On a spring afternoon, Paisar conveyed great news.

‘It’s amazing to have your work exhibited at the salon exhibition!’

Feeling proud, Diana put the letter in the drawer and smiled until her eyes curved.

The salon exhibition held at the Hyperion villa placed the winning pieces of the year in the center of the main hall.

Even if Feniche was busy without a moment to spare, there was no way she would miss seeing Paisar’s work.

Diana giggled mischievously, thinking of the fateful reunion of the two.

‘Now’s not the time for this. I need to prepare to leave soon.’

Her excited footsteps felt as light as a feather. As she swung open the door to the studio at the end of the first floor corridor, a sight that filled her up just by looking at it unfolded.

It was Paisar’s old works that Diana had bought and collected without missing a single piece, densely hanging on the entire wall.

‘I can’t believe all of this is mine.’

Diana was still in disbelief. As a reward for supporting his artistic activities, Paisar had dedicated over thirty paintings to Diana.

Though she insisted on paying for them out of courtesy, the amount was far below the value of the paintings.

‘Paisar must be an angel who fell from the sky…!’

Tearing up, Diana jumped as if fire had fallen on her foot.

‘Now’s not the time for this. I need to prepare quickly!’

The coastal city of Cezanne, which crosses mountain ranges, was famous for having long and rough roads even within the Hyperion territory.

Although it was called the home of artists for its beautiful natural scenery, it was located in a remote area as an undeveloped pristine zone.

It would take 3 nights and 4 days by carriage, so they had to depart as soon as possible.

Diana rushed straight to Angela to deliver the news and began packing.

Even dancing with her shoulders bouncing with excitement.

On the day of the salon exhibition, Diana was in low spirits, unlike a few days ago.

Her spiteful fiancé wouldn’t leave Diana alone for a moment.

Upon hearing the news of the salon exhibition, he volunteered to accompany her, trying to act as a fiancé. She tried to refuse indirectly, but couldn’t do so thinking of Paisar.

‘He’s a bit tacky and burdensome, but… it will help Paisar.’

If a popular figure like Arthur visited, it would undoubtedly be a great honor for Paisar.

Above all, she didn’t want to refuse Arthur’s favor and go against his mood.

Thinking of her jealous lover, a corner of her heart stung, but what could she do?

The contract with Arthur was that important of a matter to Diana.

‘If he wants to come along, I’ll have to take him.’

Thus began a somewhat tedious and tiring journey.

Fortunately, as she shared the same carriage with the attendants, there were few occasions to face Arthur.

It was not only cumbersome to use separate carriages every time they changed clothes, but above all, his blatant gaze was unbearably burdensome.

If they hadn’t procured a carriage and hired a new coachman along the way, an unfortunate event of breaking the contract before even arriving might have occurred.

‘I should have done this from the beginning.’

Arthur had no major complaints about using separate carriages.

However, from the moment he got off the carriage, he followed Diana around like a three-year-old child, grating on her nerves.

Even when eating, even when taking a break strolling in the forest, he persistently hovered around Diana, and even the usually peace-advocating Diana was fed up with this man.

‘Annoying! So annoying! It’s a business relationship established in name only, so why is he so eager to pester me? Doesn’t he know he needs to be nice to me to get his fox bead back?’

It was a contract established with a promise of fair compensation, but it felt like being the weaker party.

Irritation welled up, but as it was a disaster she had brought upon herself, she couldn’t complain.

‘What will I hear when I return?’

Imagining the sensational article title ‘Exclusive reveal of a cozy trip scene!’, her head was already spinning.

Raoul’s jealousy and obsession were getting worse by the day, and she couldn’t even explain this situation to Arthur.

It was when Diana was holding her throbbing head and rubbing her forehead against the glass window.

Helen sat close to the window and let out a cheer.

“Wow! I’ve never seen such a beautiful scenery in my life.”

Diana raised her gaze and looked down at the sea spread out below the cliff.

The beach, towered over by the twin-shaped cliffs as if they were carved out, could be called a natural haven.

“Until the salon exhibition ends, take a walk around the beach with Biche. It will probably take two hours.”

“Oh… yes. Thank you for your consideration…!”

Helen pulled at the hem of her skirt with an embarrassed expression.

