Shuian's painting, bought at the auction, was safely delivered a few days later and hung in the central lobby of the Second Prince's palace.
The space was originally intended for a portrait of the palace's owner, a member of the imperial family, but it had remained empty until today, finally filled by Shuian's painting.
Theodore stared at the painting for a long time before speaking, his gaze unwavering.
"Orca, summon a painter. I need to have a portrait done."
Orca was startled, his eyes widening in surprise. It was the first time Theodore had ever mentioned a portrait. He had never had one painted before.
He hadn't tried to hide his appearance, which was often called ominous. He even wore more black out of spite, but that didn't mean he truly accepted his looks.
So, Theodore, who rarely looked in the mirror, would never have hung a portrait of himself in the palace.
That was until now. Orca seemed to sense Theodore's thoughts and asked,
"Will you be painted with Shuian-nim?"
It was Shuian who was surprised by Theodore's affirmative answer. His eyes widened as he looked up at Theodore, and it was a relief to see his cheeks gradually flushing, indicating he didn't dislike the idea.
"A full-body portrait would be better than just a simple potrait. Shuian is beautiful in both forms, so we should have two paintings done, one of him as an eagle and one as a human."
"So, you'll hang me up here too?"
"If Shuian is okay with it."
"I'm okay with it! Totally okay!"
Shuian answered quickly with a bright smile. He was tapping his feet, looking so excited and adorable that Theodore reflexively pressed his lips to his forehead.
"Find the most famous and skilled painter."
"Will we have to wait long?"
"If it's to paint the portrait of a prince and a sacred beast, they'll be begging to do it, even paying us, so it shouldn't take long."
Orca nodded in agreement, adding,
"Yes, I'll bring them as soon as possible, so please don't worry too much."
"Okay, thank you!"
Even after Orca left with Liam, the two continued to admire the painting. Unlike the current popular styles, the composition and coloring were bold, which made it feel even more intense and appealing. Theodore also thought it suited Shuian's spirited and free nature very well.
He never thought a portrait would ever hang in his palace, but the idea of a painting with Shuian was somehow exciting. It wouldn't be bad to host a banquet to show the painting to everyone.
Shuian stared at his painting for a long time before suddenly looking up at Theodore and asking,
"Theo, can I go to the temple today?"
"...To the temple?"
"Yeah, I saw it while riding in the carriage a few days ago, and it looked really cool. I want to check it out."
Theodore hesitated to answer, and Shuian, who had expected him to agree quickly since it wasn't dangerous, asked with a puzzled expression,
"I've never been to a temple before. It would be nice if you came with me, but if you're busy, I'll go alone."
In a world where gods were real, very few people had never been to a temple or didn't believe in gods. But as a sacred beast, it was understandable that Shuian would be curious about human temples. However… an inexplicable sense of unease and a multitude of buried questions surfaced in his mind.
Just as distrust of humans was Theodore's long-standing ailment, so was his anxiety about Shuian leaving.
He probably wouldn't be able to rest easy until his dying breath, no matter what Shuian said. It was an incurable disease that would only be cured when all his senses faded, and he confirmed that his bird was still within his blurry vision.
He knew best that it wasn't logical to think that Shuian might leave him just because he went to the temple. Yet, what could he do about his anxiety?
Why was Shuian, a sacred beast, in that forest when they first met? Why didn't he leave, even though he hated humans? Was the only reason Theodore, himself? Did he plan to leave later? He still couldn't voice those many questions.
"Huh? Can't I?"
At his urging, Theodore managed to lift the corners of his lips.
"Of course you can. I was just wondering if I had anything important left to do today."
"Then can we go out together?"
"Of course. Shall we get ready quickly, then?"
Shuian nodded eagerly. Right, there's no need to worry. Theodore tried to shake off his anxiety.
While Shuian was preparing to go out, he arranged for a donation. It wasn't strange for a sacred beast or a prince to go to the temple, but rather than attracting attention and making a fuss, it would be better to donate and rent a private prayer room so Shuian could look around comfortably.
Thanks to the advance notice, they were able to enter the temple without encountering others and were guided inside with the help of the priests.
