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Chapter 21
“Espin? Come on in.”
“Sorry. I came without contacting you first. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Why would we need to contact each other? I was bored anyway—this is perfect.”
Despite the sudden visit without any prior notice, Flaria welcomed her with a bright smile.
The Ameron Ducal House was one of the three great ducal families of the Empire. Among them, the House of Ameron represented the neutral faction and maintained especially close ties with the central nobility, making it one of the families the Emperor paid the closest attention to.
As if to demonstrate its power, the Ameron estate occupied the largest plot of land in the imperial capital, and both its interior and exterior were lavishly decorated.
And among all of it, the most striking feature was—
“That painting is impressive.”
A painting hung at the center of the wall directly facing the entrance.
Placed alone on an otherwise empty wall, the painting clearly seemed intended to show off to visitors to the estate.
“Oh, this? My mother bought it recently. You know that painter who was famous long ago. What was his name again?”
“Melchaski?”
“Ah, that’s right. Melchaski. One of his works was discovered recently, so Mother bought it.”
Melchaski, the ill-fated genius painter.
Two hundred years ago, when gentle watercolor paintings were in vogue, Melchaski emerged with works full of intense, vivid colors. At the time, his paintings were dismissed as inelegant and frivolous, and people looked down on him.
In the end, he died without ever seeing recognition. Ironically, after his death, people began to reassess his work, becoming enthralled by the bold experimentation that had been unappreciated in his own time.
However, Melchaski’s life was short, and only five of his paintings were known to have been completed and presented during his lifetime. All five were acquired by the Emperor of the time, who had a strong interest in art, and they are still kept in the imperial vault.
Unable to possess any of his works, people began searching for any paintings he might have left behind.
“It must have cost a fortune. How much was it?”
“I think I heard it was two hundred thousand ritas.”
Flaria shrugged as if she had little interest.
“Two hundred thousand ritas?”
“Yeah. Apparently, it was discovered with great difficulty, hidden away in the attic of Melchaski’s old house.”
“Still, isn’t two hundred thousand ritas a bit too expensive?”
“It’s because the seller was a noble. Since it was a rare painting from a trustworthy dealer, I guess that’s why it was so expensive. Honestly, I like Melchaski’s other works, but I don’t really care for this one.”
Flaria, unexpectedly, had a keen eye.
“So that’s why it’s displayed here. Because it’s a rare piece.”
“Exactly. Mother loves showing off. She probably put it here so people would see it the moment they enter the estate. Honestly, she’s impossible.”
In the future, the Duchess of Ameron would come to regret buying this painting—and even more, displaying it so conspicuously at the entrance.
Because this painting was a forgery.
The art forgery scam that shook noble society to its core.
One of the forged works involved in that scandal was the very painting now before their eyes.
This fraud, which targeted noble ladies, would not be exposed until the middle of the story. By then, the baron who had carried out the scam had already disappeared, making him impossible to catch.
As a result, the noblewomen were pointed at and mocked for their vanity and their lack of true artistic discernment. Among them, the one who received the harshest criticism was Flaria’s mother, the Duchess of Ameron.
“What a wonderful painting.”
Just as she was pretending to examine the artwork, the sound of someone approaching came from behind.
“Isn’t it?”
When she turned around, the Duchess of Ameron was standing there with a satisfied smile.
After greeting her, the duchess returned the greeting with an elegant lift of her hand and continued explaining various things about the artwork.
“It’s a hidden piece by Melchaski, the ill-fated genius painter. I went through a great deal of trouble to acquire it.”
“It’s my first time seeing this work as well. How did you manage to find something so rare?”
“I know a good art dealer. I didn’t realize you had such an interest in art, Espin.”
“These days, I’m studying because I want to become an elegant noblewoman like you, Duchess, though I still have a long way to go.”
At being called elegant, the duchess’s lips curved upward slightly. From behind them came the sound of Flaria gagging.
“Yes, Espin. A noble should naturally take an interest in art. A noble who knows how to enjoy art is a true noble. I only wish our Flaria would hurry up and acquire the proper qualities of a lady.”
“I’m sure Flaria will become a wonderful lady as well. You can’t deny her bloodline.”
At the flattery, the duchess’s cheekbones lifted higher and higher.
‘Now’s the moment.’
Watching the duchess, completely disarmed, she opened her mouth casually.
“Would it be possible for me to be introduced to that art dealer as well?”
The reason she had come here today was precisely to get an introduction to that dealer. To meet this cautious swindler, an introduction was necessary.
“An art dealer?”
“Yes. I’d like to start developing a proper eye for art myself.”
“The things that dealer handles are quite rare, so the prices won’t be cheap.”
After looking her up and down, the duchess nodded without much hesitation.
“You’re from the House of Count Leon, after all. That should be fine. I’ll write you a letter of introduction. But there’s one thing you should be careful about.”
“What is it?”
“Never bring that woman or her daughter with you. They lower the tone.”
She immediately realized the duchess was referring to the Countess of Leon and her daughter, Rose, and nodded.
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hah… honestly, it’s a bit awkward saying this in front of you, but they’re a disgrace to the nobility. Why did your father have to remarry someone like that?”
The Duchess of Ameron sighed, completely unaware that her own family would later be thrown into chaos by the appearance of an illegitimate child.
Looking at her, ignorant of the storm that would soon descend upon this house, she could only offer a faint, sympathetic smile.
“Captain, this is the report written by the night shift yesterday.”
Haren entered Travis’s office after opening the door and handed him the report. Normally playful and talkative, Haren made an effort to hide that side of himself when he was working.
“Alright. I’ll take a look. But Haren.”
“Yes?”
“Wouldn’t it be about time you started thinking about resigning?”
“Resigning all of a sudden? Captain, have you grown tired of me?”
“It’s not me. Duke Ameron keeps asking when you plan to resign.”
Generally, nobles whose succession was uncertain were the ones who joined the Imperial Knights. Without securing the position of heir, they could not inherit a noble title, so becoming a knight was their path to nobility.
The reason Haren, the heir of Duke Ameron, joined the knights was simply because he admired Travis. Duke Ameron, who secretly hoped his son would grow close to Travis at his side, had agreed, allowing Haren to live the life of a knight.
But now, it was time for Haren to properly settle into his role as heir.
Watching Haren show no intention of leaving the knights, Duke Ameron grew anxious and waited for Travis to drive his son out.
“Ah, then I’m not resigning. Not unless you kick me out yourself, Captain.”
Relieved, Haren finally smiled easily.
At Haren’s declaration that he had no intention of leaving the knights, Travis said nothing and turned his gaze back to the report. The choice was Haren’s to make.
“Hmm…”
As he read, Travis’s eyes stopped on one page.
“Is there something strange in the report?”
“Here.”
“Oh, that woman who came last time about a marriage fraud case? That’s unfortunate.”
It was the case of the woman who had come several months ago claiming she’d been deceived by a marriage scam—and who had later made an extreme choice.
“This man she mentioned here,” Travis said. “Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”
