novelraw Chapter 299: Beggar Siblings - Success
Chapter 299: Beggar Siblings - Success
298. Beggar Siblings - Success
The Ellen Exhibition held at the Arille Theater was even more crowded today than yesterday.
It was the day Ellen’s breakthrough works were being showcased.
As promised, Lean was on his second date with Jenia, viewing the paintings. Like any exhibition, the artworks were categorized and displayed according to specific themes.
For example, paintings depicting the holiness of the Cross Church were grouped together, works portraying the glory days of the Great Arcaea Empire were in another section, and some paintings capturing street scenes of Orville, which could be considered folk art, were displayed together.
Among these various themes, one section stood out and drew the most attention.
It was the area where Count Forte’s collection of Ellen’s works was displayed.
The exhibition organizers had gone to great lengths to borrow these pieces, and they were prominently showcased.
Disliking the crowded area, Lean and Jenia decided to explore other sections first.
They also took breaks on the benches scattered throughout the exhibition hall, chatting as they went along.Lean wanted to tell her something but decided to hold off, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere.
“Lean, do you save the best-tasting food for last?” Jenia asked, throwing him another one of her many casual questions.
Even though they had received permission to date and had become quite close, they hadn’t been together for very long.
Lean chuckled.
“Hmm~ I wonder what you’d do. How about this? Let’s do a handshake on the count of three.”
“A handshake?”
“If you save the best for last, give me your right hand. If not, your left... I’ll do the same.”
“Haha! That sounds fun. Alright then. One.”
“Two.”
“Three! Oh my.”
Jenia extended her right hand. Lean offered his left hand, and she spoke in a slightly disappointed tone.
“Oh dear, we can’t shake hands. I’m worried that if I save the best, you’ll take it all.”
“Haha. We can’t shake hands, but we can do this.”
Lean turned his left hand over to clasp Jenia’s offered right hand. Interlocking their fingers, he stood up and said,
“Shall we go? It’s less crowded now.”
“...Yes.”
Jenia, pulled up by Lean’s hand, blushed shyly, her face turning a rosy red.
*
The exhibition hall was much less crowded than before. Lean and Jenia stepped into the section showcasing Count Forte’s collection.
Lean whistled in admiration.
The canvases, towering over even the tallest men, were lined with Ellen’s masterpieces, showing her prowess as an artist in her prime.
Holding hands, Lean and Jenia talked as they admired the grand works. Jenia shared stories unknown to most.
“It all started when Gilbert Forte began buying Ellen’s paintings en masse. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Do you know why that notorious troublemaker bought all of these?”
At Jenia’s question, Lean quietly nodded.
The paintings that Gilbert Forte had bought shared a common theme.
A young boy and his mother.
They were pictures of Ellen silently expressing her wish to have a son, after already having a daughter.
Instead of a red-haired daughter resembling Katrina, the paintings featured a black-haired boy, much like herself, alongside Katrina, which had struck a chord with Gilbert Forte.
His mother, ‘Ina Isadora,’ had divorced Count Herman Forte.
Perhaps he found memories of his childhood with his mother in those paintings.
Gilbert Forte bought all the paintings featuring the boy and his mother, which brought Ellen into the public eye and led to her success.
Gilbert Forte’s infamous womanizing could have stemmed from his parents' divorce.
Having dealt with Gilbert in various ways throughout different cycles, Lean felt a peculiar sensation but didn’t dwell on it. He simply made a mental note.
In fact, Lean was paying attention to almost everything visible in this cycle.
Even a dog recites poetry after three years of training. You never know how such trivial details might be used later.
As Lean scanned his surroundings, his eyes caught sight of a couple.
‘It’s Deros and Soirin.’
Soirin, the florist with orange hair, and Deros, who was Katrina’s junior, were on a date.
No wonder Soirin hadn’t shown any interest in me. She was dating Deros. I don’t know what caused this change, but Lean also took note of this.
And one more thing...
‘He’s here today too.’
It was Sir Hamlet, the captain of the Tatalia Royal Guard.
Yesterday, when he bumped into Jenia, Lean wondered why he was there, and today, he was again wandering the exhibition hall alone. Not knowing what to make of it, Lean stored this observation in his memory as well.
My head hurts.
There were countless people he had encountered somewhere before, besides Deros, Soirin, and Sir Hamlet. This was already the seventh iteration of the beggar siblings scenario.
It was almost impossible to remember every single person, as he had met most of them at least once.
But Lean meticulously stored them all in his mind without missing a single one.
This would have been unimaginable for Rev Ray.
Minseo, who occasionally recalled memories that surfaced every few years, had relatively good memory, but Lean, having regained his past memories, was on a whole different level. Even while he was scanning his surroundings, he continued conversing naturally with Jenia.
Eventually, Lean answered Jenia’s question.
“I think I know, but saying it out loud might offend Prince Gilbert Forte. ‘People like us’ commoners have to be careful with our words.”
“...You still remember that? Oh my, forget it already.”
“Haha. It’s hard to do that for free... I’ll think about it.”
