NOVEL NEXT Chapter 145: The Medici and the Aristocrats (2)
“Nice to meet you. I’m Albert Harrington. What’s your name?”
He was in his 40s. His hair had been neatly combed with wax. He offered his hand that had an expensive watch on the wrist.
“I’m Park Haejin from Korea.”
Haejin couldn’t see what he was up to, but for now, he shook hands with him.
Albert stared at Haejin’s eyes and asked, “Park Haejin? Korean names are complicated. Well, why are you here?”
Haejin was there as a guest of the Medici family, so he didn’t want to cause any trouble. So, he just smiled and replied, “I’m an appraiser. I’ve been asked to appraise for the Medici.”
In fact, the Medici hadn’t asked him to appraise anything, but he thought they wouldn’t have invited him if it hadn’t been for that reason, so he just said so.
There was no way they were letting him spend three days here, in such a place, just to thank him. However, Albert’s face hardened.
“Appraise? You?”
“Is there a problem?” Haejin found it strange and asked, but he got his answer from someone else.
“Albert has been appraising for the Medici for the past ten years. This is getting funny.”
Haejin looked toward the direction of the voice. There was a woman wearing a red party dress walking toward them with a wine glass in her hand.
“Oh, really?”
Haejin was now turned into an unwelcome guest who had come to ruin Albert’s career. However, he couldn’t take back what he said and say, ‘Now that I think about it, I think that I was invited because I helped the Medici family before.’
Then, they would ask what had happened, but he couldn’t tell them the truth because of the Medici’s reputation, and if he were to keep his mouth shut, they would imagine things on their own.
“Before Albert, his father was the Medici family’s appraiser. It’s the first time someone who isn’t an aristocrat appraising for the Medici.”
Haejin had thought Albert wasn’t a nobleman as he was an appraiser, but he was wrong.
Then Eunhae, who had been listening, asked, “I don’t know much about the Harrington family, but it doesn’t sound like an Italian family. And you appraise for the Medici?”
Haejin thought she was touching some sensitive issues. Albert and the lady in the red dress were clearly offended.
“The Medici is much more than a family. It ruled Florence for centuries, and more than that, it is admired by the world. That kind of childish comparison is… haha! I think you don’t know much about it.”
Albert’s ego had been hurt, and he sneered at Eunhae. Everyone knew he was implying that Eunhae was too lowly to know this kind of thing.
Eunhae’s face hardened, of course. Even though she belonged to the collateral line, she was also a member of Hwajin family, and she hadn’t been overwhelmed by money or power.
Additionally, she hadn’t met anyone so rude since her nemesis Yaerin. Haejin could feel her attitude changing.
Then, the lady in the red dress sat down next to her and explained, “The Harrington Family is a historical family in England. Its wealth is no smaller than that of the Medici. However, the Medici Family has more than just wealth. So, appraising their artifacts has a great meaning.”
Haejin could understand part of that. Appraising for the Medici meant the family acknowledged that Albert had a discerning eye, so he was right to be proud of it.
However, he didn’t look that great to Eunhae.
Being a nobleman wasn’t his achievement, and he was acting as if he was so special.
Eunhae crossed her arms and looked at Albert up and down.
“Yes, I do not know much about your family and the Medici, but I think you don’t know much about manners. We never said you could sit here… aren’t the nobles from England taught manner and etiquette? Or are you just stupid?”
Haejin hadn’t seen Eunhae so hostile like this since they first met in the preview event in the Korea Auction.
She was about to criticize every mistake of her opponent.
Haejin though about stopping her, but he decided not to. Maybe backing off in such a situation to avoid a fight is what made him look like a weak person to those white aristocrats.
Albert hadn’t expected such hostility. He stammered in shock, “What, what nonsense… do you, do you think you can imagine what kind of education I received?”
Eunhae replied, “I don’t think I need to bother to imagine. My nephew is also full of himself, just like you. Oh, is he 15 now?”
Haejin remembered Yaerin saying something like that. Eunhae was using it now, so it must have hurt a lot at that time.
Of course, the white man, Albert, lost his temper at this.
“What, what?”
He jumped to his feet, but the lady in the red dress burst into laughter.
“Hahahahaha! Oh, so funny! Hahaha! Albert, she really got you!”
“Stop it!”
Albert warned her, but she didn’t stop and kept laughing for a long time.
