‘Yes! There is still hope in the world.’

Valentine who once thought that he had completely lost all hopes felt his heart once again being filled with new hope. Valentine took a deep breath, his nose filled with air of Sorrence.

Valentine’s wish to study overseas got fulfilled much quickly than he expected.

Maybe Dalton felt somewhat alarmed and disquieted seeing him crying and begging asking to leave, he immediately asked for Earl to have a talk. The guardians quickly came to a conclusion and consented to his study abroad.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to convince his mother who was saddened with worry… Recalling his mothers face which looked exactly the same as his, soaked with tears, a wistful look crawled in Valentine’s eyes.

Whether felt sorry for his nephew’s tears or pitied his pleas, Dalton volunteered to become his local guardian which made things proceed much faster.

But the decisive aspect was Valentine passionate show off of his ability.

He thought about the days when he confined himself in his studio other than eating and sleeping close to a month just to paint.

He drew, with all his skill, to the best of his ability. Added soul to it with ever of his past life memories and techniques he learnt.

His body was already good at painting, but once he got the past life memories, he took a leap forward with his excellent skills and genius level talent. Would it be too excessive to put his long experience and skills into this young body? Apropos it was only natural for anyone to be amazed when seeing Valentine’s painting.

In order to quickly get their acknowledgment he choose a style that was admired by the aristocrats who were reluctant towards industrialization, at the same time excited the general public of that era. Valentine presented to them a beautiful Naturalism styled painting.

In which he slightly used the characteristic techniques of Impressionism, to beautifully utilize the light, maximizing the beauty of nature which was finally realized into a landscape painting with a multitude of colors.

Art critics who came to evaluate his painting through his father’s connection as well ordinary painters, all were awed seeing the painting. Of course including his parents.

[His talent is too precious to felt to rotten living as a wayward aristocrat young master!]

Left to rot, this guy…! As a crane1 in the matter of whether dying or rotting after dying, Valentine detested such words and similar phrases.  Too bad he can only keep his ire within him.

[Young Master Wicce is a genius.]2

[How great it would if such a talent could be honed under a good teacher at a better place?]

Their praises and doleful remarks strengthened Valentine’s conviction to escape, no, to study abroad.

As valentine became more excellent in the field of painting than before, which was his only talent point. When he showed his genius level ability, the process to study abroad got easily settled. This was the only successful buff Valentine achieved, the past life buff. Hip hip hooray.

As long as he can live like this in the future, it would be perfect. It’s okay even if things were to happened in the social circle like in his past life. Anyway he won’t be staying in this country, so what can happen? His point was, howbeit someone wants to provoke him to create some trouble, too bad the protagonist won’t be there! With a heart yelling in delight Valentine left the country.

Farewell, My Country, Heston.

I am off. You f*cking doobries, let’s not meet again.

Valentine said farewell to his hometown with curses and a flying kiss.

*

5 years went quickly for Valentine.

Despite the initial conflict with the cultural difference and mindset of this foreign land.

“Dalton, These bastards started first, cursing at me with their local dialect so that I don’t understand.”

Valentine honed his ability at the continent’s best art city.

“Hahaha. This much of portrayal is a piece of cake for me! I got my past Life Exibe3 !”

He also learnt his own version of modesty.

“Ahh, Teacher! I am wrong. Please stop this dutch rub…!”

He also devoted himself to learning. Real learning.

“Valentine,… why are you working so hard all of a sudden, almost like another person.”

Valentine asked Dalton to find various teachers to teach him and he desperately learned and mastered the teachings of those masters. Seeing him like this, one day Dalton asked him cautiously.

“Why the hell are you being so desperate?”

The answer came immediately without any delay. His face was full of meaning and seriousness as never before.

“Uncle, I am preparing for the future.”

The meaning was vague, but it held some kind of a certainty.

“Future?”

“Mm. No matter whom, I don’t want to be looked down up in any way. And I am making more holes4 for me.”

“Hole..”

Dalton’s expression became more and more confused.

“Yes, Hole. The hole for my survival. If somethings happens unexpectedly regardless of when and where, I can handle then smartly and effectively.”

In short all his studies and efforts were directly connected to his survival.

Sure enough, it was the wisdom of a modern reincarnator.

Every Knowledge and wisdom in the world will bestow strength to him. Because he doesn’t know how long this escaping like life could last, as it was just a temporary measure.

