Shadow Queen

Chapter 43

“I’m afraid it will interfere with Your Majesty more than me…. I’ll sit down. Thank you for your care.”

She was wondering what excuses to make, but Elena agreed, pulled out her chair and sat face to face. It’s better to be criticized first, and they’ll meet several times in the future while she’s in the academy. It was inevitable forever, and even if it was inconvenient, it was a measure to be taken in.

She heard only the sound of going over the bookshelf in silence. Neither side spoke to each other for quite a long time. Elena was the first one to leave. She left the reading room quietly and without making any noise.

“…”

Shortly after Elena left the reading room, Sian looked up. His melancholy gaze turned to the empty chair where Elena had been sitting a moment ago. Sian couldn’t take his eyes off what he was thinking.

***

Raphael’s eyes did not fall from Ian’s portrait that Elena had left behind. The eyes with deep thoughts were not just looking at it as a picture, but rather an attempt to approach the nature of the painting.

“Are you still doing this?”

As usual, Cecilia, who brought food in one hand, looked at Raphael with worried eyes.

“Yes, I’m still like this.”

Sadness was in Cecilia’s eyes when she saw Raphael, who was tired of agony.

“Aren’t you thinking too hard? Drawing is developed by drawing.”

“I thought so too, but it wasn’t.”

Raphael stared at Ian’s portrait on the easel. Not only did the composition and balance fall, but the expression of contrast was not very good. At first glance, it was fine, but if you look at it carefully, it was a painting that was not enough.

It’s a painting, but he couldn’t take his eyes off it as if he was being sucked into it. He was under the illusion that he was fascinated by the warm and happy energy he felt in that painting.

“What, that lack of confidence.”

“I’m a little tired.”

“Why don’t you take a break? They say taking a break is part of the effort.”

Raphael shook his head.

“That’s too far to go.”

“You always underestimated yourself while not in front of the professors. In my opinion, your paintings will remain highly praised even if you debut in the art world right now.”

Cecilia was not wrong. In the meantime, Raphael has improved with Elena’s advice. It was great enough to raise the level of the art world to a few levels with innovative techniques that could overturn the art world even with the air perspective. But Raphael disagreed.

“The portrait contains the life of the person who lived his life.”

“Do you want to say that the portrait you drew contains that?”

“Yes.”

Cecilia turned her head and stared at Ian’s portrait on the easel. She was quite knowledgeable about the painting and had an eye for it, but she couldn’t find what Raphael was talking about.

“I’m sorry, Raphael. I really don’t know.”

Cecilia just spoke honestly as she felt. Not because Elena had bad feelings, but because Raphael was overwhelmingly superior in the level of expression, technique, and coloring when compared to the painting itself. Her words might be comforting, but Raphael listened with one ear and shed it with the other.

“Why isn’t she coming? She’s been here regularly.”

“Miss Lucia?”

Raphael nodded and recalled Elena of the day. As soon as she finished the painting, she couldn’t even breathe and cried.

“Why did she cry?”

“Did she cry?”

“Yeah. She cried in pain.”

“…”

Cecilia couldn’t take her gaze away from Raphael. He looked different from usual, but Raphael never noticed.

“I’m worried about her, too. Do you want me to meet her?”

“Don’t do that. I don’t want to burden you.”

“Why is that a burden? It’s because I’m worried.”

Raphael dissuaded Cecilia as if he really didn’t want it.

“I’m just going to wait a little longer. I want to.”

“…”

Cecilia suddenly wanted to ask Raphael. Have you ever waited for me? However, the words could be a burden, so she swallowed them in her heart and smiled as brightly as usual.

“Let’s do that! Miss Lucia, as we know, will be back soon. So hang in there and wait.”

“Yes, you’re the only one.”

Raphael laughed as he watched Cecilia patting her shoulders. She could see his smile in a few days, but Cecilia felt bitter somehow. So she forced herself to smile more brightly. It’s always been like that.

***

“Go slowly. You don’t have to go fast, so be careful. Do you understand me?”

Khalif, seated next to the horseman, constantly nagged. What was inevitable was that there were dozens of expensive paintings in the carriage. The paintings were purchased by investing all the money that Elena received, and he was shocked by the wagon and worried that it might be damaged.

“Oh, I’m nervous. Why is she so into making me nervous?”

Khalif kept shaking his legs to see if he could calm down.

Today was the first step in art. It was also a day when everything prepared was evaluated as a result. As much as he paid close attention, he was confident that he would do well. However, the problem was that the collector who would like to meet now was not a regular aristocrat.

