Chapter 2

After that, all manner of valuables were introduced in a line: every kind of jewel, precious fabrics, rare thoroughbreds, exotic animals, foreign spices.

Gifts offered to the imperial family always carried political aims, so this level of zeal was easy enough to anticipate. Proud nobles would never miss a chance to quietly show off their family’s power and wealth.

‘Should I have brought the iron-ore mining rights transfer document my older sister suggested as a gift?’

Lachesis felt a competitive itch as well, but soon shook her head.

A gift of an iron mine to people who had endured grueling days on the battlefield—no matter how she thought about it, that felt wrong.

In the original story, the trio of protagonists—including the secondary male lead—rolled and rolled through the demon-beast warfront for five years. In reality, unlike the original, the war had ended in only three years, but still.

In any case, just as Lachesis did not want to dwell on the demon-beast war, she hoped they, too, would be farther from those memories.

If it could be called fortunate at all—

There still had not been a gift that drew a truly genuine smile from the original female lead and male lead, Clotia and Edgar. While the customary congratulations and thanks repeated, most of the gifts were revealed before anyone noticed.

Now, with only a few gifts remaining.

Just as people’s focus loosened and anticipation began to fade—

“Next is, Dea…….”

A servant started to speak, as if to introduce the “Deate Earldom.” Lachesis’s eyes widened in shock, and she shot the servant a fierce glare.

‘No! I told them so clearly to introduce it under a different name!’

Maybe her glare could be felt even from afar. Or maybe the belated bribe flashed through the servant’s mind. Either way, thankfully, the servant hurriedly changed course.

“Ah, no. It is a gift prepared by the Master of the Grota Workshop.”

In an instant, silence dropped over the banquet hall. Then, as though the slack atmosphere tightened taut, the room grew noisier than it had been at any point that night.

“That can’t be. The Grota Workshop—‘that’ Grota Workshop?”

“The Master of the Grota Workshop was in the Asher Empire? I heard they were wandering the Northern Continent, cultivating disciples.”

“So they were real after all? There’s so little verified information that I honestly wondered whether the artisans had made an art spirit their master.”

While some focused on the identity of the Grota Workshop’s master, others were already lost in speculation about what the gift might be.

“It must be a portrait painted by the painter Louise, right? I’m so jealous! I’ve been waiting three years for a custom portrait commission from Louise. Ah—how much longer until my turn comes?”

“I think it might be a sculpture by Mikel. They say you can’t commission his work even with money—let alone with the High Priest’s authority. But if it’s the Master, wouldn’t it be different?”

“I’m betting it’s a jeweled craftwork by Lerno Grinchi.”

“But Marquis Anton Grinchi already prepared a jeweled craftwork. I heard the Marquis’s third son even studied architecture at the court academy. Maybe…… they prepared a building?”

“So where is this Master, anyway? The one who commands the empire’s foremost artisans must be an old craftsman of deep lineage. But I don’t see anyone of advanced age.”

The nobles seated throughout the banquet hall craned their necks and looked around, searching for the Grota Workshop’s master.

Among them, only one person fixed her gaze straight ahead—Lachesis.

Lachesis deliberately crossed through them at an unhurried pace and advanced to the dais. In an instant, dozens of wide-open eyes pinned themselves to her face.

“My sincere congratulations on your sacred union, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Highness the Princess Consort. I am the Master of the Grota Workshop—Lachesis Deate.”

At her introduction, the hall stirred once more.

“Deate? You mean that Deate Earldom family that knows nothing but money games?”

“How did someone from such a lowly family with no pedigree get into this place?”

“You know what that family is good at. They must’ve paid their way in and crawled in like rats.”

Because of the setting, the voices were greatly lowered—but sharp words could still pierce the ear like arrows, even from far away.

Lachesis listened with a composed face. This was nothing new; it did not hurt her now.

“To think the Grota Workshop belonged to the Deate family. That is truly unexpected.”

“What a pity it had to be Deate. You can’t even slip them a bribe to cut in line for portrait reservations. It would all look like pocket change to them.”

“How about inviting Lady Deate to Viscount Verdian’s tea gathering the day after tomorrow? If we build ties, we might receive special treatment.”

“It’s not quite a matching rank, but well……. If it’s for a portrait by the painter Louise, it’s worth enduring.”

Those cunning whispers from one side were, if anything, welcome. She had never held the naive expectation that she would be smoothly absorbed into noble society at once.

Proving her value—branding her name and existence into their minds. That purpose alone was enough for tonight.

“The gift prepared by the Grota Workshop under the sponsorship of the Deate Earldom is…….”

Lachesis raised her voice a little more so everyone in the banquet hall could hear.

“Portraits and sculptures of the two of you—and a commemorative monument honoring the demon-beast war.”

People’s guesses were almost spot-on. If only they would abandon the prejudice that it would be just one gift.

Clotia and Edgar’s eyes, which had remained calm the whole time, now sparkled unlike before.

But somehow, the direction of their gaze was slightly off.

Their bright, shining eyes did not settle on the gold-trimmed frame, but on Lachesis, who stood there introducing the piece, and they didn’t seem able to look away.

“You said you’re Earl Deate ’s daughter, right? Have we met somewhere before?”

“……Pardon?”

“Tia. You felt it too, didn’t you? I was about to ask the same thing.”

Edgar, who smiled gently toward Clotia, looked to Lachesis. His eyes were full of certainty that they must have met.

Since Lachesis had never once gone anywhere near them, she had no choice but to disappoint their expectations.

“Well… I believe you may be mistaken, Your Highnesses. I haven’t really been active outside.”

“Is that so? That’s strange…….”

Clotia’s eyes, which had been staring straight at Lachesis, only slid aside after a long while.

At last, Clotia’s gaze fixed on the masterpiece she had barely managed to complete by pestering and pleading with Louise, the most popular painter in the Asher Empire’s imperial capital as of late.

“Ah.”

With an exclamation, Clotia’s lips parted as if a flower bud had burst open.

“My goodness. It’s so beautiful! No, ‘beautiful’ feels woefully insufficient. Edgar, what do you think?”

“This is like…… it’s as if she saw us directly and painted us exactly as we are. Don’t you think?”

“Oh my. Now that you mention it, it really is!”

Amazed, Clotia and Edgar stepped closer to the painting. Lachesis drew an even deeper smile to hide her flinch.

The painting—Edgar kneeling to propose to Clotia against the backdrop of Hyles Lake—had been drawn based on the original work’s description. It was only natural they would be startled as if their private story had been found out.

However, she couldn’t reveal the truth as it was, so Lachesis replied demurely.

“Painter Louise used her imagination to create it, so I’m glad you like it.”

“I truly love it, Lady Deate—no, should I call you the head of the Grota Workshop?”

“It would be an honor if you called me Lachesis.”

“Thank you, Lachesis. I’ll treasure it.”

Among the parade of all sorts of rare gifts, this was the only moment Clotia smiled from the heart.

Which meant that the value of Lachesis, the owner of the Grota Workshop, had risen—at least somewhat.

Only then could Lachesis finally let the tension leave her shoulders, which had been rigid all throughout the banquet. Needless to say, the corners of her lips lifted beyond her control.