Because of that, the other nobles who had been watching couldn’t resist their laughter. They covered their mouths and started laughing as well.
Albert couldn’t handle it anymore. He steamed and then went out. He knew arguing more would just diminish his reputation, so it was better to just leave.
Although Albert sucked, Haejin admired his judgment.
If he had kept arguing with Eunhae, who was a girl, things would have gotten worse, and if he had used violence, he would have been expelled from the aristocrat society.
“Huh! What a loser…”
Eunhae snorted as Albert left. Then, she looked back at Haejin and smiled.
“You’re actually good at this,” Haejin commented.
“Of course, I’ve been fighting with Yaerin for years now. Facing such an idiot is…”
She stopped there and looked at the lady in the red dress. The woman kept looking at Eunhae as she talked in Korean.
“Is there… anything you want to say?” Eunhae asked.
She took a sip of wine and said, “Florence Harrington. That’s my name. I’m Albert’s sister.”
“Oh…”
Eunhae was about to say something, but Florence spoke first.
“He deserved it. He needed that to come to his senses. He was humiliated by such a beautiful lady, so he won’t be able to forget that for the rest of his life. He is too proud…”
“Should I be sorry?”
Florence shook her hand and said, “No… I told you, he needed it. Or he would keep behaving so rudely like that and suffer even more, but what is your name?”
“Lim Eunhae. My English name is Charlotte.”
Haejin had learned about that when they went to America together.
Eunhae didn’t like it, so she didn’t often mention that name.
“Charlotte Lim? That sounds strange. I’ll just call you Charlotte.”
“Call me as you want,” Eunhae said.
“But what do you do? Your friend here is an appraiser, and you are…”
“I’m the director of an art museum. Mr. Park here is an appraiser, but he is also the owner of that museum.”
Florence was a little surprised and asked, “You are an appraiser with your own museum? That’s impressive. What is the name of the museum?”
“It was named after him. Park Haejin Art Museum. It was on the news a while ago because of Picasso’s painting.”
“Oh! I know it. The name was too difficult, so I couldn’t memorize it easily, but I remember now. Of course… Mr. Cavani would not invite just anyone.”
However, the other tables also started to get noisy as people found out that Haejin’s museum had Picasso’s painting.
They had thought him to just be a good Asian appraiser, but he was more than just that. They were surprised. Picasso’s paintings were very famous.
“For whatever reason Mr. Cavani invited us, I don’t think we are obliged to tell that to our fellow guests.”
Eunhae was still on guard, but Florence didn’t lose her smile and said, “You don’t have to be like that. There’s no idiot like Albert here now. But…”
Florence then turned to Haejin, she was clearly interested in him.
“I am a little curious. The Medici family has never invited a new appraiser. They have Albert. Oh, and Albert is the best of the best appraisers. I’m not saying this because he is my brother. From the ancient, middle ages, and contemporary art, if he doesn’t know about them, no one knows.”
That was a great compliment. Haejin had never heard of any appraiser getting that kind of compliment and had never thought any appraiser would get that kind of compliment.
“That’s amazing. I didn’t know such an appraiser existed…”
Haejin really meant that, but Florence thought he didn’t believe her and added, “He even helps at Christie’s auction in London. They ask for Albert’s help when their own appraisers cannot give them answers.”
Then, he really was good at his job. Of course, he was an appraiser of the Medici, so he had to be good…
“He is impressive.”
Again, Haejin really meant that, but Florence thought he was doubting her again. She crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair.
She continued, “Albert has been appraising for the Medici for ten years, but there is only one painting he gave up on. Did Mr. Cavani invite you because he thought you could appraise it?”
“I don’t know, but I am getting interested,” Haejin replied.
Florence laughed.
“This is going to be fun, very…”
Then, a boy who had been watching at another table came to them.
The boy was young, he was probably still in high school or middle school.
“Excuse me… are you an appraiser?”
“Yes. And?”
The boy hesitated and managed to talk only after a while.
“Could you appraise something for me?”
“I could if it were another time, but I’ve been invited to appraise, so I cannot do that before I meet the host, so…”
Haejin was about to refuse, but the boy spoke again with tearful eyes, “I’m sorry, but there is a painting I must have appraised.”
“That’s… I…”
Haejin didn’t know what to do, but Florence coldly spoke to the boy.
“You are so… well, the Butler family is famous for being stubborn… do as you wish, but it won’t change the truth.”