, Duke Ximel.
As she thought back to Patricia’s report that everyone who asked about the red-haired girl after the fire had been salty and clueless, her heart felt tight again. Alois raised her gaze as she habitually sipped her chamomile tea.
The sun broke over the square in the capital. It was the moment when she continued her meaningless work of counting the pieces of sunlight that swallowed the view.
Clank—.
“Alois?”
Her teacup rolled over.
Orleans suddenly grabbed her arm and shook it, but Alois’s eyes were focused on one place.
‘Lucette.’
It was a place where the silhouette of a person who couldn’t exist had disappeared.
****
“This is really cool. The size is overwhelming, but more than anything, Vladin’s imperial knights are depicted as very brave. They look like leopards or lions rather than people. They were so fierce during the conquest of Peter’s country.”
“This bust is very elaborate. He is said to be a great admiral who expanded Vladin’s borders a long time ago? Ah, he was both an admiral and a prince, so the bust remains like this.”
“This is my first time seeing such a large piece. How much does something like this cost? It must be very expensive, right?… I wondered why there was no answer, but Luce was just looking at it without saying anything.”
“I guess Lucete likes painting? She looked at it very closely.”
“That’s right. Did this kid have this kind of taste? I’ll know if you’ve seen something like this before
Isaac and Dominic, who overtook Luce’s thoughts, got along well.
‘This is all propaganda. It’s all for propaganda purposes.’
She knew it as soon as she saw the first painting, which was so huge that it felt intimidating, and she was convinced by looking at the other exhibits.
These grips and sculptures were not intended to cultivate the culture of the imperial people or to be purely charitable, as Arthur said.
‘Thru used art as a tool to praise Vladin’s brilliant achievements. Look at the paintings depicting recent battles placed next to the portraits and busts of historically victorious generals and admirals, naturally implying that Vladin’s glory will continue as it did in the past. It’s creepy.’
Arthur, who was reminiscing about past auctions, said that there were mainly paintings of flowers or paintings of the imperial palace.
But now, why is the auction exhibition hall filled with propaganda art? Isaac’s words came to mind.
“Usually the person who shows off their adultness is the younger person.”
Showing off means something lacking. It means that the political situation is turning in the opposite direction to the grand and dazzling picture.
Who chose these pictures? Whether they choose it consciously or unconsciously, there is only one answer.
‘The person currently in power over Vladin is in a very unstable state.’
Luce, who was thinking about the anonymous comment that the auction was the beginning of thin ice, quietly swallowed a headache medicine.
Duke Ximel’s husband, Orleans, glanced at his daughter.
“Father, this is the 20th time you’ve looked at me today. You should look straight ahead.”
It was something he did in secret, but his daughter seemed to be watching it out of the corner of her eye.
While he was caught, Orleans took a close look at Alois.
His daughter’s face, which had been as lifeless as dry wood for a while, was clear. Even a faint smile was lingering on the face that seemed like it would break at the touch of a hand.
Orleans was very happy about his daughter’s change, but at the same time he was curious and a little worried.
“Are you all right, Alois?”
“That’s the fifth question today. Is my condition not good enough for my father to worry about?”
He lowered his voice so that other nobles around him couldn’t hear.
“That’s not what I mean. Isn’t it the first time you said you’d go to the auction first. I know you’re interested in art, but the public auction is…what can I say?”
“It’s boring, uncomfortable, and too public, isn’t it?”
“Oh, my, Alois!”
“It is held in the name of Hadasa, but Hadasa is not here. It is an event that hints to the people of the empire that no matter how powerful the nobles are, they have no choice but to be mobilized with a single command from Hadasa. Like a clown who desperately needs to make a party attractive while the host is away.”
Alois was still smiling as her father neatly summarized the key points of the auction that had been blurted out.
Before Orleans, who was stunned, could even close his mouth, Alois rolled the corners of her eyes.
“But it’s not that it’s uncomfortable or that I don’t like it. It’s a natural thing for us living under the imperial sun. Moreover, I ended up purchasing a wonderful painting at a private auction held in the imperial palace courtyard.”
What Alois said was a ‘wonderful painting’ was actually not that great a work of art.
Every noble who participated in a private auction knows that the event doesn’t require an eye for art or a behind-the-scenes battle of wits to obtain a good painting.
They just need money and judgment. It is the ability to calculate how much gold and jewels, which are clearly going to be used as slush funds for the organizer, to give so that loyalty is not questioned, and how much to minimize losses.
Aloise, who participated in the first auction, raised her hand on the first painting. And she immediately made the highest bid.
Everyone there was surprised. The host, Diana, also looked surprised at the amount that shocked not only Orleans but also Bradbury and Menelik.
“Princess Alois. I thought it was fortunate just to hear that you, the jewel of the West, were in good health, but now that I get to see you in person, I am so happy. You remind me of when I was young, and it fills me with new emotions.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty the Regent.”
Alois answered softly and calmly, but the expressions on the nobles’ faces when they heard the title she chose were not calm.
They heard that the princess of Ximel has been absent for a while. Isn’t she really ignorant of the current situation? Of course, since she is the regent who represents the emperor, it is correct to call her majesty, but isn’t it still time to be careful?
It seemed as if she could hear the inner thoughts of each person as they glanced at each other, but Diana was not surprised this time.
