‘If Mother were still alive, would I still be living like that?’

The thought crossed her mind only briefly. Ellen knew well that such thoughts wouldn’t change anything.

And truthfully, she didn’t particularly want things to change. Ever since meeting Larisa and receiving her patronage, Ellen’s life had been consistently satisfying and fulfilling.

‘I hope this kind of life continues from now on.’

Ellen sincerely thought this. And shortly after, another thought followed:

‘Still, I wish she would introduce me to that young lady. My muse!’

⁕⁕⁕

While Ellen was bathing, Larisa, who remained in the atelier, frowned and sighed.

‘I told her so clearly to go to bed on time.’

If Ellen had truly eaten breakfast and just dozed off for a moment as she claimed, she should have been sleeping on the first floor where the dining room was, or at least on the second floor where the bedrooms were located.

But Ellen was sprawled on the floor of the atelier on the third floor, without even a blanket covering her. She had clearly stayed up all night painting as usual until her strength gave out and she fell asleep.

‘Ellen seems to think that as long as she can paint, nothing else matters. But in the end, it’s she who will suffer when her health deteriorates.’

Larisa clicked her tongue and slowly walked around the atelier. The studio was littered with dried paint stains, stubby conte crayons, and sketching papers scattered everywhere. It wasn’t exactly an ideal environment for walking in elegant shoes.

If only some sunlight could enter. Paint changes color when exposed to too much sunlight. That’s why thick curtains hung without fail on every window.

The bedroom, reception room, and dining room had relatively large windows installed to allow some sunlight in, but……

Well, how many hours of the day did Ellen actually spend outside the atelier? Larisa let out a small laugh.

‘Eating, washing, sleeping…… It would be fortunate if it even amounts to eight hours.’

After a quick calculation, Larisa shook her head. When she first offered patronage to Ellen, she had told her not to worry about anything else and just focus on painting.

But at that time, Larisa hadn’t realized that Ellen would become so absorbed in painting that she would neglect even her basic needs.

As Larisa walked around the atelier, she suddenly stopped in front of a particular spot. In front of a large canvas set up in the back of the room. The very place where Ellen had collapsed and fallen asleep just moments ago.

This large canvas, covered with cloth, seemed to be the culprit that had kept Ellen’s eyelids open the previous night.

After a moment’s hesitation, Larisa slowly removed the cloth covering the canvas. She couldn’t help but let out a gasp at what was revealed.

“Luminar.”

It was a beautiful painting.

The first thing that caught the eye was a dazzlingly bright light. In the center of that light sat a goddess in feather-like white garments on a divine throne, listening to the stories of humans.

She held a mirror in her left arm and had her thumb and little finger folded on her right hand, making it clear which deity she was.

Luminar, the goddess of light. A deity said to guide humans who wander and worry about their path.

‘She examines the present of humans with the mirror in her left hand, and determines their future with the three fingers of her right hand.’

Though still incomplete, the painting fully captured Luminar’s divinity. Larisa felt as if she were peering into a realm inaccessible to humans. Luminar, as painted by Ellen, was so reverent and beautiful that one would naturally want to kneel and offer prayers.

A gentle smile had appeared on Larisa’s face as she gazed at the painting. Though Ellen had caused her no small amount of trouble on numerous occasions, all those hardships seemed to melt away like snow whenever she saw Ellen’s paintings.

To think such talent almost withered away in back alleys. Larisa always wanted to praise herself for finding and sponsoring Ellen so quickly.

‘Hmm?’

After finishing her appreciation, Larisa was about to cover the canvas again when she suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The source of this feeling was the goddess’s face.

She narrowed her eyes and stared at the painting.

‘This face of Luminar……. It looks exactly like Miss Bruno.’

Natasha Bruno, the blood niece and adopted daughter of the current Count Bruno. The very girl Ellen had lost her senses over and charged at, calling her a “muse.”

It had taken Larisa a while to notice because the face in the painting had been rendered with a distinctly more mature feeling than Natasha’s actual face. The sweet and kind-looking young girl now reigned as a deity in the painting, wrapped in dignity and benevolence.

With just a brief ten-second interaction, just a very short conversation with Natasha, Ellen had created such an amazing painting.

With mixed feelings, Larisa carefully wrapped the canvas with cloth again.

