Confused, Rarien looked around. 

 ‘There he is…!’ 

 She thought he’d left her alone, but she saw Nicholas sitting on the sofa, deeply focused on something. 

 “Your Excellency, what are you doing?” 

 “Well.” 

 His evasive answer and twitching lips were quite strange. He was holding something like a sketchbook. Rarien roughly wrapped the sheet around herself and trotted over to sit close beside Nicholas. 

 “Can I take a peek?” 

 She thought he would hide it, but surprisingly, Nicholas handed it over willingly. 

 “Who is it?” 

 “You.” 

 Ah, he drew her sleeping. A drawing by Nicholas. Rarien observed his work with profound eyes. 

 “Hmm.” 

 “What do you think? Be honest.” 

 Though he asked in an expectant tone…… since he said to be honest…

 Rarien cleared her throat and spoke. 

 “I’m sorry but, Your Excellency, it looks like you drew this with your feet.” 

 Cancel that perfect son of god thing. His drawing skills were absolutely terrible. 

 Rarien responded playfully. While she did intentionally criticize to tease him, Nicholas somehow maintained an unbothered expression. 

 “Well, that’s fine. Though I can’t draw, the model is perfect.” 

 “So Your Excellency has things you’re not good at too.” 

 “Does that make you dislike me?” 

 “No, I like it better — it makes you more human.” 

 She thought he just couldn’t empathize, but there was something else he couldn’t do. 

 Rarien smiled brightly like a child who had discovered a great secret. 

 “It doesn’t matter. You’re good at drawing anyway.” 

 “Me?” 

 “I saw in your notebook.” 

 When did he see that? Rarien’s face turned bright red. 

 “Nicholas reading, Nicholas on the platform…… my favorite was Nicholas with this expression.” 

 Good heavens, what Nicholas recreated was ‘Nicholas filled with passion.’ 

 “Why did you…… peek at someone else’s notebook.” 

 “It’s natural for a client to preview the work.” 

 “What?” 

 Client? Before she could ponder the meaning, he abruptly led Rarien to the inner bedroom. 

 “Here, a present.” 

 When he lifted the cloth covering one corner, there was an easel, canvas, and various art supplies prepared. All were precious items Rarien had wanted but couldn’t even dream of buying because they were so expensive. 

 “For me?” 

 Rarien asked dazedly at Nicholas’s surprise gift. 

 “Yes. But it’s not free. I have a special commission for the artist.” 

 Nicholas sat Rarien in the chair prepared in front of the easel, then showed her the mirror right beside it. 

 A disheveled woman not fully awake was looking in the mirror. 

 “I’d like it as identical to Rarien Claude as possible, and preferably small in size.” 

 “Small? Why?” 

 “Because I’m going to take it with me in this.” 

 Nicholas showed her a pendant necklace with a gold chain. When opened, it was in the form of a frame that could hold a small picture. 

 “…That’s cute.” 

 It was an adorable necklace worthy of spontaneous admiration. 

 “When I go to the altar, I won’t be able to see you for ten days. I think my lovesickness might relapse. So draw something, even roughly. I’ll look at it when I miss you.” 

 “Yes, just a moment.” 

 Rarien considered among various art supplies before choosing the most familiar conté crayon. Then looking in the mirror, she began sketching, scratch scratch. 

 It was her first time. Looking at her face this closely. 

 She usually had no occasion to wear makeup, and while she kept herself clean, she wasn’t one to groom her appearance. 

 ‘I should draw it as pretty as possible.’ 

 She felt oddly nervous since Nicholas would be taking it. For ten days, this drawing would be Rarien Claude. 

 ‘Maybe because I just woke up. My hair’s a mess and my face is all puffy and ugly.’ 

 If she had known, she shouldn’t have eaten everything he fed her yesterday. She couldn’t help but regret it. 

 ‘Well, whatever. It’s just a drawing. I’ll make the face slimmer and the eyes bigger….’ 

 To be honest, she beautified it a bit. Though it pricked her conscience somewhat, she thought that would be better. 

 ‘All portraits are like that anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’

Grandfather had said that portraits weren’t about drawing exact likenesses, but showing what the client wanted to see. 

 ‘His Excellency would probably prefer seeing a neat appearance rather than a disheveled one.’ 

 No, that might just be her excuse. To be honest, she wanted Nicholas to remember her at her most beautiful during their time apart. 

 “Will this do for now?” 

 Rarien presented her roughly completed work. She still needed to add more detailed textures, but she wanted to check if she was heading in the right direction first. 

 “Since you need to leave soon…… Though it looks plain being done in conté, it’s what I’m most familiar with, and other materials would take time to dry.” 

