Chapter 50
“Sniff… You’re really such kind people.”
I pretended to look worriedly at Lorang, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying for so long, and expressed my admiration.
His short blonde hair, almost like a crew cut, gave him a boyish charm that was hard to find in his age group. My brother and the second son of Count Romenel I approached before were also blonde, but they seemed incomparable.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“Yes… I’ve shown such an embarrassing side to strangers…”
Growl–
Lorang tried belatedly to gather his wits, but his stomach knew no shame. However, this was soon an opportunity, so I immediately looked at Cassion.
“We haven’t had lunch yet, would you like to join us? Honey.”
“I’ll go order.”
“Ah, no, I couldn’t impose that much…”
“It’s fine. We’re travelers unfamiliar with this town, so let’s chat together.”
“If you insist… Thank you…”
Though his face turned bright red, Lorang didn’t refuse twice. Throughout his speech, his stomach kept growling loudly or softly, suggesting he might have been starving for quite some time due to lack of money.
Good, good. There’s no one easier to persuade than someone who’s hungry and desperate. Heaven is on our side.
“Seeing your art supplies, you must be a painter?”
“Yes. I draw portraits on the street a bit.”
“Oh my, how lovely. Actually, we’re newlyweds, and we’d love to commission a painting of us. What do you think, honey?”
“Sounds good.”
“That’s great.”
As Cassion, who had already returned from placing the order, nodded his head, Lorang’s face lit up. But soon he looked at his damaged paints and cracked easel and teared up again. Please stop crying already.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but without materials… sniff… it seems impossible.”
“Don’t worry. Since we’re commissioning the painting, we’ll cover the cost of materials. In return, you have to paint us beautifully, okay?”
“Yes, yes! I’ll do my best. Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Only then did Lorang’s tears finally stop, and the innkeeper bringing food from afar clicked his tongue. He probably thought we were a gullible couple who had been swindled by a beggar.
“Well then, shall we eat first and then go out? I’d like a place with the most beautiful scenery in this town.”
“I’ll guide you, madam!”
“Oh, how wonderful. Let’s eat then.”
Though his words were directed at me, Lorang’s eyes were fixed on the lightly steaming stew and bread. He must be quite hungry.
His patience was evident in the fact that he didn’t immediately dig in. After I took the first bite to make it easier for him to start, Lorang began to move his spoon hurriedly.
“By the way, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet. I think I heard earlier… Lo… Um. Was it two syllables?”
“Yes! Ah, no. It’s Ron. Just Ron!”
He happily answered “Yes!” intoxicated by the bread, but then shook his head belatedly.
I exchanged a smile with Cassion. It didn’t seem like it would be difficult to get information out of him.
***
“That hill under the tree over there would be good. It’s a spot where you can see the village scenery well. And since it’s shaded, you won’t get too hot even if you sit for a long time!”
“That sounds nice. Are you a local?”
“Hehe. Thank you. It’s not my hometown, but I’ve been settled in this village for over 20 years now, so I’m practically a local.”
We spread out a large cloth we bought on the way in the shade and sat down, chatting casually.
Lorang, setting up his art supplies, looked hopelessly cheerful.
“Would you like the painting to be colored? Or should I do a charcoal drawing…?”
“Whichever you think suits us best. Your skills seemed quite good from what we saw earlier.”
“Then, although it will take a bit longer, I’ll color it to really bring you two to life.”
His expression loosened up happily just from being treated to a meal and receiving a few compliments.
We had already confirmed the scenery near the capital and the imperial palace among the sample drawings he showed us, and since there was no one around, we exchanged glances to start the real work slowly.
“But you seem to be struggling a lot despite your skills. With your painting ability, wouldn’t you have more work opportunities if you went to the capital…?”
“The, the capital… The capital is a bit…”
“If you want, I can arrange a place for you in the capital.”
“We’re from the capital, you see. If you come to the capital, we could sponsor your artistic activities.”
As Cassion chimed in appropriately and I matched his words, Lorang’s expression honestly stiffened. Isn’t that too obvious?
“What do you think?”
“I appreciate the offer, but the capital is a bit difficult for me… I really want to go too, but…”
“Oh my. If you don’t dislike the capital, what’s the problem?”
“What?! No, there’s no problem! I misspoke. So, I, ah! I don’t like crowded places! Haha! That’s it!”
