Chapter 115

Among the nobles, Clarette’s name rose high as an artist, and the actions of Captain Lionel, the subject of the painting, also drew renewed attention.

“But why didn’t he include the military medal, after all that trouble? Since he’s in uniform, it would’ve fit well.”

“It was intentional. Honestly, the painting didn’t feel very patriotic.”

“True. More like a soldier mourning his comrades than a war hero.”

“Well, isn’t that a kind of indirect expression? Maybe it’s saying we should stop meaningless wars…”

“No way. His Majesty the Emperor has declared he’ll expand territory up to the Morel River. The Duke wouldn’t oppose that—it’s His Majesty’s long-cherished wish.”

“Well, who knows the Duke’s true feelings? If he really opposed war, he’d have plenty of supporters. Everyone’s tired of endless territorial wars.”

Whenever people mentioned Captain Lionel’s portrait, the conversation easily turned to war. Some felt the pain of old wounds revived by the painting, some felt the futility of war.

Lionel simply wanted to capture honestly what he felt during his days as a captain. But regardless of his intent, interpretations of the painting spread far and wide, even reaching the most closed and secret places in the Rosenta Empire—the Imperial Family.

* * *

Fabian, the lawyer, wondered if he should switch his profession to detective. He was an excellent lawyer, had won every case this year, and was satisfied with his income from various consultations and paperwork, but…

‘Power struggles between families—this is fascinating.’

As requested by Duke Valentin, Fabian was diligently investigating the business status of Earl Crowley’s domain. Fabian felt like a spy or detective, and enjoyed it.

Moreover, he liked the Duke’s straightforward attitude.

“Yes, things are going as we expected. Richard is trying to catch up with my business.”

Perhaps because he often mingled with commoners, Duke Valentin always treated Fabian, the lawyer, with friendly informality. Entering the ducal study, Fabian felt a sense of kinship as he reported.

“That’s right, Your Grace. Earl Crowley has frequently visited Shonel ducal residence this summer, and Duke Shonel has sold some other mines and moved workers to the tin mine. Earl Grimarr, who’s in partnership with them, is trying to poach workers from our pigment workshops.”

“They’re doing all sorts of things. Anyway, the three families have teamed up, so something will come out of it. It’s only a matter of time before we have competition.”

Duke Valentin’s attitude was relaxed, but Fabian, watching, felt anxious.

“Your Grace, their quality can’t surpass ours thanks to Mr. Doris Markrel, our skilled technician. Still, if a competing product emerges, it’ll be hard to maintain previous profits.”

“How much might it drop?”

“It could fall to nearly half the projected profit I calculated earlier. If that happens…”

“I won’t be able to pay off all the debt by next spring.”

“…Yes. Unfortunately.”

Fabian watched Duke Valentin look over the report in silence. At some point, the lawyer had begun to have vague expectations of the Duke.

If it’s this man, maybe he’ll find a good solution. He’d already anticipated the arrival of competitors, so surely he’d come up with a surprising way to outmaneuver them.

Somehow, he felt this man would never lose to others.

Perhaps sensing that gaze, after a long pause, the Duke finally gave Fabian the answer he’d been waiting for.

“Let’s assume quality will eventually be matched. Let’s secure something they can’t catch up with.”

“What would that be…?”

“The thing that earns us the most money—wouldn’t it be best if only we had it?”

The Duke casually pulled a letter from the stack on the desk. Fabian recognized the name ‘Isaac Hunt’ on the envelope.

“It’s not great to do this to a new father, but there’s no choice. I’ll have to send this friend far away.”

* * *

The ducal tea room was filled with the strong smell of oil paint. Clarette, focused on painting an interior scene, heard a sudden knock and looked up for the first time in an hour.

“Aren’t you going to ventilate? You’ll get a headache.”

It was Lionel. Instead of closing the tea room door, he walked over and opened the glass door to the garden wide.

A gentle breeze fluttered the curtains and dispersed the thick paint smell. Clarette finally set down her brush and smiled sheepishly.

“I didn’t realize so much time had passed. Did you have a good talk with Mr. Kenneth?”

“Of course. My father didn’t have much of an eye for people, but at least he found a good lawyer. He’s proactive and handles things neatly.”

Lionel recalled Fabian Kenneth, who gladly played detective, and smiled. Fabian always brought better results than expected.

Meanwhile, Clarette looked up at Lionel’s smile and asked carefully,

“You discussed business, right? Mr. Kenneth has been visiting often lately—is something going on?”

“Yes, there’s something. It’s about the paint, so you should know.”

Lionel looked at Clarette’s unfinished portrait of Duke Valentin and said,

“We have competitors now, Clarette. Since our invention, the tube paint has sold so well, everyone wants a piece.”

“What? So what happens now? Can you keep the business going?”

“Yes, it’s not serious enough to shut down immediately. But to protect profits, we’ll have to act in advance.”

“What will you do?”

She thought paying off the debt was already solved, but now worried again. Lionel smiled reassuringly.

“We’ll monopolize the color.”

“…What?”

“Lapis lazuli—it’s a specialty only found in the Garon Kingdom.”

Lionel looked down at the palette beside the easel.

“I’ll send Isaac to Garon to negotiate. Every lapis lazuli from that country, supplied exclusively to Valentin Company.”

“Monopoly? Is that possible? Even the Imperial Family and the Ensila Order need lapis lazuli…”

“Garon Kingdom doesn’t care about the Rosenta Imperial Family or Ensila Order. Their navy’s strong, so they’re not easily conquered, and their religion is different. The only thing that moves them is gold.”

Clarette pondered Lionel’s explanation, then voiced another doubt.

“But the Valentin family is affected by the Imperial Family and the Order. What if they demand lapis lazuli?”

“If His Majesty the Emperor or His Holiness the Pope requests it, of course we’ll give it.”

Lionel smiled, adding,

“For a proper price.”

He looked just like a shrewd businessman. Clarette could easily imagine Lionel negotiating with the Emperor and the Pope.

He was clever and bold; he’d never make a losing deal.

“But, Clarette.”

Lionel turned to the half-finished portrait.

“We need to finish this by next week. Can you manage?”

“Yes, as long as you keep modeling, I’ll have time. But why the deadline? Why next week?”

“After that, both you and I will be busy for a while.”

What was coming? Clarette tilted her head in curiosity.

Lionel gently wrapped her shoulders and said,

“Autumn’s almost here.”

On the breeze from the late summer garden, his sweet proposal reached her ear.

“You need to go to Genoa with me. For Saint Hubert’s festival.”