Her Graceful War Song

Time slipped away as they spent the day at Leona's side. After half the day had passed, Alana started ushering people out, insisting Leona needed her rest. Also, the rain had let up, so everyone returned to their own residence.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

Logan visibly exhaled in relief as he took Kiera's hand and walked briskly ahead. As he moved, he suddenly realized he had been impolite. He quickly stepped aside to let Helen and Rafael pass first.

Helen watched her son-in-law, and sighed inwardly. Logan was such a clueless man. When he and Kiera got married, he looked clean and fair, but now he looked tanned and grimy. Even Kiera's skin tone had become darker. Those who didn't know them might think Kiera married a farmer.

Fortunately, Kiera liked Logan well enough, and being a member of the Quinton family gave him some redeeming points in Helen's eyes.

Carissa had been trailing behind, observing the couple hand in hand as they happily swayed along. Their affection for each other was undeniable. But when Kiera and Logan suddenly stopped, Carissa suddenly became aware that she was also holding Rafael's hand. However, it felt different.

Logan and Kiera's bond felt natural, filled with energy and playful swaying. It was a sweet, comfortable intimacy.

But she and Rafael... Carissa noticed that their hands hung there together without any movement. In fact, their hands were almost stiff, as if they were just two pieces of wood glued together.

Carissa sighed inwardly. Her guild junior really lacked a sense of romance.

Once they returned to Hell Monarch Estate and escorted Helen to her room, Carissa and Rafael made their way to the study to see how the painting was going.

Kyle had already painted the paintings, which were displayed nearby. Jacob stood beside one of them with reddened eyes.

Rafael and Carissa stepped forward for a closer look. The painting depicted a girl with twin ponytails on her head. She had a round face, big eyes, a small nose, and slightly fuller lips adorned with a red mole on her upper lip.

Next to that painting hung another featuring a couple whose features bore a resemblance to Jacob. It was likely his parents.

Kyle was still at work, but this time he was painting the likeness of an adult woman, presumably using the paintings of the seven-year-old girl and her parents to infer what she might look like when she grew up.

Another painting lay on a nearby

chair, and Carissa stepped over to take a look. The girl's face was still round, though not as plump as

before. The contours on her facenet

novenet

were much more defined. The features hadn't changed significantly, but the contrast

between childhood and adulthood

felt completely different.

The painting Kyle was working on was a version of the girl who looked slightly gaunt. Since they didn't know what she had gone through, her face might change based on her experiences. However, the painting wasn't done yet. Rafael turned to Jacob and asked, "Does it look like her? Is this how you remember her?"

Jacob opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After a long pause, he choked out, "It does. It looks just like her. Mr. Spencer is truly remarkable."

"How many paintings are you doing, Kyle?" Carissa asked.

"The more, the better," Kyle replied without looking up, his brush dancing across the canvas. "Fat, generally fat, very fat... Neither fat nor thin, thin, generally thin, extremely thin... The more I can paint, the better."

Carissa watched as Kyle deftly

painted the eyebrows and eyes with just a few strokes, noting how the brows weren't as dark as they had been in the girl's childhood picture. int Growing up often meant grooming one's features, and a child's eyebrows could be too bold.

"Jacob, what's your sister's name?"

"Jaina," Jacob replied softly.

After a moment's pause, Jacob gathered himself and continued, "My name is Jacob, and my sister's name is Jaina. Our grandfather named us both. When she was born, she was chubby and fair, so our grandfather hoped she would lead a pure life. He had to choose between Jaina and Joanna, but he ultimately settled on Jaina."

Carissa looked at the portrait of Jaina when she was young. She truly was adorable. Under Kyle's brushstrokes, Jaina's eyes sparkled like a gem.

Then, Carissa turned her attention to the painting Kyle was working on, and an odd sense of familiarity washed over her. But when she turned back to the other painting, the feeling vanished, leaving her puzzled.