episode_0135

It’s already been 30 minutes since Isabella mentioned taking a break.

If I had rested this much, I should have started drawing family portraits again as soon as possible.

But no matter how long I wait, not a single child comes.

Arina, Claire, Flora.

Everyone had arrived early to have their portraits painted.

I couldn’t see the child who had hoped to make her feel better by giving her pocket money, wondering if she had been hurt by what Flora had said.

Feeling anxious, Isabella asks her daughters.

“Has anyone seen where Carcein is?”

All three sisters shook their heads.

Even if he knew, he wouldn’t have willingly told him, but this time it was because he really didn’t know where Karssein had gone.

‘no way…’

I got scared.

I wondered if my son, whom I had found so long ago, would disappear somewhere like this again.

I was planning to urgently gather people and order them to find my son.

“Madam. Over there!”

Heron pointed to a place with his fingertip.

Karssein, who had returned in complete disrepair, was walking there.

“What on earth is this…!”

Isabella rushed over in a huff and looked at Carcein’s body.

“What kind of children are they? Who did this!”

It was a question that could not be answered.

There was no way Karssein, who couldn’t even distinguish between family emblems, could tell who was who by looking at people’s faces.

“Madam. I’m sorry, but I think your treatment comes first. Can I take you to the carriage and give priority to treatment?”

“Do it that way. You can use as many medications as you want, so make sure your scars don’t get worse.”

Shayden says treatment comes first.

I agree to his words, cover my wounds first, and wait for him to come back.

The medicine will be applied soon. Although he was beaten, he was able to draw portraits without any problems.

But the problem is the clothes.

“What? Are you saying there are no spare clothes for Karssein?”

“…Yes.”

The three sisters’ clothes were still intact, but Carcein’s clothes were missing.

I don’t think I should change my clothes right away in such a dire situation…

There is no time.

It’s getting late in the day to buy clothes.

I can’t paint a portrait if I don’t have a change of clothes.

The artist also expressed difficulty with this part.

“…This is the only portrait of all five people.”

Isabella looks at the single family portrait with wistful eyes.

This step was taken to change the portrait hanging in the main hall, but such a painting could not be hung in the duke’s main hall.

“Mother. There’s nothing we can do, so let’s draw it ourselves.”

“What?”

“I need to fill the rest of the frame. There’s nothing we can do about Karsein, but isn’t it possible to fill in a personal portrait?”

“Sister is right. I think it’s right to draw a portrait of the four of us right now.”

“Me too! I think so too!”

“…”

As my daughters said, you can’t risk something like this.

Even if I couldn’t do it, I had to hang up another portrait, and in order to change the atmosphere of the Duke’s house, I had no choice but to paint the remaining paintings.

Still, Isabella seemed to be filled with regret as she glanced at Carcein.

“I’m fine. It’s okay because at least one page was made… There’s another chance, right?”

“…Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes!”

Even though he said he would draw a portrait without himself, Carcein responded without hesitation.

“You say you’re fine too. Mother.”

“You have to draw everything that’s left. mom. Otherwise, the picture frame will be empty?”

“I hate empty picture frames!”

“…”

As her daughters continue to urge her, Isabella cannot bear to refuse them and answers yes.

Flashy brush strokes continue.

Unlike the previous ones, several more portraits were created with clear facial expressions.

Soon the sun began to set.

Drawing portraits ended there.

‘Oh, that’s right… this…’

Just as the carriage arrived at the Duke’s house.

Karssein then remembered what he had forgotten.

Seeing the three sisters walking away laughing without even looking back, he quickly ran over and called out a person’s name.

The target was Claire.

“Wait a minute, Sister Claire!”

“What is it?”

“Well, I have something to say.”

“Do you have something to talk about with me alone?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Claire immediately frowned, but motioned to Arina and Flora to go first.

When the two of them are alone, Karsein holds out the object he was holding tightly.

It was a cherry blossom hairpin that matched well with Claire’s pink hair.

“Last time, I could only take Arina’s, so… this is Claire’s.”

I thought you would definitely like it.

Because it was a gift that I worked hard to protect.

However, Claire instead screamed.

“Hey. You stupid bastard. Did you come back like that just to save this?”

“…huh?”

“Ha, fuck. If you’re going to get hurt like this, don’t go outside! You idiot!”

Instead of liking Claire, she turned away angrily, and Karssein watched her as if she was disappointed. Was it not to his taste?

But even though I was disappointed, I couldn’t help it.

The next day, I was called in by my mother and scolded for this.

Perhaps because it was in front of my family, I was told to tell everyone if I knew anything, but I couldn’t. Because it is obvious that he will be scolded further for being less worthy of nobles.

I had no choice but to say sorry and let it go.

Claire just sighed heavily at this time.

After that day.

Before long, the new portrait was hung in the duchy’s main hall.

Family portraits were replaced with new ones in several existing picture frames, and it seemed likely that the family portraits would remain in these for the time being.

But no matter where I went, Karsein’s things were not delivered.

There were definitely family portraits.

Even if it doesn’t come out well, I’m sure you can bring me at least one, right?

Around the time I had that question.

Only one frame was given to Carcein by Emma.

‘what’s this?’

There was a crack.

Not outside the glass frame, but inside the frame containing the portrait.

There was a cracked portrait inside.

When I raise my head as if to ask what this is, Emma answers as if laughing at herself.

“I heard that this is the only reason Karssein came out. Well, just think of that as a blessing.”

