IDIBC Chapter 33

Walter Shaw Chaplin

The man in the painting was a human so beautiful he could make the gods jealous—Ayphnetis.

I moved my gaze along the fresco painted based on his story.

Scenes unfolded showing Ayphnetis meeting a goddess and falling in love, followed by scenes of the male god of fire raging in jealousy over him.

The painting, expressed with unique materials and subtle contrasts in transparent color spaces, made him feel like a living person.

Even in Resotia, Ayphnetis was a primary source of inspiration for artists. The principality mainly had many sculptures of him remaining, but they didn’t make him feel as vividly alive as the paintings did.

When that story finally reached its conclusion, I found myself standing opposite the first painting I had seen.

In the end, his love did not meet a happy ending.

However, it was a beautiful story about how the human Ayphnetis, whose beauty—enough to make even the gods jealous—became a sin and received punishment, ultimately became the male god governing time through another god who loved his beauty.

Before it, gorgeously dressed people were gathered here and there, laughing and chatting.

I had never seen such a grand hall, nor had I ever seen so many people gathered in a place that wasn’t a marketplace.

Yet somehow I thought this beautiful painting and these people didn’t quite match.

And the most mismatched thing among them was undoubtedly me.

The moment I became aware of this, I also abandoned hope that I could find Ricardo quickly. It would be fortunate if I didn’t get lost inside this magnificent hall.

“Hah……”

I let out a long breath and gathered myself. Then I began looking for a suitable person to ask about Ricardo’s whereabouts. I looked around, thinking that rather than servants, someone of higher rank would likely know where Ricardo was.

Was it because I was looking around too frantically? Carelessly, I bumped shoulders with someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I reflexively apologized, but the woman I bumped into didn’t say she was sorry to me. Instead, a yellow rose fell from her with a thud.

“Oh, my lady!”

I quickly picked up the flower and called out to the woman. But the young lady was already near the exit door, being led by the hand of a man who appeared to be her father.

Afraid I might cross paths with Countess Corhena if I followed her, I finally called out to a servant passing by.

“Excuse me.”

He looked back and forth between me and the flower I was holding, then approached me.

“Shall I bring you a glass of wine?”

“No, that’s not it… The lady who just bumped into me dropped this flower……”

Unable to decide whether to speak formally or informally, I trailed off a bit. He looked me up and down. It wasn’t a particularly careful look.

“Are you by any chance a lady from a Count’s family?”

“No.”

“Then just pin that flower here.”

He tapped his chest area with the hand that wasn’t holding a tray.

“Me?”

“Yes, you should have been wearing it naturally. Not carrying it around.”

“But this isn’t mine……”

“Then perhaps…… are you a lady from a Duke’s family?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then you must pin that flower. If you won’t pin it, you’ll have to leave this ballroom.”

Having finished saying that, he gave a slight bow and passed by me.

I wanted to tear my hair out at this incomprehensible situation. What was with the social scene of the Dermeier Empire having so many things to know?

The Duke’s wife had said I could do whatever I wanted, but that was only in theory.

Perhaps, like the handkerchief I had to deliver to Ricardo, this yellow rose could also be a rule of the evening party.

I looked around carefully.

As the servant said, almost all the women were wearing yellow roses, but there were also some who weren’t.

Then the servant’s words seemed correct…… but somehow I didn’t want to pin it.

A yellow rose whose flower language was jealousy and envy.

If I had to be kicked out for not pinning this flower, I thought that wouldn’t be so bad either, and turned around.

There I saw Ricardo.

“Ah……”

He was standing before the human Ayphnetis, looking at me.

Ricardo in perfect formal attire with his forehead fully exposed gave off an even cooler atmosphere than on other days.

If beauty was a sin that deserved divine punishment, I thought perhaps he should receive greater punishment than Ayphnetis—he looked that perfect.

And I soon realized.

Though everyone said they were beautiful, from the moment I started wearing dresses so splendid they felt almost violently overwhelming to me, I had wanted to see him the whole time.

Ricardo would readily tell me he disliked things, but couldn’t I at least say that I felt reassured when I saw him? To him, who might have come running from afar upon seeing me.

