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Several days had passed since the Evening of Music hosted by Ekaterina had become the talk of the Magic Academy, but it showed no signs of dying down.
Come to think of it, this world was different from her previous life, where new topics were constantly being served up via the internet and TV. Trends here didn’t fade so easily; they seemed to linger until people had fully savored them.

…I understand that logically, but honestly, I wish it would fade away sooner…

Ekaterina, who was feeling the strain deep down, thought to herself.
However, her classmates didn’t seem to mind at all. Since the whole class was in the spotlight thanks to the Evening of Music, they didn’t seem to have any complaints.

“Our class’s performance for the school festival is definitely going to be a song, isn’t it? We’re sure to be the center of attention!”

At Marina’s words, the class erupted in a chorus.
After that, as everyone stared at her with eyes full of expectation, Ekaterina reflexively smiled with the aloof grace befitting a duke’s daughter, while inwardly she was sweating buckets.

.

Amidst all this, the weekend arrived. In the carriage on the way back to the duke’s mansion, Ekaterina murmured to herself with deep feeling.

“Home really is the best place after all…”

Aleksei, sitting next to her, looked at his sister with concern.

“You must be tired. It was quite a performance. Even in my class, everyone’s been singing your song.”

Ugh.
Well, of course. The older girls from Onii-sama’s class had come to listen, after all.

“Onii-sama… that wasn’t my song. Mother taught it to me.”

Though she said this, Ekaterina’s voice was weak. She wanted to put it that way, but she felt as if she were falsely accusing her late mother, so she simply couldn’t bring herself to say it firmly.

“You’re right, it was.”

Aleksei smiled gently.
Aww, I feel like he doesn’t believe me! He’s teasing me!

“It’s only natural that everyone is paying attention to you; your radiance simply cannot help but draw everyone in.”

Aleksei gently touched Ekaterina’s cheek.

“But you yourself don’t realize it, do you? The moon, the stars, and the sun—they’re never blinded by their own light. You may not see it yourself, but you shine so brightly it’s dazzling. Even from the peaks of the mountains of the gods, I’m sure they can see it. You are the queen of the stars, the moon upon the earth, and the sun that radiates a gentle, healing light. I suppose the students at the academy are finally beginning to realize that, too.”
“Oh, Onii-sama…”

Onii-sama’s siscon tendency is truly the highest in the world. I don’t know which is taller—the Everest of my past life or the Summit of Gods in this one—but I think Onii-sama’s siscon tendency blows both of them out of the water. Since Everest was around 8,000 meters high, I’d estimate Onii-sama’s siscon tendency to be about 20,000 meters?
What am I going to do? My brocon tendency is probably only about 3,000 meters high, like Mount Fuji! I can’t win!

“What’s the matter?”

Seeing Ekaterina’s expression cloud over, Aleksei said, sounding flustered.

“…Even though you love me this much, Onii-sama, I can’t return that love at all…”

I’m sorry I can’t keep up with your sisconism.
Though I’m not even sure if I should be trying to keep up.

“Don’t be silly.”

Breaking into a smile, Aleksei wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulders and hugged her gently.

“Just the fact that you shine is a blessing in itself, yet you’re always looking out for me with your kindness and helping me with your intelligence. And yet, you say things like that. You really seem to give so much and know so little about receiving. —Please, just smile for me, my Ekaterina. We’re having guests for dinner tonight. You were so eager to host them, weren’t you? Though I say ‘guests,’ they’re actually a painter whom Grandfather has taken under his wing. I hope you’ll relax and enjoy the conversation.”

Oh, that’s right!

“It’s Master Hardin, isn’t it? The one who painted the portraits of Grandfather and you… As the hostess, I shall make sure to entertain him properly!”

Ekaterina’s spirits soared as she remembered how much she had been looking forward to hearing stories about Grandfather Sergei’s character and anecdotes about Aleksei when he was a child.

Once we arrive at the Duke’s mansion, I’ll have a meeting with Graham, the butler. I’ll do my best!

.

“It is an honor to receive your invitation..”

Led by Graham, Master Hardin appeared before the siblings and said this with a smile.

