Roselia adjusted her outfit reflected in the window, thinking how fortunate it was that she had generously received 20 berans from Klaus.

In the window stood a mature woman elegantly draped in a dress, her emerald green eyes sparkling beautifully.

The ivory dress that fluttered below her knees, cinched at the waist with a brown leather vest, clearly revealed the woman’s curves that had been hidden in dull suits until now.

Every time she took a step, the gazes of the village youth would furtively follow her.

It was an outfit that cost a whopping 150 grans. The village clothing store owner seemed to have overcharged her, knowing she was an outsider, but she had no time to quibble over such things.

Her hair, no longer the long ebony locks it once was, now cascaded down to her waist in long golden strands that shimmered in the sunlight.

It was an expensive wig she had bought, referencing the blonde hair of the female protagonist, Ivellionne. As the wig seller had boasted, it seemed worth the price, looking natural and matching well with her green eyes, fixed in place with magic stone powder so it wouldn’t come off.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to her own lush, ebony hair… but she thought this was enough to match Abello’s sensibilities.

The only difference between herself and the female protagonist was their gender.

Abello’s haggard appearance, the seemingly neglected house and garden, and crucially, the presence of a young girl in a disheveled state who desperately needed a mother’s care.

She thought that perhaps Abello’s wife had parted ways with the family due to unfortunate circumstances. And if Abello’s longing for his wife was deep… he would likely be more vulnerable to a woman with a similar atmosphere to his wife.

Considering this point, Roselia had changed into… no, adjusted her attire, referencing the clothing the female protagonist had worn at the time.

After checking her appearance reflected in the window, Roselia set off with confident steps, her jewel-like green eyes shining beneath her flowing golden hair.

Returning to Abello’s house, Roselia knocked on the door with a determined expression.

“Who is it…?”

Abello opened the door irritably, thinking that man had come again, but his expression turned bewildered upon seeing an unfamiliar woman.

“Who… who might you be…?”

“I’m the younger sister of Antonio, who visited here earlier.”

“Ah… yes. But why…”

“I was hoping you would sell us the painting.”

As Roselia answered as if she had been waiting for this, Abello closed his mouth again. After staring at the floor for a while, frozen, he slowly parted his lips.

“As I said before, that painting…”

“Mama!”

Just then, a young girl who had been playing with a rag doll inside came running out.

As the little girl suddenly threw herself into the folds of her skirt, both Roselia and Abello wore simultaneously bewildered expressions.

“Erlin! This lady isn’t your mother! I’m sorry. The child is still young…”

“No, it’s alright.”

Roselia bent down to meet the child’s eyes and smiled brightly.

“Do I look like your mom?”

The child called Erlin stared at Roselia’s face with wide eyes.

“Um… no? My mom’s eyes are sky blue…”

Erlin’s expression looked gloomy as she said this, making Roselia feel needlessly sorry.

“Oh my, you don’t like elder sister’s eyes?”

“It’s not that… but you’re not my mom… *sniff*…”

Roselia was flustered by the child’s sudden tears welling up.

As Roselia panicked, not knowing what to do, Abello hugged Erlin and spoke with a troubled expression.

“I’m sorry. The child’s mother… passed away not long ago…”

“What’s ‘passed away’, Dad?”

Though tears and snot were streaming down her face, Erlin seemed curious about anything related to her mother and looked at Abello inquiringly, making him wear a troubled expression.

“It means Mom went far away.”

“Then, when is Mom coming back? Can’t Mom not ‘pass away’?”

Both Abello and Roselia looked at the child with bewildered eyes, unable to open their mouths rashly.

“If Erlin waits nicely, will Mom come back?”

When Abello didn’t answer, the child asked with even more tearful eyes, tears falling in big drops.

As if his heart was breaking at the sight, Abello hugged Erlin and finally burst into tears he had been holding back.

Roselia, who had somehow ended up inside Abello’s house, sat across from Abello with a gloomy expression, a shabby table between them.

Erlin was sitting on the floor playing with a rag doll as if she had never cried.

Looking at Erlin piteously, Abello opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“I’ve shown you an unsightly scene.”

“No, it’s understandable. It must still be a difficult time for you.”

At Roselia’s sincere words of comfort, Abello bowed his head with an ashamed expression.

Just then, Erlin, who had been playing with the rag doll, seemed to remember something. She suddenly stood up, grabbed something, and ran to Roselia.

Bringing what looked like a straw hat woven from straw, Erlin held it out to her with a shy, beaming smile.

“Isn’t this pretty!”

“Yes, it’s pretty~ Is it Erlin’s?”

