Side Story 1 Chapter 5

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“You said it was alright for me to travel. Didn’t you say you weren’t going to stop me.”

“Go. I have no thoughts of stopping you.”

I was stunned at Dietrich’s apathetic reply that I clenched my hands at my side into a fist.

‘A person shouldn’t change their mind once they’ve already spit out their words.’

I raised my voice while pointing at the man in the corner of the room dripping with cold sweat.

“Then why is Eugene Dubois in Lagrange right now?!”

Eugene Dubois was a famous pianist whose value was rising like crazy at the moment and I was scheduled to travel to La Rochelle, the city of music, to attend his concert. 

“I also don’t know.”

Dietrich shook his head slightly at my resentful cry and pretended not to know the pianist who trembled just by making eye contact with him.

“As if you don’t! Didn’t you just kidnap him?!”

“No, I didn’t.”

I glanced at Dietrich, who repeated his lie with a calm face, and approached Dubois, who was deathly pale.

“Mr. Dubois.”

“Y-yes?!”

“Don’t be afraid and tell me honestly. Did that guy threaten you?”

“No, not at all! It’s definitely not like that! I just came to Lagrange while traveling!!!”

Wasn’t a strong denial, a strong affirmation?

Dubois hastily shook his head at my question yet kept looking at Dietrich’s countenance. 

“Kidnapping? That’s not possible!”

“However, I heard that Mr. Dubois would not perform for an individual even if you were offered millions of dollars.”

“Th-that’s….”

“Aren’t you famous for turning down even the Emperor’s invitation?”

“A-Anyway, I was traveling when I heard that the madam was a fan of mine and so I came voluntarily.Please believe me, madam.” 

Dubois bit his lip and sent me a desperate look.

I couldn’t interrogate him any longer because I pitied him, whom I thought would soon forget his age if I inquired further, and burst into tears. 

‘I only have my suspicions with no physical evidence.’

I knew Dietrich and Dubois were lying, but there was nothing I could do about it when Dubois himself insisted that he wasn’t kidnapped. 

A gaze fell on top of my head as I let out a deep sigh next to Dubois.

“Although, it was not my intention.”

I frowned slightly at Dietrich’s languid voice.

‘What’s not your intention?’

He looked happy regardless of whether I frowned or not. 

A slight blush rose over the still insensitive face.

“Since Eugene Dubois has visited Lagrange, there is no need for you to go to La Rochelle.”

“.........”

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With that, Lagrange attracted artists and works from different fields day by day.

“The painting of Barchan you wanted to see just happened to be up for auction.”

“...The posthumous work of Barchan, which caused chaos for being stolen last week, went up for auction?”

“Correct.” 

“And you happened to find it and bought it? Purely. By. Chance?”

“That’s right. Purely by chance.” 

How brazen he was now that his aura didn’t even waver while he was lying. 

‘I shouldn’t have said that I wanted to see Barchan’s painting.”

I didn’t even have any plans to go on a trip right away because the museum where his words were displayed was in a faraway country!

‘The Barchan Museum of Art is famous for its iron-clad security, so how did they steal it?’

As I pondered on it, I grabbed Oslo’s collar by the collar as he slowly backed away while looking at me. 

“Oslo. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Yes, I don’t have anything to say.” 

“Really? Dina as well?” 

“I have nothing to say as well, madam.”

I laughed at their shameless faces that didn’t even have the slightest change.

Well, the Lagrange knights resembled their master and were shameless. 

The Faceless knights were more famous for their stealth than their brute strength.

No one would have expected Dietrich to use them for theft and not assasination. 

‘Is it fortunate that they’re just stealing?’

Unlike the first time, I glanced at Dubois, who had a serene expression on his face while humming as he clung to the sofa, and at a middle-aged woman sipping alcohol while holding a violin. 

“....Dubois,  shouldn’t you be slowly heading to your residence now?”

The artists who were abducted by Dietrich – though they insisted that it was not kidnapping but a polite invitation – did not want to leave at all, apparently liking Lagrange’s luxurious life. 

“Ah, but Barchan’s apprentice, Leandro, sent me a letter saying that he would visit Lagrange.” 

Thanks to the abducted artist who settled down in Lagrange, even artists and artisans who were acquainted with them began to visit Lagrange from time to time.

“Leandro?”

“Yes. I also really wanted to see him paint at least once.”

