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Chapter 51
After the holy knights entered the atelier, Isel held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
She only opened them again when she heard the words “Erenium Academy.”
Even Isel knew well about Erenium Academy of the Roska Empire. If circumstances allowed it, her dream was to go there and study sculpture.
Judging by appearances, the visitor who had come to the atelier seemed to be a student from Erenium Academy.
Her envy lasted only a moment.
The instant she saw the person peeking his face over the counter, Isel nearly let out a shrill scream.
Her rapidly beating heart dropped with a thud.
The man had platinum-blond hair so clear it looked as though sunlight could pass through it, reaching down to his earlobes. His slightly tanned skin, like someone from the southern continent, was flawless, and his sharp nose and defined eyes gave him a handsome appearance. Surprise filled his pale blue eyes.
Calming her pounding chest, Isel slowly raised a finger to her lips.
Then she whispered softly enough for only him to hear.
“Shh.”
It was the sort of gesture that might only work on a child, but for Isel, it was the best she could do.
Please stay quiet.
She desperately repeated the plea in her mind, though the words would never reach him.
The man’s eyes widened slightly.
“Was this truly the only customer?”
Seres answered yes, but the holy knight did not seem convinced.
Zion, who had been looking at Isel, smoothly turned his gaze away and nodded.
“Yes. I was the only customer here.”
The holy knights frowned before speaking to him.
“You’ll need to accompany us to the temple.”
“Very well.”
Zion nodded and followed after them.
At this point, Seres almost felt sorry for the holy knights.
What kind of expressions would they make once they discovered that the suspicious man they were dragging to the temple was actually the Crown Prince?
Right before leaving through the door, Zion cast one lingering glance toward the counter before looking away.
The bell above the wooden door rang softly, like the farewell of someone whose name she did not know.
After leaving the atelier, the holy knights and Zion walked toward the main road.
The Papal State was far from the city center, so walking all the way would be difficult. They apparently intended to take a carriage from the main road.
Just as they were about to leave the alley, someone blocked their path.
It was a young man wearing a robe.
The holy knights immediately grew tense at the sudden appearance of a civilian and subtly lowered their spears forward.
The man checked the face of the person standing behind them and sighed faintly, looking somehow annoyed.
“Excuse me… but are you perhaps escorting that gentleman away?”
“That’s correct.”
“May I ask why?”
“He is suspected of being Sculptor El.”
The young man’s expression twisted into something almost comical before he managed to regain composure.
“I’m sorry, but that person is not Sculptor El.”
“And how exactly do you intend to prove that?”
“Well… because he is the master I serve.”
The visitor to the atelier had seemed like the son of a noble family.
Given his clothing and the way he appeared accustomed to authority, the assumption had already crossed their minds. But no matter how noble he might be, he could not avoid an investigation by the temple.
The holy knight was about to say it wouldn’t matter anyway when the attendant interrupted him.
“Shion de Ecarte, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire.”
At the same time, four knights emerged from the shadows of the dark alley, pulling back their hoods.
Red armbands were visible around their forearms.
Among the imperial knights, the red armband embroidered with a golden lion symbolized those entrusted solely with protecting members of the imperial family.
Then this person truly was…!
The holy knights hurriedly turned around, their faces instantly turning pale.
Zion shrugged helplessly and smiled lightly.
“Well, apparently that’s what they say.”
The holy knights immediately lowered their spears and bowed deeply.
“We apologize, Your Imperial Highness. Please forgive our disrespect for failing to recognize you.”
“Haha, it would’ve been stranger if you had recognized me. I’ve been away from the imperial palace for three years, after all.”
True to his easygoing nature, the Crown Prince waved a hand generously as though he did not mind at all.
The holy knights, who had been terrified of what punishment they might face, simultaneously let out sighs of relief.
“It seems the temple has been working quite hard tracking down the sculptor.”
“We are honored by your words, Your Highness.”
Zion quietly stared at the backs of the bowed knights.
Then he added softly, almost to himself,
“If you’re so honored, maybe you could stop tormenting her already…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
Shaking his head, Zion gestured for the confused knights to leave.
“You must be busy with the birthday procession. Off you go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The knights bowed respectfully before departing with disciplined steps.
The attendant silently watched them leave before turning to his lord.
“You should return to the palace now, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Right…”
Zion agreed surprisingly easily, causing the attendant to raise an eyebrow.
Normally, the Crown Prince would never act like this.
He was always complaining that the palace felt suffocating and wandering outside in ordinary clothes. Seeing him willingly agree to return was unusual.
Did something pleasant happen?
Carefully observing him, the attendant cautiously asked,
“Did you find what you were searching for at the atelier?”
“…No. I didn’t.”
“Is that so?”
“But maybe I did.”
Turning to look back toward the atelier, Zion’s blue eyes darkened hazily. His gaze drifted far away as though recalling something.
The small lips that had whispered softly, and the round light-green eyes, kept resurfacing in his mind.
The sound of her “shh” tickled his ears like a lingering echo.
“Your Highness?”
Zion’s face was faintly flushed, as though burned by heat.
He was someone who endured the brutal southern summers without a single complaint.
There was no way the early autumn weather of the Ecarte Empire could make him overheat.
So why was his face red?
Whether he heard the attendant or not, Zion simply murmured absentmindedly,
“Is this… what people mean?”
