The Imagined Portrait
I was forcing back tears, steeling my eyes, when the duke placed a hand on my shoulder. His large palm patted me gently. His own eyes were quite red too.
What kind of rustic melodrama was this? My lips twisted into a bitter smile. The real Abigail should have been here, not this fake shedding crocodile tears to deceive them.
I turned to the duke with a wry smile. “She was a very beautiful woman.”
“...Yes.”
“She must have been kind.”
“She was.”
Lost in memories, the duke stared at the duchess's portrait for a long while. If the duchess had lived on, would Abigail's fate have been different? Yes, probably many things would have changed. There would have been no rift between the duke and Abigail, no willful outbursts from her either. The duchess's absence had sickened the Carpoem Ducal House.
I sighed inwardly and moved on. I stopped before the final painting at the end of the room. My eyes widened in shock.
“This is...”
Abigail? It was unmistakably Abigail's portrait. Wavy long black hair, red eyes, cat-like upward-slanting eyes, but with softly smiling lips. If not for the overall gentle expression, it was exactly like Abigail at her current age.
“Did Mother paint this one too? How did she know what I'd look like?”
Was the duchess still alive somewhere, painting in secret? Or did she have precognitive powers in life? As wild theories swirled in my mind, the duke looked back and forth between me and the portrait with a profoundly strange expression.
“This painting...”
Furrowing his thick brows, the duke explained. “When Canella was pregnant with you, she painted this, imagining you'd look just like us if you were a girl...”
“Ah.”
I was stunned to learn the truth. Abigail resembled the duke and duchess so closely that even an imagined portrait by the sharp-eyed duchess was a perfect likeness. She was truly their spitting image.
“She wanted a girl.”
“...”
“And that wish came true.”
The duke tore his gaze from the painting and looked at me. Something welled up inside me, threatening to burst. Now I understood. The duke didn't not love Abigail. He just needed time after losing the person he loved. He simply didn't know how to approach his sole remaining family, making him clumsy at it.
I clenched my fists. Love. I'd lived denying such emotions. In a life where only I cared for myself, it had ended in a dog's death. Nothing but emptiness remained. So I could act as Abigail, but I could never truly be her.
Suppressing my tangled feelings, I met the duke's eyes. “Father, I...”
“I'm sorry.”
“...”
His warm words left me speechless. An affectionate gaze turned toward me. The duke's once-cold eyes had softened.
“I've been too neglectful of you all this time. From now on...”
“...”
“I'll make an effort to change.”
His sincerity rang true. Hesitating no longer, I smiled brightly back at him. “...I'm happy, Father.”
My lingering conscience stung, but I couldn't afford to look gloomy now. Because right now, I was Abigail Carpoem. What she had and what she lacked—it was all mine. I'd have to keep deceiving the duke and countless others from here on. Even bathed in his loving gaze, the bitterness in my mouth was beyond my control.
* * *
After dinner, back in my room, I dismissed all the maids. I set the pound cake from dessert on the table and glanced around. The empty room was utterly quiet.
“...Ren?”
I called his name softly. If his letter was accurate, Ren should be in my room by now.
A faint rustle sounded moments later, and Ren emerged. “G-Greetings, my lady...”
“Skip the formalities. Come here.”
I pointed to the pound cake on the table. “You've been casting spells all day—you must be tired. Have some of this.”
“N-No, I'm fine...”
He said that, but Ren's eyes were glued to the pound cake, unblinking. It was infused with honeyed lemon—tart yet sweetly delicious. Knowing Ren loved sweets, I'd specially requested it from the chef. And as expected, he couldn't resist the tempting dessert.
“Then... I'll dig in.”
Swallowing hard, Ren devoured the cake voraciously. I watched with a pleased smile.
“Good?”
“Yes, delishush.”
His cheeks bulged like a hamster's, mangling his words—adorably so. Imagining poking those puffy cheeks, I handed him the milk I'd brought with the cake. “Just plain milk today. Next time, strawberry milk.”
