“Just then, Ilion opened the door and entered the reception room.

“It’s been a while, Viscount Albert.”

“Ah, Duke Celestine. It truly has been a long time. Have you been well?”

“Have you done the appraisal?”

“I was about to start, but I’m concerned that the lady might have made an unfortunate purchase.”

In his own way, he was trying to say the item was fake and to prepare myself mentally.

It was an unnecessary worry. I was a person always prepared to have my engagement broken off.

So please start the appraisal already.

I was eagerly anticipating what he would say, trying to suppress my pounding heart.

The viscount began the appraisal using the tools he had brought. He examined it with a magnifying glass, shone a lamp on it, and even used unfamiliar objects in his assessment.

After a considerable amount of time, he looked at us with a serious expression.

“Have you finished the appraisal?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Is it… a forgery?”

I started to gather my emotions to cry at the news of it being a forgery. I might not be able to shed tears because I’m too happy. Should I poke my eyes a bit?

He slowly parted his lips with a stern expression.

“It’s genuine.”

“Oh my! That’s impossible. It can’t be genuine… What?”

I stood up to act as a lady unable to accept reality, then awkwardly asked again.

“Did you just say it’s genuine?”

“Yes. It is indeed genuine. Honestly, I find it a bit hard to believe myself.”

I’m the one who can’t believe it. Really? It’s really genuine?

Like me, Ilion also seemed puzzled and asked the viscount again.

“How can that work be genuine?”

“As you know, Rempito was a mage as well as an excellent artist. He’s famous for using magic to leave an invisible signature on his works.”

Saying that, he used the lamp to show the signature written in the bottom right of the painting.

Blue lights were interwoven, forming a shape that looked like both characters and a picture.

“The signature using mana is a kind of drawing of an individual’s mana flow that other mages cannot replicate. Like fingerprints, it creates a unique pattern for each person.”

What’s with all this technical talk! You’re the con artist, aren’t you? Right? Otherwise, there’s no way this could be genuine!

So what, the Emperor gave a forgery as a gift to the saintess? Did such an embarrassing thing actually happen? How far are you trying to lower the dignity of the male protagonist of a depressing novel by saying such things?

“I-if this is genuine, then what about the paintings His Majesty the Emperor has?”

“That will need to be investigated. I know His Majesty purchased all three works at an auction, but we can’t rule out the possibility that the paintings were switched at the time of the auction.”

This is absurd. So the switched painting was thought to be a copy and they tried to sell it to me? That Sergio must be quite the fool too?

Ah, no… Maybe this painting is actually worth just a few coins? No matter what they say about Rempito, the value of paintings might not be that high in this country.

Clinging to my last hope, I asked Albert.

“Um, then what would be the value of this painting…”

“I’d estimate between 60,000 to 70,000 gold. Given how famous this painting is, it might even fetch a higher price if it were to actually come to market.”

“…Yes?”

Wait, the con artist told me it was 10,000 gold, but it’s 70,000? What nonsense is this? Are you sure you’re not the con artist?

“…Your words were correct. Your friend… seems to have sold you a proper painting. I apologize for doubting.”

No! Don’t apologize. That’s not what I want.

“B-but, Duke? The fact remains that I exchanged the vase and the sunflower painting. Surely those two pieces were also expensive and valuable…”

“Ah, valuable they certainly were.”

Ilion nodded.

See! There are bound to be priceless treasures. As if money matters to Ilion? I changed my approach and tried hard to touch on Ilion’s emotional side.

“Right? Since I exchanged such valuable items, I was wrong…”

“The vase is a replica. The original is in storage. There were many art pieces that broke when displayed in the mansion, so my grandfather had replicas made on purpose.”

“…What?”

Ah, my head. It felt like the unslapped back of my head was throbbing. That Sergio, he’s all talk but he couldn’t even tell art pieces apart himself?

“T-then what about the sunflower painting?”

“Ah, that is indeed one of a kind. It’s never been shown to the world.”

See!

“It’s my grandmother’s last work.”

“……”

What is this? I should be happy, but suddenly my inner Confucian values were acting up.

Of all things, to have sold grandmother’s last work… isn’t this a mortal sin?

“Duke, I didn’t know that!”

“That’s why you’ll have to find it.”

