Chapter 43
Translator - Zofu
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"And this statue, bearing both male and female genitalia, is a work Morgetz created during his later years while staying in the Meltanian Kingdom, titled 'To Them, Hundreds of Years Later.' Meltanian critics call it an expression of Morgetz's anguish and state of mind, saying that if the world continues in this state for hundreds of years, someday between men and women a new..."
Han So-young glanced at the young man chattering away beside her.
Given how grandly he had talked at their first meeting, his two days of silence made her think Si-woo was just another big talker, all talk and no action. It wasn't the first time, so she wasn't disappointed. She merely felt regret that this young man named Si-woo was just like everyone else.
But on the third day, she spotted carriages and workers busily visiting outside her window.
"So I was wrong..."
Han So-young didn't even question it. She immediately realized it was Si-woo's doing. And for the first time in a very long while, she left her room for a reason other than a walk.
"Hey, newbie! Be careful with that!"
"Uh, hey, that's not for you! First floor!"
Her mansion greeted a long-awaited bustle. Under the direction of the butler and Si-woo, some twenty artworks were placed throughout the mansion. Though many of the sculptures and paintings had strange appearances when examined individually, as they took their places one by one, the butler and Han So-young couldn't help but realize—that Si-woo's judgment had been correct.
"They fit well."
Of course, to the average person, even that would look strange. But they had lived seeing artworks displayed for over ten years. They were two people who had an eye for art, if only in a narrow field.
Only after all the displays were finished did Han So-young show herself, and Si-woo began explaining the reasons for the exhibition and the works to her. And though Han So-young understood, she silently listened to his story.
"Also, that work is titled 'Unknown Woman,' and as you can see from the woman's head, which looks like a male glans, it's also a work from his later years. The entire head being a glans is related to the social background of the time..."
"Si-woo."
"Oh, yes. Ms. Han So-young."
"You don't need to explain any further."
"Ah, then..."
"Yes, I understand completely."
"That's a relief."
Si-woo exhaled a breath of relief, delighted. Watching him, young enough to be her son, Han So-young drew a faint smile. Perhaps because of her age, watching her son-like figure happy made her feel a warm sense of pride. The name probably had an influence too.
"It was the name I would have given him if I were to name him in Korean."
He differed greatly in appearance from her son, who had inherited his father's blood with blond hair and Western features. And despite the age difference, the reason she projected her son's image onto him was probably because of that. Moreover, hadn't he so excellently acquired and displayed works that suited her late husband's tastes?
Perhaps because of that, her heart trembled slightly. Very slightly.
"Ms. Han So-young?"
"Ah, Si-woo."
Han So-young, who had been blankly staring at the artwork and Si-woo, came to her senses at his call.
"It's lunchtime... Would you like to join me for a meal today?"
Han So-young pondered his proposal. Si-woo cautiously offered her a meal. He wondered if there was really a need to be so cautious about simply eating together, but it couldn't be helped. Since arriving at the mansion, he hadn't eaten a single meal with Han So-young in two days. Han So-young always had the butler bring food to her room, where she ate alone. More often than not, half the plates the butler brought would remain untouched. Thanks to that, Si-woo had to eat alone and lonely for two days.
"A meal, you say."
Han So-young mulled over his suggestion. Just as it had been a long time since she left her room for something other than a walk, she could hardly remember the last time she ate with others at a table. Since she was already out, she decided to slowly return to her daily life. Even if she wouldn't return as a hero, she couldn't stay locked in her room, drowning in sorrow forever. Si-woo's art display gave a small spark to the widow who had lost her husband and son.
"Alright. Let's go to the dining room."
"Ah, understood. I'll tell the butler right away!"
"Huh? Ah, yes..."
Without even hearing her finish, Si-woo dashed off. Han So-young, left alone in the hallway, hesitated before turning her head to look at the sculpture Si-woo had been explaining. It was a piece that somehow felt like something she'd seen on Earth. Of course, she knew it had nothing to do with the ones on Earth. But she thought the fact that ordinary people would find it bizarre probably matched. It seemed artists everywhere had unique ways of thinking.
"But isn't it too obscene...?"
The vividly depicted breasts and genitals, and the large glans sitting on the shoulders where a head should be. Listening to Si-woo, it started to make sense, but she still thought it was strange. To think that someone who made relatively normal works in their youth would change this much in their later years. In fact, she wondered if her husband hadn't filled the mansion's empty spaces because he was worried about whether it was okay to display such obscene works.
Han So-young, who had been thinking deeply while looking at the sculpture, asked Si-woo about it during lunch.
"...What do you think, Si-woo?"
"Ah, there's a reason for that."
Si-woo, who had been chewing his steak, hurriedly swallowed the meat and spoke.
"Ah."
She had asked just in case, but when he really knew, Han So-young let out a small exclamation. He was truly an impressive young man. No matter how lucky he was, for a hero candidate summoned barely a month ago to study at the library... It was impossible unless he was a diligent and sincere person. Receiving such generous treatment that he wouldn't have experienced in his hometown, yet still putting effort into studying was no easy task. Though less than in her time, the treatment given to hero candidates had a demonic power to corrupt people.
"I'm liking him more and more."
"What's the reason?"
"Morgetz was expelled from the Glayzer Empire in his thirties and wandered foreign lands until his death. Do you know why he was exiled?"
"Hmm, I think I heard it from my husband... but I don't recall."
"If your husband was from Glayzer, he would have explained it vaguely."
"Ah, yes. That sounds right."
