Chapter 69

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 6, 2025

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Chapter 69

#69. Art of the North (2)

Since that day, whenever I had spare time, I kept working on completing the painting bit by bit.

The painting featuring Ariana and Mary was done in two versions: Neoclassicism and Romanticism.

For the Neoclassical version, I highlighted the heroic aspects of Duke Ariana with armor and a sword.

In the Romantic style, I emphasized the beauty and camaraderie between Mary and Ariana.

“Painting can be this fun, huh?”

Back on Earth, I couldn’t paint anywhere near as well as this.

But in this body of Arad, I could do anything like a golden touch – except for real combat, where I sucked at everything else.

Thanks to this golden touch trait, I started getting seriously into painting.

I could draw everything I’d seen or imagined exactly as I wanted.

This became my new joy and hobby.

“That’s right! I should paint a few standalone portraits of Ariana too since the original reason was to paint a portrait of the Duchess of the North!”

“If we’re starting, let’s try Impressionism too!”

“Surrealism or Cubism for Ariana might be… risky… Let’s try these styles with Mary instead.”

Before I knew it, I ended up painting different versions beyond the initial work.

And about half a month passed.

“Hmm… Doesn’t this feel kinda stalkerish…?”

When I came to my senses, I’d already entered the realm of obsession.

In my third-floor bedroom, there were 23 portraits and figure paintings of Ariana and Mary done in various artistic styles lined up.

The 50-pyo-sized room had transformed into something like an art gallery.

“Ugh… Was I crazy or something?”

Looking at this space of madness…

There was no way I could stay sane.

“I should probably return to normal life now.”

Anyone who saw this would have freaked out.

After burning bright and short, I decided to calm down this hobby.

* * *

Lately, Ariana had been worried about Arad.

He was doing his work at the company half-heartedly and always left early.

He even postponed his usual tutoring sessions for a while.

“What on earth is he doing?”

Given how eccentric he was, she wasn’t really surprised anymore, but worry was a separate matter.

Of course, she’d asked him what he’d been up to recently.

Every time, Arad would just grin and say “secret”.

“It’s not because of painting, right?”

The first thing that came to mind was painting.

“Surely he’s not diving headfirst into painting again like when he made bags and prosthetic limbs?”

She did have some suspicions, but quickly dismissed them.

“For paintings of that size, it would take time to finish, and there are two of them after all. Even if it’s Arad, he’d take his time and work slowly.”

The Arad from back when he was making bags and prosthetic limbs was before he started his serious business ventures. He was almost like a slacker back then.

That Arad and the current one were clearly different.

From Ariana’s perspective, Arad was an adult who strictly separated work and personal life.

Above all, it didn’t seem plausible that someone as capable as Arad could go crazy over painting alone.

“There must be some problem!”

So Ariana’s thoughts turned elsewhere.

“Could it be… he’s seeing someone?”

The worst possible assumption.

“Lately, he’s been going to the main building unusually often!”

Ariana’s heart felt colder than ever upon imagining Mary’s face.

“Why didn’t I know about this? I haven’t received any reports!”

Just imagining it made her hands and feet tremble.

“But this is Arad we’re talking about. He must have prepared for everything.”

Ariana abruptly stood up from her work.

“Lady Mary? Is there something wrong?”

As soon as she stood up, the employees in the office looked at her.

“Where is the boss?”

Regardless of whether people were looking or not, Ariana immediately searched for Arad first.

“He said he had work to do and left early today, didn’t he?”

“!!”

Arad had gone home early today again. And without even telling her.

Of course, Arad had informed her and the other employees that he’d be leaving early for the time being, but none of that mattered to Ariana right now.

“I’ll leave early too.”

Ariana put on her fur coat and went outside.

Then she went into the stable set up like a parking lot, got on her horse, and rode out.

A top-tier horse that could endure harsh colds galloped quickly toward Arad’s house.

* * *

Upon arriving at the headquarters of Arad Company,

Jarvis, the building manager and former servant of High City, came out to greet her.

“Recently, when he comes home, he doesn’t come out from the third floor.”

Jarvis didn’t know Mary’s true identity. But he’d figured out long ago that Mary was of fairly high status.

Therefore, he treated her with utmost respect.

“Do you happen to know what he’s doing on the third floor?”

“It seemed like he was painting.”

“Painting?”

“Yes, but I don’t know the details. He told us not to enter the room…”

“I understand.”

“Then, I’ll go put the horse you rode here in the stable.”

“Please give the horse some carrots and water.”

“I will do so.”

“Is the boss still on the third floor?”

“No, he went out to buy something. He’s been gone for a while, so he should be back soon. Please wait on the first floor.”

“I understand.”

Thus, she was left alone inside the building.

“Is it really because of painting?”

Standing blankly in the empty first floor, Ariana frowned.

“Does painting require that much passion?”

Painting the face of the Duchess of the North certainly wasn’t light work.

But it didn’t seem like something that would distract Arad enough to neglect his work.

“This is all for Arad and the North.”

With Jarvis heading to the stable and Arad temporarily away from the building,

She stealthily headed to the third floor.

Creakkkkk

Fortunately, the third-floor door wasn’t locked when she carefully opened it.

Glup

Ariana swallowed hard.

Thumpthumpthumpthump

Her heartbeat was so loud it echoed not only in her chest but also in her head.

