A cute troublemaker who once caused a missing person incident by waking up at dawn to draw frogs at a pond in the suburbs. A mischievous child who used jam served with snacks as paint for doodles.

Quirky, but even more lovable and charming.

‘She became an artist, Ellen.’

Roberto’s lips curved up gently as he realized this fact. From that distant childhood, Ellen had endlessly loved drawing.

And he had loved watching Ellen draw so much.

Even though they were just children’s drawings, not particularly outstanding, he loved the dreamy glow in Ellen’s eyes as she drew.

To think that such an Ellen had finally become an artist. And that she was actually the famous Louisa Pavel.

Roberto was so happy about it. It meant Ellen was receiving recognition for her art and could spend the rest of her life doing what she loved.

However, Roberto soon realized another fact.

‘But…… she doesn’t look well somehow.’

Ellen kept smiling, but she looked tired and exhausted. And her attire was quite peculiar too.

A slightly disheveled formal dress with a long shawl.

For a lady to wear a shawl in late April when it wasn’t particularly cold meant she had some reason to hide her clothes. For example, not having suitable clothes for the occasion.

Her tousled hair was charming in its Ellen-like way, but it wasn’t a hairstyle an artist attending an exhibition would typically wear.

And above all, her complexion. The bloodless pale skin and dark circles under her eyes were clear evidence that Ellen was obviously exhausted.

“Well…… I’m embarrassed. I didn’t have much time……”

When Roberto carefully asked, Ellen answered like that. No time? Did that mean her living conditions weren’t good?

‘Come to think of it.’

Roberto had heard from Martin before. A few years ago in the art world, there were patrons who exploited young talented artists, making them paint in environments where they couldn’t even eat or sleep properly.

‘Like that, is someone making Ellen paint without even providing proper meals….’

Thinking of this, Roberto became worried at once. He was so worried that he couldn’t even focus on Ellen’s explanation of the painting.

“Eloise Who Kept Her Promise” was certainly an excellent painting, and before Ellen came, he had been completely captivated by it. But now his head was filled with concern for Ellen rather than the painting.

‘If that’s the case, is there any way I can help?’

Ellen is the famous Louisa Pavel. Even setting aside Roberto’s personal feelings, it was unacceptable that an artist who would clearly go down in history wasn’t being treated properly.

‘For example, what if I became her patron instead?’

If her current patron wasn’t treating her properly, what if Roberto became her patron instead?

If she was working in a poor environment, he could set up a new atelier for her, and if she had no clothes to wear to exhibitions, he could buy her new ones.

Roberto wanted Ellen to be able to focus solely on painting without worrying about food or clothes. In fact, this wasn’t an impossible task. By now, the Bruno family could certainly afford to sponsor an artist.

‘But, if my memory serves me correctly, Louisa Pavel’s patron was…… Larisa Folkenbach.’

That was the problem. The future head of the Folkenbach ducal family, Larisa Folkenbach. She was too delicate an opponent to casually suggest changing patrons.

No matter how renowned the Bruno family might be, they couldn’t match the power of the Folkenbach ducal family.

If rumors spread that he had stolen an artist away, it would clearly cause headaches for both him and Ellen.

‘For now.’

After pondering, Roberto finally decided to do what he could do right now. Complaining to Larisa about Ellen’s treatment or changing her patron wasn’t something he could do immediately.

“……Have you had breakfast?”

So he decided to do what he could do right now, which was to feed Eleonora something.

⁕⁕⁕

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

Roberto gazed steadily at Ellen sitting across from him, moving her cutlery. Despite entering the restaurant in a hurry, Ellen seemed to be eating well, finding the food to her taste.

Well, how hungry must she be without having had breakfast? Roberto, who had maintained a lifestyle for 10 years where his body immediately protested if he missed a meal as a knight, naturally felt bad.

In reality, Ellen was more satisfied with the fact that Roberto had invited her to dine than with the taste of the food or filling her hunger. She had been anxious earlier because his reaction had been ambiguous when she was explaining the painting.

Sitting down to eat together meant Roberto had some intention of maintaining a social relationship with Ellen. It felt like a small torch had been lit on the path leading to Natasha.

“I’m surprised. I never thought you would be Louisa Pavel.”

Roberto spoke after mostly finishing his meal. Ellen dabbed the corners of her mouth and replied.

“Not many people know my real name. And my painting style has changed a lot since childhood.”