 “It’s cute.” 

 The client smiled with satisfaction. Then he gently pinched Rarien’s brightly smiling cheek. 

 “Though of course, not as good as the real thing.” 

 “Is it that bad? I tried to make it prettier since my face is puffy from just waking up.” 

 Rarien responded dejectedly. 

 “I’m not very good at drawing anyway. I only doodled by myself, never had proper training. Should I draw it again?” 

 “No need. There’s nothing wrong with your skill.” 

 “Really?” 

 “Of course. The real thing is always more valuable than a fake.” 

 He gazed at her lovingly before placing a long kiss on the crown of her head. 

 “Of course Little Rien isn’t as pretty as the real Rien.” 

 “Little Rien?” 

 “Why not? We have Big Nicki, so why not Little Rien?” 

 “Ah, Your Excellency—. Why are you bringing up Big Nicki here?” 

 When Nicholas answered mischievously, Rarien whined with a sulky voice. 

 “I need to look at my fill before I leave. The real Rarien Claude.” 

 Kisses showered on her cheek, earlobe, and nape. 

 The real Rarien Claude. 

 Though it was romantic, to Rarien who hadn’t told the truth yet, it felt like homework. 

 He said it would take ten days, so when Nicholas returns there will only be 23 days left. I should tell him today, no, first thing tomorrow morning. It seemed time to tell the truth she had been postponing with various excuses. 

 “Um…… Your Excellency.” 

 “Yes?” 

 Rarien’s lips quivered. Looking at Nicholas smiling at her, she couldn’t bring herself to speak. 

 Was it really true that the real thing was more valuable? 

 Even if the truth was far more shabby than a beautiful lie? 

What about after telling the truth? Would they be able to spend their remaining time without sadness? 

 She worried if she was needlessly sharing a burden she could carry alone. When her thoughts reached that point, she couldn’t say anything. 

 “……” 

 Right. They were all just pretty excuses. 

 She couldn’t speak because she lacked the courage to face whatever his reaction might be. In other words, she was being cowardly. 

 “…Never mind.” 

 “You tease. Tell me when you remember then.” 

 Nicholas playfully ruffled Rarien’s hair with his large hand. 

 “About the drawing. Would you be interested in learning properly?” 

 “What, me?” 

 “Yes. Since you’re this good self-taught, it seems a waste of talent. If you’re willing, I’ll get you a teacher.” 

 Rarien pondered for a moment. 

 Talent. She had never thought she had such a thing. 

 When she used to doodle in her notebook, her mother would criticize her, saying a girl shouldn’t waste time with useless scribbles. So she always drew in secret, and never properly finished anything. 

 Even Nicholas’s portraits were like that. Sometimes she only drew the face, sometimes just the bust. She had never drawn a full body with background. She lacked confidence. 

 “Talent? I just keep doing it because I like it…… I don’t think it’s anything special.” 

 “Is there any talent more important than loving something and doing it consistently?” 

 Could even that be called talent? When anyone could do it? 

 “But that alone isn’t enough, right?” 

 “True.” 

 He readily agreed. 

 “But you know, a truly shining talent is something the person themselves can’t see.” 

 Nicholas gave a long kiss to the bewildered Rarien. 

 “Just like how only Rarien Claude herself doesn’t know how pretty Rarien Claude is.” 

 His affection was as sweet as candy. Sweet enough to make tomorrow seem irrelevant. 

***

 After Nicholas left for the altar with the high priests, Rarien was left alone at the temple. 

 She felt empty with the sudden absence of someone who was always there, but also felt somewhat unburdened. 

 ‘Finally, freedom…!’ 

 Nicholas would be angry if he knew, but that was her honest feeling. 

 Though the time she had with him was happy, she hadn’t had time to erase wishes, let alone write in her diary or read books. 

 The next ten days would be time for herself. 

 After seeing off the high priests’ procession at the main gate, Rarien immediately moved from the quarters back to her own room. 

 Though Nicholas told her to stay in his room, she felt uncomfortable. She felt she wouldn’t be able to move around freely. 

 For a while, she could go here and there like before Nicholas came, and cross off items from the ‘wish list’ she had been putting off. The art teacher would also visit for two hours each day, which she was really looking forward to. 

 Since Rarien’s duty was to assist Nicholas, she had no other assigned work. It was officially a vacation, but rather than traveling somewhere, she planned to stay at the temple and go out occasionally.

‘I’ll go to the market alone, sketch at the beach. And also…… I’ll buy and eat that chocolate from last time.’ 

Her solo play plans were perfect. 

Until another distinguished guest from Reinhart visited the Southern Temple.