Like this, Ariana entered Arad’s room.

“……?”

And Ariana could only look around the room with a dumbfounded expression.

What greeted her inside the room was herself.

There were easily twenty portraits filling the room, and it was clear at a glance that the figures in the portraits were none other than herself, the Duchess of the North.

Using Arad’s words, the interior was filled with obsession and madness.

“……!”

But to Ariana, it carried a different meaning.

“Woah…?”

Even for someone like her, who was an outsider to art, the coloring and styles were impressive enough to make her exclaim in admiration.

The pictures were almost identical to reality, and the colors were so divine they seemed borrowed from God himself, evoking a sense of reverence.

“I’ve never heard of anyone being able to paint like this.”

Among the dozens of portraits, Ariana appeared in various outfits, expressions, and atmospheres, with diverse artistic styles.

Sometimes she was a knightly hero and ruler, while other times she was a lady radiating romance and purity.

Some paintings had colors so intense and stimulating that they were strange yet deeply impactful, lingering in dreams for a while.

“Beautiful.”

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from each painting.

ShiverShiverShiverShiver

An unprecedented wave of emotion swept through her since birth.

The ultimate pleasure for the eyes.

“Aaaaah…!”

The pinnacle of ecstasy was the two largest paintings.

They were the ones that depicted herself, the Duchess of the North, and herself as Mary together.

The scene where Isabel cast illusion magic, and Ariana acted accordingly.

Knight Ariana and Lady Ariana.

Adventurer Mary and Girl Mary.

The four faces of her were right before her eyes.

Dripdrip

Tears streamed down Ariana’s cheeks.

“So he was acting strangely because of painting all this time.”

Finally, Ariana had to admit it. Arad had been obsessed with painting for a while.

The worst assumptions she’d briefly imagined earlier had vanished completely from her mind like ash.

“But why did he paint so many… of me?”

Once her emotions settled and she wiped away her tears, Ariana began to wonder at the sight of so many Arianas filling the room.

“Could it be…?”

Not long after, she figured out the reason.

“He’s… He’s still thinking about me. Not Mary, but Ariana!”

The natural progression project between Mary (Ariana) and Arad.

If Arad had known, he might have named the plan “Lady Ariana Wants a Confession,” which was honestly half-abandoned lately.

The conclusion of her last love consultation with Isabel was to not rush and to naturally get closer slowly.

“The approach was wrong from the start.”

But now she realized.

The first button had been fastened incorrectly from the beginning.

-“I think His Highness is truly remarkable.”

-“He’s the most righteous ruler among rulers. I guarantee there’s no ruler in Arcadia who surpasses him.”

Recalling the things Arad usually said to Mary,

-“If His Majesty had been born in another kingdom instead of the North, he would have unified the continent by now.”

-“His achievements are so numerous that they deserve a book.”

-“Someday, I hope His Majesty’s visage appears on our silver coins, gold coins, and copper coins.”

It wasn’t mere praise for achievements.

Looking at the paintings in front of her now, it became clear.

It was praise filled with affection (love?) for her.

“Now I’ll reveal the truth! I’ll tell him who Mary really is! And… confess to Arad under Ariana’s name! Let’s confess!”

Ariana resolved.

She fidgeted with her necklace anxiously while waiting for the owner of the room to return.

But then…

“…? What kind of painting is this?”

Three peculiar paintings caught Ariana’s eyes.

“Is this graffiti?”

There were strange-looking portraits that were far from being called paintings.

“…”

As Ariana examined them, her expression quickly turned serious.

“Could it be…? Is this Mary…?”

On closer inspection, it seemed to depict a white-haired woman with gray eyes.

And the only person with such hair color and eye color was Mary.

“Really painted Mary like this…?”

No matter how she looked at it or thought about it, it seemed to be a depiction of Mary.

“Why…?”

If it was a portrait of Mary, she should have been delighted, but she couldn’t feel joy.

Some of the paintings had irregular proportions of eyes, nose, mouth, and face that were unsettling, and the skin tone was dark like an undead.

Other paintings combined various animals, plants, and food to create Mary’s face.

“Why does he paint Mary like this!?”

The former definitely felt malicious, while the latter had some merit but wasn’t pleasing at all, even if generously interpreted.

But it was absolutely not something she liked.

“Seems like she’s being evaluated poorly compared to expectations. Mary…?”

Ariana’s shoulders, which had been uplifted with joy, admiration, and determination, drooped.

Had Arad seen this, he might have regretfully lamented her lack of understanding of Surrealism and Cubism.

-“The enchantment on this necklace also reflects your inner self in your appearance. In other words, the white hair and gray eyes are influenced by your soul and mana. It means you’re that noble and pure.”

For some reason, Isabel’s words during her first transformation popped into her mind.

“Mary’s identity mustn’t be revealed!”

The courage Ariana had just moments ago to reveal her identity and confess disappeared.

“When Arad starts to see Mary more positively, then I’ll reveal my identity and confess!”

She feared that if Arad found out Mary’s true identity,

It might change how he felt about Ariana too.

“Did Mary come?”

“Yes, but she seems to have gone somewhere for a moment.”

At that moment, Arad and Jarvis’s conversation was heard outside.

“Director Te, was there anything at the workshop?”

“Not particularly. But where should I put this?”

“For now, place it in the first-floor hall. The third floor is too cramped right now.”