Tessen (8)

At that time, the artist’s identity was still unknown.

The series was simply called Little Ladies.

Rumors that one of the faces used for inspiration was male only drove the value of the paintings higher.

As prices soared, people became desperate to discover the painter’s identity.

It wasn’t until someone stormed into a salon with a sword, causing a commotion, that Juan himself stepped forward and revealed who he was.

That day, Juan Lukens struck the rampaging man down with a single hit from the sheath of his sword.

“Still want to fight?”

“S-Sir Lukens… Why would you…?”

“I drew those paintings. If you want to fight more, stand up.”

The troublemaker fled, stammering that it had all been a mistake.

Challenging a Lukens family knight to a duel was a pointless act.

The world buzzed again, and Little Ladies became priceless.

Juan Lukens’ paintings were astounding.

Whether he continued the Little Ladies series or not no longer mattered.

His works were elegant and beautiful, even outside of that series.

He was skilled not only at painting goddesses and fairies, but also the beasts of the Musto Forest.

“Why would he paint my portrait?”

Daisy asked with an incredulous look.

“If Juan offers, just pretend not to notice and let him do it.”

“Why would Sir Juan draw something like that…?”

Daisy looked exasperated at Alicia’s childish words and tried once more to correct her.

But Alicia spoke again first, in a pouty voice like a child:

“Daisy, you don’t know anything.”

“Young Lady…”

Of course Daisy didn’t know.

Alicia was just being petulant.

It stung when people reacted strangely to things she said with good intentions.

It was only natural that she felt a little wronged.

She walked ahead quickly, leaving Daisy behind.

Not long after, a fork in the road appeared.

Behind the halted Alicia, Daisy’s voice echoed from the distance.

“Excuse me, where is the embroidery workshop?”

“Right next door.”

“Thank you.”

Alicia heard the entire exchange.

“……”

After a moment of feigned distraction, she hurriedly turned and walked toward Daisy.

“It’s here.”

Daisy gestured as Alicia approached.

The building, with a cobbler’s shop on the first floor and an embroidery workshop upstairs, looked more like an ordinary home than a storefront.

It was a very plain house, not particularly unique.

“Shall we go in?”

Alicia said with a small hum.

Seeing Alicia’s evasive expression, Daisy replied stiffly:

“Then I, the utterly clueless Daisy, shall knock.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“It’s part of my duty, after all.”

Daisy knocked.

The side door of the protruding terrace opened, and the owner of the cobbler’s shop appeared.

A round-faced man with a kind expression, he looked to be in his early thirties.

He wore a leather apron around his waist, clearly in the middle of work.

“How can I help you?”

“We’ve come to place an embroidery order.”

Daisy, who had been standing to Alicia’s left, stepped to her right and answered.

“The embroidery workshop is upstairs. Go on up. Judith! You’ve got customers!”

Leaving the side terrace door open, the cobbler went back inside.

From the sounds, it was clear he walked past his workshop, down the hall, and to the front entrance.

The door creaked and soon opened.

“Please take the stairs here.”

“Thank you.”

He kindly pointed to the staircase right in front of the entrance, then returned to his workshop without locking the door.

Daisy checked the stairs first and led Alicia up.

Both women wore curious expressions.

Daisy, attending Alicia, spoke gently.

“The house is quite pretty.”

“It is.”

They exchanged glances and smiled.

Though it looked like an ordinary house, it was furnished with an expensive carpet rarely found even in marquess’ estates.

On the second floor, there was no hallway or doorway—just the embroidery workshop directly ahead.

The entire second floor had been converted into the workshop.

Without walls or curtains, the room was separated into functional areas based on interior design.

True to its name, the workshop featured a large worktable at its center.

“Welcome.”

A girl seated at the table, cutting fabric, greeted them with a kind smile.

“Hello. We heard there was a talented embroiderer here, so we came to find you. This is Lady Alicia of House Rain.”

“Lady Alicia, you’ve come all this way yourself? Please, just call me Judith. I’m not very educated, so I hope it’s all right if this is how I greet someone of your status.”

Judith bore a striking resemblance to the cobbler.

Even a passerby could tell they were family.

Still round-cheeked with baby fat, her soft white cheeks gave her a harmless appearance.

Her naturally smiling face added to the effect.

“I’ll prepare tea. Would you please have a seat?”

Judith stood up and tidied her materials.

With nimble hands, she gestured toward a tea table next to the workbench.

“No tea needed. We just came for a picnic and heard about your embroidery skills. I’d like to place a request—do you take personal commissions?”

Alicia sat down and gestured toward the opposite seat.

Judith flusteredly took her place at the tea table.

“Of course. Please feel free to tell me, Lady Alicia.”

“This is more comfortable for me. I brought the design along. Please take a look.”

Alicia handed over a stack of papers she had prepared.

The first two were drawn by Juan, the other two by Alicia herself.

“These illustrations are incredibly detailed.”

Judith praised Juan’s work as she flipped through.

She reached the third sheet.

Still smiling, but unlike the first two where her whole face beamed, her smile now lingered only on her lips.

Her eyes, no longer smiling, looked directly at Alicia.