“Yes. But it still catches the eye. It was a very beautiful and charming painting.”

“I’m glad you say so. Thank you.”

Roberto sighed slightly and continued.

“I mean it. The moment I saw ‘Eloise Who Kept Her Promise,’ I was involuntarily captivated. It’s the scene where Eloise breaks through an army of monsters to bring Saint Patrick’s heart to keep her promise to Bertrand. It’s a passage that well demonstrates how firm-minded and wonderful Eloise is, and it’s personally a scene I like.”

“Haha.”

Hearing those words, Ellen let out a soft laugh. This time, Roberto wore a puzzled expression.

“Excuse me, I just remembered you said the same thing back then.”

“Back then…… you mean when we lived in Katura Street?”

“Katura Street. Yes, that was the name. Do you remember? You lent me the book ‘Le Trois’s Promise,’ and after I finished reading it, we shared our impressions.”

Hearing this, Roberto also recalled the scene from that time. Six-year-old Ellen, who had stayed up all night secretly reading the book, came with dreamy eyes to share her impressions.

Roberto enjoyed sharing his thoughts about the book too, but he enjoyed seeing Ellen happy even more. A beautiful and nostalgic memory curved Roberto’s lips gently.

“Yes…… I remember. You said you liked the scene where Eloise rebuked the corrupt priests. And also the prayer Bertrand recited every night for Eloise.”

Ellen’s expression brightened. She hadn’t expected Roberto to remember in such detail. Those two scenes were still among her favorites.

“That’s right. I just remembered. I liked that prayer so much that I must have drawn dozens of pictures of Bertrand praying.”

“You gave one to me too, do you remember?”

“Did I?”

“Yes. I remember keeping it by my bedside for a while and using it as a prayer companion before falling asleep.”

“Ahah, that’s right. You did say something like that.”

The conversation continued cheerfully after that.

At first, Ellen had been flattering Roberto in hopes of being introduced to Natasha, but as they talked, she found herself genuinely enjoying the conversation and chatting comfortably.

‘Robbie really hasn’t changed much. His smile has diminished a bit, but that’s probably because he’s an adult now. Come to think of it, after drawing, chatting with Robbie was my favorite thing to do as a child.’

Ellen didn’t realize something as she thought this.

That the grown-up Roberto rarely smiled. Especially after returning from the war, he wore such a heavy expression like a dead person that new knights were quite afraid of him.

His expression softened somewhat in front of Natasha, but having a conversation with a smile like now was truly rare.

But not knowing this allowed her to continue the conversation more comfortably and enjoyably.

“Thank you so much for today, Count Bruno. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy delicious food and have a pleasant time.”

As they left the restaurant, Ellen, now with color returned to her face, expressed her gratitude first. Roberto also smiled and replied.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was a very meaningful time for me as well.”

“Then I’ll return to the exhibition hall now.”

As Ellen said this and was about to curtsy, Roberto suggested:

“Let me escort you.”

Ellen was about to refuse for a moment but quickly changed her mind.

Despite her shabby appearance and living without much awareness of her noble status, Ellen was still a baronial lady by title. From Roberto’s perspective, escorting her to her destination was the proper courtesy.

“Thank you.”

Once she gave her permission, Roberto moved beside Ellen as if to protect her.

Ellen found herself newly impressed by Roberto’s excellent physique. She thought it might be nice to paint a tall, well-built man like Roberto for her next personal work.

At that moment, Roberto, walking beside her, spoke softly.

“Ellen. Today was truly enjoyable. I can’t express how happy I am to have met you again.”

Ellen replied plainly that she felt the same. She thought it was just a casual pleasantry. But Roberto’s voice that followed was somewhat heavier.

“If you ever find yourself struggling or in need of help…… if there’s anything I can do to assist you, please contact the count’s residence anytime. I want you to continue living with a smile on your face.”

In Roberto’s mind, this was a declaration that he would help her if she was suffering under a malicious patron. After enjoying a pleasant meal with Ellen, his desire to help her had only grown stronger. That’s why he said this.

Unfortunately, the offer didn’t particularly resonate with Ellen.

If she were ten years old, neglected by her father and unable to eat properly, that would be different, but now she was living comfortably, painting to her heart’s content without financial worries.

She even had a kind patron like Larisa who would take her to the cafeteria and buy her food if she was hungry and complaining.