DYBAR - Chapter 128 < Portrait of the Previous Grand Duke and His Wife (2) >
Do Your Best And Regret
A place where white moonlight floods the windows. That is the living room attached to Bethany's bedroom. To be exact, it was said to be where the portrait of the previous Grand Duchess was located.
At the same time, Bethany opened up the curtain, I held my breath.
"The previous Grand Duchess also said she had green eyes, so why don't you know that the love you receive is nothing more than a substitute for the previous Grand Duchess's!"
The Prince was wrong. The only thing I resembled the previous Grand Duchess was the color of my eyes.
Brilliant blonde hair that looks like it was made from melted gold and mysterious, vivid green eyes. A bright smile on a face is so beautiful that you forget to breathe, and even the dignity and conveyed by the portrait alone.
He indeed looks just like the previous Grand Duchess.
Edwin Lowell Vikander.
The only Lowell bloodline to have inherited the previous Grand Duchess. That was it.
"She is my mother."
Edwin muttered in a voice as clear as white moonlight.
"She was a very beautiful, strong, and playful person."
"Edwin really looks a lot like his mother."
Edwin's eyes were round.
"We look very similar. To the point where my mother would sometimes look at me closely and look for any resemblance to my father."
I thought now was ny chance. Time to casually check the smallest doubts. So, despite my heart pounding, I smiled calmly.
"I'm curious. I want to see him too."
"Well, the portrait of His Royal Highness. Unfortunately, there isn't any."
Edwin spoke behind Bethany, who hesitated.
"The portrait of my father. I burned it all down."
Watching Edwin shrug his shoulders as if it was no big deal, I bit the tip of my tongue.
In the process of holding accountable the lost war, continuing to hold on to the lost honor of the commander-in-chief does not help the family in any way.
What I learned only from the books, Edwin experienced firsthand. He would have burned everything related to his father, not just the portrait.
I feel sorry for not being considerate of his wounds, and I am cautious about not knowing what to say. I pursed my lips.
Edwin chuckled at the inner thoughts revealed on my silent face. Then he rolled his eyes at her affectionately and intertwined his fingers with me.
The cold feeling of the two jeweled rings on my fingers was eerily satisfying, and the fact that I didn't have them on my full ten fingers.
"I'm sad, Live."
"Yes?"
I looked at Edwin in surprise. When the green eyes that had been contemplating something about him turned solely to Edwin, he slowly raised the corner of his mouth.
"You're curious about the portraits of my father and mother, but why aren't you looking for the portraits of my childhood?"
"..."
"Ah, of course. We lost out in real life, so how can portraits not be pushed out?"
You could call it funny jealousy, or you could call it complaining, but it didn't matter. Edwin was okay with anything as long as Olivia's eyes could be fixed on him.
He's sorry, but his words telling her to do whatever she wants would have remained a lie.
Olivia disappearing somewhere like his father and his mother, whom Olivia was curious about, was something that should never have happened.
Hiding his charred insides, Edwin now pulled his tightly clasped hands towards his face to prevent him from escaping. Then, he slowly traced his lips from her delicate wrist to her palm.
"My mother said that when I was little, I was really pretty, like a cherub."
No matter how old he was, he must have been pretty.
Even as her lips clenched and her breathing became increasingly shallow, Olivia couldn't deny it.
Even in this hectic time, Young Edwin multiplied in her mind.
"Aren't you curious about Liv?"
The gaze that had been looking at the kissing palm slowly turned towards Olivia.
As their gazes became entangled, Edwin blinked. His red gaze twinkled as if reading her thoughts.
Her fingertips twitched. Somewhere in her stomach was itchy and her heart was pounding. Olivia bit her lower lip because she was nervous.
As she tried to smile calmly, Edwin smiled softly and said,
"Olivia, if you keep biting your lip, I will bite it too."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Olivia laughed a little, thinking, 'This must be a joke,' and then turned pale for a moment, then turned red like blush.
Edwin, who gently stretched out Olivia's index finger, smiled with a proud look in his eyes and bit the tip of her index finger with his lips.
The hot breath touched the sensitive fingertips. It was a time when she felt like she was being swallowed up by the raw gaze looking at her.
"I'm going to... painting!"
"Be, Bethany?"
Come to think of it...!
Olivia, who seemed to suddenly wake up from her dream, shook Edwin off and looked at thr doorway. Before she knew it, Bethany, holding a picture frame showing where she had been, was casually heading out the door again.
"I brought it with me, but now that I think about it, I think I left something behind..."
"No! Bethany!"
***
"Well, I think you wanted to see a painting of the late Grand Duke. I secretly kept the family picture that Your Highness drew when he was very young."
I said she couldn't help but laugh as soon as I saw the picture.
"Is it possible that the resemblance that Her Majesty the previous Grand Duchess mentioned is hair and eye color?"
"That's correct. Olivia. You understand my style well."
The picture drawn by a child with crayons showed three people with different hair and eye colors smiling side by side. The height difference was enough to distinguish Edwin from the previous Grand Duke and his wife.
I couldn't even compare it to the gray-haired man I saw in 'Home'.
Well, there isn't even a clear reason to assume that the man is the previous Grand Duke. I laughed mischievously as I looked closely at the drawing.
"You really were a baby angel, Edwin. Did you attach the wings yourself?"
"Well. Maybe it was actually drawn by an angel."
Maybe he won't be embarrassed at all. A good thought flashed through my mind as I laughed as if I couldn't stop it.
"So what happens to my fairy tale? What about the old story of Lowell that you said you would turn into a picture book?"
An old story that Edwin heard from the previous Grand Duchess when he was young. Although Edwin didn't say that he would draw it himself, I acted shamelessly.
Compared to the embarrassment he gave me earlier, this was very light teasing.
