Chapter 35 – He Was A Beautiful Man

 

TL: Kay (kkrivulet)

“I heard the painter came to see you today. What did you think? Did you like it? I heard from Gazeff that the painter is particularly well-known for portraits.”

“Yes. He’s a very skilled person. But…….”

“But?”

“I made a mistake.”

Alicia’s shoulders drooped.

“A mistake? What mistake?”

“I received a suggestion about learning to paint and painting myself, and I accepted it.”

“That’s what you meant by ‘mistake’.”

Cabellenus replied lightly.

“I shouldn’t have done it without Your Grace’s permission. It wasn’t my own decision to make.”

This was why it was dangerous to enjoy good things.

If you become a little careless, your greed would rush out, and you would make mistakes.

Alicia gave a slight sigh and grimaced.

Cabellenus stood in front of her, clicking his tongue at the deflated looking Alicia.

“I don’t mind you approving that much. Don’t make the face of a sinner.”

“But…….”

“You’re going to do a bigger job, but if you’re afraid already from doing that much, it’s going to be difficult.”

“A bigger job?”

Alicia raised her head and looked up at Cabellenus.

“Yeah. It’s a very big thing.”

Cabellenus’s hand wrapped Alicia’s shoulder.

“I’ll do anything.”

“You don’t know what I’m going to make you do .”

“I can do anything for Your Grace.”

Alicia’s thin hand gripped the back of Cabellenus’s hand.

It was sincere.

She was not simply saying it. Alicia really would do anything for Cabellenus.

“Hearing you say that makes me happy.”

A smile spread over Cabellenus’s mouth.

Alicia returned his smile and blushed.

“I didn’t assign Mrs Morco to you for no reason. If there is a problem, she will take care of it, so don’t worry about it alone and focus on making yourself comfortable.”

Cabellenus’s thumb gently stroked Alicia’s eyes.

Alicia focused on the tip of his fingertips with her eyes slightly closed.

The slow sweeping motion felt like a consolation to soothe her.

“Besides, it will be noisy for a while, so it will be much better if you have something to focus on.”

“It will be noisy? Why?”

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s a problem that will be over in no time.”

Cabellenus briefly kissed Alicia on the forehead.

Alicia accepted Cabellenus’s gesture and leaned against his chest.

She liked the pounding of the heart along with the warmth felt through the thin cloth.

She knew it was ridiculous, but at that moment, she wished for time to stop.

* * *

“You have talent.”

At James’s compliment, Alicia blushed and looked at the canvas.

The portrait of her mother, which she and James had drawn sequentially, was close to completion.

Once all the paint dried and they added another coat, it would really be over.

“It would have been impossible  without James’s help.”

She didn’t want to cry, but when she saw her mother smiling in the portrait, her voice became hoarse without her knowledge.

In the painting, her mother, embellished with a beautiful dress and jewels, looked like an elegant lady, not a monster that everyone had pointed at.

That fact made it difficult for her to hold back the laughter of joy.

“I’m only helping now, but later, you’ll be able to paint well enough on your own.”

“But, I don’t have the confidence to do it alone…….”

“You don’t have to think too hard. Not only portraits but landscapes and still lifes paintings are fine. You only have to paint something you like. It’s a record, after all.”

“Record?”

Alicia tilted her head.

“Even if a person dies, the painting remains. And, it makes the moment that you captured on the canvas last forever. That’s why I like painting. I think painting is a part of the mind that’s recorded forever.”

“…….”

“The more you draw, the better your skills will be. So don’t feel too much pressure and draw anything you like. The most beautiful paintings in the world, after all, contain the heart. That’s what I believe.”

James pulled out a sketchbook from the briefcase he brought.

He then suddenly handed the sketchbook to Alicia.

“This is a sketchbook that I carry as a spare.”

“Sketchbook?”

“Whenever I think of something or want to draw something, I simply sketch and record it. I’ll give you one too, so fill it up. I’m sure it will help a lot.”

“Thank you.”

James laughed at Alicia’s smile.

“Today’s class is over.”

Mrs Morco, who noticed the strange atmosphere between the two, quickly intervened.

She already knew that Alicia liked Cabellenus, but it was just in case.

The young painter was so beautiful that even the experienced Mrs Morco’s heart pounded for no reason.

It would not be strange if Alicia, who was in her prime, would be shaken as well.

“I don’t know why every class ends so early.”

Alicia showed her regrets without filtering and drooped her shoulders.

She liked learning.

Everything was strange yet fasincating, and it excited her.

Every time she tasted a new world, the sensations that she had forgotten came to life.

It made it clear that she was really alive.

“If you are feeling disappointed, would you like to learn more?”

“Pardon?”

“If the lady doesn’t mind, I can give you more time and teach you how to sketch.”

“Can I do that?”

Alicia’s eyes sparkled like a child, and James’s smile deepened.

Ever since he received a firm order to come here, he had been curious and afraid about how great the person was.

However, he encountered a woman with bright eyes, and James did not hate the innocent young lady who tried her best to learn anything.

Instead, it was close to a good feeling.

She was quite different from other nobles.

“I believe there are countless things to draw in the world. The way you look at it and when you think you need to draw something will definitely bring about different perspectives. You may not know what to sketch, so I’ll instruct you for today.”

“Then I won’t refuse.”

Alicia nodded shyly.

It was now quite familiar for her to judge and make decisions for herself.

* * *

“Are you very cold?”

James looked at Alicia with anxious eyes.

The woman, who was trembling despite being tightly wrapped with a thick coat, seemed pitiful.

“No. It’s bearable.”

Alicia shook her head with a pale face.

