Chapter Nine
_ The Neva Siblings :1
"What are you doing here, you trickster?!"
It was the original Lord Sorion and Firmin, and it seems the boy's trick had been exposed...
I looked at the two approaching figures calmly. As they drew near, Firmin, who seemed to have returned directly from his mission, and the other, the real Teddy Sorion as I had seen him before, came to a halt. When Firmin looked at the deceptive youth, his honey-colored eyes widened. Now, I understood why the boy had looked so familiar...
I looked at the trickster whose collar was held by Rocan. The boy wasn't strong; he was frail and weak. He didn't resist but simply closed his eyes. Because the young Lord was a spoiled noble child, he approached the boy, intending to strike him..
"Stop, all of you.."
I spoke with firmness and harshness. Teddy stopped, Rocan removed his hand from the boy, and the rest fell silent. I looked at Ian, who was shocked and on the verge of tears. I approached my child, carried him gently, and calmed him down before looking at Rose, who took Ian to his room..
I turned to the four young men and gave Teddy a cold, harsh look that made him flinch back. Even the other three winced. I sighed, sat down with pride, and spoke calmly:
"Let us hear your stories. Lord Teddy Sorion... since you are the victim, speak first."
Teddy suppressed his anger and spoke:
"I was chosen among the sixteen candidates to meet Your Grace, but I had to relieve myself quickly. I found this filthy commoner and told him to guard my belongings until I went and returned quickly. When I came back, I found that everyone had already entered, and I wasn't allowed in because the quota was full. My belongings were left as they were. This commoner stole my identity to enter; perhaps he even stole from my things. My Lady, please punish him..."
I looked at Firmin, who was angrier at Teddy than at the silent, hesitant fake youth. I looked at the boy and said:
"Tell me your story, and before that, your name..."
The boy was hesitant and tense, as his personality seemed to be:
"U-um, I am... Gorin Neva.."
His voice faded at the end of his words. I looked at Firmin, who avoided my gaze, and at the silent Rocan, who didn't utter a word. Teddy understood nothing, and that was for the best. I sighed and then said:
"Sir Neva, tell your story..."
Gorin lowered his head and spoke truthfully with a shaky voice:
"What the Lord says is true. He did ask that of me, but I swear I did not touch his things. I told the knight at the door that someone would come and take care of them. I waited until I could reach the Lady and show her my work, and I swear I was going to tell you the truth...."
"Why were you not chosen among the candidates?!"
"Everyone who applied was asked to submit a work, and they accepted the good ones. But I didn't show them anything, because it is a different technique and I have only used it once before..."
"Did that strange trick succeed?!"
Firmin spoke unconsciously with a tone of wonder and astonishment. Gorin looked at Firmin and said with an excited voice...
"Yes, it succeeded. I took a picture of Viola... look."
Gorin excitedly pulled out a piece of cloth that looked somewhat like paper and showed it to Firmin, whose eyes gleamed. I felt a great deal of curiosity, so I signaled to the moved Firmin to give me the piece. He sighed and handed it to me...
I was amazed. It was a beautiful young woman who looked to be about my age, with purple hair slightly lighter than theirs and bright honey eyes. The girl was somewhat familiar. I realized the reason for the cold Firmin's emotion; she seemed to be someone they cherished very much. In truth, the image was very well-crafted...
I looked at Teddy, who felt wronged by the neglect, and then I spoke:
"Lord Sorion, you are wrong for treating commoners as slaves and servants. However, since you are a victim, you will get a chance to paint me. If you do not succeed within half an hour, I shall not see your face in this palace again... Gorin Neva, you are wrong for stealing someone's identity. If you do not pass the test, you will be banished from the entire Altan province. If you succeed, you will work for me at half the salary of your peers for a year, and you will stay in the palace so your actions can be monitored..."
Though it was a harsh punishment, I must not let things slip from my hands so that no one dares cross me...
Gorin was about to pull out his tools, but I spoke first:
"Lord Sorion, you begin first..."
Teddy looked at Gorin with a sort of contempt and superiority, then sat on his chair and began working with his luxurious tools. Before he started, I signaled for Rocan to come. I whispered to him secretly:
"Tell Gorin not to show his technique to anyone, even the servants here. When Lord Sorion leaves, his test will begin.."
Rocan nodded and moved toward the two brothers, who did not seem to be in harmony or perhaps had a major rift between them. He spoke secretly with them, and the two nodded and remained standing quietly...
Teddy finished my portrait, and as I expected, he possessed no extraordinary talent. His skills were mediocre. In my previous life, he sought to be a painter but failed at the start of his journey; he was a failure in every task he undertook and was a completely useless person. But I would deliver a blow to teach him a lesson...
I looked at the drawing and at Teddy with cold eyes, then spoke:
"Mr. Sorion, you may depart before you are thrown out of the palace... Do you call this trash a painting? You know, if you learned to respect everyone, perhaps you would succeed in something, but you are an arrogant fool and hollow inside... Think of others for a bit, perhaps you will find what you are looking for."
Perhaps the last sentence applied to me as well. Teddy was shocked by my stinging words; he took his tools and left brokenly. I knew I was harsh with my words, but everyone must learn...
After Teddy departed, I turned to Gorin and spoke:
"Begin..."