"Two hundred years ago, Glayzer was corrupt in a different sense than now... Ah, I'm sorry. That was a slip of the tongue."
"No, please continue."
Si-woo lowered his head as if he'd made a mistake, but it had been intentional. In reality, Han So-young's eyes darkened slightly at his words. The current imperial court was indeed corrupt. Funny enough, even this was the result of a self-correction that had occurred several decades ago. It was a common policy mistake. There was a time when the power of empresses and imperial consorts grew so strong they even manipulated the emperor, but thanks to various royals and loyal subjects, they were driven out. To prevent this from happening again, the process of strengthening the emperor's power went too far, creating yet another problem.
"Young Morgetz did not regret rebelling against the empresses. Rather, he used that anger and will as the foundation to develop his artistic world. But as he grew older and couldn't return to his homeland, his anger transformed into hatred toward women, and those obscene works of his later years were born."
"...Si-woo, you're truly knowledgeable."
"Haha, no. I just studied it all in a hurry."
Si-woo's words were not modesty. During the two days when even Han So-young hadn't seen him and he was half-ignored by the butler and maids, he had studied to fill his shallow knowledge. And he had received considerable help from the Palania Kingdom.
"But the works that arrived today. Are they okay? I don't know the price of each piece, but there were so many, they must have been very expensive..."
"I received some... no, a lot of help from my affiliated nation, Palania."
"Hehe, is that so? I must repay that part someday."
'Then why not change your affiliation to Palania?' Those words had risen to Si-woo's throat, but he barely held them back. It wasn't good to show his personal desires so soon. There was no time limit on this mission. Si-woo planned to use that to his advantage, approaching Han So-young leisurely. For now, he planned to build rapport through these small matters. If they lived in the mansion together, eating meals, drinking tea, and taking walks, they would inevitably grow closer.
"Whew, that was delicious, Butler. It's been so long since I ate with someone else, it's quite enjoyable."
"My lady...!"
Tears welled up in the butler's eyes as he watched the two eat. Si-woo was flustered by the sight, which didn't suit his rugged appearance at all. Han So-young was also flustered for a different reason. No matter how long she had been absent, to think he would cry over something like this.
"What's wrong, Butler?"
"Ah, I-I'm sorry. I was moved without realizing it... *sniff*"
"Oh dear. We have a guest watching. If you react like that, Butler, what will I become?"
"*hic* I-I'm sorry. I'll stop right away."
When the butler left the dining room, only Han So-young and Si-woo remained. With both having finished their meals, this created an awkward atmosphere between the two. Si-woo quickly rummaged through his mind, but nothing came to him immediately. With Hildear or Elaine, no matter what he said, they would like it, and conversely, they would talk eagerly to match his mood. But now it wasn't like that. Si-woo, who had never been eloquent, began to break into a cold sweat, thinking this quiet silence would last a while. Perhaps because of the atmosphere, words seemed even harder to come by.
"Si-woo?"
"Ah, yes! Ms. Han So-young."
"...How long are you thinking of staying in this mansion?"
Si-woo paused at her question. He worried that perhaps she didn't welcome his stay. Han So-young, noticing his thoughts, softly smiled and shook her head.
"Don't worry. I don't know what you're thinking, but if you're going to stay long, I was thinking of giving you a room."
"Huh? A room, you say?"
Si-woo's eyes widened. He was currently staying in a guest room on the second floor. Most of the mansion's facilities were on the first and second floors, and the rooms on the first floor were for the butler and maids. While accessible, it still gave a strong impression of someone who would leave soon. But now she was saying she would give him a room on the third floor.
"I-I would gratefully accept if you gave me a room!"
"Hehe, don't be too happy. I'm not giving it forever, just lending it to you while you stay here."
"Haha..."
Realizing he had overreacted, Si-woo blushed. He had improved somewhat compared to the beginning, but he was still tense around Han So-young. He thought he would need to stay at least two weeks to become comfortable.
"And..."
"Yes."
"Shall we speak more comfortably?"
"Speech... you mean?"
"Yes, speech. Being called Si-woo, Ms. Han So-young like now is too uncomfortable."
Han So-young said this, slightly furrowing her forehead. Though in active duty she had been in a position comparable to royalty as an SS-rank hero, she didn't particularly like authority. That's why she had comforted her reluctant husband and bought this small three-story mansion in a remote part of the empire. The title "Ms. Han So-young" was not a title she liked.
"Then what should I call you? Ah, you can call me whatever you want."
"...Aunt So-young."
"Huh?"
"Aunt So-young is fine. The surname is the same, after all... Hehe. It's kind of fun."
"If Aunt So-young is too long, you can just call me Aunt. I'll... just call myself Si-woo. Can I speak casually too?"
"Uh, of course. Please, speak comfortably."
"Hehe. Alright. No, I mean, okay. Si-woo."
"Ah, yes. ...Aunt."
It was a dazed feeling. Who would have thought they'd become this close in just three days. Of course, it might just be that they were speaking casually and the titles were more comfortable, but considering that countless imperial agents had failed before, it was a tremendous achievement. It might be because he was a hero candidate, but many heroes had already been dispatched to persuade her. And all had failed. They all gave up within a week, saying persuasion was impossible.
"Alright. Much better. ...Hmm. I think I overate after so long, my body feels sluggish. Si-woo, shall we go for a walk together?"
"I'd love to, Aunt!"
"Hehe. Alright, let's go."
Si-woo steadily advanced toward persuading the SS-rank retired hero, Han So-young.
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