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MidReal Story
The Legend Of The Queen With The Blue Lily Marking On Her Cheek
Scenario:The exhibition "Painting Masters of the Renaissance" was set up in the city gallery. Ljiljana (that's a Croatian female name that comes from the lily flower - ljiljan) is a middle-aged woman and she definitely wants to visit this exhibition. Her husband Goran is not particularly interested in it, so she decides to go alone. A younger unknown woman completely unexpectedly approaches her while she is looking at the paintings. The woman was a little excited and she invites her to look at the painting a few meters away. It was a portrait of the Queen of the Blue Lily. The woman noticed a striking similarity between the portrait and Ljiljana. Then Ljiljana noticed that the queen in the portrait had a blue dot under her ear, just like hers. This fascinated the woman even more. Such an incredible resemblance! Such a coincidence! Ljiljana laughed and said that in her childhood she often fantasized and drew queens. The woman asked Ljiljana to take a photo of her next to the portrait. Ljiljana was reluctant, but the woman seemed kind and she agreed. Ljiljana became confused, excited and curious about this portrait and the resemblance. She looked at the exhibition quickly and she rushed to the library. She arrived at the last minute before the library closed. She quickly borrowed two books that contained something about the mysterious queen. She immediately told Goran everything as soon as she got home. Of course, Goran took it all as a joke. But Ljiljana looked for information in the books and she found out that the Queen of the Blue Lily may have never existed and that she was just a legend. The next day Goran came home from work and he looked very mysterious. He brought the newspaper and he opened the culture section. There was a photo of Ljiljana next to the portrait in the gallery. A small picture next to the article revealed that the woman who had photographed Ljiljana was actually an art critic who had visited the exhibition as well. A little later, Ljiljana's colleague called her and told her that her picture was on the Internet and Facebook. Ljiljana had been busy all day, so she didn't get to see it. The story becomes more complicated. She receives a strange book. She connects with a young woman from the gallery and they begin to investigate everything about the Lily Queen. But they become endangered. Some members of a secret society threaten them and they want to eliminate them. Another group of the secret society wants to secretly protect them. They gradually discover that the legend of the Lily Queen is not just a legend.
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Ljiljana Šerbedžima
She is a librarian in a small town. She is curious,imaginative,and determined. Goran took her to see the exhibition of Renaissance paintings,where she found a portrait of a woman resembling her. A mysterious woman approached her,sparking an intriguing adventure. Ljiljana discovered that this woman was an art critic. She received a mysterious book later,leading her to an underground gallery where she met the art critic again. Ljiljana learned about the secret society behind the gallery and her alleged resemblance to a legendary queen.
Anja
She is an art critic with short red hair and a lively personality. She is bold,intelligent,and perceptive. Anja first encountered Ljiljana at the exhibition,where she noticed their resemblance to the portrait of the Queen of the Blue Lily. She later connected with Ljiljana again at an underground gallery,revealing herself as the critic from the exhibition. Anja explained the secret society behind the gallery and warned Ljiljana of potential danger. Her curiosity about art and history drove her actions.
Goran Šerbedžima
He is Ljiljana's husband and a bookseller in their town. He is skeptical,humorous,and supportive. Goran accompanied Ljiljana to the exhibition,teasing her about being a "typical woman." He joked about the portrait and Ljiljana's supposed connection to it. Despite his reservations,he encouraged Ljiljana's curiosity. When Ljiljana received mysterious books and faced threats from an unknown group,Goran remained unaware but supportive. He was unaware of the secret society's involvement before Ljiljana informed him.
The exhibition "Painting Masters of the Renaissance" was set up in our city gallery, so I told my husband Goran to take me to see it.
He took me one Saturday afternoon.
I was looking at the paintings, and suddenly I noticed a woman approaching me.
She was a little younger than me, with short red hair and a kind smile.
"Excuse me," she said, "I couldn't help but notice that you look at that portrait from yesterday's newspaper."
She pointed to the painting a few meters away from us.
"It's a portrait of the Queen of the Blue Lily. Do you want to take a look?"
I turned around and looked at the painting.
The woman in the portrait looked very much like me.
"I'm sorry," the woman said, "but I just can't help but notice your resemblance to her."
I looked at her, then at the portrait.
"I'll go and take a closer look," I said.
The woman followed me.
When I came closer to the painting, I noticed something strange.
The queen in the portrait had a blue dot under her ear, just like me.
I laughed and said, "What a strange coincidence."
The woman smiled and said, "I know. I was looking at that painting yesterday, and suddenly I had an idea to find a woman who looked just like her."
"And you found me?"
I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"I was standing here for half an hour, waiting for someone who looked like her to appear."
I noticed her eyes darting around nervously before she answered.
"Yes, I did."
She pulled out a small leather notebook from her bag and flipped through the worn pages.
They were filled with sketches of the queen's portrait, along with some notes written in cramped handwriting.
"Can I see?"
I asked, stepping closer to her.
"Of course," she replied, handing me the notebook.
As I flipped through the pages, I saw that there were not only sketches of the queen but also other paintings of women with blue marks on their necks.
There were notes about each painting, including the artist's name and the year it was created.
"This is amazing," I said.
"What are you doing with this?"
"I'm researching a series of Renaissance paintings," she explained.
"They all feature women with blue marks on their necks, just like the queen in this portrait. I believe they are all connected to ancient noble families."
"Wow, that sounds fascinating," I said.
"I've been studying these paintings for years, trying to figure out what the blue marks mean."
She looked at me intently and said, "I think you might be able to help me."
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized what she was saying.
"How?"
I asked.
"I need to show you something," she replied.
"But not here. It's too public."