“No, it’s my mom’s! Look! That’s my mom! Isn’t she pretty?”

In the direction Erlin was pointing while holding the hat was a painting leaning against the wall.

In the painting, a blonde woman wearing a straw hat and a girl who looked just like her were smiling happily in the middle of a rose garden.

Only then could Roselia understand why Abello had sold the painting to the female protagonist.

As she had guessed, Abello had projected his wife onto the blonde woman.

That painting must be like a photograph for Abello and Erlin to remember their wife and mother…

Her heart felt heavy for no reason.

“That painting is my last work. I tore up all the other paintings, but I couldn’t do that to that one.”

“…”

What are you trying to do by sympathizing! You came here to buy that painting!

While Roselia was in inner turmoil, Abello, who had been looking at the painting with a wistful expression, suddenly spoke in a resolute voice.

“You said you wanted to buy that painting, right?”

“What? Yes… that’s right, but…”

“I’ll sell it.”

“What??”

Roselia was rather flustered by Abello’s sudden change of heart.

“But… even so, that painting is important to you and Erlin…”

“I was being selfish. I was so caught up in my wife’s shadow that I didn’t think about Erlin.”

Abello’s gaze turned back to Erlin.

Erlin was wearing her mother’s straw hat and admiring her reflection in a broken mirror, as if showing off.

Even though the broken mirror couldn’t reflect the child properly, the child’s face was pure, not knowing if it was wrong or lacking. As if that sight pained Abello’s heart even more, he opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“I’ll sell that painting for Erlin’s sake too. That’s what her mother would want.”

“Are you sure?”

“I need to pull myself together for my daughter… If I had stayed locked up in this house, I wouldn’t have been able to move on from that painting. I should rather thank you, miss.”

As he said this with a bitter smile, Roselia nodded calmly, trying to hide how somehow sorrowful he looked.

“Would 15 berans be alright?”

“That’s more than enough. It’s even too much. My painting skills couldn’t even fetch 50 grans before.”

“No, Mr. Abello. Your work just hasn’t been recognized yet, but it’s truly excellent.”

This was the truth.

In the original story, Abello, after gaining recognition through the Crown Princess, goes on to great success. Starting with his first work, he sold several paintings to the Crown Princess and even received patronage from the royal family, actively pursuing his artistic career.

Of course, now she had cut off that first start herself… but she had no intention of changing what came after.

Roselia planned to sell this painting to the royal family at a high price. She would also mention the artist’s name. Then the Crown Princess, who would fall in love with Abello’s painting, would naturally contact him and spare no expense in patronage.

Roselia smiled brightly as she took out 15 berans from her pocket and handed them to Abello.

Abello only preciously accepted the 15 berans, tilting his head at her meaningful smile.

And so, Roselia left the house, hugging the painting that Abello had carefully wrapped for her.

“Elder sister, come play again!”

With Erlin’s bright smile as her last glimpse, Roselia stepped lightly, feeling as if she had completed a homework assignment.

Fortunately, she had exactly 1 beran left after paying for the painting. 100 grans… enough to catch a carriage heading to the duke’s territory.

Although there weren’t as many carriages lined up as in the city, luckily there were some that traveled between the duke’s territory and the capital, so there would be no problem getting home if she caught a passing carriage.

Roselia spotted a carriage approaching from a distance and hurried breathlessly to stop it.

She planned to change clothes inside the carriage, as she couldn’t be sure when another would come if she missed this one.

However, in her haste, she only looked ahead and failed to notice a man walking out from the side, bumping into him.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I was in a hurry…”

Roselia looked up at the man she had bumped into, panting heavily, but froze, her breath caught.

The tall man in a dark gray suit was frowning unpleasantly as he straightened the lapel she had collided with.

That face was so familiar that Roselia stared blankly, losing her sense of reality.

“It’s alright.”

Even the curt way of speaking was too familiar.

And as if to confirm her thoughts, a familiar voice called from a distance.

“Your Grace! The site for building the school is this way!”

It was Alejandro’s voice.

And the man before her was…

Duke Klaus de Balthazar… why here of all places!

And when she was dressed like this!!

As she realized for certain that it was Klaus, her heart began to pound as if it would leap out. Her mouth went dry and her fingertips tensed at the thought that he might recognize her.

“My lady?”

When the person he had bumped into just stood there staring blankly without saying anything, Klaus lowered his head as if puzzled, trying to examine her face.

Roselia reflexively covered her face with the painting she was holding.

Klaus quickly pulled his face back, frowning as he nearly bumped into the frame.