Chapter 67
Elenen walked slowly down the long corridor, carefully explaining the paintings hanging on the walls.
“This is the most recent one. It was probably painted when I was about three months old. My sister would have been five, and my brother three.”
Elenen gestured toward a massive oil painting closest to the entrance. The life-sized portrait, framed in an ornate frame, depicted the king and queen in their younger years.
“You were cute even as a baby.”
Noxia was more interested in the couple’s three children than in the youthful king and queen.
More precisely, her gaze was drawn to the baby bundled up and cradled in the king’s arms, no bigger than a loaf of bread.
“Well, babies are usually cute.”
Elenen’s face faintly reddened. He had inferred the implication behind the words “even as a baby.”
Seeing his face tinged with cherry blossom pink, Noxia smiled faintly. A lover who got shy at being called cute only made her want to tease him more.
‘Better restrain myself here. No matter what, there’s the dignity of royalty.’
Noxia barely held herself back for the sake of her lover’s honor. They weren’t alone in the gallery. Though spaced far apart, royal attendants were standing by along the corridor.
The gallery didn’t contain only portraits. There were also paintings that recreated significant events in Hermeon’s history that the royal family deemed worthy of being preserved in art.
After calming his blush and returning to his usual complexion, Elenen continued to kindly explain those paintings as well. Holding his hand, Noxia occasionally nodded and asked questions.
As they walked slowly along the corridor, they eventually reached the farthest point from the entrance. The paintings there were older, depicting events from much earlier eras.
“……”
Some of them strayed beyond the realm of proper history and leaned closer to myth.
For example, the enormous medieval-style painting now hanging before Noxia and Elenen.
“This is Promeon, the one who stole fire. Since you said it’s your favorite myth, I thought you’d recognize it right away.”
Elenen turned toward Noxia with a soft smile. But her gaze remained fixed on the painting.
“It’s really big, isn’t it? I don’t know how anyone even thought of painting something this large. And back in the old days, before oil paints were developed, the paint dried too quickly, so it must’ve been even harder to work with……”
Elenen continued explaining. Noxia didn’t respond—not even with a half-hearted nod.
At this moment, she was completely captivated by the mythical painting.
At the center stood a man in a proud stance, one arm raised toward the sky, vividly etched into her vision.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, befitting a hero, dressed in flowing robes that suited the ancient setting.
His hair was a pale silver, as though made of snow, but upon closer inspection, it gradually darkened from the tips into a pitch-black hue, like night.
His irises were also a blend of two colors: near the pupil was a clear, watery hue, while the outer ring was a deep navy blue like the sea.
In one hand, he held a long sword adorned with ornate decorations; in the other, raised toward the sky, he held a torch glowing orange.
In the distant background behind his head, figures could be seen fleeing atop clouds—ancient gods escaping after being robbed of sacred treasures such as fire, fleeing from humanity.
Before the man, people presumed to be human were all kneeling on the ground, gazing up at him. Their eyes were filled with reverence, and they all had silver hair and pale blue eyes.
Beside the rock the man stood upon like a podium was a woman. Her shimmering silver hair flowed down to her waist, and she was tall and beautifully proportioned.
Unlike the other humans, she was not kneeling. Rather than looking up at the man in worship, she stood proudly beside him, gazing at him with eyes filled with dignified affection.
“Is that person Queen Hermane?”
Noxia asked suddenly. As she raised her hand and pointed at the beautiful woman in the painting, Elenen nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. Do you see the belt and necklace she’s wearing in the painting? Both are royal heirlooms that have been passed down to the present day. They’re treasures inherited by the highest-ranking woman in the royal family.”
In truth, Hermane had never once worn such a belt or necklace in her lifetime. She had, however, touched them. They were ornaments she had commissioned in her old age as gifts for her daughter.
But over the long passage of time, as records were lost or distorted, the belt and necklace came to be passed down under the name of Queen Hermane’s jewels, and the royal family still preserved them as priceless artifacts.
Of course, artistic exaggeration is permitted to a certain degree in painting, so Noxia didn’t bother to argue based on her own historical knowledge.
She had no intention of disputing the painting anyway. Just swallowing the inexplicable sorrow swelling up and tightening her throat was already more than enough.
‘What is this?’
Why did her heart ache so much? Noxia felt confused. While she was left speechless by a grief she couldn’t understand, Elenen continued speaking earnestly.
