“Little one.”

I gently patted the shoulder of the dejected little one as I spoke.

“It’s not because widowers are bad, but because that person values the other’s background more highly.”

“I don’t need a mother like that. I don’t like someone who cares more about the Duke than me.”

“I understand. I’ll look more carefully.”

“…Thank you, auntie.”

A faint smile appeared on the little one’s gloomy face.

“Little one, do you know something?”

“What is it?”

“Baron Deli is also a widower.”

“Huh?”

“I only have a father too, you know.”

“That’s right! Auntie, you’re just like me.”

The faint smile blossomed into a full one.

“Is there anything else the same? Between auntie and me.”

“Nothing comes to mind right away.”

I racked my brain. Then I remembered a game I had played in my previous life.

“Instead, I’ll give you two similar things as an example. We’ll shout out which one we like more at the same time. How about it?”

“Let’s try it. It sounds fun!”

The little one’s golden eyes sparkled. For just a moment, I thought what a lovely child.

“Okay, choose between cookies and cake. One, two, three!”

“Cake!”

“Cake.”

As we shouted the same word, the child jumped up and down clapping.

“Shall we do one more?”

“Yes! Again. Please do it again.”

* * *

It was a time when I learned a lot about what the little one likes. I had to rack my brains and come up with ideas to continue the shouting game for a whole hour.

I was so mentally exhausted that my body felt heavy. I plopped down opposite the little one and leaned my head back against the backrest.

“Auntie, about my assignment. Can’t you help me with this?”

“The one about spending five million tiga?”

“Yes. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with anything other than buying jewels.”

It’s a unique educational method. Teaching consumption before saving or earning. Is this possible because it’s a ducal family?

“But if I help you, it won’t be you solving the assignment on your own, right?”

“The Duke said that observation is also learning. So I think just watching how you spend it will help me solve the assignment.”

“Hmm.”

If someone gave me five million tiga and told me to spend it all in two days, what would I do first?

‘If I were to do what I purely want to do…’

I looked at the little one quietly. Then, slowly getting up from my seat, I said,

“Alright. I’ll help you.”

“Wow! Thank you.”

The little one jumped up and scurried over to my side. And naturally took my hand.

“But where are we going?”

To the child’s question, I answered while forcibly hiding the excitement in my voice.

“Artenbach Art Museum.”

* * *

The interior of the art museum became chaotic due to the unannounced visit of the Artenbach ducal heir. The director who hurriedly came out offered to guide us personally while bowing, but Rublion waved his hand and dismissed everyone, saying it wasn’t necessary.

The little one and I briefly appreciated the representative work hung at the entrance. As many artworks as there were spotlights hung from the ceiling were displayed on the walls, and the smell of plaster and subtle paint soothed the mind.

“Auntie, look at this.”

The little one said in a small voice, tugging at the hem of my skirt. Where the finger pointed, there was a work depicting warships and fishing boats floating on a vast sea.

“Ah, ‘Life and Death’ by Mürten is here.”

“Yes, I believe he’s an artist affiliated with the museum.”

The little one said, taking a step closer to the work.

“It’s so vivid, as if I’m seeing it with my own eyes. Don’t you think?”

I stood beside and looked at the painting. Then I suddenly asked,

“Little one, why do you think this work is titled ‘Life and Death’?”

“Um… why did he name it that?”

I pointed to the warship and fishing boat in turn.

“The warship was made for war, and the fishing boat was made to make a living. A ship to die and a ship to live. That gap is expressed in the title ‘Life and Death’.”

“Wow.”

“How about it? Now that you understand this, doesn’t the painting look different?”

“Yes.”

The little one peered at the painting for a long time, as if trying to find other hidden meanings. Finding it admirable, I unconsciously opened my mouth again.

“They say you see as much as you know in art. Perfectly imitating the realistic is beautiful, but even a single dot or line can look beautiful when combined with the era and ideology contained within.”

“Auntie, did you study aesthetics too?”

I said as I walked towards the next spotlight,

“A little. My mother taught me.”

“She must have been an amazing person.”

“That’s right. She was someone who loved art. Though I wasn’t very interested at the time.”

I felt a bit melancholy. Mom, who loved all the beauty in the world.

[Look at this, Schmidt. It captures all four seasons on a canvas that’s just white.] [Wow, it’s wonderful.] [Isn’t it? Mom loves all the art in the world. It’s mysterious and beautiful, while conveying many messages.]