-thud!

After Emma left, Carcein looked at the picture frame blankly and pursed his lips.

No matter how you look at it, this cannot be called a family portrait.

A line had been drawn.

As if it was accurately dividing people.

That border was entirely the incontinence of Karsein and your family.

It felt as if he had been left alone.

Feeling sad, Karssein ran out into the hallway.

How can I be the only one with a line drawn like this?

I knew it was inevitable, but I shouted that this was too much.

however.

Nothing changed.

The portraits of the four people remained the same, and no one was added to them.

Karssein ended up stuffing the picture frame into a gap in the hallway and never got it back.

***

▶The Broken Picture Frame Memorial has ended.◀

▶After 10 seconds, the timer ends and time starts again.◀

In the frozen time, my hand reaches out toward the picture frame.

The condition of the picture frame inside the gap was not much different.

A portrait of one of the five people, Karseinman, cut as if to separate them, was preserved as is.

A spring outing, a family photo, a broken picture frame.

“Ha, fuck. There is nothing to skip.”

How come these dirty memories pop up every time I forget them?

It was a day when cherry blossoms were falling very beautifully.

And how sunny the weather was.

It was a perfectly pleasant day for an outing, with the sky blue enough not to see a single cloud and no wind blowing.

At times like this, the woman also asked how about going out for a picnic with the family. He also said that he had contacted a photographer to take a family photo.

Also, when I was a foolish child, I went out with them with small hopes that would never come true. I thought that once I filled in the new family photos, I would become a family with those people.

And then.

It was as if none of the three of them even treated me like family.

As time went by, the housekeeper delivered a framed frame containing a torn photo to my room.

In short, it was not much different from the behavior shown at the memorial.

“Tsk, tsk. Still, am I glad I didn’t give my second child at least a hairpin like he did?”

Should I be relieved or not?

I don’t know why I have to go through this shitty experience twice.

However, what this memorial tells us is not that complicated.

In the end, Karssein was someone who was not recognized as family in this house.

And what happened in the past is about to unfold again today.

It was something that only the two of us had to remember.

As it was thrust deep into my body, where cold blood began to flow.

▶All given time has passed.◀

When the timer in front of me disappeared and the stopped time returned, I took the picture frame I was holding out of the gap.

“It’s pretty well preserved, isn’t it?

“Young Master…! Well, that’s the wrong frame. I will dispose of it. Could you please give it to me?”

The heron jumps up and tries to dispose of the frame.

“No. What could go wrong? This is normal.”

“…!”

“Ah, indeed. Is this wrong?”

I took the frame apart and removed one of the two portraits inside.

Of course, the missing side is the smaller side.

It was the part where Carcein’s smiling face was drawn.

“It should be like this. Wouldn’t this be a proper family portrait?”

-Kkuguk.

Heron’s expression crumpled as he crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and dropped it on the floor. He seemed at a loss as he didn’t know what to do.

I naturally handed the picture frame I was holding to Heron.

“Dispose of it is up to you. I’ll just go now.”

“Boy…”

I passed by him, leaving behind Heron, who closed his eyes tightly as if sad.

-Tiring!

Do you think our intimacy has dropped a bit because of what you just did?

Well, I don’t care.

Heron’s intimacy wouldn’t apply in the episode anyway, so it didn’t matter.

You just have to listen to what that damn family wants.

***

It’s been 30 minutes since Karssein disappeared from the hallway.

Heron closed his eyes tightly and lamented.

He picked up the piece of the portrait that was crumpled in his hands and even stepped on, and sighed, blaming himself for his helplessness.

At that moment, Shayden passed right in front of me.

“ is my friend. Why are you sighing like that?”

“…”

I can’t help but sigh.

Heron unfolded the portrait piece and showed it to Shayden.

“This is…!”

He didn’t say a word, but he quickly realized what it was.

“Something. Who would do something like this…!”

“You found it. There was a picture frame stuck in this gap.”

“In this niche? Hi go.”

How come I didn’t find this?

Shayden muttered as he rubbed his face with his palm.

The two remember the events of that day clearly.

no. It’s impossible not to know.

This is because Heron and Shayden were the ones who tried to somehow change the minds of the girls.

Madam’s intention to paint a new family portrait was good, but the sister’s reaction to not recognizing Karssein as family was too strong.

We tried to brighten the mood from time to time and somehow build bridges so that we wouldn’t get hurt.

But I failed again and again.

The result is this portrait sculpture.

“You. Is there anything you can connect?”

“Hmm. There is glue here.”

“That will be enough.”

Heron silently unfolded the portrait pieces, separated the frames, and pasted them together so that the two families’ cracks could not be seen.

The frame is already cracked, but I hope it doesn’t spread any further.

“Is this a family portrait on a spring outing again… Isn’t this something we should follow?”

“…I’m thinking that too.”

As a butler, there was no command for me to follow.

Also, more than 25 minutes had passed since the carriage left the Duke’s residence.

“You. Can you give me that?”

“What are you going to do?”

“As an attending physician, wouldn’t it be possible to make an excuse that I followed because I was worried?”

“If you’re going to do that, let’s go together.”

“…! Heron, don’t you know that if you’re not careful, you could end up in trouble!”

“I know. But I can’t just helplessly hurt you like this.”

In the past, all I could do was watch helplessly, but this time, I will definitely tell the story, even if it means taking risks.

▶There is a change in the intimacy between Heron and Shaden!◀

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