The morning of the Commemoration Festival, Liesel was preparing to deliver the opening speech for the event.

Since neither I nor Seriana and the others were attending, we stayed back at the mansion to welcome any guests. However, we gathered in Liesel’s office to catch a glimpse of him in formal attire.

He wore a blue jacket embroidered with gold thread on the sleeves and chest, paired with black pants. Completing the outfit was a red cape. Despite the flashy colors, his good looks made the ensemble work perfectly.

“Master…”

Half-jokingly praising him, a servant entered to inform us that the painter had arrived with a portrait.

This was from a while back, when I had gone to the royal capital. It seemed Seriana, Liesel, and the children had commissioned a family portrait during that time. In a world without photography, it wasn’t uncommon to commemorate special occasions with portraits. Now that the child had been safely born, this would mark the first illustrious portrait of the Reselia family.

It seemed like perfect timing. Was the delivery perhaps planned for today?

“I see… There’s still some time left. Let them in. Seria, would you like to see it together?”

“Sure… I suppose this attire is fine. Elena, what about you?”

After a moment of thought, Seriana’s curiosity about the painting seemed to win.

“Yes.”

Though she mentioned the attire, even though we would change into formal wear later, her current appearance was perfectly presentable. Elena, coming directly from her own residence, was impeccably dressed as well. Teresa, as usual, needed no mention. Asking for my opinion was, as always, out of the question.

And so, we waited as instructed.

“I recall the princess mentioned having her portrait done as well,” Teresa said while we waited, as though just remembering.

At the time, Teresa was busy with work and hadn’t been at the mansion.

I had never had my portrait painted before. It wasn’t surprising. I had grown up in an orphanage and later served under Seriana, leaving no real opportunity for such things.

However, there was one day when Seriana halted my dungeon exploration and insisted I take a break. On that day, she somehow convinced me to sit for a portrait.

It wasn’t just a simple sketch. A painter who owned a workshop in the territory brought several apprentices to the mansion for a full-scale portrait session. I dressed up in a blue one-piece outfit, my hair meticulously styled. Though I wore no makeup, it was still a far cry from my usual casual appearance. While it was a bit tedious, I figured it would serve as a nice memento.

“Seria insisted I should keep at least one portrait, so we were painted together. I wonder when it’ll be finished?”

It’s been about three months since then. Unlike my usual doodles, this was a professional work and seemed to take time. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why Seriana had joined me. Was it meant to be a two-shot portrait?

As we chatted, a group of neatly dressed men carrying boards covered with cloth entered the office. Leading them was a man I recognized—the same painter who had worked on my portrait.

For someone with several apprentices, I expected he had some standing, but I didn’t think he was esteemed enough to be invited to Liesel’s office. Perhaps he was more influential than I realized.

“Thank you for granting us your time today,” the painter said, bowing to Liesel.

Liesel, being the undisputed authority in this domain, responded with his usual unpretentious demeanor. Despite his high status, he wasn’t one to act superior. Still, such formal exchanges were a bit awkward for me to witness.

The men had brought several completed paintings. Each one was the same image but in various sizes. This seemed to be standard practice, as I remembered seeing identical paintings in Seriana’s family mansion.

Liesel inspected the paintings first.

“Hmm… You’ve done an excellent job. Thank you for your effort. Seria, take a look as well.”

Following Liesel’s suggestion, Seriana examined the painting closely, nodding in satisfaction.

“Yes, this is quite good,” she said before turning to us.

“You should all take a look.”

◇

That was how the morning unfolded.

As for the painting itself…

It depicted Liesel seated in a single chair, holding little Leo. Seriana sat on a two-seater, holding little Lio.

Beside them, on the same sofa, wearing an outfit identical to Seriana’s and styled similarly, sat me.

…Doesn’t this seem odd?

Unlike photographs, paintings allow for a certain degree of artistic freedom. Still, why was I included in the family portrait? Not just in one, but in every single version.

And the largest one was displayed in the entrance hall, for all visitors to see.

Naturally, every guest who visited the mansion that day noticed the painting. While they came to admire the children, they inevitably struck up conversations with me as well.

“You were summoned, so hurry up and come here… Why are you sulking?”

Though her words were sharp, Seriana didn’t seem genuinely angry. She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at my slow approach.

Around her stood a group of elegant ladies. It would take some courage to join their circle.