Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 16

She fixed her gaze on the spot where Ines was standing.

At that moment, Timothy stepped forward, bringing Sheila and Henry with him.

He wanted to see for himself what exactly this "talent and spark" Ines claimed to see in someone's eyes looked like.

Sheila had been into animation since grade school. All these years at Aetherion, she'd even worked on a major project with the renowned director Mr. Smith-so how could she possibly lack talent or spark?

Ines cast a long, searching look at the covered frame, then turned to face the crowd.

She spoke slowly, her voice calm and clear. "I hadn't originally planned to exhibit

this piece. But honestly, I couldn't find a single flaw in it. Today marks the first stop on my national tour, and this is one of the country's landmark animation conventions. After a lot of thought, I decided to bring it out for everyone to appreciate and learn from."

With that, Ines stepped aside and pulled the deep red cloth away from the large frame.

For a moment, it was as if someone had pressed mute on the entire gallery.

The silence was so profound, you could have heard a pin drop.

It was a painting of The Grand Canal, Venice.

the usual somber palette, the

people and scenery retained their classic forms, yet everything had been reimagined with the stylized flair of

the canvas, as

the image was perfectly still, it felt astonishingly alive-each

like watching an animation frozen in

long seconds, nobody moved or

what Ines meant

that hinted at motion,

the piece

Of course-paper cutwork.

intricate relief technique made the

shattered. Applause exploded

the clapping began to fade, Ines raised both hands, signaling for

to explain

like Timothy's own impression-dynamic yet tranquil, still yet full

new blended together, and how

Ines revealed something else: the work was not her own design. Instead, it had been a fortieth birthday gift from one of

Will we get to see any more of

her own happiness-got married and moved on. Talents like hers don't come around often, but

a deep note of regret crept into

in her throat, her eyes shining with tears as she