“That pink milk from before?”
“Yep.”
I nodded, and Ren's face lit up in bliss, reliving the memory. I have to bring it next time, I vowed, then asked, “What did you think of Father?”
“Um...”
Ren set down his empty glass, his expression turning serious. He blinked his big eyes and nodded at me. “It does seem like a curse.”
As I'd suspected from the novel, Ren was convinced the duke was cursed. He began confiding what he'd sensed that day.
“I can see people's mana with my eyes. The duke's mana was all tangled up strangely. Like it was attacking him.”
“Mana attacking Father?”
“Yes. His mana is so vast that... to me, it looked like his protective mana and attacking mana were constantly clashing.”
“So the attacking mana is from a mage's curse?”
“Well...”
Ren tilted his head mid-sentence, something nagging at him. I waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.
“Usually, yes. But with the duke, it felt off.”
“Off how?”
“Um... well...”
He paused, furrows deepening on his brow. For a child, it was impressively grave. “The mana attacking him and protecting him... looked like the same mana to me.”
“What does that mean?”
Scratching his head, Ren continued with more conviction. “It was weird, so I kept looking. But no matter what, it was all the duke's own mana. I couldn't misread mana that intense. So that curse... it's probably...”
“...”
“A high-level curse cleverly exploiting his vast mana.”
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh. No expert in magic, but having read the original novel, I knew the basics of this world's lore. Curses from spells grew harder to dispel the more intricate the caster's magic. But I wasn't worried on that front. No mage in this world could match Ren's genius.
Still, if a high-level curse-caster kept targeting the duke's life, this wouldn't end with one attempt. I had to uncover and catch that mage.
“Ren, can you trace who cursed Father?”
“Normally, you'd backtrack the mana, but this curse isn't like that...”
“So it's difficult.”
“Yes. I'm sorry.”
Downcast, Ren bowed his head. Magic wasn't omnipotent, I realized, and stroked his hair. “No. You've helped plenty. Thank you.”
“I-I'm sorry.”
He fidgeted, unsure where to put himself. His hair felt like silk—wonderful to touch. Satisfied, I withdrew my hand.
“Can you lift the curse on Father, then?”
“Hm.”
After pondering, Ren nodded. “Yes, I think so. But it'll take time, and I'd need to... see the duke in person...”
He mumbled, head drooping. He might sense the duke disliked him for his origins. Clever Ren couldn't have missed it. Still, to break the curse, they had to meet. That was the only way to save the duke.
“Don't worry. I'll find a way.”
“Okay.”
“If you lift Father's curse, I'll grant any wish you have.”
“My... wish?”
“Yes.”
I smiled brightly. With the Carpoem Ducal House's power, nothing was impossible. Money, status, fame—if Ren wanted, I could make him a millionaire or bestow a noble title. The savior of the duke's life? Of course. I could make him the empire's most precious person.
Though Ren would become Magic Tower Master in the future, so no excessive reward seemed needed. He was still young, without grand ambitions anyway. I'd consult Dominic for a practical one.
“You'll really grant my wish?”
“Yes. So think about it.”
His eyes sparkled, warming my heart. Maybe he'd wish for something cute, like a gingerbread house or a fountain endlessly spouting strawberry milk. I chuckled to myself at the thought.
* * *
I stood glaring at the man before me. Sweat beaded on my hand gripping the wooden sword's hilt. My body was tense, but I tried not to show it. Instead, I addressed him leisurely. “Sir Jade, aren't you leaving too few openings against a beginner?”
I'd been receiving basic sword training and sparring with him in spare moments. He insisted it built real combat sense faster. Having preferred sparring over solo practice even in the dojo, I readily aimed my wooden sword at him.
“I'm always surprised by that beginner.”
Jade replied flatly, showing no gaps. Among the 1st Knight Order, he ranked high. His serious nature didn't suit jokes, but hearing him say that against a nobody like me made me laugh. I took a deep breath and kicked off the ground.