She must be so excited to go on a trip for the first time in her life. Diana felt bad for not being able to bring Angela and Lu to such a wonderful place.

‘I’m sorry to both of you. I’ll take you to an even better place, so please bear with it a little longer.’

Diana muttered in her heart and took in the scenery of Cezanne that unfolded in the distance.

The interior of the villa where the salon exhibition was held was spacious and splendid like any other castle.

Statues decorated both walls of the main hall, and in the center, this year’s winning piece exuded a magnificent presence.

The crowd gathered like ants to see this year’s winning work.

Diana smiled contentedly and effusively poured out praises.

“Your skills are amazing! I knew you would do well.”

“Ah, no. It’s just that I was lucky enough to win an award thanks to your grace, that’s all.”

“What have I done?”

Paisar lowered his gaze with a face as red as an apple.

He hesitated, repeating what he wanted to say, then glanced at the award-winning work hung at the back and muttered.

“I drew that piece thinking of you….”

Diana didn’t hear properly and asked, “Pardon?” But the conversation was interrupted by Arthur’s sudden appearance.

Diana looked up at Arthur standing next to her with a displeased expression and introduced him.

“Ah… say hello. This is Duke Arthur.”

“Oh, hello! My name is Paisar.”

“How plain.”

“Pardon?”

“Is this the person? The husband of a second-generation immigrant?”

“Hey!”

Diana narrowed her eyes and pinched Arthur’s arm.

There’s a time and place for everything! She was fed up with his childish attitude.

“I’m hurt that you call your fiancé like a stranger.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Paisar’s face darkened in an instant.

“Fiancé….? Ha-have you gotten engaged?”

“Ah, yes…. This must be the first time Paisar is hearing about it?”

“How could I not know? It must be on the front page of the newspaper every day.”

“The news was delayed. Living cut off from the secular world….”

“It’s fine now that I know.”

“I’m sorry. For not congratulating you earlier….”

“It’s not even an important matter, don’t worry about it.”

Diana hurriedly waved her hands and comforted the dejected Paisar.

At that moment, Arthur turned his gaze to the award-winning work hanging in the main hall.

“The painting hung in the center of the hall. Did you paint that?”

“Ah, yes….”

“…It’s enough to drive one crazy and make them jump for joy.”

“Pardon?”

“Falling for it unknowingly is a talent in itself.”

Arthur crossed his arms and stood with one leg, his head tilted diagonally towards the exhibited work in the central hall.

‘What the, all of a sudden? Getting all crooked.’

Diana approached the painting closer than Paisar with a puzzled face.

The oil painting depicting the goddess Iona drawing a sword and repelling the darkness rooted in the earth looked not just like a simple award-winning piece, but a masterpiece that would go down in history.

“You depicted the hair like the night sky? Oh my… How did you portray the Milky Way so realistically? It’s confusing whether it’s day or night right now.”

Paisar fidgeted with his fingers, his face as red as an apple.

Diana encouraged Paisar until her mouth was dry, then stuffed Arthur into a social gathering.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to meet a friend for a bit. You didn’t come here because of me anyway. Go expand your network or something.”

Though she heard Arthur snort, she lightly ignored it and set out to find Feniche.

Pushing through the crowd and looking around, it wasn’t long before she spotted the youngest lord.

Feniche looked very tired, surrounded by nobles and wealthy merchants.

“If it’s about business, we can sufficiently discuss it during the banquet. For now, I would appreciate it if you could focus on appreciating the artworks.”

Feniche, who escaped from the spot as if running away, held her dizzy head and headed to the central hall.

There, Paisar was blankly standing and waiting for Diana.

Diana turned away from the pitiful Paisar and hid behind a pillar. Then, holding her breath, she waited for Feniche’s reaction.

Feniche, who stopped in front of Paisar, looked up at the award-winning work and let out a sigh as if enchanted.

“What is she saying?”

It was a series of Feniche asking questions and Paisar answering.

Feniche, who widened her eyes several times, suddenly covered her mouth and grabbed Paisar’s hand.

“Oh my! I never thought I’d meet you here!”

Diana clenched both fists and shed tears of emotion.

It was the moment her efforts bore fruit.