Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 54

54. Katrina Side Story

In a room where canvases larger than a person's height were lined up against the walls and brushes of all sizes were scattered about, the floor was splattered with a variety of colors—green, orange, white—that looked like a piece of art in itself.

A man in that room looked at the newly completed painting with satisfaction and nodded.

"Phew... it's done."

He examined the painting from different angles, nodded again, and then moved the easel (the tripod stand for the canvas) to the window.

He placed it with its back to the window to let the paint dry in the gentle breeze without direct sunlight.

"Now, should I cook before Katrina arrives?"

He muttered to himself and limped towards the kitchen.

He also reminded himself not to forget to hide the painting a little later.

Today would be a very special day for them.

Katrina's lover, Ellen, thought of her as he prepared ingredients in the kitchen.

Ellen and Katrina had met three years ago.

It was a fateful encounter.

Born as the second son of a wealthy merchant, Ellen had enjoyed painting since he was a child.

Due to a congenital disability in one leg, he couldn't play actively, so he found joy in drawing as an alternative.

With the generous support of his father, mother, and his older brother, who was the heir, he learned painting from a quite renowned teacher and established his own style. He moved to the capital to pursue his career. Living alone in Orville, a city known for its beautiful architecture, he produced dozens of paintings and held his first exhibition.

It was a critical moment that would decide the fate of a novice painter.

Fortunately, his paintings, which combined pastoral themes with intricate details, received favorable reviews.

However, a problem arose.

The paintings on display were available for sale, but Ellen had notified the exhibition organizers in advance that some pieces were not for sale under any circumstances.

One of these was a portrait he had painted in memory of his mother, whom he hadn't seen in years.

The portrait depicted his modest mother in a faded purple dress, with bright red hair like the morning sun, standing gracefully in a vast meadow at dusk.

It was a fleeting image captured in Ellen's childhood memory.

Ellen trembled with joy after painting it, thinking, "My mother will be so happy to receive this as a gift."

He had no intention of selling that portrait.

But it was sold.

Due to a mistake by the exhibition organizers, some of the paintings that were not supposed to be sold were sold. Ellen was furious and demanded an explanation, but as a novice artist, he received only an intimidating apology and was told the gallery would not recover the painting.

He didn't care about the others. He was determined to get his mother's portrait back somehow and went to find the buyer.

- Knock, knock

The house he went to was covered in dust on the door frame and windowsills, making it doubtful whether anyone lived there.

‘How can dust accumulate on a door that people use?’ he wondered, checking the address again to make sure he hadn't come to the wrong place. Then a sharp voice came from inside.

"Who's there?"

The door swung open, and a woman with sunset-colored red hair tied back appeared.

Her red eyebrows made her look fierce. Startled, Ellen stammered as he introduced himself.

That was Ellen and Katrina's first meeting.

He politely asked if she could resell the painting, and Katrina flatly refused.

Her reason was this:

"I like it because it looks just like me. Why should I return it? I bought it fair and square."

Ellen trembled at her words.

‘How does she think it looks like her? This fierce-looking woman!’

He could barely restrain himself from smirking as he said, "This is a portrait of my mother, and I was going to send it to her as a gift. Please, could you return it?"

Usually, such polite words would be met with a long and courteous reply, but her response was short and blunt.

"What about me?"

Apparently, Katrina didn't care about Ellen's situation and asked with innocent eyes.

Slightly offended, Ellen thought, 'You should take care of yourself!' but he took a step back.

He agreed to paint a separate portrait of Katrina in exchange for getting his mother's portrait back.

Of course, Katrina insisted that she would only return the mother's portrait after receiving her own.

Of all the people who could have bought it, it had to be her.

Ellen became anxious. If such an uncouth woman kept the painting, it wouldn't last long.

Oh, look at that filthy windowsill.

From then on, Ellen often visited Katrina's house, limping, to capture her on canvas.

But the portrait she wanted was absurd.

At first, Ellen painted her as a strong female knight, just as she appeared, but Katrina rejected it, saying she didn't like it.

She wanted to be depicted more femininely and gently.

‘I already softened the image a lot!’

If he softened it any further, it wouldn't be a portrait.

Still, as long as he could get his mother's portrait back. Ellen forced a smile, trying to satisfy his customer, and painted again.

"This doesn’t look like me."

And was rejected again.

Her counterargument was very reasonable and valid.

Ellen could see that the revised painting didn't resemble her at all. The woman with red hair and red eyebrows didn’t look like Katrina at all.

‘What does she want from me...?’

Realizing that the task of painting her portrait had moved from the realm of art to the realm of creation, Ellen was disheartened as he stepped outside, promising to return.

