A little after the start of the party, Rosemary was standing quietly with her arms crossed in the party hall, which was starting to get bustling. She had long, loosely curled golden hair, sharp eyes, a slender, model-like figure and a beautiful dress that was at the forefront of fashion. Her standing posture was like that of a single dignified rose, one that held quite the intensity.
Of course, Rosemary herself was just nervous, or rather, her expression was frozen in nervousness, but that was something that gave her a ghastly atmosphere. At that moment, Camellia approached Rosemary and called out to her.
[……Are you alright, Eri?]
[I- I- I- I’m not alright…… T- This is scary. D- Doesn’t it feel like I’m attracting attention? D- Does my outfit look weird?]
[No, it’s more like you’re attracting attention because your outfit looks really good at the party. Eri has an appearance that easily attracts attention.]Rosemary’s appearance indeed combined flamboyance and beauty, reminiscent of a noble lady…… Strictly in appearance, of course. Inside, as Kaito put it, she was more like a chihuahua……
[Lia, s- stay with me…… If someone talks to me while I’m alone, I don’t think I’ll be able to respond properly……]
[I suppose so. I’ve done with my brief greetings with the people I know, and since Eri probably won’t be able to move around properly anyway, I’ll stay here with you.]
[T- Thank you…… Uuu, unnn. I’ll really just stay still here. It’s scary with so many people around……]
Though this was a party with a considerable amount of acquaintances in attendance, she’s resolved not to move from that spot for a while…… Just as she made this decision, Caraway stepped onto the stage and began speaking through the Loudspeaker Magic Tool.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the party as you listen. For this party, we have prepared various sideshows, and presumptuous it may be, I will be the one overseeing the proceedings. In simple order……”
Listening to Caraway’s explanation while directing her gaze towards the stage, Rosemary muttered softly.[Ah, there are sideshows planned huh.]
[It seems so. Thinking of parties, would it be a musical performance?]
[Ahh, I’m looking forward to that…… I love music……]
Also listening to Caraway’s explanation, Rosemary let out a relieved smile. She thought that if there were such sideshows, she could enjoy herself and alleviate some of her nervousness.
“Now, for our first sideshow…… To commemorate the party, we have received from Phantasmal King No Face-sama to exhibit a selection from their secret collection. I’m sure everyone here is familiar with the influence Phantasmal King-sama has…… From them, we have received precious treasures to be specially showcased today. We will introduce them in order. Please note that after the introduction, everyone can also view the exhibits in the exhibition room prepared on the right side of the venue. However, please be aware that bringing food and drinks into the exhibition is prohibited.”
As the attention of the people within the venue turned to the words “Phantasmal King’s secret collection”, Rosemary and Camellia also looked interestedly towards the stage. However, Rosemary’s expression drastically changed with the emcee’s next words.
“Now then, as for our first exhibit…… Is everyone aware of the painting set “Seven Planets”? It’s said to have been painted some 10,000 years ago, using an unknown paint that can’t be reproduced using any existing material, and there are only 7 copies of this painting in the world, making it a legendary set of paintings for those who love paintings…… is how it should have been, but what if…… if there was actually another hidden copy of the painting, unknown to the world?”
As the words were delivered in a lively manner to liven up the atmosphere, Camellia also looked intrigued. She was Rosemary’s best friend, someone well-versed in the arts, so she had also been informed by Rosemary before about the Seven Planets.
[That’s rather interesting…… Right? Arehh? Eri——- When did she get there!?]
Camellia turned around, only to find that Rosemary-san was nowhere to be seen. Confused, she shifted her gaze around, and to her surprise, Rosemary had silently moved to the very front of the stage and was intently watching the stage with rapt attention.
“To begin with, according to Phantasmal King-sama, the Seven Planets are said to be the result of the painter creating a painting using unknown paints, and with leftover paints mixed with it, they created this painting which was painted before the paint was used for Seven Planets…… The name of this painting is “Blue Earth”…… It’s a mysterious painting depicting the scenery of an island, but the island depicted in the painting doesn’t exist anywhere in this world. According to Phantasmal King-sama, it’s said to be a painting of an island in another world, making it a work of art with a very mysterious charm. Now then, without further ado, let’s get on with the reveal!”
With these words, Caraway removes the cloth that conceals the huge painting prepared in the back and reveals a beautiful and fascinating painting, drawn with mysterious paints, and those who are interested in art, including Rosemary, gazed at the painting with passionate eyes.
Gazing at the scenery depicted in the painting from afar, Makina spoke to the nearby Alice in a murmur.
[How nostalgic…… but isn’t that one too neatly drawn?]
[Well, what was actually mixed in that paint were just pieces of iron shavings and the wreckage of a nearby wall I smashed.]
Yes, the painting was created some time after Alice arrived in this world. It depicted the artificial island where she met Makina while she was reminiscing about their memories together.
For her, it was simply a depiction of a landscape filled with memories, and she had no intention of making it public, but after meeting Kaito, reuniting with Iris and Makina, and reconciling with her past, she eventually decided to make it public.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [She said that so nonchalantly, but given Alice’s condition at that time, she probably drew that filled with heavy emotions……]
? ? ? : [N- No, it’s not like that…… I really was just feeling a bit nostalgic for the past…… Ah, no, I don’t think Alice-chan is thinking that deeply……]