Diana looked at Alois for a moment and smiled softly. Orleans read Diana’s muttering lips. Clever, she certainly said so.
Alois’s opportunity was over, so his daughter left with the painting.
It doesn’t matter because the amount bid at the auction wasn’t that much money by Ximel’s standards. Since the title “Your Majesty, Regent” is also correct according to etiquette, the whispering will subside for a moment.
There will be rumors that Cimel is leaning toward the empress consort, but that’s about it. His wife and Ximel’s master is someone who can pull any word she wants, so there won’t be a big problem.
However, Orleans’s mood was as complicated as if it had been disturbed throughout the auction.
‘Did Alois really like the grip? Was that all?’
Alois, smoothly ignoring her father’s gaze still on her face, took a sip of chamomile tea.
Like her father, she was also thinking about a private auction, but the timing was a little different. What Alois recalled was after she bombarded the auction with just three words.
After informing Ximel’s servant of the winning bid amount, Alois glanced down the dreary hallway of the imperial palace.
The guards at the imperial palace are strangely few. Even the few guards are gathered in the courtyard where the auction is held.
Alois, who won the bid for the first painting, was given time to move around the imperial palace without anyone stopping her. Diana made herself known by paying a high price, and Alois, who took off her servants who were busy carrying the gold, headed straight to the north.
Her steps were relentless as if she were going the way she already knew.
Alois raised her head after passing through a complicated corridor and standing on a land where a few dry trees were planted, unlike the bright and fresh courtyard. The North Tower was visible. She also saw a man with black hair looking into the distance.
Alois mentioned the name of the green-eyed boy from Rodante.
“Revinas.”
Disturbingly dark and red eyes turned downward at the call.
The moment he identified the owner of the voice, the faint anticipation that had permeated his gaze disappeared at once, and Alois watched for several seconds as numbness filled the empty space.
Nevertheless, Alois didn’t waste any gold she paid for this work.
All the way back to the courtyard, voices passed through her ears like hallucinations.
“Oh, my. You look bad, Princess. Did you get lost? Or do you want to get some fresh air? There’s a place where you can rest quietly, so would you like to go?”
On the night of her first and last meeting at the Imperial Palace, when she had to leave by saying she needed to change clothes because the meal was so uncomfortable, a voice led her to the North Tower.
“The garden in which you stand now is off limits. Go back.”
The voice of a boy with glasses who looked down at an uninvited guest who appeared suddenly and was very neat and calm.
“The story is over, Your Highness.”
The voice of Revinas, who was walking away with a friend with the same eye color, was the reason he dared to cut off the Duke’s conversation.
Even after moving to the public auction, Alois’s brow furrowed as she was captivated by the voices. Does he know?
The reason why his friend whom he thought terribly got caught in a fire accident might have been because of her mother, Duke Ximel.
As she thought back to Patricia’s report that everyone who asked about the red-haired girl after the fire had been salty and clueless, her heart felt tight again. Alois raised her gaze as she habitually sipped her chamomile tea.
The sun broke over the square in the capital. It was the moment when she continued her meaningless work of counting the pieces of sunlight that swallowed the view.
Clank—.
“Alois?”
Her teacup rolled over.
Orleans suddenly grabbed her arm and shook it, but Alois’s eyes were focused on one place.
‘Lucette.’
It was a place where the silhouette of a person who couldn’t exist had disappeared.
****
“This is really cool. The size is overwhelming, but more than anything, Vladin’s imperial knights are depicted as very brave. They look like leopards or lions rather than people. They were so fierce during the conquest of Peter’s country.”
“This bust is very elaborate. He is said to be a great admiral who expanded Vladin’s borders a long time ago? Ah, he was both an admiral and a prince, so the bust remains like this.”
“This is my first time seeing such a large piece. How much does something like this cost? It must be very expensive, right?… I wondered why there was no answer, but Luce was just looking at it without saying anything.”
“I guess Lucete likes painting? She looked at it very closely.”
“That’s right. Did this kid have this kind of taste? I’ll know if you’ve seen something like this before
Isaac and Dominic, who overtook Luce’s thoughts, got along well.
‘This is all propaganda. It’s all for propaganda purposes.’
She knew it as soon as she saw the first painting, which was so huge that it felt intimidating, and she was convinced by looking at the other exhibits.
These grips and sculptures were not intended to cultivate the culture of the imperial people or to be purely charitable, as Arthur said.
‘Thru used art as a tool to praise Vladin’s brilliant achievements. Look at the paintings depicting recent battles placed next to the portraits and busts of historically victorious generals and admirals, naturally implying that Vladin’s glory will continue as it did in the past. It’s creepy.’
Arthur, who was reminiscing about past auctions, said that there were mainly paintings of flowers or paintings of the imperial palace.
But now, why is the auction exhibition hall filled with propaganda art? Isaac’s words came to mind.
“Usually the person who shows off their adultness is the younger person.”
Showing off means something lacking. It means that the political situation is turning in the opposite direction to the grand and dazzling picture.
Who chose these pictures? Whether they choose it consciously or unconsciously, there is only one answer.
‘The person currently in power over Vladin is in a very unstable state.’
Luce, who was thinking about the anonymous comment that the auction was the beginning of thin ice, quietly swallowed a headache medicine.