Just then, Katrina called out to him.

"Hey. Since your leg is hurt, I’ll come to your place from now on. Where do you live? Shall we meet at this time?"

Ellen turned to look at her in surprise.

A rude woman who didn’t clean her house and called people she had just met “hey.” On top of that, a royal knight who acted like a certified thug, throwing her temper around—that was his impression of Katrina.

But for Ellen, who had trouble walking long distances, her offer was truly welcome.

He gave her his address (the blue-roofed house in the second alley off Rozellin Avenue), and Katrina started visiting his house whenever she had time.

“Oh my, what a state your house is in.”

This was the first thing she said upon entering his house.

Aside from the art supplies and canvases, Ellen’s house was quite empty. Due to his leg, he had neglected to stock up on daily necessities or food.

‘Think about your own house!’

At least Ellen’s house was clean.

Katrina was the type of person who diligently bought daily necessities but was too lazy to clean.

Oblivious to Ellen's rising anger, she continued.

"I heard that painters are poor, but is it this bad?"

"...No. It's just that my leg makes it difficult to shop. I do have money."

"Hmm~ really?"

From then on, Katrina brought some daily necessities every time she visited his house. Of course, it was a joke, but she demanded he pay for delivery, squeezing more money out of him. She told the wealthy painter to give charity to a knight.

What a load of nonsense.

However, the daily necessities she brought always included alcohol.

Ellen, who had no friends in the capital and didn’t drink alone, soon had a collection of unopened bottles piling up.

One day, Katrina visited his house, saw the unopened bottles, and got angry, saying he was ignoring her kind gesture. Ellen, not understanding why she was angry when she had already taken his money, apologized anyway.

Katrina, appeased by his reluctant apology, sneered and said,

"Then let's drink together. Poor guy, lame and friendless."

Ellen felt his blood pressure rise, but Katrina slapped him on the shoulder, urging him to sit down.

A woman like a thug.

Their drinking sessions became a daily routine, and Ellen gradually began to understand Katrina.

She was a person who acted on her impulses and said whatever came to mind, but she was surprisingly affectionate and soft-hearted.

That’s why she liked his mother’s portrait so muChapter She wanted to be a gentle person like his mother in the painting.

As Ellen got to know her, he began to capture Katrina's portrait more accurately.

He depicted her strong and fiery nature in her red hair and eyebrows, while giving her eyes a warm glow. He painted her hands holding the sword neatly, and her attire in strong colors but soft and flowing.

Finally, the day came when the portrait was complete. Ellen presented it to Katrina.

Prepared to reject it, she looked at her own portrait, touched it gently, and said in a quiet voice,

"...You don't need to come anymore. You've worked hard."

Katrina spoke curtly, hiding even a hint of regret as she turned sharply and walked away.

Ellen’s mother’s portrait was clean and neatly placed behind the door.

It seemed she had planned to reject his work and take it again.

Seeing her delicate back, Ellen limped after her, grabbing her shoulder and arm, turning her around.

Despite being a knight, Katrina couldn't resist his strength and allowed it, and they shared a deep kiss.

That’s how they became lovers.

Ellen, reminiscing about their first meeting, poured various ingredients into the pot.

A stew filled with meat, which Ellen had secretly gone out limping to buy.

Katrina would definitely like it.

She had injured her shoulder in the recent war and had been eating a lot of meat to relieve her stress, something Ellen had noticed with his keen eye.

She was pregnant.

Despite three years of living together, they hadn’t had a child.

Katrina’s aggressive swordsmanship was too harsh on her body, leaving no room for a child in her womb as she trained vigorously.

But after injuring her shoulder and skipping training sessions frequently, things changed. She began craving meat more, and Ellen realized they were finally blessed.

He persuaded Katrina to quit the knights, and frustrated with her deteriorating sword skills, she reluctantly agreed.

Yesterday, Katrina had left the knights.

She had complained about how none of her comrades or seniors were there for her honorable retirement ceremony, with only the newly recruited rookies standing around awkwardly.

Watching her complain, Ellen made a decision.

Today, he would propose.

She would be thrilled to hear that she might be pregnant. Katrina had always dreamed of becoming a loving mother.

But could such a quick-tempered woman really become a loving mother?

It was something to watch for. Ellen chuckled while cooking.

Just then, he heard a suppressed scream in the distance. A familiar voice. Ellen limped towards the window in surprise.

It was ominous.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the open window, knocking the canvas propped up by the window to the floor.

On the fallen canvas was a beautiful woman in a dress, her belly slightly rounded, with hair like the evening sun, smiling brightly.