Zans.

For Count Onen's tea party, Erwin didn't feel like it was necessary to be too well dressed. Instead, he was aiming for a more modest appearance. The first reason for this was because he was only supposed to be an ordinary artist at the moment, and the second reason for this was that he didn't want Count Onen to come under the false impression that he was holding this event in very high regard.

Onean was even more casual in her dress code, putting on a white dress with an orange sheep wool shawl draped over her shoulders, giving her a vibrant and refreshing appearance.

The two of them made their way to Count Onen's manor on foot, and by the time they arrived, there were already many horse-drawn carriages parked outside the lavish manor. Erwin took a rough glance at these carriages, and an amused smile appeared on his face. Just as the new nobles of Tellier claimed, these old nobles of Zans were truly struggling financially.

Stylistically speaking, all of the carriages had been constructed in a very spacious and luxurious fashion, but it was clear that barely any of them had received a new paint job in the recent past. Thus, they were all looking quite rugged and dilapidated. Even the coach drivers sitting at the front of the carriages appeared to be quite unenthusiastic and absentminded, as if they were wondering whether their masters would be able to afford their wages for this month.

Erwin reported his name to the porter, making no mention of the fact that he had been invited here by Faya. To his surprise, even the porter had heard of him.

Looks like that mural really has become extremely renowned around these parts, Erwin remarked internally.

Upon learning that Erwin was the mysterious artist that had been the talk of the city, the porter immediately came under the false impression that Erwin had been invited here by Count Onen, and he hurriedly rushed away to the front hall to seek out the butler. His thought process was that if Erwin were a guest invited by Count Onen in person, then it wouldn't be fitting for a porter of such a lowly status as himself to welcome Erwin. Instead, the butler was far more suited for the job.

"Mr. Erwin, welcome!" The butler hurriedly rushed out from the front hall after hearing the report from the porter. "You're here for the tea party, right? Please follow me."

The butler put on a very hospitable display, guiding Erwin and Onean through the lavish manor, passing through the front hall all the way to the garden in the backyard.

While they were making their way through the manor, Erwin couldn't help but notice the lavish decor in Count Onen's manor. The walls were constructed from radiant mountain jade with haphazard brown patterns engraved onto their surface, presenting a lavish yet tasteful display. The floor tiles consisted of smoothly polished inksand stone, and they were paved all the way from the front hall to the backyard. In other people's homes, this type of material was reserved for stone ornaments, yet here in Count Onen's manor, it was only fit for use as floor tiles. All of these details were a clear indication of just how wealthy the owner of the manor was.

It looks like not all of the old nobles are in financial ruin. At the very least, that clearly doesn't apply to Count Onen, Erwin thought to himself.

As soon as the butler led the two of them into the lively back garden, they immediately attracted a great deal of attention.

Everyone was stunned by how good-looking this young pair of new arrivals were.

With his handsome looks and the hint of a sly grin that seemed to be perpetually playing on his lips, Erwin was truly a sight for sore eyes for the opposite sex, and all of the women present were instantly enamored with him. Some of them weren't content with taking only a single glance at him, and they were sneaking as many glances at Erwin as they could. Some of them had completely abandoned all semblance of etiquette and were staring directly at Erwin with their eyes as wide as saucers. If it weren't for their elder relatives stepping on the back of their feet or pinching them on the back of the hand, they would've continued staring indefinitely.

As for Onean, she obviously didn't lose at all to Erwin in the looks department. Even though she was wearing a magically conjured-up hat with a brim of flowing water, that did nothing to conceal her incredible beauty. As soon as she entered the scene, all of the other women completely paled into insignificance, and the only purpose of their existence seemed to be to highlight her beauty. As for all of the men present, they couldn't help but stop and stare, throwing all proper etiquette out the window, just like their female counterparts. The single men could stare all they wanted, but those who were here with wives or lovers had to be more restrained with their ogling.

"I didn't think that the spring in the north would be so warm," Onean mused as she cast her gaze toward the garden, which was illuminated by bright sunlight. As the former princess of the Effer Kingdom, she was accustomed to being scrutinized by the masses, so she naturally wasn't going to be fazed by all of the attention focused on her.

"You're definitely right about that," Erwin complained as he loosened the collar of his shirt slightly. "At least you had a hat to wear on the way here, I've been getting baked under the sun this entire time."

Count Onen was the first to return to his senses, and he quickly made his way over Erwin and Onean, then turned to his butler with an inquisitive expression, as if to ask: "Who're these two?"

The butler was rather taken aback by this, and he looked back at Count Onen with a dumbstruck expression, as if to ask: "Weren't these two invited here by you?"

After staring at each other with befuddled expressions for a moment, the butler turned toward Erwin and Onean with a hint of alarm and confusion in his eyes.

At this moment, Faya hurriedly rushed over to save the day.

"Father, these are guests who were invited by me," Faya said with a smile. "This is Erwin Friar, the artist who you've been wanting to meet this entire time."