Bethany said,
"A story from the past?"
While he was tilting his head, Edwin smiled, leaning comfortably on the sofa in the living room.
"My drawing skills have been revealed, so I have to tell you about it myself."
Although he said he couldn't remember clearly because it had been so long, Edwin slowly began to tell the story.
"They say that once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a brave boy. When the world was all dark, he protected the village from beasts and foreign invaders...."
I quietly leaned toward Edwin.
Bethany noticed the drowsy atmosphere in the parlor and quickly went out the door, saying she would bring tea.
A voice so friendly that it hurt my ears continued the story. It was a story of determination similar to the founding myth of the institution.
A story about a brave person building a country.
It is said that the first King of the Empire killed a dragon and founded the country on the blessings bestowed by the dragon...
It was only for a moment that I, who had been listening to Edwin's story with interest, stiffened my body.
"...So the boy prayed to God. God, who loved humans so much, decided to believe in the boy after three tests, and he sent down an angel."
"..."
"The angel constantly sent angels like himself to take care of the kingdom of the boy who became King forever."
Continuity.
In no other myth has he ever been seen sending angels in succession for constant blessings?
A country that expands through human power under the blessing of angels. That was the most suitable myth to strengthen the imperial authority.
However, the story that the country continued to receive help from angels...
"And in the kingdom, as a token of gratitude to God for sending the angel.."
The story that had been continuing without interruption was interrupted. Edwin raised his eyebrows and tried to remember the back story. He thought there was something more, but he couldn't remember what it was as if it were a haze.
"Have you ever performed a ritual as a sign of gratitude to the angel?"
"Liv, did you know this story?"
I suppressed my surprise and said to Edwin, who was happy as if he had finally remembered.
"From here, I think it overlaps with Lowell's story I heard from Bethany."
Not just an old story, but perhaps Lowell's founding myth. A story about an angel that may also be related to a priest.
And it seems that Edwin also realized the connection between them.
"...I really need to see Jerun."
His calm face began to tremble at my firm words.
***
Mansion of the Archduchess of the Islands.
Howard raised an eyebrow.
"Brock escorting the Lady?"
As if satisfied with his response, Winster drooped his eyebrows and vented his anger.
"Therefore. Brock is the Lady's escort. Does that make sense? A knight who hasn't even sworn an oath is her bodyguard!"
He arrived in two and a half days after traveling a distance that should have taken three days and was complaining at length as if he had finally gained strength after eating two turkeys by himself.
"If I were Brock, I would shave off that handsome mustache and come out here to investigate. He's not that good compared to me, but I still like Brock too. He'll bring at least some information!"
"So you're not Brock. It wouldn't be Brock if he gave up his mustache."
Sobel, who brought him new tea, placed a cage. Aha. Winster suddenly came to a realization and changed the subject by arguing with Howard.
"Anyway, Lord Interfield, why does it take so long to conclude the negotiations?"
In fact, it was a negotiation that was bound to take a long time.
From mineral tax rates to secret documents. Even for a negotiator who said he would take a long time, it would take several months. But instead of answering like that, Howard frowned for a moment
"Is there any other reason?"
Winster grew impatient.
Perhaps the plan went awry? Could it be that the Crown Prince is such an idiot that he can't even use secret documents? Or is Vikander trying to do something else amid this crisis of not paying taxes?
It was a time when all kinds of thoughts came flooding back to Winster. Howard, who had chosen his words carefully, slowly opened his mouth.
"The Prince said to me......."
"The prince said to you.....?"
Even after Winster repeated his words, Howard did not easily talk back. It was time for Winster, who was feeling sick, to drink the cooling tea.
"Be friendly."
Phew-!
Winster took a big gulp of the tea he was drinking.
***
Midday, with the sun shining brightly, on the streets of Lheirne on the island.
The lively streets were full of fragrant flowers and ribbons. The entrances of stores preparing for the upcoming 'Father's Day' were filled with colorful promotional materials.
In contrast, the road to Eddington Street was extremely gloomy.
As soon as you enter, you find yourself in a gloomy and shady street. A hedonistic district of the past that is as sticky as a swamp from which one cannot escape. There was no sign of anyone on this street, which was devoid of vitality.
Winster, wearing an old and tattered shirt, shoes with the soles off, and pants with stains here and there, surveyed the street with sharp eyes that were completely different from anyone else's. Then he suddenly remembered what Howard said last night.
"...... This was my first time knowing that the Crown Prince was such a mysterious person. I always thought it was obvious that he was up to something. These days, no matter what I say, he smiles and tries to make his next appointment."
The Prince has changed. The change was extremely uncomfortable for this side.
He must help Howard as soon as he completes the Lady's orders.
Sir Winster Calter shrugged his shoulders and grinned. As a ray of sunlight shone on him, he became an ordinary, likable young man who could be seen anywhere, but also a little hungry.
"Well, I'm really hungry. Can you help me out?"
And the person the starving young man spoke to as if begging was an old woman who appeared to be the oldest on this street. The old woman opened her eyes and looked at the young man for a long time, then slowly nodded her head.
"Come in. The face of someone who can't even get bread is exactly the same as the face I see every year."
"You think you see it every year. Where can you find someone as handsome as me, ah!"
The young man who had been hit with a wooden cane quickly showed interest in the old woman's story.
It was the first time in many years that a young man listened so carefully to the story of an old woman who had spent all her years in Eddington Street. The young man, who was listening to the story with sparkling eyes, began to subtly gather the story at some point.
"How can there be a story you don't know? If so, do you also know? They say a little girl lived here a long time ago, and she lived with an old woman with green eyes...."
A New Series, The Male Lead's Nephew Like Me So Much was out!You can check it here!
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