“Pardon? Mean what?”
The attendant felt a sharp headache coming on at the Crown Prince’s answer.
“You know… falling in love at first sight.”
Only long after the holy knights and the guest had left did Isel finally release the breath she had been holding.
Seres hurriedly bent down to check on her condition.
“Isel, are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“They seem to be gone now, so you can stand up.”
Seres supported her as she rose unsteadily from her hiding place. He fanned her flushed face with his hand after she had held her breath for so long.
She let out a sigh.
“For a moment there, I really thought my heart was going to stop.”
“No, even if you had been discovered… I doubt the temple would ever imagine Sculptor El is actually a noble lady.”
Isel blinked.
“Ah…”
“What’s wrong?”
She looked like someone who had committed a terrible crime, her brows furrowed tightly.
Only then did Seres realize he had openly revealed that he knew her identity.
After a brief bitter smile, he sighed quietly and spoke.
“You don’t need to hide it in front of me anymore, Isel.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t say it before, but I figured out long ago that you were a noble.”
“What?!”
“And that the people who came for the gold coins before were your escort knights.”
“Gasp…!”
Isel covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with shock.
She had thought she’d hidden it perfectly all this time and clearly never imagined Seres already knew everything.
Chuckling softly, Seres continued,
“So from now on, it’s alright if you come to the atelier with your knights. As long as you don’t tell other people that I’m a noble too.”
“Understood?”
He asked as though making her promise.
For a moment, Isel simply stared blankly at his face.
Then, as his words finally sank in, her eyes slowly curved into crescents.
As if she had never looked distressed at all, she smiled brightly.
“Yes, Master!”
It felt as though the thorn lodged deep in her chest had finally been removed.
“Since you came after such a long time, want to watch me work for a while?”
Isel nodded eagerly.
Seres brought over a chair for her.
Without even being told, Isel naturally fetched the pigments and brushes he would need and sat down beside him.
She must have figured out exactly which colors were necessary from the way she had stared so intently at the painting earlier.
Things that even painters couldn’t grasp after ten years of practice, Isel understood at a glance.
Her eye for detail was astonishing every time he saw it.
Feeling oddly proud, Seres almost reached out to pat her head before stopping himself.
Having his disciple stolen away by that bandit-like Rahan did not feel particularly pleasant.
Letting out a shallow sigh, Seres picked up his brush.
Oil painting always began with darker tones first. Without him saying a word, Isel mixed deep green pigment into linseed oil.
“This is right, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
Isel smiled brightly as she watched Seres’s brush move across the canvas.
Sculpture was still her favorite, of course, but she also considered watching her master paint to be a form of study.
As she continued preparing colors one by one on the palette, she suddenly paused.
The kind stranger who had pretended not to notice her suspicious hiding spot lingered in her thoughts.
Had he managed to get away safely from the temple?
He said he was from Erenium Academy…
Turning her head slightly, Isel asked Seres, who was carefully judging the angle of light with his brush in hand,
“Master, have you ever been to Erenium Academy?”
“Yeah. Once, right before I opened this atelier.”
Curiosity sparkled brightly in Isel’s eyes.
“Is it really like a city of heaven, just like the rumors say?”
“If you call a place with hellfire raining down every day heaven, then maybe.”
Even now, remembering the sunlight that pecked relentlessly at the top of his head made his skin sting.
The brutal sun was the reason Seres had ultimately given up on attending Erenium Academy himself.
Shaking his head as though he didn’t even want to think about it, Seres made Isel laugh softly.
Then he added with a groan,
“And attending an academy once during adolescence was more than enough.”
Just as the Roska Empire had Erenium Academy, the Ecarte Empire had Veritas Academy.
Unlike Erenium Academy, which focused entirely on the arts, Veritas Academy specialized in swordsmanship and scholarship.
Erenium Academy accepted students regardless of class and had a free-spirited atmosphere, whereas Veritas Academy only admitted children of high-ranking nobles and was notoriously rigid.
Forced by his father, Marquis Taria, to enroll, Seres had endured miserable years there.
Listening quietly, Isel suddenly remembered something.
“I heard you and His Grace the Grand Duke attended Veritas Academy together, Master.”
“Yeah, we did.”
“It’s hard to imagine. Was His Grace similar back then too?”
If she meant whether he had been just as foul-tempered as he was now, Seres was perfectly willing to answer yes.
But judging from Isel’s bright expression, that clearly wasn’t what she meant.
Frowning slightly, Seres cautiously asked,
“What part of him now do you mean exactly?”
“How kind and gentle he is to everyone.”
Seres froze mid-motion while changing brushes.
“Who…?”
“Grand Duke Kanox, of course.”
Seres’s eyes shook aimlessly.
He had expected it, but hearing it out loud made irritation rise inside him.
Still, at least it meant Rahan was kind and gentle toward Isel.
Or perhaps the shocking part was realizing that bastard had always known perfectly well how to act kind and gentle and had simply chosen to behave like an insufferable jerk toward him all this time.
“Master?”
“Ah, right. So… you’re asking what that ba— I mean, what Rahan was like at the academy?”
“Yes.”
Scratching his cheek, Seres answered,
“Well, compared to now… I guess you could say he was a bit more active.”
Of course, not his personality—his fists.
Swallowing a groan, Seres nodded to himself.