Lean tapped his cheek with his index finger, and Jenia, blushing, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
As Lean, somewhat abruptly, thought that he needed to grow taller quickly, he began preparing to say what he wanted to.
“Jenia.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
He called out to her but spoke again only after passing two paintings.
He called her once more.
“Jenia.”
“Yes—”
...This isn’t right.
It seemed Jenia thought Lean was joking. But this was a serious matter, so Lean steadied his expression and spoke again.
“Jenia, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
Why would he call her three times to say something?
Jenia, who was in a good mood, still wore a bright expression. However, it soon hardened.
“I want to meet your father. Rather than keeping this uncertain relationship going, I think it would be better to get his approval for us as soon as possible and feel at ease.”
“...”
“What do you think?”
Jenia came to a sudden stop. With a gloomy expression, she spoke.
“...My father will never approve.”
“No matter how hard I try?”
“Yes. My father... is obsessed with bloodlines. This isn’t something effort can resolve. He’s not like my mother.”
“I see.”
Lean fell silent for a moment.
He wanted to give her time to realize that this was the problem they had to face between them, before continuing.
“But this is something we have to confront eventually. You’re not seeing your father right now, are you? That will only make things worse, not better.”
“...I know. It’s just... I need time to think.”
“Jenia.”
Lean placed their interlocked hands over his heart and said,
“You know this is a one-way street. You’re hesitating because you’re worried about me, but staying like this will only waste time. I want to marry you. You have no idea how desperately I want to marry you.”
Thump, thump. His heart was pounding.
He wasn’t saying this to prepare for some unforeseeable proposal that Marquis Benar Tatian might make.
It would be a lie to say that wasn’t a factor at all, but it only sped up his timeline.
Also, he had a vague idea of the marquis’s intentions.
He wasn’t being dragged along blindly, and the marquis was surprisingly willing to compromise.
He enjoyed negotiating.
The problem was...
If he judged something to be of no value in a deal, he was ruthless.
That’s how the ninth beggar siblings scenario ended, back when they knew nothing.
Back then, Lerialia, not Jenia, was the subject of the negotiation. Marquis Tatian had watched me for a long time.
He’d let it slide for months, watching me act like a presumptuous fool trying to become his adopted son without any real ability. I suppose that was the last bit of courtesy from Marquis Benar Tatian.
It could also mean that my sister’s value was that high.
In any case, for these reasons, Lean needed to make himself someone who could negotiate with the marquis.
Since he couldn’t use the Aura Blade right now, the most effective way was to marry Jenia. The marquis had approached him because he was dating Jenia.
In the previous cycle, he had turned away from me right after I kissed Princess Chloe de Tatalia, which meant my relationship with Jenia mattered to him. In other words, that was my bargaining chip.
With these thoughts, Lean decided that he needed to marry Jenia quickly.
It seemed as though he was using her, but Lean ended up laughing at himself for finding excuses.
‘You’re just making up all sorts of reasons to marry her quickly, Lean de Yeriel.’
Marriage. That was the issue.
We’ve only ever married Lena. Whether it was childhood friend Lena or fiancée Rera.
Yet, since marriage triggered the ending, Rev and Ray felt sad rather than happy each time. In the moment they vowed to spend their lives together, they prepared for separation in their hearts. But my situation was different.
My marriage wasn’t related to the ending. Thankfully, I could enjoy my newlywed life until Lerialia’s true ending came.
No one would know how much of a pent-up desire this was. Only my thundering heart knew, and Jenia, whose hand was pressed against Lean’s chest, indirectly understood.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.
“...Alright. But I really need time. I need to talk to my mother as well... Let me go first. If we go without preparation, it won’t end well.”
“Yes, that’s enough. Thank you.”
Lean nodded.
It would have been easier if he just said, “Actually, I’m the runaway prince of the Yeriel royal family.”
But the reason he was handling things so convolutedly was to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, and because this time, he intended to completely abandon the notion of {bloodline}. His {bloodline} would be used for marrying Jenia, and that was enough.
The same went for my sister’s bloodline.
Lean and Jenia shook off their complicated emotions and continued to enjoy the exhibition. After a modest meal, Lean returned home, and three days later, a fine suit arrived for him. He thanked Katrina, who had brought the clothes.
“Thank you. Then I’ll count on you for the escort as well.”
“...Just get in quickly.”
Katrina grumbled.
To her, I must have looked like a good-for-nothing trying to marry Jenia for a quick rise in status.
But no one in the world would know that the reality was the complete opposite.
Lean de Yeriel adjusted his attire, preparing for his final steps as a prince.
Soon, I would become ‘Lean Peter.’ Lean de Yeriel, the noble prospective son-in-law, soon stepped over the threshold of the Peter family estate.
Word must have already spread, as he heard the sneers of the maids whispering, “He’s the commoner the young lady brought home.”
Lean held his head high.
Fortunately, there was one person who recognized him as a prince.
It was his future father-in-law, Count Gustav Peter, who had been preparing to burst out in anger with a displeased expression.
He was so shocked that he froze in place, still holding his teacup, and Lean nodded slightly, greeting him.
“I am Lean.”
- “It’s been a long time.”
He mouthed the last words, just like the count had done long ago.