Chapter 47
At the words that came out of Adolf’s mouth, I doubted my ears. I set down my teacup.
Adolf smiled faintly and said,
“Let’s prepare for your debut, Kasia.”
“Am I… really skilled enough to debut?”
After only a few months? Was it really possible to begin preparations for a debut so soon?
I stared blankly at Adolf.
“Once you’ve built your foundation, making your debut and improving your skills along the way is another valid approach,” he said with a shrug, as if it were nothing.
“Many famous painters developed their work gradually over time.”
“Did Madam McKenna agree to this as well?”
“Of course. I discussed it with her just yesterday.”
I asked again, unable to believe it, but Adolf nodded.
Even Madam McKenna agreed? I was stunned.
If even Madam McKenna—who had never hesitated to hurl sharp criticism at my paintings—approved, did that mean I was truly ready now?
My heart began to pound.
Could I really make my debut?
“The debut exhibition won’t be an easy task,” Adolf continued.
“During the preparation process, you’ll learn more about being a painter, and your technical skill will also improve greatly.”
“…That makes sense.”
“So it’s right to start preparing now. You don’t need to wait until you’re perfect.”
Adolf smiled warmly at me. I looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
“…All right. I’ll give it a try.”
A debut.
My heart thudded hard in my chest. When everyone around me was encouraging me forward, how could I not find the courage?
Adolf’s smile deepened.
“On that note, I was thinking of pausing your painting lessons for a while. What do you think?”
“Pausing… my lessons?”
“Yes. I’m planning to give Madam McKenna and Sophie some time off. Everyone’s been working hard together, and I think a short break will help us come back stronger for your debut preparations.”
“Ah, I see.”
Of course. I readily agreed and nodded.
“They’ve both worked so hard teaching and helping me.”
Especially Madam McKenna—at her age, commuting every day must not have been easy.
“Please tell them to rest well and come back refreshed. I really owe Madam McKenna a lot.”
“I will. Thank you for understanding, Kasia. Oh, right—also…”
Adolf suddenly reached into his pocket, as if remembering something he’d nearly forgotten, and handed me a small letter.
It bore the seal of the House of Whydrian.
“What’s this?”
“Nick Whydrian. That boy reached out to me.”
“Nick?”
“After he handed over the Laurencia gallery to the Imperial family, you disappeared right away. Apparently, he couldn’t find you. He sent me a letter asking if I knew where you’d gone.”
“Oh…”
I clicked my tongue in realization. Come to think of it, Nick had said he wanted to visit Laurencia, but I had left without sending any message or contact.
He must have been quite shocked.
He might have thought I was avoiding him—and that might’ve hurt his tender heart.
“I told him that I knew where you were, but that you were too busy to receive messages at the moment. I said you’d write once things had settled down, and that he should wait.”
“Thank you, Adolf.”
I accepted the letter and thanked him sincerely. Adolf smiled gently.
“You’ve been doing very well so far, Kasia.”
He added,
“…Use this break to think carefully, too. What kind of paintings do you want to fill your very first debut exhibition with?”
A few days later, Sophie packed her things for her official vacation.
“Lady Kasia, you must take care while I’m gone!”
Early that morning, as she packed her luggage, Sophie bombarded me with endless fussing—where the side dishes were stored, where she’d folded my clothes, how to get to the riding grounds, and so on.
I couldn’t really blame her.
While Madam McKenna came only in the mornings, Sophie had been with me almost around the clock. It must have felt uneasy for her to leave me alone.
“Sophie,” I said with a small laugh—she was too adorable.
But wasn’t this my house?
“Don’t worry and enjoy your trip. I’m the owner here, remember?”
“Oh—right, that’s true. I guess I’ve been managing things so much that I forgot! I’m too used to this place now.”
Sophie scratched her head and grinned sheepishly.
I helped her finish packing and gave her a little push toward the door. It seemed that was the only way she’d go without worrying.
“I’m not completely helpless, you know. Go and have fun.”
“Oh, honestly… all right. Then I’ll really go now. See you soon!”