“You could stay at the house we sponsor and only work indoors. In the capital, rather than drawing people on the streets, they invite people to their homes or go to studios to create portraits, you know?”
“Really? Indoors? I guess the trends in the capital have changed a lot…”
“Oh my! Have you been to the capital before?”
Isn’t this coming out too easily with every poke? Cassion was starting to look suspicious, wondering if this might be a trap, given how easy it was to get information out of Lorang.
But if even that cold sweat was an act, he should have become an actor instead of a painter.
“Ah, no, it’s just that when I was young, I visited very briefly! Really shortly! I haven’t set foot there since!”
“So you got tired of it after that visit. When was that? Oh, you said you settled in this village about 20 years ago, so around that time?”
“Yes, yes. I was in my late teens, so it was a very long time ago.”
“I see~. But the capital has changed a lot these days compared to the past. It might be good for you to visit again after so long.”
“Ah… Ahaha. No, I… I have debts… I like this village…”
Lorang’s expression was full of regret, as if he was dying to return to the capital. Seeing his increasingly gloomy expression, I wondered if he was still properly painting.
While we had the purpose of probing Lorang, I also genuinely wanted a painting of Cassion and me.
“Do you have a wife or children?”
“No. I’m alone.”
“That’s a shame. Being alone would make it easier for you to move. By the way, how is such a handsome man still single? If you weren’t married, I might want to snatch you up myself.”
“…Asilia.”
Cassion looked at me, acting as if he was genuinely jealous. Lorang, seeming to relax again at that sight, chuckled and moved his hand.
“How could someone like me, with nothing to my name and so old, deserve someone like you, madam? You match very well with your husband.”
“Old? You look like you’re in your early thirties…”
“I’m forty-three.”
“Oh my!”
Oh my, does that mean he had an affair with the Empress and had a child at seventeen? He must have been completely smitten.
“You really do look young, Lorang.”
“Actually, I hear that quite often. Haha!”
I called him by his real name, Lorang, very naturally. Lorang didn’t seem to notice that I had called him ‘Lorang’ instead of ‘Ron’, and he continued to chuckle carelessly, scratching his head.
Because of that, some paint smudged on his face, emphasizing a cheerfulness unbefitting a man in his forties… to the point where he looked somewhat foolish. This person really is hopeless.
“By the way, you two… are nobles from the capital, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
“Both of you are dressed modestly and don’t have any attendants, but you have an aura different from ordinary people.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard such a thing in my life.”
“I’m a bit sharp, you see. Hahaha!”
Cassion sneered, having been treated as a mere mercenary without pedigree and pointed at as a duke in name only for his entire life, but Lorang thought it was a compliment and laughed proudly. He even threw in a wink, which was really hopeless.
“Actually, my husband is a duke.”
“Asil.”
“What’s the problem, honey? There’s no one else here to hear us.”
“A, a duke, you say?”
“Oh, Lorang. There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Just continue painting, please.”
“Yes, yes!”
Lorang, who was about to jump up and bow, hurriedly sat back down. He probably thought that even if we were nobles, we’d be minor nobility from the outskirts of the capital. So much for being sharp.
“You see, it hasn’t been long since he received his dukedom, and we wanted to sponsor you for the future history of our family. Are you really not interested in coming to the capital, Lorang? We’ll provide you with money and accommodation generously.”
“How about this much.”
As Cassion showed the amount with his fingers, Lorang’s jaw dropped. He gulped and his eyes sparkled, making it obvious what he was thinking.
He’s probably thinking that since it’s been over 20 years, even the Empress wouldn’t recognize him if he quietly returned to the capital.
Having decent painting skills but being forced to flee to the countryside at a young age, struggling with money, how much must he want to go back?
“Can I… Can I think about it for a while?”
“Of course. Oh, can we take a look at our painting? Or did you want to show us when it’s finished?”
“Not at all! The basic sketch is mostly done, so if there’s anything you’d like to change…”
Lorang’s voice trembled with inner conflict.
Ah, if I had known he would give in this easily, I could have kept pretending not to know and just called him Ron, bringing him to the capital.
I got ahead of myself, thinking we needed to push him.
“It looks wonderful. I don’t see anything that needs changing. Don’t you agree, honey?”
“Mm.”
Still, we need to be 100% sure. Shall we start in earnest now?
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