An artwork of a young girl with a blurred, pale face, becoming one of her mistress's masterpieces, was something the servant could never have predicted.
It was an exquisite phenomenon: the illustrations of Lady Evelyn's silhouette in the pastry shop slowly underwent its metamorphosis.
The hair shifted and changed, from violet to ivory; the maxi dress transformed into a maidservant's outfit. It was an Iridescent oscillation, horrifyingly beautiful, as the transforming art piece retained its grotesque aberration.
As Silvie's abdomen and expression were stained red, and her portrait actively bled, slowly dripping from the wounded painting.
Surreal wasn't enough to describe the experience of being flattened and teleported into a pre-existing canvas, replacing her blood and skin with oil.
Silvie still felt it as she was losing consciousness; her manifestation into the painting wasn't instantaneous, as some of the bullets struck her, one tearing into her head, others sinking into her delicate abdomen.
The royal guards had no intention of shooting at her, but the swarms of velvet butterflies that followed obstructed their view.
Watching hundreds of wings flap at once had been jarring to the eyes, causing them to fire blindly, fearing that Lady Evelyn might end their lives.
However, was it a mishap by her mistress? She had never once attempted to turn the bullets inflicted upon her servant's complexion into violet butterflies.
Silvie's supposed 'death' could've been prevented...
In front of the portrait stood the pastry shop's owner, Sir Daishi, and beside him sat the Lady of Velvet, Evelyn, positioned close enough to the painting to tend to it. She rested gracefully in her black chair, her slender legs crossed, without a hint of worry on her face.
The mistress was lost in wonder; her eyes felt as if they had been blessed with this living painting of her servant, every single beat of her heart recognizing the perfection before her awestruck gaze.
She was in great reverence, yet not a tear fell. If words could describe her current feeling, it would be the equivalent of an artist seeing a masterpiece that spoke directly to their soul.
"This... this was the work I have been searching for my entire life... I had hoped... but I never dared believe it would turn out this perfect."
"How fortunate the bullets kissed her, it made the portrait far more... Intricate..." she murmured to herself.
Daishi remained fascinated by Lady Evelyn's script. His understanding was limited, but it was common practice for a Scripter to withhold information, even from their allies.
He admired the aftermath: Silvie had suffered a mortal wound, and yet here she was before them, suspended from dying.
Lady Evelyn held a wooden palette, its selection of colors mirroring Silvie's image and the varied hues of the human body.
The oil paint Evelyn used hissed on the tip of a silver-laden paintbrush, which she held steadily in her right hand. The paint was infused with the same velvet ink that had once poured from the palms of her hands.
"Lady Evelyn, they went overboard, having the audacity to aim their revolvers and fire at you." Sir Daishi had known about their encounter with the royal guards the moment it happened.
He has his many ways of acquiring information...
"Won't they launch an aggressive search operation against you? That could be quite troublesome..." Daishi asked. For now, it appeared that the shop remained unnoticed by onlookers and officials, but given this predicament, it was only a matter of time before their opposition made their move.
"There is no cause for concern. I doubt they will have the time to search for me; the conflict against the Black Sea occupies far greater importance to them."
"We shall take advantage of this opportunity while we remain here." Lady Evelyn muttered, her eyes fixed on how she would tend to Silvie's mortal wounds.
"Did you murder the people who stalked you, Lady Evelyn?" Daishi asked. It was a rather important question.
"I let them live. I only wanted to learn who they were; they turned out to be the royal guards of the Empress, and they were after Silvie. But I have no intention of ever surrendering her." In truth, killing the Empress's men would only have triggered the emergency arrival of an executor, creating an unnecessary obstacle to her plans.
"Whatever their reasons for wanting my servant, we'll find out soon enough..." Lady Evelyn elaborated, her voice carrying a tone of possession in every vowel.
Daishi had one thought in mind, "Is this servant of yours important to your goals?" the gentleman asked carefully, knowing their mistress had just spent a fortune, five thousand gold solis, for this particular slave.
In Daishi's reasoning, Silvie was indeed one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid his eyes upon.
But was that otherworldly beauty enough to justify the amount spent on her?
He found himself questioning Lady Evelyn's motives. He couldn't possibly think Lady Evelyn was seeking pleasure from another female, for after all, Lady Evelyn did not seem to be that kind of woman, as far as he knew.
Lady Evelyn remained silent for a few seconds. She gave Daishi a direct, serious gaze. "I'll be the one to decide that," she said, and judging by her tone, she wasn't willing to justify it.
"Very well, Lady Evelyn..." Daishi nodded in response, having no intention of challenging her decisions. Yet why did the Lady feel pity that she must mend her servant's wounds...?
"Mind telling me the whole picture, Lady Evelyn? How did Silvie end up in such a wounded state?" Daishi asked curiously. It had all happened so suddenly.
Lady Evelyn cast him a side glance and explained, "A mishap on my part. Some of the bullets struck the back of her head, others her abdomen. The men who ambushed us were amateurs; they panicked so easily upon seeing a woman."
"I was left with no choice but to use my script to trap Silvie inside this painting. Otherwise, she would've died."
"I see..." Daishi said. Yet somehow, he couldn't fully accept Lady Evelyn's reasoning. What could she possibly gain by injuring her servant to such an extent?
All the while, he was fully aware that Lady Evelyn herself had put her servant in that perilous situation.
It was difficult for him to believe that Lady Evelyn wasn't more than capable of blocking every bullet. He began to conclude that it might've been... intentional...
It was confusing to the gentleman as it was too illogical...
He dared not ask; it wasn't as important to him. However, following the alleyway confrontation, Lady Evelyn arrived at the terrace as a velvet butterfly and then materialized before the waitress, Harucis, who was preparing to leave for the day.
Daishi, already awaiting her arrival, promptly closed the pastry shop.
With the shop closed and the staff already home, he stepped into the dining area. He was left with mopping duty, as he watched the crimson seep from the servant's portrait...
"It took me a while to clean the mess..." Daishi said wistfully.
Chapter End...