The Stepmother Has Left - Chapter 12

The next day, he revisited her gallery. She was very pleased to see him visiting again, wearing a black cloak, perhaps because his visit yesterday remained quite impressive.

 

“Welcome.”

 

“I see you again.”

 

He ordered a cup of hot coffee like yesterday and glanced at the paintings on the wall.

 

“You didn’t take the picture off.”

 

“…Ah, yes.”

 

“You said you were thinking about taking off the painting. Did you decide not to take it off?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Cassia smiled.

 

“There’s someone who likes my painting, so I decided not to take it off.”

 

The human heart is very deceitful.

 

After hearing someone’s compliments, she also saw her paintings with a positive mind.

 

After hearing his compliments, her paintings, which had only achromatic colors, seemed to have their own charm.

 

“Good decision. Please do not take it off. I want to continue seeing your paintings in the future.”

 

He took off the cap of his cloak as if he was trying to look at the painting in earnest and in more detail.

 

His face slowly revealed.

 

As Cassia was about to offer the cup of coffee, she stopped and looked at him.

 

“…Anything you want to say?”

 

“No.”

 

So…

 

His appearance, hidden under the cloak, was very outstanding. She felt that he was a young and strong man, but she hadn’t thought about his outstanding appearance.

 

“You are handsome.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone like you in my life.”

 

His silvery-white hair was dazzling, reminiscent of moonlight. A gorgeous look that goes well with it.

 

Above all, the eyes.

 

There was a strong power that she didn’t know what it was in his dark blue eyes, reminiscent of the deep sea.

 

It felt as if invisible light was illuminating everyone in front of him. It was such an impressive light.

 

“I hear that often. Maybe that’s why I’m wearing a cloak.”

 

He answered her jokingly and continued with a smile.

 

“…My name is Irwin. Just an ordinary citizen. I am travelling places.”

 

It was a tender smile.

 

***

 

Recently, customers had suggestions as the cafe made more profit than the gallery.

 

If she had to pick one common suggestion among them, it would be this.

 

‘I wish there was a dessert menu that goes well with coffee.’

 

The reasons for wanting dessert varied from customer to customer.

 

It could be because their mouth was bored from drinking coffee.

 

Maybe because they wanted to taste luxurious desserts like the capital’s cafe.

 

It is difficult to hold a whole teacup to appreciate the paintings while walking around the gallery, so it would be nice to have food that is easy to hold.

 

At first, she was going to simply sell coffee and tea, but she started to think about it as customers’ suggestions continued.

 

In fact, there was nothing that could not be done. Sales will increase a little more than just selling coffee, and it will help her livelihood. Besides, she had the experience of learning to bake at the Duke’s mansion and cafe to make desserts, which will be a little easier for her.

 

It was concluded that small desserts worth holding and eating are worth trying.

 

To add more items to the menu, she decided to make some desserts.

 

“What is this?”

 

“I’m trying to add desserts to the menu. Please try it once.”

 

She handed Irwin the scones she had made as a test, and he looked at her.

 

He has been attending her gallery every day since his first visit. He looked like a wandering stranger, so she expected him to leave this place soon.

 

His continued visits were quite surprising.

 

‘Did he really like my drawing?’

 

He would visit this place early in the morning or in the evening when there were no people, have a cup of coffee and admire the paintings and leave.

 

He also evaluated other paintings as if he knew a lot about them. Sometimes, they would talk and get to know each other.

 

Born into an ordinary family with little money, he seemed to have travelled a lot outside the empire.

 

But lately, it has been a while since he stopped visiting art museums as he travelled.

 

He said he was thrilled to visit a place like this while suffering from a thirst to see paintings.

 

Irwin was a very pleasant and bright person.

 

He knew how to cherish every day, and he also loved nature. But at the same time, he was a heavy and serious person.

 

His dark blue eyes…

 

So, he was a very mysterious person.

 

He was the kind of man who wouldn’t let anyone know what was going on inside of him.

 

What was certain was that every time she saw the strength and energy he had, Cassia felt good. At first, she tried to keep her distance from him beyond a certain level.

 

Because she didn’t want anyone here to know about her original identity.

 

Though she didn’t expect that a young man passing through this part of the country would know of the Duchess of a faraway land.