She bowed politely and disappeared from sight.
Once Sophie left, I tidied up the house a bit. There wasn’t much to do—she’d already cleaned everything perfectly.
After giving the room a light sweep, I sat down to paint.
Even though both Madam McKenna and Sophie were on vacation, I didn’t want to stop practicing.
Just as Adolf had said, I planned to keep painting while thinking about the debut exhibition.
What should I paint?
As I pondered the theme for my debut, I started sketching as usual.
Soon, I was completely absorbed in my imaginary world.
A few days later, there was a knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“Mother!”
When I opened the door, Nick was standing there with a bright smile.
It was an unexpected visit.
After I’d heard about him from Adolf, I’d sent Nick a letter with my new address.
It hadn’t been long since then, and yet—here he was already.
It had been quite some time since I last saw him. I smiled brightly.
“Nick, you’re here!”
“I tried to come as soon as I got your message. I really wanted to see you again, Mother.”
Nick smiled radiantly and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and embraced him back.
After our warm reunion, we went inside together.
“I’m so glad we’re in touch again. I thought maybe you left because you didn’t want to see us anymore.”
“I’m sorry for not writing sooner, Nick. I simply forgot to send word, that’s all.”
Although my divorce had officially ended my role as his stepmother, Nick still called me “Mother.”
Oddly enough, I didn’t dislike it.
It just made me feel that a deep, gentle bond had formed between us—like the way some people affectionately call someone “Mother” out of fondness.
“So this is where you’ve been living in the capital…”
Nick took off his coat and looked around curiously.
“May I look around?”
“Of course.”
He hung up his coat and began exploring the house, even stepping into my studio where I painted.
Seeing all the books, canvases, and art supplies piled up, Nick let out a soft exclamation.
“Just as His Highness said—you really have been studying painting.”
“Yes. I’ve been very busy.”
“Mother, are you going to become an artist now?”
He looked at me with bright, expectant eyes. I answered half-jokingly,
“Hmm, maybe. If I can make it through my debut successfully.”
Nick chuckled quietly. He looked around again, then said,
“I’d love to see some of your paintings.”
“I don’t have any to show. I threw them all away—I didn’t like any of them.”
“Even the ones you painted in Laurencia?”
“I destroyed those the day I met my teacher. That was already months ago.”
Nick’s mouth fell open.
“Then it’s like you started over from scratch! You must’ve worked so hard, Mother.”
“It’s fine—it’s fun, actually. I don’t regret coming here.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Nick glanced around my studio again, then smiled at me.
“Come, Nick. Let’s have some tea together.”
It had been so long since we’d met—I wanted to talk more.
We sat down for tea.
“Could you wait for a moment at the table?”
“I’ll help you.”
“No, you’re my guest. I’ll do it.”
As always, I brewed the coffee and tea myself and handed him a cup.
Nick accepted it with a polite, “Thank you.”
Truthfully, I had another reason for inviting him to tea.
He looked as if he had something on his mind.
I watched him for a bit, took a sip of tea, and asked,
“Nick, do you have something bothering you lately?”
“Gasp.”
Nick, who’d been wearing an anxious expression without realizing it, looked up in surprise.
“H-how did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face—‘I have something to worry about.’”
“Ahh!”
Nick clutched his head.
“Really? Father always tells me I should learn to hide my expressions.”
“Well, since you’re going to be a duke one day, he’s right that you’ll need a better poker face. But it’s just us here—so it’s fine.”
“…Haah.”
“It’s all right. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I smiled softly, finding him endearing.
“Is it hard, taking your successor lessons?”
“No, not really. I actually enjoy them. Though I’m still nowhere near Father’s level.”
He smiled faintly as he answered.
“I still doubt whether I can truly govern such a vast duchy after him, but Father always says I’m more than capable.”
“You are, Nick. I can see that.”
It wasn’t just empty encouragement—I meant it. I continued,
“When I was young, I watched your father up close beside your mother. And I can say this for certain—you resemble him a great deal, especially how he was in his youth.”