That’s why Black Swan was created. It was Mom’s dream to sponsor talented artists and allow them to make the world more beautiful.

“Mom passed away not long after I started learning. So even if I wanted to learn more, I couldn’t.”

The little one, noticing my mood had sunk, tapped my hand.

“I’ll learn and make sure to teach you, Auntie.”

“To teach me, you’ll have to study hard, won’t you?”

“I’m super smart.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

I smiled and patted the little one’s head. Thanks to the child’s beaming smile, my mood improved.

“Shall we continue looking?”

“Yes!”

* * *

We went around the art museum twice. The first time we looked at all the works, and the second time we focused on selected artists’ works.

And while having tea in the director’s office, the little one finally seemed to make up their mind and opened their mouth seriously.

“I want to buy Mürten’s ‘Life and Death’.”

At the little one’s declaration, the museum director smiled with satisfaction and said to wait a moment before going out.

“Thank you for waiting.”

After a short wait, the director reappeared. Next to him stood a young man who looked about my age, smelling of paint.

“I was a bit late bringing Mürten.”

The little one’s face was full of emotion, as if they hadn’t expected the artist to come.

“This is the young master of Artenbach who is sponsoring you. And beside him is the young lady running Black Swan. You know where Black Swan is, right?”

Mürten nodded. Then he bowed to me and the little one.

“Thank you for your sponsorship.”

Seeing the paint stuck between his nails reminded me of Mom smiling brightly in front of the easel as if she had the whole world.

His hands resembled Mom’s.

“I learned a lot while looking at ‘Life and Death’. That’s why I wanted to sponsor you.”

It was the little one’s review.

“Thank you for thinking that way. It’s a painting of the last sea view I saw when I left my hometown. My friend was on the warship, but he left for a place I can no longer see.”

Mürten’s eyes were hollow. Everyone in the director’s office became solemn.

“Well, well. The curator will bring the work soon. How about talking more while looking at it?”

It was the museum director’s effort to change the atmosphere. And that effort was very successful.

It was decided to send the painting directly to the Artenbach mansion. As we left the museum, I was about to head to the Lübeck district shop with the hungry little one when I stopped.

“That lady from earlier might be at Lübeck. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes, it’s okay since you’re with me, Auntie. We can’t keep avoiding it because we’re scared, right?”

I was worried that taking the child there might only hurt them more.

No, Anna might have already chased after her and gotten into a fight.

“Or would you like to eat somewhere different today?”

“Somewhere different?”

“Yes, the weather is nice and the wind is gentle.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

The little one asked with an expectant look.

“There’s a place with a nice view near the harbor. Let’s go play there.”

The child’s eyes grew enormously big. Then, in a voice clearly trying to suppress rising excitement, they said,

“Let’s go quickly, shall we?”

* * *

After stopping by the office to grab a mat, the two of us took a rickshaw to the harbor. The whole way there, the little one kept tapping their feet, saying it would be so much fun.

While thinking it couldn’t be that great, I also felt a bit sorry for them.

“Here we are.”

The place I took them as soon as we arrived was a quiet tree with a view of the harbor. Due to the terrain, it was at the same height as the roofs of the shop buildings, and thanks to that, sitting under the tree gave a clear view of the sea and harbor.

We spread out sandwiches and cheese we had bought from a restaurant near the office under that big old tree.

The food eaten while feeling the sea breeze was truly delicious. The little one kept murmuring that it was good we came while looking at the sea.

Of course, I also thought it was good I brought them out. The little one, who normally wouldn’t finish even one, ate it all and said they wanted more, so I shared mine.

It was really nice to see them eat well.

“Auntie, this tree has such huge branches.”

The little one explored passionately as if not wanting to miss anything that caught their eye. Their joy was contagious to me as well.

We picked flowers with stems near the tree and returned to the mat. Then we started making bouquets with our clumsy skills.

“It’s done!”

The little one showed me the ragged wildflower bouquet with a bright smile. The crumpled flower stems were swaying in the gentle breeze.

“You did well.”

I put the wildflower bouquet the little one gave me in the mat bag. I thought it would disappear before we even reached the office if I held it in my hand.

“Shall we head back before it gets dark?”

“Can’t we play a little longer before we go?”

I patted the head of the little one who seemed to have no intention of leaving and said,

“Let’s come together again next time. So today, let’s go back…”

“Oh? Duke!”

The little one who had been listening to me intently jumped up. When I turned around, Duke Artenbach was looking at us.