Chapter 2

2.

I instinctively clutched my chest, my voice trembling. "No. I'm not participating."

Ben looked at me, confused, and tried to push further. "Evelyn, this is the chance of a lifetime. Your talent..."

At that moment, my mentor, Silas, walked over and cut Ben off. "Why won't you participate?"

"What? Are you shrinking back just because you've hit a little snag?"

"It's not that, Silas... I just..." I struggled to explain, realizing I couldn't give him the real reason.

He stared at me for a long moment and sighed. "As the heir, you have a duty to seize this chance and bring our culture to the world."

I blinked. His words sounded right, but a deep sense of unease settled in my gut.

Why were they pushing me so hard to join?

Could it be that they were actually involved in what happened last time?

But I had been homeless as a child, and Silas had raised me. Ben and I grew up like siblings.

How could I possibly suspect them?

The thought flashed through my mind, followed quickly by a wave of guilt.

I tested the waters. "If... if I do join, what kind of piece should I work on?"

Silas didn't even hesitate. "Birds and flowers."

A chill ran down my spine.

I wanted to scream, "I won't do birds and flowers!"

But I caught myself just in time.

Even though I didn't want to believe they would hurt me, the coincidences from my past life were too loud to ignore.

I forced a fake smile. "There are still a few days left. Let me think about it."

Silas nodded slightly and walked away.

Ben stared at me suspiciously, his face full of confusion. "Why not birds and flowers? That's your specialty."

I gave him a dismissive nod and retreated to my room.

This time, I decided to ditch the traditional themes and design something in a modern, anime-inspired style.

I was deep in my work when Ben's voice came from behind the door.

"Evelyn, come eat! You're already not feeling well. Don't burn yourself out."

I stopped drawing, looked at the completed design, and replied, "Okay, I'm coming."

After dinner, I absentmindedly opened a livestream app and saw that Mia Hart was online.

The screen was flooded with comments like "Brilliant idea!" and "So unique!"

Everyone was praising her for blending tradition with modern aesthetics.

I glanced at the screen, and my heart nearly stopped―the design she was showing was exactly what I had just finished drawing!