Chapter 896 896: Even More Questions

Chapter 896 896: Even More Questions

"Are you curious about the man I was with in the painting? He was my husband before I eventually remarried and had Erikson."

Anxiety, nervousness.

Riley had never really felt those kinds of feelings before, he had only heard of them. But from all the definitions and examples he had seen in his life, he was sure that he was experiencing them right now, at this very moment he finds himself in.

He and Irene were alone in her chambers, and the only thing he could really focus on was the walls. Of course, Riley does not really mind this weird feeling, as there are a lot of things to see on Irene's wall. There were paintings, perhaps more than a hundred of them; each carrying a different part of her life.

"I am only interested in you, Lady Irene," Riley breathed out as he continued to scan all the portraits, "Or rather your possible connection with Aerith."

"This Aerith, does she truly hold that much of a resemblance to me, or rather the younger me?" Irene turned to look at one of her younger portraits.

"Yes — only your hair is brighter," Riley nodded, "You told me you might know who I am, Lady Irene. May I ask from where?"

"I would wager that you are not the only one who was perplexed upon seeing a familiar face, Lord Riley," Lady Irene let out a tiny chuckle as she started walking toward one of her many cabinets. She then tried to reach for the top-most shelf, only for her hand to be several inches short — unfortunately for her, forcing her old body to move as she wished offered little to no benefits, and most of the time, harmful.

Like in this instance, she found her legs turning weak and stumbling backward.

"Oh—!!!"

"That is... very interesting," Riley placed his hand on his chin, "A book with no origin."

"I apologize if I was not able to give you the answer you are looking for," Irene glanced at Riley, "I even added more questions."

"That is my story, Lady Irene," Riley shook his head, "A lot of questions that are answered by even more questions."

"But perhaps I can give you a better question, Lord Riley," Irene's finger traced across the portraits until she reached a painting that had almost lost all of its details and color; the canvas it was drawn on, seemingly fragile to the point that if one were to just move it a single millimeter, it would all just turn into dust,

"That is the oldest portrait one could find in this manor, and like the book, I am not aware of its origins other than it is old."

Riley tilted his head as he focused on the aged portrait, only for his eyes to completely widen as he finally made out the picture it held.

It was another portrait of someone who looked like Aerith. And Riley doesn't know whether or not it was just a result of its age... but her skin and her hair were painted completely white, her lips slightly wider.

"I do not know who she truly is...

...but my grandmother told me that she was supposed to be the matriarch of our family."

"Hm..." Riley stared at the portrait,

"...This is a better question indeed, Lady Irene."