A lot of time had passed, but she had not got used to the bitter cold.

Nevertheless, Alicia tried to straighten her back rather than shrink from the cold.

The Schwarhan people she had met so far were not affected by the cold.

So Alicia hoped that she would get used to Schwarhan’s cold as soon as possible.

Things that were different stood out, but at the same time, it also meant that they did not belong anywhere.

Alicia did not want to remain a stranger anymore.

“You must be sensitive to the cold.”

“I came from a place where there was no winter. Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen snow.”

Her frozen breath turned white.

Alicia stopped sketching and looked up at the sky.

The memories of Neinstein were still vivid, but it was difficult to determine which direction Neinstein was.

“If there’s no winter, are you from the south?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“You must miss your hometown.”

“Miss…….”

Alicia stared at her white breath while in a daze.

The cold here was so brutal that the people who survived were considered impressive.

Compared to Neinstein’s climate, which was warm throughout the four seasons, Schwarhan’s cold weather brought to mind what Mrs Morco said about the land being abandoned by God.

Nevertheless, Alicia liked this frozen land.

The chilling cold was painful, but it made her feel alive again.

“It’s because my hometown is a place that I forget and remember. You might miss it someday.”

“Do you really think so?”

As Alicia spouted a meaningless reply, she avoided James’s gaze and moved her hand that had stopped.

She didn’t want to go into a deep conversation about what her hometown meant to her.

“That’s why I came back here.”

“Is James from another region, too?”

“I was born here, but I actually lived in the capital longer than Schwarhan.”

“If it’s the capital of Blanche, is it Alogurst?”

Since she spent most of her time reading books, her knowledge was increasing day by day.

Alicia tilted her head as she recalled the glamorous painting of the capital she saw in the book.

“Yes. After studying painting there, I went from place to place and returned to Schwarhan. I was curious about the wider world.”

“You must have travelled for a long time.”

Alicia’s face was filled with curiosity. James’s smile grew a little deeper.

“If it weren’t for the grilled salmon, I would have been wandering around the world right now.”

“Grilled salmon?”

“It’s a dish of freshly caught salmon with only salt, and it is grilled whole. It’s simple but surprisingly a delicacy. Especially when I eat grilled salmon, I like to eat it as a whole. My face and hands will be all covered with soot with oil flowing through it. It has to be eaten in this manner to feel like I’m eating it properly.”

“…….”

“Isn’t it surprising?”

James nodded lightly as if he knew everything.

He was well aware of what others thought of him.

“People only see what they want to see and think accordingly. However, that’s just a subjective impression. You can’t really get to know that person properly. It’s a bad habit. But those who paint need that subjectivity.”

“…….”

“You don’t just have to be honest with what you see. If that happens, everyone will end up painting the same picture.”

James pointed to Alicia’s sketch with his hand.

Alicia wasn’t bad from the start.

That was why her ability improved significantly just by learning the basics properly.

However, her sketches were static.

It was very different from when she had painted the portrait of her mother.

“Drawings have no format. Be more comfortable and draw what you want to draw.”

“If it’s something I want to draw…….”

Reflexively, Alicia clenched her hands.

In fact, there was one more person she wanted to draw besides her mother.

“Alicia.”

For a moment, she heard a low voice.

Alicia blinked slowly.

At first, she thought she heard wrong, but it wasn’t an illusion.

Cabellenus was right behind her.

“Your Grace.”

Alicia quickly turned around to greet Cabellenus.

After recognising his presence, a smile spread naturally all over her face.

“What the hell are you doing out here? Isn’t it cold?”

Cabellenus naturally pulled Alicia to his side.

He didn’t know how long she had stayed outside, but Alicia’s body was very cold.

Cabellenus touched Alicia’s hand, which was frozen like ice and clicked his tongue briefly.

He was worried that she might catch a cold because she was already so weak.

“I’m in class.”

“I thought today’s class was over.”

Alicia’s class hours had already passed. It wasn’t class time now.

Because he knew the fact better than anyone else, Cabellenus was annoyed by the scene he saw through the window.

He had to endure it but eventually stopped what he was doing and walked all the way here.

Cabellenus laughed briefly, recalling the documents piled up like a mountain in the Oval Office.

Schwarhan had not received a distinguished guest in a long time.

Due to the urgent focus on survival alone, the party culture had declined a lot compared with the capital.

It was unavoidable to be busy due to his absence, but he also had to deal with the envoys that would soon arrive.

“It’s an extended class. When I felt disappointed that class was over, James kindly offered to give me extra classes.”

It was unusual to see Cabellenus at this hour.

Alicia chattered like a child who had received a surprise gift.

However, contrary to her excitement, Cabellenus only narrowed his eyebrows slightly.

“James?”

“Oh, Your Grace hasn’t met James?”

Again, it was James.

Cabellenus furrowed his eyebrows significantly more than before, but Alicia was unaware of the fact.

“……Is he the painter?”

“Yes, James Nixon. He’s the teacher who teaches me painting.”

Following Alicia, who turned her head towards James, Cabellenus’s head also moved.

He was a new painter who had lived abroad for a long time and had no personal connections in Schwarhan. But it had not been long since he came to Schwarhan, and he was already a rising talent who quickly drew attention.

In the first place, Cabellenus had little interest in art, so he only chose a painter based on the conditions his subordinates had arranged. Cabellenus, himself, had never actually met James.

After hearing such an old-fashioned name which was rarely used anymore, he assumed that it was someone old.

But in reality, James was much younger than Cabellenus thought.

And, most of all, he was a beautiful man, too.

Cabellenus, who realised the fact belatedly, narrowed his eyes.