Viscount Ludovic Valesa

Please, do not mind the peculiar behaviors of my attendants. They have been excessively active recently.

Now, would you tell me why you have come to this place?

[Rules and tags can be found below]

"Happy Valentine's day, Your Lordship."

She sets the gifts on the table, then turns to him again. "I hope these please you. I know you are not one for festivities, but... I believe you deserve something for this day, too."

@briar-and-ciara-hepburn

Your gifts are truly thoughtful, Briar. My thanks.

Since you are already here... I believe I should give you something in return, too. Please wait for a moment.

(Ludovic heads inside the studio, and when he returns to the front hall, he's carrying a small painting:)

(The painting is a rough, impressionism portrait of Briar, surrounded by flowers called sweet briar.)

Fitting, are they not? To be surrounded by flowers in your name.

So it hits me that everblooms look a lot like white lilies. In that sense, how would a double-flowered everbloom look like? Would it look like a white roselily?

You are not wrong about that. A double-flowered everbloom does resemble a white roselily.

They grew in my manor once, during my fifteenth century as a Graveborn. It was quite a sight, one can say.

I find myself particularly drawn to 'The Magpie' by Claude Monet.

Such a pale palette was a rarity among artists during that time period. A daringly novel approach, one can say.

As of now, there is no one I would like to meet.

Yes, I have taught Daimon how to paint. He asked me to after seeing the paintings I created.

SURPRISE LUDOVIC!!

!!!

...

...I almost slipped my hand, Igor.

How cruel, that such poisons possess such beautiful hues.

When I was still human, neither my parents nor the attendants would let me use lead white, vermilion or emerald green. They thought it posed too much of a health hazard, given my frailty.

Now that I am a Graveborn, they no longer pose any threats to me. Still, it is a good thing to see people using them less and less, and some of those pigments even got banned.

_Carolina.

Ah, Carolina. One might be wondering why you came to visit.

Yes, I have been doing well, thank you for asking.

A child's voice rings out before a boy—this time, Daimon—walks into the manor. "It's nice to see you again. May I stay for a while and hang out with the Flower Attendant and Mister Teapot?"

The boy's eyes seem to glow brighter with excitement as he looks at Ludovic.

@forsaken-family

Ah, Daimon. Indeed, it has been a while.

Please come in. The attendants will prepare tea for you, you you wish to drink it.

(With that, Ludovic gestures to Mr. Teapot and the Flower Attendant.)

Welcome, Daimon! Here, let me pour you some tea.

(Mr. Teapot then pours tea out of his head into a cup, then hands it to the boy.)

Isn't that kind of counterproductive? And if so, why do you do that?

It is merely a habit back when I was still alive.

I am left-handed, hence why I paint using my left hand. However, most are unaware of that fact.

Not every left-handed individuals do everything with the opposite hands compared to their right-handed counterparts. For example, holding the table knife, or playing an instrument.

That also applies to writing. Unlike paintbrushes, the nib of a pen do not glide on the surface as well when you hold it with your left hand, and the ink does not flow evenly either.

Moreover, I was sickly back then. Apart from my family, Eamon and a few personal maids, nobody got to see me often enough to notice my left-handedness. Even fewer had witnessed my artistic process in person.

The attendants, of course, assumed that the brushes should be put on the right side. I got used to it rather quickly, however—so there was no need to correct them.

Dear guests, it is highly recommended that you do not throw slander nor jabs at His Lordship for personal reasons.

Very well. I will have a word with Merlin, to confirm the information that you have told me.

--------------------

(Later, after Ludovic has written a letter for Magister Merlin and received their reply...)

So there really is a Hypogean who is not bad in nature?

You did not fool me, I see. It seems that there are more exceptions in the world than I initially thought there was.

A breeze circles around Viscount Ludovic and a light pat is given on his head.

"Till we meet again..."

And with that... The voice fades away, from Viscount Ludovic's studio.

[[continuation from here]]

Please, do not pat my head like that.

...