35

"Don't blame yourself. Growing up is always accompanied by pain."

Elena consoled Raphael who stared at her.

"I feel embarrassed every time. You're definitely younger than me, but you feel like a mature adult."

"Does that mean I look old, sir?"

Elena joked back as if she were a new student at the academy. To Elena, Raphael was the only person in her previous life that she didn't have bad feelings for. Also, Raphael was a kind man. In her previous life, she had felt at ease when talking to him, and it was the same now. It was only when she was having these conversations with him that she was able to release her tension and keep her body and mind stable for a little while.

"It's the first time I've been so awkward that I'm a senior. So I guess I can't talk."

"Your excuse is too grand. You're doing this on purpose to make me uncomfortable, aren't you?

It was time for them to exchange jokes and put down his agony.

Tak tak tak.

There was a loud noise of shoes in the hallway beyond the door. The small sound, which was not heard well at first, grew louder and louder, and soon it stopped.

"Raphael, are you in there?"

Surprised by the faint girl's voice outside the studio, Elena looked at Raphael as if she was asking who she was.

"She's my friend. She came without further notice. Uh. Come in."

When Raphael raised his voice, a girl with long straight hair squeezed into the crack of the door.

"I told you to do some cleaning up… Oh? You have a guest?"

Raphael's friend was his senior. It was time for Elena to get up from her chair because she felt like she had to say hello with good manners.

"…!"

Elena's face turned white the moment she faced the woman in front of her. It was a shocking reunion that went beyond surprise to almost astonishment.

"Uh. This is Miss Lucia. My mentor and advisor."

"Mentor? I guess you're a great person for the professor to say that?"

The girl reached out her hand looking at Elena with a curious look.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cecilia."

Elena couldn't take her eyes off her vibrant smile. She remembered that smile that made people feel better just by looking at it.

'Why are you here. Why…'

A solitary woman who had never lost her good intentions in all the pressures and times. A rival more worthy of being a national mother than anyone else.

'Why are you here, empress.'

A bad connection is a bad connection. Even in her dreams, Elena hadn't expected that the connection and ties would last this long. She hadn't expected such a coincidental reunion, much less this one.

"If you don't hold this hand, I'll be a little embarrassed."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Lucia."

Elena shook hands with her as Cecilia smiled awkwardly.

"Are you a freshman?"

"Yes."

"Freshman. That's a word that makes my heart flutter. I used to be as fresh as Miss Lucia. I envy you."

Cecilia flexibly led a potentially awkward atmosphere based on her characteristic lively and cheerful energy.

'You have always been that way. Despite being a nobleman, your easy-going demeanor made people stay close to you. Not only that, but even His Majesty.'

Elena's heart ached as she remembered what had passed. She still hated the Cecilia in front of her, who had completely taken his affection that she had craved so madly. She tried not to care, but suddenly the feelings she had at that moment did not go away easily.

"You're being too greedy, Cecilia."

"Pf, How did the adorable freshman end up with such a shameful person? He's a real oddball."

"I can hear you."

Cecilia smiled.

"Anyways, tell me. What kind of relationship do you have?"

"I told you. She's my advisor and mentor."

"Really?"

Cecilia's eyes were filled with surprise when she turned her head and looked at Elena.

"Oh. She's guiding me by the theory of vision, knowledge, and techniques."

"Wow! You mean you're a better genius to teach a genius like him? That's great."

Cecilia was genuinely impressed. It was her nature to truly treat people without a lie.

'You're a good person who I can't even imitate.'

Maybe it was because of that nature, but Cecilia was shunned from the social scene. Her nature of dealing with people without fault and dignity was assumed by the ladies of the society to be the work of a fox trying to deceive men. This was the opposite behavior of Elena, who had been called the flower girl of the social scene and had been in control of the social scene.

"How do you two know each other?"

"Us?"

Cecilia shrugged her shoulders and smiled openly at Raphael.

"I fell in love at first sight."

"… You fell in love with him?"

"Yes. Oh, you didn't misunderstand, did you? It was Raphael's paintings that I fell in love with. He was so good. That's why I was the one who asked him to be my friend."

Cecilia is a noblewoman. Raphael was considered to be from a fallen noble family, but his current status was that of a commoner. Despite the obvious difference in status, Cecilia knocked as a friend and Raphael responded.

'I forgot. I had forgotten that Raphael had been sponsored by Count Willem after graduation. I had no idea there was such a connection between the two of you.'