He was shocked and worried about the damage.

“I’m glad the first customer is Princess Veronica… but isn’t it too strong?”

In a way, it was natural for Khalif to tremble. Who is Princess Veronica? She is the daughter of the Grand Duke Friedrich, who dominates the empire. It was irrelevant to say that she was the next strong successor under the current law of the empire, which allows women to succeed to the throne. Being able to make a deal with Princess Veronica as an art dealer was an opportunity to break through the checks of established art dealers at once and hold a firm position.

In fact, Khalif expected to see Princess Veronica with Lucia. As Lucia’s close friendship is said to be strong, he predicted that it would work more positively on the deal. But in yesterday’s meeting, Lucia embarrassed him by saying that she couldn’t go with him.

“Why can’t I go? If I get caught by my father, I’ll get in trouble. I’m pretending to be a good daughter. And the more we do this, the more we have to distinguish between public and private matters. I’m only going to introduce myself, you’re only going to trade, and the Princess will buy. This is the cleanest and most comfortable deal.”

At first, he thought she might be handing it all over to him, but when he listened to it all and thought about it, it made sense. He cannot rule out the possibility that the line that should be kept in mutual transactions may be broken due to the friendship.

“Even so, I think I’m the only one who’s having a hard time…”

From recruiting a middle-class painter to commissioning painting brokerage, to hiring a part time worker. There has never been an easy time for Khalif. It was not an exaggeration to say that even if he had two bodies, his work bursts out enough.

In fact, it was Elena’s intention to roll Khalif in this way. Elena had seen the failure of aristocratic children who inherited the family business in their past lives because they failed to operate them properly.

Therefore, it was believed that learning to roll directly from the floor could lead to the operation of the business with sincerity even if a subordinate was called later. The reason was that she couldn’t move herself, but there was such an arrangement for Elena driving the work to the point where she thought it was too much.

“Oh, no more thinking. Let’s not make mistakes today.”

Khalif constantly muttered to himself and took up his mind. In the meantime, the carriage reached a detached dormitory on the east side of the academy. It was said that it was a place where only a few of the most prominent families and the royals could stay since the founding of the empire, but it was definitely different from the dormitory where Khalif stayed.

“Calm down.”

The horseman pulled the reins to stop the carriage. Khalif, who reached his destination, took a deep breath and got off the carriage.

“What brings you here?”

Hurelbard, a knight wearing armor with the seal of the great house, demanded identification.

“My name is Khalif de Gea, an art broker. I’m here to introduce it to Princess Veronica. Here’s an ID.”

Hurelbard scrutinized his credentials for perjury.

“There was a message from Your Highness the Princess to serve you respectfully. Please come inside.”

“Thank you.”

Khalif carefully carried the paintings to the four workers and followed Hurelbard. May led him through the building and as he entered he admired the inside view of the dormitory with even a small garden.

“You can get ready in this drawing room.”

“Okay. Now, bring it inside.”

On the other side of the sofa where Elena would sit, he installed an easel and hung the painting to introduce first. He didn’t forget to cover it with a cloth for a dramatic introduction.

“We’re all set. Tell Your Highness the Princess.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Soon after May went up to this floor, he heard the sound of shoes stepping on the stairs.

Khalif was nervous and swallowed his dry saliva. He’d seen her two years ago, but he’d never had such a close relationship. Moreover, he couldn’t help but be nervous because he was meeting the Princess as an art broker, not as a student at the same academy.

Princess Veronica came down the stairs.

She was not wearing a school uniform, but a dress with a blue light like the sea.

‘P-pretty.’

Khalif opened his mouth and admired. She was superior and she was a trembling beauty. She was a benevolent beauty that can only give a glance to a man with a simple outfit even if she was not very stylish. No, it was somewhat insufficient to express her in the word beauty.

‘… The atmosphere is crazy.’

Princess Veronica’s elegant grace seemed to be breathtaking. It was the authority that made him look up and bow down. He was just standing and he felt overwhelmed. It wasn’t learned, but even godliness came from the natural nobility that naturally flows from the body.

‘She’s not the a I’d dare to look at.’

While attending the academy, he had a chance to see young ladies from a few aristocrats. Among the dogs were Duke Reinhardt’s eldest daughter Avella.

‘It’s impolite to even compare her to Princess Veronica.’

Avella was just lucky to be born and treated as the first daughter of a Duke, he could not feel the noble figure or dignity that a great noble family should have from her.