41

Sitting on the lawn and watching her disappear from view, Khalif looked back.

"How long are you going to stand? Aren't you here to see me?"

Perhaps knowing that Elena was there,  Khalif recommended a spot on the picnic mat.

"No, we can stand up and talk."

It was hard to sit down when she saw him laying with the schoolgirl over there earlier. Khalif shrugged his shoulders proudly.

"Looking at the color of your name tag, it looks like you're a freshman... So what's the matter with you? Confessing?"

"No."

Elena cut off the conversation. She didn't want to be involved as much as her fingernails, if anything else.

"What is it then? Why is this freshman talking to this brother?"

"I'm here to make a deal."

"Huh? Deal?"

Khalif blinked his eyes. It was not a word that could come from the mouth of a freshman who just entered the school, a female student who looked good in black-rimmed glasses

"Yes, I'd like to be in the same business as my senior, to be exact."

"Colleagues? This girl's got a troubling subject for our first meeting."

Khalif scratched his cheek awkwardly. Then he popped a question.

"Do you know me?"

"I think I know enough."

She knew what kind of character the future Khalif was, if nothing else. It cannot be said that she did not know roughly what life he had been through.

"Then you'll be quick to talk fast. I'm damn broke. A good-looking wild apricot. You know that?"

Nod.

"You know that, and you offered me a partnership. What does that mean?"

Khalif grinned. It was a cynical smile.

"It's obvious, *I'll leave you to fill it with your body. It's not dangerous or illegal. What do you think, am I wrong?"

"..."

"Look, you can't answer. That's right. Nothing."

Khalif, who arbitrarily concluded the situation, gave a demonstration of waving his hand. Then he laid down on the picnic mat, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Elena stood without saying a word and looked at him.

'He knows exactly what I'm talking about. That's the hard part.'

Most people had a very high opinion of themselves. However, she did not see any such figure from Khalif. He knew exactly where he was, his level, his vessel, and he was alert. Although it was  her second time seeing him, Elena liked Khalif.

He was appropriately good, appropriately aware of the subject matter, and appropriately business-minded. He was the perfect person to take care of Elena's overall business on the outside. Elena sat down on the picnic mat, gritting her teeth to keep the conversation going.

"I didn't say anything, why are you guessing by yourself? I'm just making a point."

"Then what is it?"

Khalif was lying on his back, not looking back. It wasn't polite to the other person, but Elena didn't care. What really mattered was that both parties agreed to the terms and that this deal would go through.

"Are you interested in art?"

"What's this girl saying."

"I'm thinking of starting my own business, but it's too much for me to handle on my own. I need a little help from my senior. Oh! It's not that it's dangerous or illegal, don't worry."

Elena reminded him, and Khalif's eyebrows thinned. He didn't seem to be under the impression that she was approaching him to take advantage of him. Hesitantly, Khalif scratched his head, stood up, and crouched his legs together facing Elena.

"Are you interested now?"

"There's no harm in listening."

Elena smiled and continued.

"I have some money saved up. Oh, I described it as a small amount, but the amount is not small. My father gives me a lot of pocket money because he has a lot of money."

"Wow, you're not afraid to talk about bad luck. And?"

"I don't want it to rot, and I'm thinking of investing in it and rolling it. As an art business."

Khalif shook his head at the bold and confident lady's plan.

"That's easy to say. Do you know what's going on in the art world?"

"I know the flow."

"Then you'll be quick to talk fast. Do you know what the most important thing is to be an art dealer?"

When Elena stared instead of answering, Khalif said with a sigh.

"It's networking. Whether it's a famous painter or sculptor, they have a high nose. They don't move with their money. You think that's it?"

"And what else?"

"Who do you sell your art to? The aristocrats and collectors won't meet with just anyone. Unless you have a good relationship with them or have been dealing with them for a long time, they rarely even take you seriously."

Khalif, who had begun to speak quietly, became increasingly agitated. He too was interested in the art world and its work, so he could only sigh at this ignorant schoolgirl's business plan.

"Hah, I'm saying it because I'm like a brother, but don't do anything in that direction. You're perfect material to get scammed."

"From now on, I have a vision and plan."

"Only in your head? This girl, reality is different. I too am full of ideas that will stay with me even if I make millions of dollars in my head."

Khalif looked at Elena, who was staring at him despite his explanation, and thought that further advice was meaningless.

"If you want to do it, do it alone. Then there's no problem."