Count Willem was Cecilia's family. Even though their land was not what it used to be, they were still a prestigious family of the empire with tradition and framework. It seemed that the connection at that time was the fuse that led Raphael to receive the patronage of the Count's family.

Elena pursed her lips. Cecilia and Raphael had already established a trusting relationship. That was also a bad thing for Elena. Because she didn't want her to become a patron, as she had been in the past.

Raphael was essential to Elena's revenge. Not only because of his timeless works, but also because his presence alone exerts enormous influence. To do so, Raphael should be sponsored by Elena, not by Count Willem.

"You didn't eat breakfast, did you?"

"Yes."

"I thought so, so I bought a sandwich. I've bought enough, so let's have some with Lucia."

Cecilia was even aware of Raphael's habit of skipping meals because he was stuck in the studio. In other words, the two were closer than Elena thought.

"Have a seat."

"Feel free to eat with us. Cecilia is not particular about her food."

"Can you tell me again whether that's a compliment or a rebuke?"

"…"

Elena felt uncomfortable as she saw the two quarreling. But she wasn't simple enough to express it. Rather, she picked up a sandwich with a cheerful and lively smile peculiar to a freshman.

"Then I'll eat the sandwich well, senior."

That day, Elena felt bloated and indigestion all day.

***

There is a saying that money is what makes the world run. When she added extra money to the guild, they eagerly gathered information. They even took it upon themselves to do additional research on the relationships of the people on the list. Elena looked at the thick statement on the desk in the record room and smiled with satisfaction.

"The quality of information is better than I thought."

"I heard the Guild paid particular attention and said they'd like to keep the deal going."

From the guild's point of view, the background investigation was a fairly profitable quest. As it was illegal, the cost of the request was high, and more than anything else, there was less human loss compared to security, escort, and subjugation.

"I'm sure you hid my identity?"

"This request won't mention the princess."

Just like telling the left hand not to know what the right hand did, Elena instructed everything to proceed in secret. In that vein, May, who had infiltrated the Grand Duchy and deceived the eyes of others for several years, was the right person to carry out the mission to perfection

"Well, shall we take a look? Lock the record room door."

As soon as the lock was on, Elena shifted her eyes to thickly stacked personal details. She read every single word in vain. Elena, who could not move directly, had no choice but to judge based on the type written here.

'Randol. The architect of the Renaissance.'

Only art known as jewelry work and sculpture will be transformed into architecture a few years later to build the Santa Maria Cathedral, which would remain in the history of the empire. He was also the first architect to include clear and orderly harmony in a building, emphasizing mathematical proportion and harmony, not complex and decorative architecture.

'He made his name as an architect, but that's only a few years away. Now he's just a poor breadwinner who lives by carving.'

According to his personal statement, he had an accident with his wife, whom he had known since childhood, and became the father of two children. It was written that he couldn't give up his livelihood in the presence of his children, so he was carving and barely making ends meet.

A rare architect who is out of the world's sight. Elena had the capacity to reach out to him.

'Let's give him the dream of being in a family and an architect, let's help him catch two rabbits.'

Based on his personal details, she wrote down what he needed most in his life and handed it over. Next up was Christina Marinus.

'Revolutionary designer.'

She was a designer who had made such a historical milestone that it is said that the costumes of the empire were worn before and after her appearance. Beyond the static fabric of silk, a new dyeing technology was introduced to import, produce, and introduce fabrics such as satin, tapra, and chiffon. She also boldly discarded ill-fitting, large and voluminous clothing and used close fitting outfits to accentuate the natural beauty of the human body. Elena also enjoyed wearing her mermaid dress, so what more explanation was needed.

'Since it's a bond debt… It looks like the after-effects of the business failure were quite significant.'

If you go too far ahead, you will be ostracized. She shone with the certainty of success and opened a beauty salon, only to go bankrupt when the aristocracy turned their backs on her because she went against popular materials and style. There would have been no Christina the revolutionary designer if she hadn't tried again with the full support of her prospective husband after meeting him and baring her light.

'I just need to pay the debt.'

Elena didn't consider a single person on her personal statement to be wasted. All of these are masters representing the times in their respective fields.

'You're being treated as a phony? You have to. Because science is an unfamiliar subject.'

Camille aspired to be an astronomer, but his desire to see the stars and moon up close led him to invent the telescope. The telescope, which uses the refraction of light, had a great impact on both scientific and military applications. He also developed the microscope.

'Huh, I can't believe you're asking him to be a priest over a son like this. I need to persuade his parents.'

This is possible because their faith was closer than astronomy and science.

'Centonio needs to keep his ears from being eaten.'