I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 16
“Wonderful……”
It depicts a scene of war.
The blood-red sky and the many bloody bodies of soldiers on the ground represent the tragedy of war, but the eyes of the god-like man of war standing above are filled with the desire to end it all.
The liveliness of the horses as they stomp their feet and bellow long and loud, the desire to win and the grave sense of responsibility on the face of the male god leading the soldiers, the various expressions on the faces of the soldiers who trust and follow him, and the gnashing of teeth on the faces of the people who want to help them even with their farm tools……
Looking at such a magnificent piece of art, I am simply speechless.
But then someone spoke to me. “Your attitude of appreciating works of art is really…… unconventional.”
“Huh?”
Before I knew it, Killian was approaching.
“What…… are you doing here?”
“What’s so weird about me coming to appreciate the art in my house?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Well, the Riegelhoffs aren’t much into art, so it’s a wonder you’re here at all.”
He’s being snarky.
It’s not like a taunt, “You don’t have this in your house, do you?”
If I weren’t in the position of needing Killian to save my life, I’d have yelled at him for his arrogance.
In other words, I’m not in that position right now.
“You’re right, and you even rotate the displays once a month. That’s quite a collection.”
I smiled in amazement, but Killian’s expression didn’t improve.
“How do you feel about the artwork?” Killian asked instead, looking up at the large artwork.
“I feel overwhelmed. There are so many emotions of so many people in this piece, it’s hard to believe it could have been imagined by a single artist.”
I get a little more courage seeing Killian nod his head despite his furrowed brow.
“War is a tragedy, but I see in that man in the painting a noble will to end it. Everyone is looking up to him, and he…… doesn’t look like he’s reveling in the praise of others. I get the feeling that he’s not going to be happy even if he wins, because war is nothing to be happy about, even in victory.”
“War is a tragedy no matter how you slice it, and the hero who wins it is the one who knows that best.”
I nodded at his words.
Killian glanced in my direction, then added an afterthought, “It was painted to commemorate my grandfather’s victory in the war against the Kingdom of Yanok. He is the model for the male god leading the soldiers.”
“Oh……!”
“I bet you didn’t know that at all.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know.”
Killian’s brows furrowed further at my blatant answer.
“I never heard that you enjoy art, so why are you here?”
“Well, as you get older, your tastes change. I wasn’t much into it before, but I’ve been getting more and more interested in it since before we got married, and to have a place like this here, well, can I just pass it up?” I shrugged it off and stood up.
Then I walked over to the next artwork.
“So, do you have a favorite artist?”
Killian unexpectedly asked about my tastes, which seemed like a good opportunity to get to know him, but alas, I don’t know any of the artists in this world.
The author of this story didn’t even mention a single artist’s name in this world, so how would I know?
“This is embarrassing, but as I said, I got interested in this recently, so I don’t know any of the artists.”
“Not at all?”
“Yeah.”
He sighed lowly and turned his attention back to the painting, shaking his head.
Rather than disturbing him, I decided to take a look at other works.
In doing so, I forgot that Killian was there.
“Oh my!”
I exclaimed in front of the painting, which looked like a scene from a myth. and the shepherd boy in the painting, who looked to be about fifteen years old, looked exactly like Killian.
Killian, intrigued by my reaction, came over to me, then panicked.
“When I was younger, I was forced to model for a painter who was close to my father!”
Killian stammered out an excuse, but when I found something about him to tease, I tilted my head and put on a serious face, pretending not to hear what he said.
“Hmm……”
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing, just……”
“Just……?”
“I was wondering if it was still that size.”
Then I moved on to the next painting.
The shepherd boy was dressed in a tattered robe, almost completely naked, and of course his little ‘precious’ was depicted.
Turning back to the painting, Killian blushed and protested, “The body in the painting is not mine!”
“Oh, I see.”
“Isn’t that obvious, a noble scion would never strip naked in front of a painter!”
“Hmm…… I suppose so.”
I could tell Killian was gritting his teeth even if I didn’t see him as he continued in an irritated tone.
I honestly wanted to laugh in his face, but I bit my lip and held it together. It might have made him angrier.
“What the hell, you’re a difficult woman to discuss art with.”
Killian accused me with a scowl, then turned around and stalked out.
I chuckled to myself as I watched him leave.
Actually, it’s not so bad considering I’m trying to save my life. It’s a little too dull to live without a joke.
“But it’s much bigger than that now, isn’t it?”
I glanced at the shepherd boy’s groin and burst out laughing again.
***
It’s been more than two months since I possessed Edith.
Whether it’s because of the amazing adaptability of humans or the presence of Edith’s memories, I’ve adapted to this world much better than I thought I would.
As long as I stayed quiet, the stares seemed to fade away, and my days were peaceful.
‘I wish I could live like this forever.’
I often leaned over the railing of the Great Hall and looked out over the garden downstairs.
Before that, I’d check to make sure Lizé’s teatime wasn’t held on the balcony of the Great Hall.
I also explored the garden outside the mansion.
It was springtime and I felt so energized just walking around the garden.
The smell of grass everywhere and the tiny flowers in bloom seemed to soothe my weary soul.
But most of all, I enjoyed my morning walks on the trails near the training ground.
Today, I was alone on the path.
I could tell by the clinking of blades that someone was using the training ground.
I strolled along, pretending to be oblivious, and when I realized that no one was around, I darted back and forth between the garden trees that the gardener had cut with artistic flair.
‘This is why I take a walk in the garden.’
Crouching on the ground at the side of a not-so-lush garden tree, I began to peer toward the training ground.
‘Today, too, my husband is in good health.’
Peeking at a shirtless Killian during training is a new hobby of mine.
The first time I stumbled upon this path and saw him topless, I thought I was going to get a real nosebleed.
‘I can’t believe I’m the only one watching this graceful scene…… I feel bad for the other “I Refuse Your Obsession” readers.’
It doesn’t matter how many times I see it, it’s always a thrill! It’s always new! Always handsome!
I really want to wave a light stick.
I’ve never seen a man with a broad chest and big muscles look so good.
Look at those well-defined muscles.
With a broad back as if the muscles are angry, and dimples of venus that pierce like arrows……
The shepherd boy’s groin must be much more dignified now than it was in the Sistine Hall the last time I saw it.
‘Ha…… he’s a jerk, but he’s really handsome. As expected, I’d rather have Killian than Cliff.’
Cliff, who trains with him in the opposite corner, is also shirtless, but he’s subtly more muscular than Killian.
I’m sure there are people who like that kind of body, but I prefer rounded, toned muscles like Killian’s.
I watched his muscles bulge with his vigorous movements for a while, until my squatting legs started to tingle and I realized it was time to turn around.
‘Nice show today.’
With that, I said my goodbye inwardly and turned to leave, but Killian looked up, staring off somewhere as he smiled and waved.
‘Huh……?’
My heart nearly dropped.
Even though I was looking at him from a distance, I could just make out his narrowed eyes and the corners of his mouth curling up coldly.
And I realized that his smiling face was so beautiful……
It wasn’t until he turned again that I realized who he was looking at.
‘Ah, it’s Lizé.’
At the end of his gaze, Lizé was waving at the two men.
‘Yeah, well, there’s no one else Killian would smile at like that.’
Even with that realization, I’ve been squatting in a daze for a while now.
I knew in my head that I should get up and go into the mansion, but the image of Killian smiling kept coming back to me, and I couldn’t do anything about it.