They kept trying to exchange a word with Shuian, but he remained glued to Theodore's side. Only then did Theodore feel a little relieved and dismiss the priests who were offering to guide them.
"Since most of the temple interior is just prayer rooms, there's no need for explanations, so I sent the priests away."
"Yeah, I was actually a bit uncomfortable. Thanks. Everyone's so interested in me. I guess all devout people are the same."
"I wish you were less beautiful and only lovable in my eyes."
Shuian, his cheeks flushed, seemed to think he was just saying empty words, but it was actually Theodore's true feelings. Theodore didn't add anything and just smiled.
The prayer room they were assigned was about the size of a small temple in a rural territory, which showed how powerful the Vita Order was. Shuian looked around the large prayer room, constantly exclaiming in admiration.
"Wow… it's really pretty. Do nobles all pray in places like this?"
"To be honest, the Vita Order is quite corrupt due to its many exchanges and connections with nobles. The Vita Order has prayer rooms of different sizes. The more you donate, the bigger the prayer room you get."
"Oh, so we donated too?"
"Yes."
"How much? A lot?"
Seeing his face full of apology, Theodore sighed and smiled. His beautiful bird sometimes had strange worries, like now, worrying about the prince's finances.
"Hmm, we donated quite a bit. I think I'd feel a little better if Shuian gave me a hug."
"R-Really?"
Even though it was obvious he was trying to get a hug, Shuian glanced around and reluctantly hugged Theodore's waist.
It was an attitude of willingly playing along, even if it was a ploy. Theodore, finding that endearing, pressed his lips to the top of his bird's head.
"Now, go ahead and look around. These stingy priests even time us. It seems like they have a clock that makes time pass especially quickly."
"Really? That's too much!"
Shuian pouted, grumbling unhappily, but still began to look around the prayer room. He touched the unknown decorations and stared intently at the paintings for a long time. Then, he pointed to a vaguely shaped statue next to the Vita goddess statue in the center and asked,
"What's this? Why does it look like it was never finished?"
"Vaguely shaped statues exist in all temples, regardless of the god. They're made to honor gods who don't lend divine power to humans and therefore don't have temples, nameless gods, and all other gods."
"Ah, so they made it so vague to avoid specifying which god it is?"
"That's right."
"...Wouldn't any gods be upset? They made them look like lumps of clay that were just randomly molded."
Theodore burst out laughing at his absurd imagination. He didn't like gods and didn't visit temples often, so he had never thought much about the vaguely shaped statue. But even among devout priests and believers, no one had probably ever thought of that.
"Listening to Shuian, I think they should have made it a little cooler."
"I know, right? I was so happy that they painted me so cool."
That's too much. Shuian, as if it were his own statue, muttered with a disappointed expression. He just stood in the center, staring blankly at the statue, without praying.
"You're not going to pray?"
"Oh, should I?"
"Not necessarily. But usually, coming to a prayer room means you have something you desperately want to say to a god."
"Hmm… I think it would be faster to just say it directly…."
Theodore, realizing the meaning of Shuian's words, froze for a moment. Right, Shuian was a sacred beast. He could go to the divine realm where gods existed at any time, and as he said, it would be faster to go directly and tell them rather than going through the trouble of coming to a prayer room to pray.
With that belated realization, he almost forgot how to breathe. At this moment, Shuian felt even farther away than the stars in the night sky they had looked up at together a few days ago.
Then, suddenly, Shuian approached the statue. Not the Vita goddess statue, but the vaguely shaped statue next to it.
"Not yet? Not yet…."
As if possessed by something, Shuian muttered incomprehensible words while looking up at the statue, his eyes shining with a silver light as if he were emitting divine power.
Even though he was clearly in front of him, he felt unreachable, and Theodore unconsciously took a step, approaching Shuian and grabbing his arm.
He slowly turned his head to meet his gaze, but Shuian's eyes were still blank, and the way he lifted the corners of his lips was extremely awkward.
"Theo, let's go back. I don't think it's time yet."
Not yet? What does "not yet" mean? If it's not time yet, what will happen to you, and to me, when "that time" comes?
Theodore couldn't ask anything. Because it felt like it was the last question he should ever ask.
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