Road of the Heavenly Light

16-1: Moving On

The end of a long competition was supposed to feel quite rewarding, or at least relieving, Christian always thought. As he looked at the score tally between Adrian and him, however, he felt disappointed and betrayed. He was so certain that Sigrid would choose him over that no-good, shady Adrian, but instead she had chosen to run off with some pirate, whom she had apparently loved all along. The revelation of her feigned interest in him broke his heart into a million pieces. He felt like he had been a stupid fool, letting himself be used by her, thinking she could return his genuine feelings for her. Christian wanted nothing more than to rip up the tally and throw it away, but he never got the chance, because someone knocked on his bedroom door.

Christian opened the door and saw Adrian standing there. He didn't look quite himself either, clearly surprised by Sigrid's sudden departure too. Christian did notice that he was not nearly as distraught by the news as he was, but Adrian was never quite as open with his feelings as he was.
"Can we talk?" Adrian asked.
Christian nodded, and followed Adrian into the main dorm room, where they sat down in seats opposite each other.
"Now that Sigrid is gone," Adrian began, getting straight to the point, "we have no reason to keep being so prickly to each other, don't you think?"
"Yes, I suppose the entire reason for our rivalry is now gone. There is no point in constantly trying to see who is better."
"Hmmm," Adrian replied vaguely, "how about a truce, then?"
Christian readily agreed with that, and the two shook hands. He remembered how soft Adrian's hands were for a self-proclaimed scoundrel from the time they had tried arm-wrestling. Not that it had helped him win in any way.

An uncomfortable silence took hold of the room after they shook their hands and sat back down. After so much time spent being rivals and fighting for the affection of Sigrid, it was difficult to imagine what their relationship would be like going forward. Could they be friends? Before Sigrid had come into the picture, they had been lukewarm acquaintances. The way Adrian went about things was always so underhand, and the fact that he was always trying to tease and provoke really irritated him, even if he knew Adrian never had any bad intentions. But that was when they were younger, and when they hadn't known each other the way they did now. Christian was used to it by now, and though he did not like to admit it, he did sometimes find Christian's teasing amusing.

"So... what do we do now?" Adrian asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know."
He really didn't. The only way they had entertained themselves all this time was through their rivalry. They had both already completed the education required of them as heirs to their respective duchies, and Christian had no appetite for pursuing any sort of other education. He was quite certain Adrian felt the same way. Christian didn't see himself doing any sort of charity work, either. That only left going home as an option, but strangely enough, he didn't want to part ways with Adrian. It didn't feel right. Maybe they could stay at Royale High for the time being.

"I saw an advertisement for an art exhibition in Earth the other day; perhaps we could visit it together? That should at least entertain us for today," Christian suggested.
"If we're going to Earth, then I'd rather go to a tavern and drink away my sorrows."
"I'm not going to drink, especially not while we're in Divinia. I get extremely political when I'm drunk, and I would rather not be known for causing a riot."
"Well, then how about we go to that art exhibition in the afternoon, and then go to a tavern of my choosing for the evening, where you can drink tea for all I care? That way, we both get what we want."
"Oh, very well, but I'm not dragging you back here if you drink too much."
"I'm flattered to hear you would consider it if I didn't drink too much."
Christian rolled his eyes at that remark.

Adrian would hardly ever describe himself as a very artistic person. He didn't really feel much for paintings or statues, like some people did. When Christian told him they ought to look more presentable for their visit to the art exhibition in Earth, he had looked at him like he was crazy for a second. He only obliged him because he would be able to go to a tavern afterward and have a drink to ease his worries. He needed it, after everything that had happened. With Sigrid out of the picture, things would be very different, and he needed to mentally prepare for that.

The two of them quickly departed towards Earth, first taking a carriage to the city center and then walking the rest of the way. Adrian had a feeling this art exhibition was quite serious, judging by the building it was taking place in. It was in the Divinian Museum of Iolan Art—a museum especially for artists outside Divinia. According to Christian, who looked quite like a child who had just gotten a new toy, the exhibition was by a famous painter from Aurion. Adrian would have to take his word for it.

"It looks like there aren't too many people yet," Christian observed, "that will make it easier to view the paintings without a crowd in the way."
"Why are you so drawn to art? To me, it all seems like boring paintings my mother might hang in the drawing room as decoration."
"It's about the process behind it," Christian explained, pointing to a nearby painting of a meadow, "look at how the artist used the colors to make it come alive as if you were standing in a real meadow. And this one, here, this one is filled with symbolism of love and devotion."
"You certainly know a lot about it," Adrian remarked.
"Well, I like to paint from time to time, so it's kind of required..."
"I had no idea you were an artist yourself."
"Just because I'm not as reserved about my life as you doesn't mean that I share everything," Christian remarked, "and besides, I haven't done it as much since we began..."
Adrian knew what he meant. Sigrid had thrown quite a wrench into their lives. He wished Christian hadn't been so blunt about him, though. If he were as open about himself and his feelings as Christian was, things would have gone wrong a long time ago. He needed to keep himself on a leash, if only to protect himself.

"Adrian? Shall we go further?" Christian asked, giving him a curious glance.
He cursed to himself. Now was not the time to get lost in his thoughts. He followed Christian around, stopping at every painting, which Christian then studied and told him everything he knew about it. No matter how boring or dull the paintings were, Adrian had to admit that it was nice to see Christian come alive and be so passionate about something. He had only ever seen him like this once, just before Sigrid came into the picture. It felt good to know that version of Christian was still there.

The two of them finally arrived at a portrait Christian seemed to have been purposefully avoiding, likely to save it for last. Adrian had no idea why, as it looked extremely odd, like it wasn't a painting at all.
"It's not like the other paintings," Christian explained, as if reading his thoughts, "it was made of a thin kind of wool, which was then painted over. It's meant to be touched."
"Who would come up with that?" Adrian scoffed.
"The painter wanted to incorporate the gentle and soft character of his husband as he painted his husband's favorite place of retreat."
Christian placed his hand on the painting, brushing over it, before looking back at Adrian.
"You should try it too."

He reached out and took his hand into his own, moving it towards the painting. Adrian hardly registered the touch of the wool, his mind completely occupied by Christian's touch. It was too much for him.
"W-We should go," Adrian said, turning away from Christian, his gaze focused on the exit.
"I suppose you're right. It's getting late, and I did promise we would go to a tavern."
Adrian couldn't get there fast enough. He needed a drink, and fast. He could only hope Christian wouldn't see his crimson cheeks and the sweat on his forehead in the meantime.