"Can the Lady change the angle slightly?!"
"..."
I tilted my head in confusion, but he spoke with a smile, courage, and a professional gaze. The aura of the hesitant, anxious boy had vanished, replaced by the face of someone passionate about his work. It looked promising:
"The Lady has a beautiful face and unique eyes. Since the sun has begun to set, that angle will be suitable. The twilight will appear to match the Lady's eyes... it will only take a minute. If Your Grace would like to stand, or.."
He pointed to a specific spot in the white flower garden where the last rays of the sun were reflecting in red, making them graduate from white to a burning crimson. I stood among the flowers and took the pose Gorin requested. He set his tools with precision; the machine was the size of a child and stood on two pillars. He gave me the signal to stand still....
Splash!!
A white light flashed from the machine, and Gorin straightened up. Then he pulled a blank piece of cloth as large as a painting and projected a certain gem connected to the machine. The cloth turned into my reflection. I approached to see the image clearly; it was truly wonderful and precise...
My amazement was no less than Firmin's or Rocan's. I looked at the expectant, hesitant boy. I laughed internally; he was a strange lad—when he starts working, he becomes a calm, confident character who works with precision and forgets even himself... I like this kind of person...
"You have passed the test. You will stay in the palace for the whole year, starting today..."
"My Lady, I cannot..."
"Why?!"
"Viola is at home alone, waiting for my return by evening..."
I thought for a moment. This boy was surely the twin brother Firmin had told me about in my previous life...
["Why don't you take a leave, Lord Neva?!"]
["Why would I take a leave at all?! I don't need it."]
["Do you not have a family or a lover waiting for you?"]
["No woman would look at me, and my only family vanished after my parents died. I searched for my twin brother, but he disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and my older sister died of illness. I have no one left. And my brother... he is weaker than you can imagine. I don't believe he is alive..."]
It seems fate wanted me to find Firmin early in order to protect this family. So, why not help them and win them over to my side?! ...
"Give me the address, and the knights will go to fetch her."
Gorin hesitated and was worried, so Firmin spoke with confidence and sincerity:
"The Duchess is a righteous person, do not worry.."
I don't know why, but I felt grateful and looked at the confused Gorin, who said:
"My Lady... my sister would not like to be a burden on anyone..."
I truly liked these siblings. I looked at Firmin and Gorin and said:
"It is no matter. I will find her work in the palace..."
Firmin was surprised, but Gorin spoke with concern:
"My sister is mute and cannot speak, and her body is slightly weaker than others..."
"I will find her suitable work, do not worry..."
I looked at Fir, who was astonished, and Gorin, who smiled with relief and gave the address smoothly. Fir looked in shock at his brother and said:
"Have you two left the village?!"
Gorin lowered his head and said with frustration and suppressed anger:
"Yes, because of you, you idiot..."
Fir lowered his head and was more vexed than sad. Then I remembered something:
"Sir Neva! How much time is required between the first image and the next? And is the technique expensive?! Tell me more about the technique...."
The shaky voice of Gorin vanished, and his professional discipline took over as he began to explain:
"Between one image and the next, it takes half an hour for the machine to recharge. It depends on one magic stone that lasts for ten years and jewels like emeralds, diamonds, rubies, etc., with a duration of two to five years, depending on the jewel's concentration. However, if the gemstone has a very strong concentration, the time between images could reach ten minutes upon development. The technique is expensive for me, but perhaps it won't be too expensive for my Lady. And if there is time... I might be able to develop the machine to be easier to use and for the image clarity to be higher..."
"So you use a gemstone?!"
He pulled out a purple emerald the size of a finger and showed it to me. Fir, spotting it, snatched it quickly from his hand and shouted in his face:
"Did you take the emerald from Viola?! It is the only memento from our parents. You are truly selfish..."
Anger appeared in Gorin's eyes as he spoke:
"Do not talk about selfishness when you are the one who left us to clean up after you until we were forced to leave the village! As for Viola and me, we worked hard to complete the machine you mock. We didn't have a single silver piece to operate it... so my sister chose to give me her necklace instead of searching for money, so I could come here and show the Duchess my work. At least I didn't run away alone and leave my family..."
I felt Firmin's inability to speak, yet he spoke nonetheless:
"I ran away so that the misfortunes would disappear. Am I not the cause of your misfortunes?! ..."
"Even so, you should have stayed. We are family..."
Tears were choking in Gorin's eyes, but he suppressed them. I felt it was time for me to intervene:
"Have you two finished your quarrel?!"
"..."
"..."
The two fell silent with complex emotions. I turned to Rocan, who had been listening in silence...
"Roc, send two units of Altan knights to support the Bryant knights. Tell Lux to prepare the Eastern Annex to host Gorin and Viola until we see what we shall do... Take Gorin with you."
Rocan bowed obediently and departed with Gorin. I looked at Firmin, paused for a moment, and then said..
"You!! Do you have something to tell me?!"
Firmin coughed with embarrassment and, after hesitating, opened his mouth:
"My Lady..."
"Tell me as we walk; darkness has fallen..."
"..."
I began to move, followed by the hesitant Fir. I turned toward him, then returned to looking at my path...
...... To be continued ......