“Pardon?”

“You lost it, so you should find it, shouldn’t you?”

“What if I can’t find the painting…”

I asked, harboring a sliver of hope that I might be kicked out of this mansion.

Ilion continued nonchalantly.

“I won’t blame you for the mistake. You probably didn’t know the sunflower painting was that valuable. Well, you can take a lifetime to retrieve it if need be, can’t you?”

Ilion said this while curling his lips.

“Haha, that’s right. It’s not like I’m going to run away. I-I can take a lifetime to find it. Hoho… ho.”

I stood up, holding back my tears.

To go find the painting right away.

***

As Ravenne disappeared with her skirts fluttering, Ilion calmly drank tea in the reception room.

Really, if he takes his eyes off her for even a moment, she goes around causing trouble like this, so he can’t look away. And just this morning too.

“How can she trust a man she just met so much?”

Ilion muttered to himself, frowning as if he was more displeased about that than her selling the mansion’s painting.

Of course, as Ravenne said, that painting was genuine, and Sergio hadn’t lied.

Nevertheless, Ravenne’s attitude didn’t sit well with him.

“More importantly, have you looked into this Sergio person?”

Ilion asked Sebastian.

“It seems to be an alias. I couldn’t find any baron named Sergio anywhere.”

“Track the carriage he came in and the servant he brought. Also, check if the sunflower painting and Ariha’s vase have appeared in the black market recently.”

“Understood. But, Master…”

Sebastian asked cautiously.

“I overheard a bit earlier, but aren’t there many sunflower paintings in storage? Why don’t you forgive the young lady and not be so harsh?”

“Isn’t it true that it’s the only one of its kind in the world?”

“Well, of course it’s the only one in the world, but…”

By that logic, the 10 different sunflower paintings in storage should also be one-of-a-kind paintings.

The Duke’s grandmother wasn’t particularly skilled at painting, but she often painted as a hobby, and her biggest fan was her husband, the previous Duke.

He had framed her paintings and decorated them all over the Duke’s residence, and even then, there were still dozens of paintings stored in the warehouse because there was no more space on the wall.

The sunflower was one of them.

“Do you really intend to make the young lady find the painting?”

The Duke pondered, resting his chin on his hand. It was regrettable to lose his grandmother’s painting, but there was no need to mobilize people to retrieve it.

As Sebastian said, there were plenty of similar paintings in storage, and this particular painting didn’t hold any special memories.

But the reason he told Ravenne to retrieve it was because of her attitude this morning.

“They say there’s nothing harder to watch than childish jealousy.”

Ilion, who had been thinking, raised his eyebrows and looked at Sebastian.

“…Jealousy? Why are you suddenly talking about that?”

Ilion’s face showed a genuine expression of not understanding Sebastian’s intention.

“Just a thought that came to mind.”

Sebastian turned his back and just quietly sighed. These two seemed to have a long way to go, more than expected.

***

“Miss, where are you rushing off to again?”

“Ah, Lily! Please prepare a carriage.”

“Where are you going today?”

As if she had seen this scene countless times before, Lily gave up on trying to stop me and asked about my errand.

“The Imperial Art Museum.”

“Oh, speaking of which, is the appraisal of the painting finished?”

“That’s not important, I need to go to the Imperial Art Museum right away…”

“So, is it a forgery? Or genuine?”

Lily asked with sparkling eyes. What’s suddenly gotten into her?

“It’s genuine.”

“…What? Oh my. I bet on it being a forgery. How could this be…! My lunch money…”

Bet? On what… Hey, you?

“Even you, how could you bet on it being a forgery?”

“W-well, you saw it too, Miss. Baron Sergio didn’t seem like such a trustworthy person…”

How should I put this? Come to think of it, I also thought it was a forgery when I bought it, but it was still a bit shocking to realize that even Lily didn’t trust me. Is this my karma?

It wasn’t like I was betrayed by someone I trusted, but somehow it felt even sadder, an indescribable, complex feeling. Putting that aside, I urged Lily.

“Anyway, let’s go quickly. We need to find Baron Sergio.”

“Why him?”

“To get the sunflower painting back!”

Lily looked at me silently, then just sighed and nodded without asking any more questions.

“Alright, let’s go. To the Imperial Art Museum.”