“By the way, there are a lot of differing opinions about how much influence Promeon and Hermane each had on forming ancient human civilization. Some say most of the achievements were Hermane’s as king, and that Promeon was closer to her captain of the guard. Others say they ruled jointly and that the credit is essentially split evenly……”
Elenen, speaking smoothly about the various academic theories as befitted a cultured university student, suddenly stopped and turned toward Noxia. He frowned.
“Noxia, are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“You look pale. Are you tired from walking too much? Or did something you ate earlier upset your stomach?”
“No, I’m fine. It’s not indigestion.”
“Then are you just tired? Maybe I talked too long. It looks like we’ve seen enough paintings, so should we go to my room and rest?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m not that tired……”
Noxia murmured. Her gaze still hadn’t left the massive painting.
“But… Pelleine isn’t in this painting, is she?”
The question slipped out before she even realized it. Elenen tilted his head.
“Well, it’s hard to say she’s not here. Maybe she’s among the gods fleeing in the background? Though Pelleine was a god who was friendly to humans, so maybe she wouldn’t have fled.”
In human mythology, Pelleine didn’t hold much significance. She existed mostly as a literary device to make Promeon stand out more in the epic.
To modern humans who didn’t believe that beings called gods had once truly filled this world, Pelleine was nothing more than a single name. One of countless minor characters in an ancient epic.
She wasn’t even in this painting. Even Elenen, who knew the royal gallery’s works inside out, looked puzzled at Noxia’s question.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. Should I ask someone else? There are scholars and painters employed by the royal family who manage the gallery. Maybe they’d know.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far. I was just curious, that’s all.”
When Elenen seriously suggested it, Noxia quickly declined. She forced a smile.
“Shall we move on now? Like you said, Prince, I think we’ve seen enough of the paintings.”
“Alright, Noxia. Then I’ll take you to Saetbyeol Palace.”
Elenen still looked worried, but when Noxia regained her usual rosy complexion, he soon relaxed and gently interlaced his fingers with hers.
The two of them left the gallery together. The figures trapped in the canvases, however, remained motionless, frozen in the same postures and expressions.
Elenen took his lover to Saetbyeol Palace, where he resided. After climbing the stairs to the third floor, they arrived at a space containing a living room, a study, and a music room.
“Wow…”
Noxia murmured in admiration. The cozy, sunlit room contained an elegant grand piano, and beside it she could see shelves stacked neatly with countless sheets of music.
“Noxia, can you play the piano?”
“No. There wasn’t a piano at the orphanage or at my hometown school.”
“I’m not very good either, actually. I learned for a little while a long time ago, but I stopped. I’ve been lazy about practicing lately, so my skills have probably completely rusted.”
Elenen sat in front of the piano and opened the lid. He turned toward Noxia and smiled brightly.
“Still, there are a few pieces I remember. Want me to try playing? I’ll be your personal musician.”
“A prince as my personal musician… I’m honored. Alright, I’ll listen.”
Noxia sat beside him. Elenen placed his long fingers on the black and white keys.
He began to play. At first, Noxia listened with a serious expression. Soon her face became puzzled, and finally she covered her mouth with her hand, eyes crinkling as she let out a small laugh.
“What? This is a children’s song. The kind kids use as practice pieces.”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I told you earlier—my skills are completely rusty.”
As Noxia teased him with a bright expression, Elenen laughed back and kept his fingers moving. The simple, cheerful melody filled the room. The tone was clear, like transparent jade.
Before she realized it, Noxia began to sing softly along with the tune. It was a simple song everyone learned as a child, so the lyrics came easily.
Elenen, distracted by hearing his lover sing for the first time, almost stopped playing. He tightened his focus and carefully continued the accompaniment.
‘She’s like an angel.’
The thought came to him unconsciously. Perhaps he was biased, but Noxia’s clear, pure voice was beautiful enough to make tears well up.
When Elenen finished the accompaniment and Noxia stopped singing, a brief silence followed. Then Elenen turned his body toward her.
“I didn’t know you could sing this well. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“There was never really a reason to. When do we ever sing together normally?”
“I feel cheated. Like I’ve been deceived. The fact that I’ve been dating you all this time and never got to hear you sing—it’s so unfair.”
“Haha, don’t exaggerate. I’m not a professional singer or anything. Isn’t this about how well everyone sings?”
