Girl with the Silver Cross:

Her name is Lea. One day, the old man simply brought her to the mansion and told the servants that the girl was now his adopted daughter. Her exact age and origin are known only to the old man, but Lea looks about twelve years old, short and thin. Her dark eyes are limpid, and her platinum hair sparkles in the sunlight. Unfortunately, sunlight rarely hits the girl's hair.

She is a substitute. A proxy for the sister the old man lost when he was young. He seeks the illusion of his beautiful, tender sister to sweep away the fear of death. This is what prompted him to adopt a girl who is her spitting image. She does exactly as he says, wearing the same clothes and sleeping every day without any changes as this sister of his. Singing her "little brother" to sleep every night using her soft and lovely voice.

Lea knows that once the old man obtains his perfect portrait, he may no longer have any use for the girl who continues to grow older with each passing year. And if that day comes, she will once again find herself without any family to her name. So she keeps her room as dim as she can, so no painter can capture her form. Lea deliberately makes irritating demands on the painters, throws fruit at them, and uses her sweet voice to utter harsh words at them. The girls bring an instrument and other things from goodness knows where and force painters to play make-believe. Even playing, one can only barely make out her frame within her shadowy room. Knowing full well the reason why the old man needs portraits, she never reveals this truth to the painters, so that they would definitely not be able to paint the portrait he so desired. But Lea has yet to realize her true value: the unique beauty she alone possesses. The splendor of her frame amidst the light of the setting sun is truly breathtaking to anyone whose gaze falls upon her at such a moment.

Lea's only companion and friend is her pet bird. And even that bird was given to her only because the old man's older sister had one just like it. Lea must always wear the same clothes every day, and also keep the silver cross clean, so that it doesn't get dirty. Otherwise, the old man will get upset.

Under her bed, Lea keeps a blue cosmetics case. It is her only personal belonging; it was with her even before arriving at the mansion. Inside are cheap white seashell earrings. When the old man sees Lea wearing them, he becomes very angry, because his sister never wore such earrings. Therefore, Lea can only afford to wear them for short moments when she is sure that no one will see her.

Old Man:

<Karl Fouché> Wealthiest person in the town. As a child, he lost his older sister, leaving him without any family. Now, old and frail, his mind is increasingly weakened by illness and requires comfort. The only thing that eases his mind as he lies on his deathbed, ravaged with illness, is her. The memories of those halcyon days he spent with his beloved sister when he was a young lad. The nights when she sang him to sleep... So he adopted Lea, a girl who looks so much like his older sister. He forces her to dress like his older sister and act like her. But what the old man truly desires is an image of his sister in her youth, as he remembers her. Thus, he demands that portraits be made of the girl. The old man communicates only with Lea. He never communicates with others personally, relying solely on servants to relay messages and orders. Karl's sister fell from the window in the room where Lea currently lives, so the old man never visits her in that room. He's fearful of recalling such a gruesome memory. </Karl Fouché>

Mansion:

A decrepit mansion, just like its owner. It's ill-lit, with an oppressive interior. Few would find living in such a house a positive experience.

Guest room: This is the room where all the painters invited to paint Lea's portrait lived. The furnishings are modest, nothing extra. The only interesting thing in this room is the old notes from previous guests.

Main room: This room used to be used for dinners and important negotiations. Now, it's completely unused. Portraits cover every inch of it. These are the works of other artists. Anyone entering this room will be unable to avoid the gaze of the girls enshrined in the paintings. Each portrait, although depicting the same girl, is vastly different, as the painters couldn't paint Lea in detail due to the distractions she created. One painting above the hearth is different. It looks older than the rest. It depicts a small boy beside a stream. He appears to be holding a bird cage. Though the painting has greatly deteriorated, it's possible to make out another person behind the boy. Someone is gently watching over him, holding an umbrella.

Lea's room: A tenebrous room on the top floor. It's gloomy, both because of the old furniture and because of the constant darkness that permeates the room. The curtains are always drawn, and the lamps shouldn't be brightly lit. Otherwise, the girl will throw a tantrum.

Old man's private room: The old man's room. He almost never leaves it, and he takes all his meals there. If he needs to relay a message, he uses servants. At night, Lea always enters the old man's room. Inside, the flame of the fireplace illuminates the countless girls that hang upon the wall; their number is even more than in the main room. Two shadows flicker in the firelight. The old man is curled up like a child in front of the fireplace. His shriveled hands gently caress the silver cross in her palm. The girl, in turn, strokes his face as he lies in her lap. She's singing quietly, to herself. It is a lullaby. Love is plain in the gestures she makes, as she has mastered the ability to fake tenderness. Anyone who would gaze upon such an image would think of the Madonna and Child painting.

Old Notes:

It's a list of warnings, each written in a different hand. The title at the top reads: "To the next unfortunate painter." It's been left in the guest room by artists who came to the mansion prior. Perhaps one started it as something of a joke, and the others continued on with it. The girl's habits make her especially difficult to paint. None of the other portraitists could work to the full extent of their capabilities under such conditions. Each subsequent painter is worse than the previous one. But at the same time, each subsequent painter has more and more information and advice from the previous ones to compensate for this. —"Peel the apple first, then give it to her." —"Take care regarding the color of the macarons! The colors should be varied and not repeated." —"Make certain you serve her tea at the correct time." —"Do not let the bird escape its cage, or you will spend all day chasing it." —"Under the bed is a blue cosmetics case. You must not touch it. I write this in all seriousness. Do NOT touch it. The girl will throw an incredibly huge tantrum."

Maids:

The servants who maintain the mansion have a simple and straightforward life. The maids have long been accustomed to the girl's teasing of the painters and aren't surprised when yet another painter comes asking for a knife to peel an apple or a variety of colored snacks. They provide the necessary item and hastily retreat before they're trapped in the aftermath. The maids neither help nor hinder the painters; they simply carry out their employer's orders.