 

Just in case…

 

Just in case, she kept an appropriate level of distance from him.

 

But when she thought about him, it seemed that her desire to know more about him was sincere.

 

He was quite a striking person because he was the kind of person she wanted to get to know as a human, not as a man.

 

As she repeatedly felt glad that she had met a good human, she wanted to give him something as a gift.

 

The scones she made as a test were a kind of sincere gift she gave him.

 

“Please try it once and rate the dessert. It’s also a token of my appreciation for your frequent visits to my gallery.”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

He glanced at the scone once, then smiled and nodded his head.

 

He took it along with the coffee and walked towards the place. He sat down, took a sip of coffee, and took a bite of the scone. Soon he looked at her with a surprised expression.

 

“Apple scones. I like the taste and texture of the apple spreading in my mouth.”

 

“Do you think it can be served as a regular menu?”

 

“I think it will sell very well.”

 

He ate it in a flash, and it really seemed to taste good.

 

Feeling proud, Cassia decided to add scones to the menu.

 

From that day on, every time she made a new dessert menu, she asked Irwin to taste it.

 

He always willingly accepted her requests and honestly evaluated the desserts she made.

 

It was around that time that he fell into the category of regular customers.

 

One day, unfamiliar customers came to her gallery.

 

Cassia watched the door suddenly open and knights in uniform rushing into the store. The pattern drawn on the uniform was clear.

 

It was the Imperial Knights Templar.

 

She grew alert.

 

‘Why?’

 

It was an unexpected situation.

 

How did the Imperial Knights come to visit the countryside?

 

Also to a gallery like this that they never seemed to stop by.

 

“… What’s going on?”

 

“We are looking for someone.”

 

Cassia froze when she heard that they were looking for someone. She wondered if they were talking about the whereabouts of the Duchess.

 

She felt a little nervous, but fortunately, no answer came back. They were asking her about the whereabouts of the Third Prince.

 

“We are looking for the whereabouts of the Third Prince who disappeared a long time ago.”

 

They pushed a portrait before her.

 

Cassia answered in a small voice, “Oh.”

 

She now knew why the Imperial Knights suddenly visited the gallery.

 

Adolf de Fontrich.

 

The Third Prince of the empire, disappeared seven years ago. It was such long ago that she thought it was over, but the case was still ongoing.

 

When he was a child, he was a naughty prince who ran away from the Imperial family on the pretext of travelling as soon as he came of age.

 

At the beginning of her marriage, she remembered that the Duke was often called to the Imperial Castle to search the Third Prince.

 

It seemed that the Imperial family was still searching for the whereabouts of the Third Prince.

 

So their visit was of a casual and formal kind.

 

She looked down at the portrait they held out.

 

Come to think of it, was this the first time she saw the face of the Third Prince?

 

Perhaps it was.

 

It was common for nobles to get to know each other in advance while attending an academy before debuting in the social world.

 

However, traditionally, the Imperial family members did not show their faces anywhere until they came of age and attended the debutante ball.

 

The Imperial family was sensitive to security. They were brought up in the Imperial Palace, receiving all their education, and they only appeared in the social world when they came of age.

 

And Diana died the year the Third Prince came of age and attended the debutante ball.

 

At the same time, Cassia became the Duchess.

 

Since then, she had only stayed in the Duchy. The Duke stopped holding banquets, and Cassia also thought staying in the Duchy was fine, so she never participated in any debutante ball.

 

From the year the Third Prince came of age.

 

As a result, Cassia knew absolutely nothing about the appearance of the Third Prince.

 

She had only heard people say that he was the most beautiful one among the three princes. Of course, he wouldn’t have known how the new Duchess looked either.

 

Even if she passes by him or bumps into him, both of them wouldn’t recognize each other.

 

With that in mind, Cassia looked silently at the person in the portrait. He had beautiful silver-white hair, and he was also a fairly handsome man with a face that matched it harmoniously.

 

She immediately wiggled her eyebrows.

 

Obviously, it was the first time she had seen the portrait of the Third Prince, but because someone immediately came to mind.

 

So, the face in the portrait resembled Irwin a lot.

 

…No, it was the same face.

***