Chapter 112

Ariel moved the velvet rope aside and made her way up the stairs. The second floor was dimmer than the first, shadows curling around the corners and creating a warm, cozy atmosphere. Through the mahogany railing, she could see the hall below, almost like sitting in the balcony of an old, grand theater.

“Over here.”

A low, steady voice called out to her again.

She glanced around, then turned toward the sound. In the middle of all that darkness, Lexius stood out in white, the only bright figure in the room. He smiled and waved at her, like he’d been waiting for her to arrive.

She couldn’t help but feel confused.

‘When I checked the dorm earlier, he was definitely somewhere else… wasn’t he?’

Right before she’d left her room, Lexius’s portrait had been in the faculty wing. Had he teleported here or something? It was strange to see him now. Besides, he had no reason to be in this class anyway since he always said liberal arts were pointless, and unlike Skylar, he wasn’t the type to follow her to every class.

‘I thought he just showed up to Advanced Magic Warfare on a whim… but now he’s here again?’

After running into him in two liberal arts classes back-to-back, Ariel started to worry he might end up acting like Skylar.

Still carrying those same nagging thoughts from last night, she walked over to Lexius. He was sitting on a reddish-brown leather sofa, his expression unreadable. Even though his face gave nothing away, there was a faint, lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“If you sit here, no one can see you, and you’ve got a clear view of everything downstairs. Not bad, right?”

It was his roundabout way of inviting her to sit with him.

Ariel quietly took the seat beside him. Contrary to her expectations of being lonely and friendless, somehow, the seat next to her was never empty. The loneliness she had felt that first day in the auditorium on her first day at the academy now seemed almost laughable.

“Are you interested in art too, senior?”

“And what about you? Are you?”

“I like paintings. I don’t really know much about them, but I wanted to see some good paintings, so I added this class. I thought I could use this chance to try to train my eye while I’m at it.”

“Is that why you brought so much stuff?”

Lexius nodded toward the bag slung over her shoulder. Her new, boxy bag was stuffed with three art books, a notebook, pens, and who knew what else. She had packed so much that the bag looked almost too big for her.

Ariel fidgeted with the bag in her lap as she answered.

“I don’t know anything about art either… I just figured, like in Magic Theory or Magic Engineering, there’d be a lot to take notes on, so I brought everything.”

“During this period, most electives are basically free time. This one’s even more relaxed.”

“So there’s nothing I need to write down?”

“There’s nothing to actually learn, either.”

‘So this really is just a class for looking at paintings.’

Ariel didn’t mind. That didn’t sound too bad, actually.

“Still, with a name like ‘Art and Appreciation’, I figured we’d at least get to see a few pieces, right?”

“You sound like you’re expecting something, but just so you know, the art here isn’t that impressive.”

Just as she was starting to get her hopes up, Lexius shot them down. He spoke like someone who knew exactly what this special exhibit was like.

That only made her more curious.

“You’ve seen the artworks in the special gallery before, Senior?”

“I have. They’re real, but most of them are just studies or practice pieces. Honestly, they’re in worse condition than the ones at my place.”

“Your house…? Does your family own a lot of paintings?”

“If you want to see them, just come over.”

“Is that okay?”

“I’ll let them know your name at the Grand Duke’s estate.”

“Thank you.”

“But I might not be there.”

“…Then I won’t go.”

Ariel, who had looked a little excited just moments ago, suddenly lost all enthusiasm. Lexius gave a quiet, amused chuckle at her firm response.

“If you say things like that, people might misunderstand.”

Even though she was confused at first, not catching on right away, once she realized what he meant, she hurried to clarify her words.

“No, I mean… I’d only go because I know you. It would just be strange if you weren’t there. I don’t know anyone else, and as a count’s daughter, showing up at the Grand Duke’s estate like it’s a public gallery feels way too presumptuous…”

“So what? You’re already arrogant anyway.”

“Only within the limits of your permission, Senior.”

“So, you’re saying that’s my fault?”

“Half of it? That’s what I think.”

She didn’t bother denying it. Lexius just laughed quietly, not the least bit offended.

As class time drew closer, more students began trickling into the gallery, maybe a dozen in total. None of them came up to the second floor. Everyone simply found a seat downstairs and waited for the professor.

For a brief moment, Ariel wondered if she was even allowed to sit up here. But seeing Lexius at her side put her at ease right away. Even if the second floor was supposed to be a restricted area, nobody was going to say anything if someone of Lexius’s rank decided to use it.

The professor started the lecture without taking attendance.

“Welcome to Art and Appreciation. The whole point of this class is to please your sense of beauty, so I apologize in advance that you have to start by looking at my face.”

The professor’s joke drew a few light laughs from the students downstairs.

“This isn’t a difficult class, and since it’s just an elective, there’s no reason to stress. You’ve probably had your fill of tough classes, so let’s just enjoy some beautiful art and give your eyes a break.”

With that easy tone and another quick joke, the professor pulled the cloths off the nearby artworks. Ariel tried to get a better look at the pieces he revealed, but it was hard to see anything clearly from the second floor.

As each painting was unveiled, the professor shared the artist’s name along with a few short, interesting explanations. He peppered his talk with jokes that made the students laugh, and even tossed out a couple of questions. Just like Lexius had said, the class felt more like a break than a real lecture. Ariel listened to the chatter below with a faint twinge of bitterness. She felt a little left out. It was kind of depressing not being able to see the art everyone was reacting to.

‘What was so great about this seat, anyway?’

She asked, a bit sulky.

“I can’t even see the paintings from up here… Is this really supposed to be a good seat?”

“That’s because your eyesight’s bad.”

Lexius replied with a shrug, his tone indifferent.

“Is that so…”