Chapter 23

Lionel stood at the entrance of the annex, peering into the gallery crowded with countless people. Melanie Bouvier and the auctioneer were skillfully conducting the auction.

“This next piece is a masterpiece known to all, an iconic sacred painting. It’s the renowned work of none other than Fillio Alfonso!”

“The starting bid is 5,000 gold! Those wishing to participate, please prepare your numbered paddles…”

Lionel watched the auction scene with curiosity, as it was his first time witnessing such an event. The sums exchanged for each painting far exceeded his expectations. Though the bidders maintained their dignity, their eyes revealed a burning desire to win each item.

“Your Grace! There you are. Everything is proceeding smoothly. However…”

Oliver, having spotted him, hurried over. Lionel chuckled when he saw even the veteran Oliver’s face slightly flushed.

“Oliver, aren’t there so many guests that there aren’t enough seats? Even those who said they couldn’t come ended up attending.”

“Yes, Your Grace. That’s why we keep expanding the seating areas for the guests.”

“It seems the annex and the garden alone won’t suffice. Open the first floor of the main building as well. Those more interested in the party than the auction will want to go there.”

“Yes, since you’ve permitted it, we’ll prepare accordingly.”

Even in the hectic atmosphere, Lionel’s instructions were clear and concise. Oliver found himself once again admiring the Duke’s composed demeanor.

And today, it wasn’t just the butler who saw him differently.

As the host of the party, Lionel was impeccably dressed, more dignified than ever. His new formal suit, tailored for this event, fit his broad shoulders and solid physique perfectly.

Moreover, Lionel’s gentle smile as he welcomed guests made everyone feel comfortable, regardless of age or gender. His face, honed through countless parties, balls, and banquets, now shone brightly in the ducal mansion.

“They say blood doesn’t lie. It seems Duke Valentin will become a prominent figure in society, just like the previous Duke. Who would have thought he’d adapt so quickly?”

“For a first-time host, isn’t this a rather grand scale? I never imagined there’d be an auction at the ducal mansion.”

The nobles at the party all gravitated toward Lionel, whispering words of admiration. Even those who attended with the mischievous intention of seeing the ‘illegitimate Duke’ had to admit the party was a tremendous success.

“This gallery is practically a treasure vault. If they sell everything, it’ll be an astronomical sum.”

“By the way, I heard the Valentin family’s businesses are being renewed. Are they selling off old ventures and starting new ones, just like with the paintings?”

“Is that why they’re hosting such a big party?”

Lionel deliberately showed no reaction to the evaluations and speculations around him. Making people curious about his true intentions and eager for the Duchy’s next move was his first goal for the day.

Meanwhile, his second goal was about to unfold before his eyes.

On the forbidden second-floor staircase of the annex, his awaited partner finally appeared. Lionel turned his gaze expectantly toward her standing at the top of the stairs.

The Duke’s partner, Clarette, was wearing a dress tailored for her for the first time in her life.

The expensive blue silk and intricate lace highlighted her elegant figure. Her long, black hair was neatly pinned up with sapphire-studded hairpins. Her pearl-adorned shoes matched the dress, allowing her to descend the stairs gracefully.

Naturally, all eyes were drawn to her beautiful entrance. Clarette, steadying her breath before the gazes, approached Duke Valentin.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Grace. It took longer than expected to get ready.”

“It’s fine. More importantly, do you like the dress?”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful. I’m still getting used to it…”

“You’ll adjust soon. It suits you perfectly.”

Unlike when greeting guests, Lionel’s eyes curved with genuine delight. Clarette stared into his blue eyes, so much like those of the woman in the painting.

“Shall we go in now?”

Lionel naturally offered his arm. Clarette, just as Oliver had taught her, carefully took his arm. She hesitated at the firmness of his muscles beneath the fabric, but Lionel didn’t notice.

The two entered the gallery, where the auction was in full swing. As Duke Valentin began to move in earnest, people focused on the auction but still glanced at him.

“…I didn’t expect so many people to come. Am I really suitable as your partner?”

Clarette’s anxious question was met with Lionel’s gentle reply.

“Don’t worry. As the host, it’s my choice. Besides, no one fits this place as well as you.”

Though the whispers around her bothered Clarette, she focused on her role. She followed the Duke’s lead to a table at the back center of the auction hall.

“Twenty thousand gold!”

Startled by the loud bid from the front, Clarette nodded in understanding upon seeing the artwork on stage.

“How is it? Does the price seem right?”

Lionel lowered his voice to ask, and Clarette answered immediately.

“Yes, I think it’ll go even higher than twenty thousand gold. That piece is a true masterpiece. It’s Claudis’s ‘The God of Wisdom Revealing the False Prophet’.”

“Is it a famous work?”

“It’s well-known, and it has historical value. It’s the first painting to depict a deity using lapis lazuli pigment.”

“…Lapis lazuli pigment?”

Lionel was unfamiliar with the term. Clarette kindly explained.

“Lapis lazuli is a blue stone. It has a deep blue color, and when ground, it’s used as a pigment for paint. That’s how you get the vivid blue seen in this painting.”

“Oh, you mean the color of the old man’s clothes?”

“Yes. The old man’s robe in the painting is strikingly blue. That’s the part painted with lapis lazuli pigment. He is the god of wisdom.”

Lionel gazed at the old man in the painting, who was pointing at the false prophet. The cloak and belt of the robe were a striking, deep blue.

“That blue really stands out. Was it done like that on purpose, so people could easily tell who the god is?”

“It does stand out… In the past, it was difficult to use that blue in paintings. Lapis lazuli is very expensive, both then and now. So it was used sparingly, mainly to depict great beings like gods.”

“I see. Just how expensive is it?”

“Your Grace, you’ve seen my pigment jars, right? To buy one jar of that blue, it would cost about two thousand gold.”

That amount far exceeded a junior officer’s half-year salary. Lionel was momentarily speechless.

“…Isn’t that more expensive than gold?”

“That’s right.”

“What if the artist made a mistake while painting?”

“That’s why only recognized artists could use it. It’s mainly used for special commissions from the Ensila Order or the Imperial Family. I’ve never received such a commission myself, so I don’t know the details.”

Lionel now looked at the painting on the auction stage with new eyes. The artwork, for which people were shouting bids of ten thousand and twenty thousand gold, was no ordinary painting.

The value of the blue pigment alone on its surface easily surpassed a thousand gold. The painting of the god of wisdom was finally sold to a Marquis for forty thousand gold.

Next, a painting appeared on the auction stage depicting a n*ked man drawing a bow. Lionel spoke as he gazed at the solemn artwork.

“That painting makes me wonder about something.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t most artists rarely paint n*de figures like that?”

Clarette looked at the painting of the archer shining under the auction lights. If Duke Valentin posed like that, she thought, the composition would be even more impressive.

Of course, the conversation about the n*de model between the two hadn’t resumed or concluded since that day.

Even as Clarette recalled that conversation, she answered as if nothing was amiss.