"Who's this?" Faya asked as she cast her gaze toward Onean, then turned to Erwin with an inquisitive expression.

"This is my wife," Erwin explained with a smile, and his smile was slightly forced, owing to the chance encounter he had with Faya a few days ago.

Onean's expression remained unchanged, pretending to be oblivious to everything.

Looking at Onean's incredible beauty up close, a hint of sorrow flashed through Faya's eyes despite her polite smile.

"Ah, so you're Erwin Friar," Count Onen exclaimed with an elated expression, alleviating the slightly awkward atmosphere. "That mural of yours is truly a miraculous work of art."

Count Onen began to shake Erwin's hand enthusiastically as he spoke, and he was being so vigorous that it looked as if he were trying to snap off Erwin's arm.

"You're far too kind," Erwin replied with a stiff smile while trying to extricate his own hand from Count Onen's grasp.

"What a gorgeous pair you are," Count Onen praised as he took a half-step backward, then carefully inspected the young couple standing before him. He then latched onto Erwin's hand again before attempting to drag him toward the crowd. "Come, let me introduce you to everyone."

"Father, this is my guest! I should be the one to introduce him," Faya complained with a displeased pout as she laid a hand onto her father's arm.

"Speaking of that, where did you meet Mr. Erwin? How could you not tell me that you invited him to our tea party?" Count Onen scolded with a stern expression. "We're completely unprepared because you didn't tell us anything. You and your sisters are becoming more and more spoiled by the day."

"I just wanted to give everyone a surprise," Faya mumbled as she lowered her head.

"Cheer up, I was just joking," Count Onen whispered as he leaned in close to Faya's ear. "I'm going to give you a reward later for inviting Mr. Erwin to our tea party, but don't let your sisters find out."

Faya nodded in response as her indignant expression gave way to a pleased smile.

Erwin wanted to step in and defend Faya, but it was clear that she and Count Onen had come to some type of mutual understanding, so he didn't say anything.

After that, Count Onen eagerly led Erwin and Onean to the center of the garden. He used a silver fork to tap his wineglass a few times to attract everyone's attention, and soon, all of the guests had gathered around. Everyone was wondering exactly who this young couple was.

Faya was standing in the crowd, watching Erwin and Onean from afar, and a disappointed frown appeared on her face as she made the realization that she had most likely only been a plaything for Erwin.

"I'm sure everyone has heard that a miraculous work of art has recently appeared on the ceiling of the Holy Jade Cathedral," Count Onen declared. "I went to ask the pastors of the Universal Church a bunch of questions about the mural, but none of them were able to explain the artwork. All they told me was that it had been painted by a young and unknown artist."

Everyone in the forest thought that Count Onen was going to introduce this young couple, yet he was suddenly talking about the mural in the Holy Jade Cathedral, and everyone was rather perplexed with what direction this was going in.

"I'm sure everyone is very curious about the mysterious artist of the mural, right?" Count Onen asked with a smile as he swept his gaze across the circle of nobles gathered around him.

That was indeed the truth. Everyone at the tea party had only ever heard of the name "Erwin Friar," but no one knew who the name belonged to, so everyone was naturally quite curious.

"Without further ado, allow me to introduce to all of you." Count Onen cleared his throat, and his face had turned slightly red, such was his excitement in this moment. "The man standing beside me is none other than the vastly renowned Erwin Friar, and the stunning woman standing next to him is his wife."

All of the women in the garden displayed varying reactions in response to Count Onen's introduction.

Of course, it was naturally fantastic to hear that such a handsome and dignified man would also be so talented in fine art. Faya's two elder sisters had been openly insulting Erwin back in the cathedral, but even they couldn't help but be enamored with Erwin.

However, his wife was so fabulously beautiful and was giving off such a regal disposition that all of the women present were beginning to feel very much inferior. Those who were interested in Erwin naturally couldn't help but compare themselves with Onean, and the outcome wasn't a pleasant one for any of the women making the comparison.

Meanwhile, all of the noblemen in the garden heaved a collective sigh of relief. They had thought that Count Onen was going to introduce someone extremely important, but as it turned out, it was only a painter.

In their eyes, no matter how handsome Erwin was, a painter would always be a painter, and there was no changing the fact that he was just a lowly artisan who served nobles like them.

At the same time, they couldn't help but feel a sense of pity toward Onean, wondering how such a stunning beauty had fallen for a lowly artist.

As for all of the noble women, they were burning up with envy and inferiority, and they were desperately trying to console themselves, thinking to themselves that despite Onean's incredible beauty, she had to be a commoner as well, given the fact that she had married an artist.

Erwin and Onean were both very sharp and perceptive, so they could naturally detect the minute changes in everyone's expressions. The thinly veiled superiority and derision on the faces of the nobles were naturally unable to escape their notice.

Erwin turned to glance at Onean, and an amused smile appeared on his face.

Onean returned his gaze, and she was completely unfazed by the hostility around them.

In the face of absolute self-confidence, superficial derision and haughtiness meant nothing.