‘The number of parasitic houseguests will increase again, it seems.’ 

Thanks to this, Lagrange’s food expenses have tripled. 

Though he wasn’t as good as his teacher, Barchan, Leandro was quite a famous painter himself, so the old me would have been delighted. 

However, these days, I was surrounded by artists who made  a fuss about making music or works to my taste that I couldn’t feel much excitement. 

 

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“Mr. Dubois, a piano made by La Rochelle master artisan, Isaac, was installed in the main hall.” 

At Lancel’s news, Dubois rose from the sofa like a delighted child. 

“Oho! Does that mean that the piano that was ordered finally arrived?”

“Isaac himself came here.”

“Heavens, even Isaac? Now more artists have gathered in Lagrange than in La Rochelle. That is indeed incredible.”

Eugene Dubois recalled the day he first set foot in Lagrange with pure admiration. 

‘I had thought my life was over when I passed out after getting hit on the neck as soon as I turned around!’

“I’ve never dreamed that the Lagrange family was so interested in art.”

Dubois walked out of the room with a satisfied smile on his lips. Linia, a violinist, waiting for him in the hallway, agreed. 

“I know, right? If I had known, I would have held a concert in the North right away.”’

“They said that Northerners don’t have an eye for painting, nor are they interested in a play let alone an opera. What a load of crap that was!” 

Aristocratic families in the capital and southern regions have long considered paying attention to arts and culture as a form of education.

Therefore, the artists of the empire were mainly sponsored by the southern nobility, and naturally, Euclid, the center of the south, had no choice but to establish itself as the center of culture and art. 

However, although he was a Grand Duke, unlike other aristocrats, Lagrange, who was not interested in art, was gathering as many artists and artisans these days as Euclid was for some reason.  

“Since the south is not lacking in prestige thus the bowl was too small for us to spread our art to the fullest.” 

‘I mean, even the Duchess loves Barchan’s paintings so much.’

Linia, who had crossed her arms at Dubois who smiled bitterly, touched the white violin on top of his new piano, and opened her mouth.

“Thanks to the madam, I was able to hold a solo recital for the first time.”  

Linia was a musician with unrivaled skills, but recitals required a lot of money, so it was difficult for a young violinist like her to hold. 

Dubois’s eyes widened as he poked her blushing cheeks due to blissful excitement. 

“What do you mean thanks to the madam? Did the madam say first that she would give you a recital?” 

Dubois was puzzled and tilted his head. Contrary to her appearance, the elegant madam of the Grand duchy had the temperament of a miser. 

People who stayed in Lagrange and worked hard to sharpen their skills were generously sponsored, however, it wasn’t that they had never kicked out any artists like grasshoppers and shouted the words, “those who don’t work, don’t eat” either.

‘I could have been kicked out too….’

In the end, Dubois had to mobilize all his talent to all the parties hosted by Anissa in order for him to be sponsored by one piano. 

Dubois looked down at his still tingling fingers and groaned. 

“I’ll only tell you, Dubois. If you want to have a solo recital….”

Her voice lowered, as if whispering a secret. Dubois bent down at the same time and slowly opened his mouth.

“If I want to have one?”

“You just have to say in front of His Grace that you want to hold a concert in a very far away country.”

“Why in front of His Grace and not the madam?”

The master of Lagrange was obviously the Grand Duke, who had asked, ‘Did he paint with his feet?’with a nonchalant expression on his face even in front of the masterpiece of the impressionist painter, Barchan. But the patron of artists was Anissa, who had an excellent aesthetic sense. 

At Dubois’ question, Linia smiled bewitchingly and shrugged her shoulders.

“Fearing that the madam would follow me to another country, His Grace himself offered me to hold a solo recital.” 

“Ho!  His Grace is truly generous! Thanks to the completion of the waterway, I heard that the scale of goods pouring into Lagrange is comparable to that of the imperial family, but….”

“However, there are a few caveats.”

“Such as?”

“He said that if you go far away and invite the madam to a concert, you won’t be able to see the sun rise tomorrow.” 

“...........”

“Well, I don’t intend to leave the North anymore, so that’s fine by me.”

“I see.”

Dubois, who had a slight desire to return to La Rochelle, hurriedly gave up his thoughts. 

Like bugs attracted to sweet honey, the artists who flocked to Lagrange seeking sponsorship began to settle down, occupying half of the North. 

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