20 - Can I Cry Now?
Chapter 20
Ibi looked, but only a large frame hung there, not a portrait.
Instead, a sign stated that the current imperial painter was putting the finishing touches on it, and it would be unveiled in the fall, coinciding with His Majesty the Emperor's birthday.
'I was curious about what His Majesty the Emperor looks like now.'
He was practically a benefactor, having chosen her for the Academy for the Gifted. That's why she wanted to see him even more, but he wasn't there.
Swallowing her disappointment, Ibi looked at the other portraits.
Besides the current Emperor, there was one other person without a portrait.
It was the previous Emperor, who had caused the Succession War.
Perhaps because he had killed his father and brothers, only his name was engraved, and the space where his portrait should have hung remained empty, without even a frame.
Leaving behind the room that seemed to hold complicated adult circumstances, Ibi headed to a room further inside.
"It looks like portraits of the imperial family are hung here."
Ibi admired the portraits that filled the wall.
The first thing that caught her eye was the portraits of the Empresses wearing splendid crowns.
In the past, most were male Emperors, but as time passed, female Emperors appeared and their numbers increased.
Therefore, portraits of the Prince Consorts were also mixed in between.
Of course, all of them were smaller in size than the Emperor's portraits.
It wasn't just the Emperor's consorts that were hung there. Below those portraits were smaller portraits.
They were all portraits of children.
Among the portraits of adults with solemn expressions, the portraits of children mostly showed them smiling.
Sometimes there were portraits of them holding their favorite dolls or toys.
Or there were portraits of them holding many books.
Ibi looked at the portraits of children of similar ages to her with more pleasure than before.
"They don't all have names attached."
Perhaps because the preparations were not yet complete, as the staff member had said, many of the pictures did not have names indicating who was who.
Then, the moment she stood in front of the last picture on the wall, Ibi stopped.
Until now, the portraits had all been of adults and children drawn separately.
But this portrait was different.
A young woman with red hair and green eyes was smiling brightly, holding a small baby in her arms.
Perhaps it hadn't been long since the baby was born.
The baby in the woman's arms was wrapped in cloth, and its face was not clearly visible.
Ibi stared blankly at the picture for a long time.
It was someone she had never seen before. Since it was here, she must be the Emperor's consort.
She quickly looked next to the picture, but there was no name or explanation attached.
'They haven't attached it yet…….'
Ibi felt even more disappointed than when she hadn't seen the jewels properly, and stood in front of the picture again.
She should feel good looking at the woman smiling brightly as she hugged the baby in her arms as if it were precious.
"……."
Strangely, Ibi suddenly felt choked up.
'Who is it?'
She hadn't felt this way with the other pictures she had seen so far.
Unlike the other pictures, it was drawn with a child, but it was still someone she didn't know.
Without realizing it, Ibi took another step towards the picture.
Then, the smiling woman in the picture became more visible.
Ibi continued to look at the picture, lost in thought.
So lost in thought that she didn't even notice the door to the portrait room closing far away.
\ \ \
"……."
"……."
While other students rested and chatted happily, Arcel and Ruska sat silently on their chairs, looking outside.
At first, the students who had been talking to them without noticing the atmosphere gradually moved away, saying, "Something must have happened," as the two hardly answered.
After a long time, Ruska was the first to speak.
"I heard that Lilian's portrait is finished and hung up. Shall we go see it?"
"……."
At Ruska's words, Arcel seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. I'm planning to come again later, so it's okay today."
If it were the usual Ruska, he would have asked when that later would be and insisted on going to see it now.
But today, Ruska nodded once and didn't say anything more.
"Okay. Then I'll get up first."
"Are you thinking of going to see the portrait?"
When Arcel asked back, Ruska smiled.
"No. I don't want to see it today either. I feel like I'll cry pathetically if I see it now."
Ruska forced a smile and got up from his seat.
He walked out of the exhibition hall with his hands in his pockets and a dragging gait.
What he had said to Arcel was not a joke. Perhaps because his mood had been down since morning because of the dream.
He felt like he would cry like a child if he saw Lilian's portrait in this state.
'Besides, my father said that Princess Evevien was also drawn in the portrait.'
Perhaps because no one had ever seen her face, he heard that they couldn't draw Princess Evevien's face.
Since he had decided not to go, he should look around other places besides the portrait exhibition hall, but strangely, he couldn't bring himself to leave.
So Ruska wandered around the exhibition hall, which had nothing more to see.
Perhaps because he was away from Arcel, the students slowly approached Ruska again.
"Sigh, this popularity."
Ruska shook his head, muttering like that.
It seemed that he looked easier to approach when he was walking around alone without Arcel, who was difficult to talk to.
'I should go somewhere else quickly.'
Ruska pretended not to notice and turned his steps towards the entrance of the exhibition hall. It would be difficult for them to follow if he went outside altogether.
At that moment, someone suddenly rushed out quickly from the hallway connected to the portrait hall.
Thud!
Someone collided with Ruska with a fairly loud sound.
"Ah! What the!"
The person who had been staggering raised her eyebrows as if annoyed, but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Ruska.
"I, I'm sorry!"
He didn't like the attitude of apologizing only after realizing who he was.
But Ruska decided not to argue. He was feeling more annoyed right now.
"It's okay."
He thought she would just pass by, but the female student smiled, bowed her head, and said.
"Um, my name is Limora Isel. If you don't mind, as an apology, I can later at the Academy for the Gifted……."
"Haa……."
Ruska sighed at the obvious attempt to flirt.
He was about to ignore her and turn around when Ruska remembered that Limora had come from the portrait exhibition hall.
'Maybe she saw Lilian's portrait too.'
With a hopeful thought, Ruska asked her.
"More importantly, are you coming from the portrait exhibition hall? By any chance, inside……."
At that moment, Limora's expression hardened and she shook her head.
"Ah, no. I was going to see it, but I just came out. I'll be going now……."
Unlike when she had been enthusiastically talking to him a moment ago, Limora left in a hurry, barely even saying goodbye.
"What. Why is she like that?"
She looked like someone who had done something wrong and was running away.
Ruska looked at the hallway leading to the portrait exhibition hall.
It was a place that felt a bit dark because there were no other ceilings except for the very high ceiling to protect the portraits.
What could you do wrong here…….
Ruska, who was looking at the quiet hallway, was about to head towards the portrait exhibition hall with an uneasy feeling.
At that time, a staff member said loudly at the entrance.
"It's time to move! All students inside, please come outside!"
At that sound, Ruska stopped.
He had been sitting outside with Arcel for a long time, but he didn't realize it was already time to move.
Ruska looked inside the hallway for a long time with a disappointed feeling before turning his steps.
Strangely, he felt uneasy, as if he had left something behind.
\ \ \
Ibi was quietly looking at the portrait.
Then, she suddenly came to her senses and looked around.
'It's quiet.'
When she came in, she thought she could hear the voices and footsteps of students in the distance, but now she couldn't hear any sound.
Besides, the exhibition hall was a bit darker than when she had entered.
'I should go back.'
Ibi hurried towards the door. Even so, her eyes kept going to the portrait.
'If I can come here again later, I must check the name then.'
Thinking that, she approached the door, and saw that the door, which had been open when she came in, was closed.
'That's why it was so quiet.'
Ibi grabbed the doorknob and turned it with force. It should open like this and show the students outside…….
"Huh?"
A look of dismay spread across Ibi's face.
The doorknob wouldn't turn. Just in case, she pushed it with her body, but the thick door didn't budge.
The door was locked from the outside.
