NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Recovery
New Trier, Intis. April 1, 428, 7:00 A.M. Burey's dining room.
Viscount Burey looked at his family gathered around the breakfast table. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling as though all his efforts had finally paid off.
He looked at his wife, the woman he had fallen in love with during his youth, and felt a wave of nostalgia for those early days.
He glanced at his daughter, the little girl he had raised himself. Memories of the mischief she got into during childhood surfaced; now she had grown into a beautiful, intelligent woman.
He turned his gaze to his son, who was never far from his mind. He knew that Michael's illness hadn't been easy to cure, but he had never given up. For years he had tried everything, and now, finally, Michael was healed and able to live a normal life.
The viscount couldn't help but smile at the sight; he felt all his hard work had been worthwhile.
The viscount stood as he spoke. "I've made a decision, we're going to throw a party to celebrate Michael's recovery. I'll handle everything; it'll be on April 17th. I've already sent the invitations."
Pretending to be Michael is already hard enough for three people, imagine doing it in front of an entire party... Michael thought, closing his eyes as he anticipated the trouble this would bring.
The viscountess smiled as she rose to her feet. "This is an incredible idea, dear. It'll be a nice opportunity for our little Michael to make some new friends."
The viscount chuckled. "My dear, we can't call Michael 'little' anymore. He's a grown man now."
The viscountess looked away, offended. "He's my son! I'll call him 'little' even when he's 40!"
Michael seemed a bit lost in their conversation.
When I gained Michael's memories and realized he was a noble, I thought his family would be more like the scheming noble families in novels, constantly betraying each other. But they're so much like a regular family...
Burey's Garden. 13:00 P.M.
Michael lay on the grass, gazing at the sky.
It's a beautiful day... The sky is blue and clear, the sun is shining bright. I love this kind of weather.
Becca is probably in the attic painting. I think I'll go see how she's doing. Even though I told her not to use her powers, I can't be sure she'll listen...
He yawned as he got up and made his way toward the entrance of the Burey mansion.
Though the Bureys don't have a high noble title, they're still one of the wealthiest noble families due to their trade in commodities with the Western Union. So why does Becca paint in the attic? I thought they would have built a studio or something like that for her...
I thought my knowledge of other novels would at least help me understand noble society, but I was completely wrong. Even my knowledge of the Beyonder world seems outdated...
Delusional... How did things end up like this?
Michael climbed the stairs to the attic.
"Becca! Are you here?" he called as he entered.
"You don't need to scream, you moron! Of course, I'm here," Rebecca angrily replied, continuing her painting.
"Sorry, I thought you might not be," Michael said, settling into a chair.
The attic was illuminated solely by natural light streaming through the windows. Since it was a sunny day, there was no need for candles. The whole room was bright, except for one corner near the stairs, but neither Michael nor Rebecca paid any attention to it.
"So, what are you painting, Becca?" Michael asked as he got up to take a look.
Michael studied the canvas, puzzled as he tried to decipher the painting.
It depicted a vast ocean cloaked in a shallow mist. The ocean was full of swirling whirlpools, giving the painting a chaotic appearance. In the center of the scene was a lone boat with a figure standing on it. The figure had no face and wore a brown cloak.
The sky held three large stars. A purple star, an orange star, and a blue star.
What on earth am I looking at? The painting itself looks good, but I have no idea what it means, Michael thought, trying to interpret it from various angles.
Noticing her brother's confusion, Rebecca explained, "When I used my powers on you that day before your recovery, this is what I saw."
"The image I saw then was much blurrier and swirling, so I made some adjustments to make it look better in the painting."
Michael took in the details, understanding a bit more. "It's gorgeous... I didn't know you were this good at painting, Becca."
Rebecca puffed out her chest proudly. "Heh, your big sis has many talents."
She got up to clean her materials. "Now the painting just needs to dry. Waiting for it is so boring..." She rolled her eyes as she tidied up.
"I'll keep you company, Becca. How about we play some cards?" Michael suggested, taking a deck of cards from a nearby table.
"Where did that come from? I don't remember bringing any cards up here..." Rebecca tried to recall but couldn't remember anything.
"Maybe you forgot. A lot has happened these past few days," Michael said, glancing around and admiring his sister's decorations in the room.
Weird... the whole attic is bright from the sunlight, but that corner... Eh, I'm probably overthinking it.
Michael shrugged it off.
"You're right; I probably did forget. Let's play cards, then. Just don't cry when I beat you," Rebecca teased, sitting down on the floor.