“I want to be friends with you.”

Alicia said softly to Judith’s stiffened expression.

Judith’s lip-curved smile twisted slightly.

For a brief moment, her expression faltered—but quickly returned.

“Lady Alicia. I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

Judith’s expression was like soft, fluffy bread.

Her plump, pale cheeks disarmed people with ease.

To an outsider, Judith would appear to be a harmless, innocent girl caught in a troubling situation.

But the kindly eyes that looked at Alicia were as cold as a midwinter wind.

“I know I didn’t write anything wrong. Daisy, please step out for a moment.”

“Yes, my lady.”

At Alicia’s words, Judith’s gaze sharpened further.

Daisy left the second floor, leaving Alicia and Judith alone.

Judith dropped the forced smile from her face.

The atmosphere around the tea table turned bitterly cold.

“Who are you?”

The once-soft face asked in a frosty voice.

“I thought I was kind of famous these days?”

Alicia replied with a guileless expression.

Swish.

Suddenly, Judith lunged forward, pulling a large pair of scissors from the basket beside her chair, gripping them in one hand.

The sharp tip shot toward Alicia’s neck.

Alicia struck the chubby hand holding the scissors with the fan in her hand.

Smack!

Even after losing her grip on the scissors, Judith didn’t give up.

She pulled out a smaller but far sharper pair of scissors and aimed for Alicia again.

Alicia switched her fan from her right hand to her left.

As Judith slashed toward Alicia’s face and neck, the folded fan lashed out in rapid succession.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

Judith dropped her scissors again.

Alicia’s fan continued up Judith’s arm—wrist, elbow, forearm, shoulder—delivering sharp strikes.

Forced back by the blows, Judith collapsed into the chair.

The fan that struck her shoulder came to rest beside her cheek.

Even expecting the next blow, Judith didn’t avert her gaze from Alicia’s face.

The fan, which had looked ready to slap her cheek, merely tapped her stiff forehead and withdrew.

“Master Pelmen. I don’t go easy just because someone’s a woman. I’m a woman too, after all.”

Alicia spoke as she opened and closed the fan with practiced grace.

“……”

Judith’s eyes widened at the name “Master Pelmen.”

“You’re not a Master yet?”

“…No, I’m not.”

“I acted in self-defense just now, but I meant what I said earlier. I want to be friends with the Croa Clan.”

Judith, who seemed to know only how to smile, now looked as though she might cry.

“There is no Croa Clan.”

The young voice was heavy with sorrow.

“That’s right. At this rate, it’ll disappear.”

Alicia said calmly, as if unaware of the girl’s sadness.

“Lady Alicia, don’t speak so carelessly.”

Judith’s voice trembled with fury.

“The Croa Clan has been inactive for eight years. Do you really think no one knows just because you’re hiding here? The Croa Clan wasn’t just the largest intelligence organization on the Eastern Continent—it had agents across all five continents. You don’t think others would want to claim even pieces of it? Even if they can’t rebuild the real Croa, they’ll try to gather fragments. Your enemies won’t spare you just because you’re silent.”

Alicia’s voice, unlike usual, was cold and firm.

“Do you know who our enemy is?”

“A traitor within Croa. The Croa Hexagon Clan. Publicly, Croa was governed by a six-member council, but that wasn’t the full truth. Croa operated under a dual structure—six visible members and six concealed ones. One day, the entire council was attacked, and the clan fell apart. Judith, those who hunt you are also an intelligence group.”

Since Croa was an intelligence group, it had been especially vigilant about protecting its own information.

“H-How do you…?”

“I believe knowing this qualifies me to be your friend.”

Alicia said with a hint of pride.

“…What?”

Judith looked stunned, her face solemn.

“It’s okay if you don’t accept me as a friend. Just run, Judith. They’re coming. You won’t ask how I know, will you? The Master’s seat is empty, but your comrades are still reporting what they’ve found to the Clan. If you want confirmation that your enemies are near, you can use what you’ve been given.”

Alicia rose from her seat.

“My lady?”

“If possible, I’d like the commission I placed today finished by spring. Well, that’s assuming you’re still alive by then. I hope we meet again.”

Alicia spoke ominous words in a warm tone and descended the stairs.

“W-Wait—!”

Judith tried to stop her but she was already gone.

Her steps were nothing like those of a typical noble lady.

Only then did Judith realize she had just tried to kill the daughter of a Marquess—and failed completely.

The areas struck by the fan now throbbed painfully.

Earlier, she’d been too stunned to process it, but thinking back, it was all surreal.

Alicia Rain’s movements were far beyond what someone might use just to defend themselves.

She had never once heard that the Rain family excelled in martial arts.

The absurd things Alicia had said now echoed in her ears.

“S-She’s crazy, isn’t she?”

If Alicia wasn’t insane, then maybe Judith had hallucinated the whole thing.

Even seeing a ghost wouldn’t have been as baffling.

It was one incomprehensible thing after another.

When Judith tried to stand from her chair, her legs gave out and she collapsed back down.

As the panic faded, the pain began to surge.

Her arms ached as if they might fall off.