“Rica.”

Just as I called out to him quietly. Was it because I’d been focusing my gaze only on him? Once again, someone bumped into me like an attack.

“Ah!”

This time it hurt much more than before. I clutched my shoulder and bent slightly, and the man who bumped into me widened his eyes in surprise. His eyes were turquoise.

Eyes beautiful enough to be captivated by them in an instant even in the chaotic situation, eyes that could be called turquoise without any exaggeration.

So these vivid turquoise eyes probably…… belonged to Duke Chaplin ‘s family…….

“I’m sorry. My lady.”

He looked as if he was being chased by something urgent, but he didn’t forget his gentlemanly habits ingrained in him. After apologizing, he immediately picked up the yellow rose I hadn’t even realized I’d dropped.

The moment he held out the flower, a woman’s voice with a rather high pitch called out “Your Grace!” from behind. At the same time, I reached my hand toward the rose the man had pushed in front of me.

“Stay right there, don’t move!”

I thought I clearly heard Ricardo’s voice shouting loudly, but before I could turn around, the surroundings were swallowed in darkness.

****

When the surroundings brightened, the objects around me came into view.

The first thing I saw was a bed large enough to easily fill a small room and more.

So I was in what was presumably his bedroom, clutching a yellow rose with a strange man I’d never seen before in my life.

Since the flower meant to be pinned to one’s chest had a short stem, I had no choice but to grip his hand tightly. To avoid being swept away by an irresistible force.

“Who……?”

The head of the man who was clearly from the Chaplin family tilted.

Given that a woman had loudly called out “Your Grace!” at the last moment, he was definitely Walter Shaw Chaplin.

Then the reason I was in his bedroom must be because of the Chaplin family’s power.

The Empire’s three great Dukes and the imperial family each possessed different powers, and those powers always required a price to be paid.

Among them, the heirs of Chaplin could freely move through space. But in exchange, their own memories were erased.

So he, who was clutching my hand tightly with thoroughly confused eyes, had no memory of this situation at all. More precisely, his memories from when he opened his eyes this morning had disappeared.

“Could you…… let go of my hand.”

Only then did he startle and hurry away from me. In the process, he looked at the yellow rose that had fallen on the floor with troubled eyes. I slowly bent down and picked up the rose rolling on the carpet.

“This wasn’t in my plans…….”

He rubbed his chin while pacing around the room. Then he pulled the cord beside the bed to summon an attendant.

A young servant immediately appeared, but Walter sent him away and called for someone else. He seemed to have called someone who knew the Chaplin family’s secret.

As I suspected, he wasn’t particularly surprised to see his master who had suddenly appeared. He was only startled to see me standing awkwardly behind him.

“I’ll send word to the Paquin family.”

“Yes, ah, no!”

Walter grabbed the servant who was about to leave in a hurry, then caught his breath for a moment.

“Today is the day of Count Enehaz’s ball. Then Young Master Paquin will be there, so send someone there. And also find out if anyone saw anything at Count Enehaz’s place.”

“Yes, understood.”

The servant who bowed glanced at me and the yellow rose, then hurried out to carry out the orders.

The moment we were left alone in the room, fear arose. But even though I had experienced the family secret firsthand, I was confident he wouldn’t immediately try to kill me.

The fact that he had called for Paquin was precisely why.

Paquin was one of the Empire’s three great Duke families, and the power they possessed was the ability to erase others’ memories.

Walter, who had been looking at the door the servant exited through, slowly turned toward me. With a smile spread across his face.

“Please, come sit over here for a moment. Lady……?”

He asked for my name very politely.

“Lienne, I’m Lienne.”

I knew that what he was asking for wasn’t precisely my name but my family name, but I couldn’t say Fennel.

“Lienne……?”

Walter tilted his head while mulling over my name, but soon hid his expression and just smiled as if he found it amusing. Very politely, even in this situation.

Walter gave an overall neat impression. Far too much to show to a woman who would soon lose her memory.

“I see, Miss Lienne. It doesn’t seem like I forcibly invited you here…….”