"I've got my own set of circumstances. I promised my father I'd get my diploma, and I absolutely must."

The real reason was something else, but Elena gave a plausible excuse. Khalif got up from his seat, apparently feeling that further conversation was meaningless.

"I'm sorry, but I need a diploma, too. Do it alone."

"You'll change your mind if you hear what I'm going to say. I have stronger connections than you think."

"Oh, really?"

Khalif laughed sarcastically.

"You'll be surprised when you hear it."

"Ah! Because it's so terrible? You know, my junior, in terms of art. You can only start when you become acquainted with the aristocrats in those faraway high places, the ones who have so much money that they can't do anything about it."

"I know. I know them very well."

Elena answered as if it were insignificant. Khalif was also a little annoyed because he still didn't seem to understand what she was saying.

"Really? I'm very curious to know how great you are. You must have connections with the four great dukes. A servant? Or a horseman? Oh! A butler for your good work?"

"You have a good imagination. But will you only be satisfied with the four great dukes?"

"Hey!"

The impatient Khalif shouted. The more she talked, the more he felt like he was getting involved with Elena.

"Just do it. You don't know the end of it."

"But I'm serious? If the Grand Duke were a first-time customer, wouldn't I have a firm foothold?"

"What? G-Grand Duke?"

Khalif stammered when Elena mentioned a family that was too great for him to say.

"Princess Veronica and I have a special relationship."

"Is that true? If you're lying..."

"Her Highness told me that she only wanted to deal with an art dealer she was introduced to."

Khalif hesitated, not knowing how to take that word. He heard rumors that Princess Veronica returned to school, but he didn't expect her to be in a special relationship with the incoming freshman. No, apart from that, he couldn't decide how far to believe that story.

"I got it as a gift from Her Highness. Would you believe it if you saw it?"

"...!"

Khalif's eyes were so big that they almost popped out. The cover of Elena's watch was decorated with a symbol of the Great House. At a glance, he could imagine that the craftsman's blood, sweat, and hands were touching.

"Do you have any thoughts of making a deal now?"

Khalif had an instinctive hunch. He thought one of the three opportunities in his life came today.

***

Elena and Khalif had regularly met. In order to jump into the art world in earnest, there were many issues that had to be systematically conceived and embodied before proceeding. The meeting used a study room in the library. It was an effort to avoid going outside as much as possible and to reduce the number of times Ren would see her.

"You mean buy a mid-sized artist's work cheap and sell it to Princess Veronica at a high price?"

"Now you understand exactly."

"Can I really do that? Isn't that a scam?"

Khalif asked back, frowning.

"No, it's a fraud to sell things that are less valuable as if they're worth it."

"That's what it is."

"It's different. It's just that it's not worth the attention of the art world yet, but it's not that they can't paint."

Khalif felt something strange but strangely persuaded.

"The value of art, after all, is determined by the bid price. If nothing else, the mere mention of the rumor that the work was collected by Princess Veronica would change the artist's life."

"That's true."

"If the artist's fame rises, the value of the work will rise accordingly. In the end, they feel like she paid a lot for it, but the value of the painting should increase even more, so there is no loss to Her Highness."

"... That sounds like it, but it's strangely convincing."

Elena didn't say anything wrong. It's just that Khalif doesn't know about the contradictions in the art world.

'It's ridiculous. With the same style of painting, even if you draw the same portrait, some people are called masters, while some people are street painters all their lives and end their lives as painters.'

The reason why painters who gain fame and those who don't are separated on the assumption that their painting skills are about the same is because they were deprived of the opportunity to make themselves known.

Elena dared to assert that the current art world was rotten. Even if the painting is by a lesser artist, if art critics give it meaning and appraisers give it high marks, its value will go through the roof. The moment an appraiser hands over a painting to a collector or a high-class aristocrat for a high price, the artist who painted it becomes famous. Conversely, even if the painting has a unique style and the artist has good skills, if art critics and appraisers don't recognize its value, it will be farmed out and buried as a meaningless painting.

'If I leave everything and pay a high price for the painting, I can embezzle money from the Grand Duchy.'

This is exactly what Elena was ultimately after. The goal was simply to break away from the concept of spending money within the limits set by Leabrick and provide a huge amount of money for multiple foundations.

The purchase of a work of art in such a name was very nominal. Artifacts had a high residual value, and the price would increase as time went by. If that was the case, there was a good chance that Leabrick would tacitly approve of Elena spending more than the limit to purchase the art.