The reason Larisa didn’t want to introduce Natasha to Ellen was to protect both of them.

Ellen was someone who could do unpredictable things when caught up in inspiration. And Natasha was too young to skillfully handle Ellen’s impulsive behavior. It was easy to imagine Ellen, with her single-minded focus, earning Natasha’s antipathy.

‘It would be fortunate if it ended with just that.’

With bad luck, an incident difficult to resolve might occur. That’s why Larisa had planned to introduce the two only after sufficient time had passed and Natasha was old enough to make her debut in society.

She had heard that Natasha Bruno was quite a capable young lady, so by the time she turned eighteen, she would likely have developed sufficient crisis management skills.

‘If only Ellen doesn’t cause any trouble before then.’

Larisa let out a quiet sigh. Hoping that her most cherished painter would wait patiently, if only for just a few years, she moved toward a sofa in one corner of the room.

⁕⁕⁕

Marquis Romano’s ball began before the sun had set. Ellen followed Larisa’s lead, greeting various people.

They were people like barons from some province or viscounts’ daughters whose parents were involved in certain businesses. She quickly grew tired from the heavy ball gown and the social smile she had to maintain.

“Larisa. Larisa.”

“What is it, Ellen?”

“That person you mentioned before, the one who wanted to see me—are they not here yet?”

Eager to finish the business and rest, Ellen gave Larisa a pleading look.

Larisa looked at Ellen with an annoyed expression. But perhaps because they were in a formal setting, her response came in polite formal speech.

“My, you seem tired, Ellen.”

Ellen nodded quickly.

“But wouldn’t it be a shame to end such a wonderful opportunity to greet so many people so soon? Please bear with it a little longer.”

“……”

It meant she would have to wait much longer. The smile that had been barely hanging on Ellen’s face suddenly disappeared.

Seeing this, Larisa moved closer to Ellen and whispered.

“Ellen. Smile.”

“……Larisa. Does it really have to be today?”

“Yes. It has to be.”

“……”

“Smile quickly.”

It was a firm answer. Ellen briefly made a sad face before putting on the elegant smile of a lady again at Larisa’s urging.

‘How much longer do I have to go around greeting people? Ah, I just want to go home and paint.’

After greeting a few more people, Ellen couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to approach Larisa again. But at that moment, Larisa suddenly bowed.

“I greet the Noble Star, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

‘……Crown Prince?’

Crown Prince. At those words, Ellen reflexively bowed as well. Just a moment ago, they had been greeting people of count rank at most, but suddenly royalty appeared. Her heart chilled at the unexpected appearance of such an important figure.

Over her head, she could hear the conversation between the Crown Prince and Larisa.

“It’s been a while, Young Duke Folkenbach. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been keeping well thanks to Your Highness’s grace.”

‘Surely the person who wanted to meet me isn’t the Crown Prince.’

Ellen desperately wanted to believe that. She had no particular desire for advancement, and getting involved with the second-in-command of the state power seemed pointless. Of course, if commissioned for a painting, she would diligently fulfill it, but she didn’t particularly want to be introduced face-to-face.

“And who is that lady?”

“Ah, she’s my close friend, the Lady of Baron Glanche. Miss Glanche, please greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

But no matter how much Ellen didn’t want to get involved, she had no choice when her heavenly patron ordered it. Ellen cursed inwardly. Then she raised her head and introduced herself.

“It is an honor to meet the Noble Star, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Eleonora of the Glanche family. I have received the honor of accompanying Young Duke Folkenbach to this joyous occasion through her favor.”

The Crown Prince, whom she was seeing for the first time in her life, had a textbook appearance, as if advertising “I am the Crown Prince.”

He smiled in response to Ellen’s greeting and then spoke quietly enough for only those nearby to hear.

“Is this Louisa Pavel? She seems more ordinary than I’ve heard.”

Louisa Pavel. That was the name Ellen used as a painter.

Larisa also lowered her voice to answer.

“She only appears that way. This child is quite good at pretending to be normal.”

“Is that so? Interesting.”

“Yes. But you needn’t worry about her work. She has never missed a deadline or produced work below the expected standard.”

“Hmm….. I see. Then there’s one thing I’d like to ask—”

The Crown Prince whispered something to Larisa with a curious smile. Larisa nodded and then turned to Ellen.