*

Soon Valentine’s precautions and concerns were proved right.

Sun came and went down, and it was repeated again and again, One day when Valentine turned 20, Dalton received a letter from Earl, from their home country and relayed him the news.

“Brother asked as to return for good.”

Returning from atelier, Valentine immediately took his canvas and brushes and locked himself in his personal studio saying that the painting he drew at the atelier wasn’t satisfactory. Hearing the news, it was like a bolt from blue for him.

Thud.

The oil painting knife held in Valentine’s hand fell onto the solid wooden floor. The lump of moss green pain held in the tip of the knife was splattered in a mess.

Valentine stood blankly hearing Dalton’s announcement. Like a switch turned on, Valentine came back to his senses. He ran to Dalton who stood leaning against the studio door and snatched the letter from his hands.

To my dear son, Valentine.

Every season hearing that you are doing well from you, and knowing from your Uncle’s letters how hard you are working from you are working, Father can’t tell you how proud I am.

But my son.

I wish I could witness your growth in all these season with my own eyes than just reading from your words.

Your mother will always caress the self-portrait you sent to quench her yearning to see you.

Only getting to visit our dearest son just once in a year, me and your mother can’t take it any longer to live like this.

Just take care of the things over there and come back.

And don’t forget that your Uncle also needs some freedom. Dalton can no longer leave the position of heir vacant anymore.

I pray for your heath and a safe return, your most loving Father.

After talking a quick glance at letter which was urging his return as soon as possible with loving words, Valentine’s arms lost it’s strength, hung down weekly with a look of dismay.

His Father’s words in the letter ordering his returning with Uncle was sweet yet firm.

“Are you okay..?”

Dalton reflexively caught the staggering Valentine and supported him with concern.

There were multiple meanings in that simple question of Are you okay.

Like whether he was fine with returning, with stopping his studies there, with again meeting with people over there. It was an ambiguous question.

“Mm, I am fine..”

Valentine answered weakly and put on a faint smile on his face. The beautiful face of the fully grown dominant omega was oozing with charm disregarding whether the counterpart was his own blood.

Yes, he can’t deny that he always knew that such a day would come.

Wasn’t his hard work all this while just to prepare for such unexpected situations…? Looking at his weekly hanging hands, Valentine clenched his fists.

Many of his contemporaries must have forgotten a person called Valentine by now. If he was fortunate, the Empress from the Duke Heather Field’s also must have forgotten about him. If third Prince had have marked his lover, Abner Luan, that should be called the really fortunate. Thinking about different scenarios, Valentine felt hope surging in his mind.

Leaving from the hand that was supporting him, he went towards the easel and took the knife that was lying on the floor. He took a dry rag that was used to wipe paint, he cleaned the knife and the lump of oil paint that was splattered on the floor.

“Leave it. Don’t do such things yourself.. I will ask for an employee to do it later.”

“No, it’s fine. This is not much anyway.”

He was used to such tiring jobs since his previous life.

From the start to the ending with a minor clean up, he didn’t ask for any help. It was Valentine’s habit, who painting seriously. What if the other person made some mistake with handling painting and tools. So in other words it was also a kind of prevention.

Valentine hung his unfinished painting on the easel which was placed on a shady corner.

From now on which way he will walk or to where it would lead him…. It also depend on how he will act,or it could change according to situation around him.

Just like that wet unfinished painting.

No matter how he does the esquisse and sketch or having an outlook of how the painting should turn out inside his head, you need to, and put effort on the canvas to finish a painting that can be seen by eyes (Preliminary work doesn’t give us what a painting will look like, only after it’s finished we can found how it turned out). Just like that, only when the time comes one can understand where his destination is.

Let’s not be pessimistic. Just like how he had been working hard, there would definitely be a way for him to live freely and smoothly.

Well, let’s go back.

Goodbye, Sorrence…

Goodbye my friends, Colleagues, who became closer between fights.

I will pray for your well beings, my teachers.

*

From that day on, the preparations to return accelerated.

Valentine said his goodbye to his school, atelier, the teachers who taught him many things. The house they lived was also taken care with the help of Dalton.

In a quiet corner of Sorrence, the small mansion which said his goodbye to it’s settlers was felt with furniture covered in white cloth and some unfinished painting.

Like that Valentine’s run away life came to an end.

What sort of future awaits for Valentine in his home land, which according to the original novel holds is a terrible fate for him…?

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