He was a slender, handsome man in his early thirties, exuding the delicate sensibility one would expect from an artist. His hair was the color of ripe wheat—it was hard to tell whether it was blonde or light brown. What was unusual, however, was the color of his eyes: one was black, and the other was green. In Ekaterina’s past life, eyes like these would have been called heterochromia.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ekaterina smiled, but she felt flustered under the painter’s intense gaze, which came from his two-colored eyes.

“I beg your pardon. Whenever I see a beautiful woman, I can’t help but think about how I should paint her.”
“My, you’re quite the artist.”

It’s an occupational hazard, Ekaterina concluded.

“Of course. Ekaterina, Master Hardin is a popular portrait painter with a heavy workload, but I’ll have him paint your portrait eventually. There’s no other painter besides him who could capture your beauty on canvas.”

Aleksei looked delighted.

“Your painting of my brother’s portrait is truly magnificent. I’m particularly fond of the portrait of him and my grandfather together. I find myself wanting to see it from time to time, so I often make my way to the portrait gallery.”
“Those are kind words. Duke Sergei was truly a great help to me. It would be no exaggeration to say that it is thanks to Duke Sergei that I’ve been able to make a living as a painter. I’ve been looking forward to sharing memories of him with you this evening.”

Ekaterina, acting every inch the hostess, led the painter to the dining table.

.

As expected, the dinner was a lively affair filled with conversation.

When he heard the name of the wine Graham had flawlessly poured into his glass, the master painter’s eyes widened. Jurnova was a renowned wine region, and naturally, this duke’s residence boasted an enviable collection of fine wines. The choice of wine varied depending on the guest’s importance. The wine Graham had selected for today seemed to be of a class rarely served to the painter.
Perhaps this served as a catalyst, for the painter recounted in detail his encounter with his grandfather, Sergei.

It seems Master Hardin was born as the third son of a viscount’s family. However, he lacked sufficient magical power and was unable to enroll in the Magic Academy. As a result, he was treated coldly by his family and spent his days in a gloomy state, devoting himself solely to his hobby of painting. Although he dreamed of becoming a painter, he scoffed at himself, believing it was nothing more than a pipe dream.
Around that time, he met a gentleman who was lost and offered to guide him.

“That gentleman looked at my sketchbook and asked if the faint magical power he sensed might be something special. Since he didn’t understand the attributes well, he wondered if it might be a rare form of magic. When I told him that couldn’t be the case, he tilted his head in puzzlement. Then he said he wanted to thank me for showing him the way and invited me to visit his home. That gentleman was Lord Professor Isaac Jurnova. And when I visited, he introduced me to Duke Sergei.”

Come to think of it, Great-Uncle Isaac was conducting fieldwork to find practical applications for prismite magic. That might explain why he was so sensitive to magic imbued in objects.
If that’s the case, perhaps the Master’s sketchbook really did contain rare magic. Even if his magical power is minimal, the Master might be a possessor of rare magic.
Since she cannot speak openly about the prismite magic circle, Ekaterina thinks this to herself.

It is said that Grandfather Sergei looked at Hardin’s painting and said this:

*“Technical matters aside, I can feel a soul in the figures you depict. I like paintings like this.”*

Once you’ve studied painting and honed your skills, come back. I’ll commission a painting from you. Or so he told him.

“It was both a great hope and a heavy burden. If I painted a picture that disappointed Duke Jurnova, my future would surely be sealed. I cast aside all shame and pride and threw myself into studying painting.”

Ekaterina nodded sympathetically as Hardin spoke with deep emotion.

“And you have achieved great success. I think I understand what Grandfather meant when he said he could feel the soul. When I gaze at the portrait of my grandfather, I feel as though I can almost hear his voice.”
“I’m flattered. Actually, I’ve heard similar comments from others as well—that the soul is captured in my work. A man whose wife had passed away told me that when he displays the portrait I painted of her in his room, he can meet her in his dreams… and he was in tears when he told me so. Personally, I simply tried to capture her likeness as faithfully as possible, but I’m truly glad that it brings people joy.”

An artist who paints souls…
It reminded me of *The Picture of Dorian Gray* from a past life, though perhaps it’s a bit different. In any case, I think it’s amazing.
I wonder if I’ll ever get a portrait done myself. I wonder what kind of painting it would be.