🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 12
“There’s no need to be surprised; the room isn’t everything. I’ll explain the rest as well.”
Proudly, Hena entered the room and picked up one of the many paints placed beside the easel.
“This is top-grade paint made by grinding and mixing jewels. It’s a Santeline product, famous for retaining moisture for a long time because honey is added.”
Wait, did she just say they ground jewels into it?
Carefully putting the paint back, Hena pointed to a brush container.
“These brushes are made from dragon tail feathers. As you know, dragons are covered in scales, and the only parts with fur are the small hairs at the tip of the tail. To make a single brush, you need to hunt at least five dragons.”
Excuse me? Brushes made from what now?
Does that mean going up the mountain to hunt dragons that roar “Krawaang”? I peeked fearfully at the brushes.
There were brushes of various sizes, and just looking at them, it was obvious they were absurdly expensive. The thought of pocketing them as startup funds didn’t even cross my mind. Rare, high-value items like these brushes would be treated as stolen goods, and I’d be caught immediately.
Maximus added an explanation.
“One of those brushes could buy a mansion.”
“Two, actually,” Hena corrected him, as if that would make it even worse. Now it wasn’t a brush but a mansion.
Insane. This was an extravagant, full-fledged studio. If Lyria saw this, she might cry tears of pure joy—but to me, it looked like a death trap with a noose waiting.
“Now, please come this way.”
The paints and brushes weren’t all. Hena continued to explain the easel, chair, canvas, and other items in the studio, but the impact of the paints and brushes was so great that I could barely register the rest.
“I was instructed to prepare only the finest for Lady Bridge, and I have followed those instructions. If there’s anything else you need, please tell me. I will prepare it immediately.”
“No, nothing more is necessary.”
“Even if not now, anytime you need something, just let me know. It is an honor to serve Lady Bridge. Then shall we begin your work?”
Wait—she’s not even giving me time to rest?
After spending a few days in the carriage, it had become comfortable like my own room, and by the time we arrived, I could lie down easily. I wasn’t tired, but there was another problem.
“Lady? Are you okay?”
Hearing the command to start drawing made my hands tremble. My entire body was shaking.
“It seems you are pleased with the prepared studio. I’m so glad you are this moved!”
Of course, Rafael had prepared these top-quality items because he wanted to see the perfect painting from a master. In this situation, with him expecting so much…
‘Hehe, I don’t actually know how to draw. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?’
If I tried making that kind of excuse, I’d be dead! 100%!
O-okay. They say even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, as long as you keep your wits, you can survive. I was dragged into Rafael’s den, but maybe if I pretend to draw, I might survive.
And who knows? ‘Since my body has changed, maybe I have some talent for drawing?!’
I lifted the dragon tail feathers with determination. With such high-quality materials, maybe anything is possible.
“I’ll do my best to draw!”
Hena and Maximus, watching, applauded to cheer me on. Fueled by the encouragement, my creative spirit surged. I felt like I could do anything.
The result, of course, was a disaster. The saying “a master does not choose his tools” exists for a reason. In this case, it might even be “pearls before swine.”
Maximus and Hena were closely examining my first drawing. Caught between them, my face burned red, and I buried my head.
“Hmmm… is this a person screaming? It’s profound.”
I drew a cat, not a screaming human!
“No, look closely. This is a skull. It looks like it starved to death over a month. You can feel the pain.”
I said it’s a cat!
They didn’t seem to plan on looking away from the cat drawing. Embarrassed, I clutched the canvas.
“T-this is just a warm-up! I’m going to throw it away!”
Warm-up or not, it was sadly my heartfelt effort. Ugh!
“No!” Hena quickly snatched the canvas.
Huh? I had suddenly become like a raccoon who put cotton candy in water.
“Duke has instructed that not a single drawing by Lady Bridge be thrown away—even doodles.”
What? At that, I had no choice but to clutch my head. One piece might be forgiven as a mistake, but if I drew multiple pieces, my lack of skill would be revealed instantly.
“No! Don’t take it!”
Hena walked briskly away, seemingly uninterested in my protest. She was probably going to give the painting to Rafael.
Maximus patted my shoulder.
“Even dragons sometimes fall from the sky! You can do better next time.”
Uh… the chances of “better next time” were infinitesimally small.
Contrary to my fears, Rafael did not storm in, furious about being deceived. Instead, Hena returned, smiling gently, conveying Rafael’s message.
“From now on, you must get permission before going out.”
Well, that was expected. At least it was better than “you can never leave again!”
And she handed me a pouch.
“This is your payment for the painting.”
Maximus leaned over.
“It’s thick! Open it, open it!”
I opened it since he insisted.
Hmm… I rubbed my eyes several times, thinking I must be seeing wrong. After taking a deep breath, I checked again.
Ah, no mistake. The pouch was filled with glittering gold coins.
With this money, how many fresh fish could I buy!
Maximus smirked and tapped my side.
“Glad you followed along, huh?”
Well, looking at the money, yes. But honestly, my mind was filled with giant question marks rather than joy.
“Why…?”
“Why? He liked your painting.”
“You mean the cat that looks like a screaming, starving skull?”
“Wait, that was supposed to be a cat?”
Surprised, Maximus rolled his eyes and murmured.
“Even if it’s aesthetically lacking, maybe there’s something else about it that appealed to him. Maybe he liked it because it was so bizarre?”
Judging by his words, it really was a terrible painting. This world’s people didn’t just have different tastes from my previous life—it really was just bad art.
Well, let’s think positively. At least I survived, right? And I got paid generously.
If I could earn this much for every painting, my exile funds would grow quickly. Since he liked even a terrible drawing, I could at least draw something. Maybe my skills would improve. And I got escape funds, so overall, it was a huge win.
The painkiller Rafael used was developed to counter Nox, and as effective as it was, the side effects were severe. Gradually, as the painkiller became ineffective, he increased the dose—and unsurprisingly, the side effects came.
Loss of taste and smell. Insomnia and nightmares.
As a result, Rafael wandered the room alone in the dead of night while everyone else slept. Side effects would subside if he stopped the painkillers for a while, but without them, enduring the Nox curse’s agony was almost impossible.
Sigh. Smoking a cigar mixed with the painkiller, he stood before a mirror and undid his shirt buttons. With a flick of his hand, his white shirt fell to the floor.
Standing bare-chested, he stared at his reflection indifferently. His chest, honed by years of training, was firm, and his carefully sculpted abs flexed sharply with each breath.
A geometric black emblem, shaped like evil itself, spread across his chest—the Nox curse.
Checking the curse’s state, he turned his gaze to Lyria’s paintings decorating the room.
“Haa.”
A surge of artistic frustration made him snuff out his cigar in the ashtray irritably.
“Truly unbearable.”
Especially her recent paintings were so horrific they made him frown instinctively.
He moved his gaze to the painting on the far right—the landscape by Lyria sold by a wandering merchant. Compared to the finished works he remembered, it was far from perfect, but still worth appreciating.
After staring at it for a long time, he laid his hand on the painting. The Nox curse that spread over Rafael’s body like a tattoo twitched slightly. That was all.
The curse, already massive, seemed impossible to erase, unlike Maximus’s.
“I need the completed works.”
The completed works of Lyria that he remembered had restored thousands from the curse with just a single piece. They were powerful enough to be called holy relics.
Pulling his hand away from the painting, he looked at the cat-that-was-supposed-to-be-a-cat drawing.