She glanced over her shoulder nervously and then led me toward a quieter corner of the gallery. As we walked, she told me more about her research.
She had discovered that all of the paintings with blue marks were created during a specific time period in the Renaissance, and they all featured women from noble families.
She believed that the blue marks were a symbol of something important, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
When we reached a secluded corner of the gallery, she stopped and turned to face me.
"I want to show you something," she said, pulling out a small map from her bag.
"It's a map of Europe, with all of the locations where these paintings were created circled in red."
I took the map from her and studied it carefully.
There were several locations circled in red, all of them in different countries across Europe.
"This is amazing," I said, handing the map back to her.
"But what does it mean?"
"That's what I need your help to figure out," she replied.
"Your resemblance to the queen might be the key we've been missing."
We sat down at a small table in the corner of the gallery's café.
The café was empty, and the only sound was the soft hum of the espresso machine.
The woman pulled out a stack of papers from her bag and spread them out on the table.
"These are photographs of all the paintings I've found so far," she explained.
"They all feature women with blue marks on their necks, just like the queen."
I looked through the photographs, studying each one carefully.
The women in the paintings were all different, but they all shared a similar feature - a small blue mark under their ear.
"Where did you find these paintings?"
I asked.
"Some of them are in museums, while others are in private collections," she replied.
"I've been searching for them for years, trying to find as many as I can."
She pointed to one of the photographs.
"This one is particularly interesting. It's a portrait of a woman named Isabella, who was a member of the royal family in Spain. The painting was created in the 16th century, and it's one of the earliest examples of a woman with a blue mark on her neck."
She pointed to another photograph.
"This one is a portrait of a woman named Elizabeth, who was a member of the royal family in England. The painting was created in the 17th century, and it's one of the most well-known examples of a woman with a blue mark on her neck." I looked at each photograph carefully, studying the details of each painting.
The women in the paintings were all different, but they all shared a similar feature - a small blue mark under their ear.
"What do you think these blue marks mean?"
I asked.
"I'm not sure," she replied.
"But I think they might be connected to an ancient noble family. I've been researching this family for years, trying to learn more about them."
She pulled out another stack of papers from her bag and spread them out on the table.
"These are copies of ancient documents that mention this family," she explained.
"They're written in an old language that's difficult to translate, but I've been working on it for years."
She pointed to one of the documents.
"This one is particularly interesting. It mentions a woman named Sophia, who was a member of this family. She's described as having a blue mark on her neck, just like the women in these paintings."
"The woman's name is Anja," she said, pulling out a leather folder from her bag.
She opened it and pulled out a stack of yellowed parchments, tied together with a faded ribbon.
"These are copies of the documents I've found," she explained.
"They're written in Latin, but I've been working on translating them."
I leaned forward, my eyes scanning the pages.
The handwriting was medieval, and I recognized some of the terms from my work in the library.
"May I?"
I asked, reaching for the papers.
Anja nodded, and I gently untied the ribbon and began to read.
The fluorescent lights of the café flickered overhead as I scanned the pages.
The text was dense and difficult to decipher, but I recognized some of the terms from my studies.
I saw words like "caeruleum signum" - the blue sign - and "nobilis sanguis" - noble blood.
"This is fascinating," I said, tracing my fingers over the delicate pages.
"Can you tell me more about what this says?"
Anja leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Yes," she said.
"I've been studying these documents for years, trying to understand what they mean."
She pointed to a passage on one of the pages.
"This part talks about a woman named Sophia," she explained.
"She was a member of an ancient noble family, and she had a blue mark on her neck." "This part says that Sophia was a descendant of an ancient king," Anja continued.
"He was said to have had magical powers, and his descendants were believed to have inherited those powers."
She pointed to another passage on the page.
"This part talks about the blue mark on Sophia's neck," she said.
"It says that it was a sign of her magical powers, and that it would be passed down to her descendants."
I sat back in my chair, my mind racing with questions.
"What does this mean?"
I asked Anja.
"I'm not entirely sure," she replied.
"But I think it might be connected to the paintings we've been studying."
She pointed to one of the photographs on the table.
"This painting depicts a woman with a blue mark on her neck," she explained.
"It's similar to the mark described in this document."
I looked at the photograph again, studying it carefully.
The woman in the painting did have a blue mark on her neck, just like Sophia in the document. "But what does it mean?"
I asked Anja again.
I leaned forward, my eyes fixed on the photograph.
Anja pulled out a city map and spread it out on the table.
She circled a location in red, then pointed to it.
"This is where the Museum of Medieval Art is located," she explained.
"The painting is part of their permanent collection."
She pointed to a small portrait in one of her research photos.
It was another woman with our distinctive blue mark.
"This one is also in the museum's collection," she said.
"Would you like to see it?"
I nodded, and Anja pulled out another folder from her bag.
She opened it and handed me a photograph of the painting.
I took it from her, studying it carefully.
The woman in the painting was beautiful, with long golden hair and piercing blue eyes.
And there, under her ear, was the same blue mark that I had seen on the other paintings. As I looked at the photograph, I noticed that my hands were shaking slightly.
I wasn't sure why, but something about this painting was affecting me deeply.
"Are you okay?" asked Anja, noticing my reaction.
"Yes," I replied, setting the photograph down on the table.
"I'm just a little overwhelmed."
Anja nodded understandingly.
"It's a lot to take in," she said.
"But I think this could be important. Would you like to go see the painting in person?"
I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.
But then I nodded my head in agreement.
"Yes," I said.
"I'd like to see it."
"Good," said Anja, smiling at me.
"I'll meet you at the museum tomorrow morning when they first open. We can go together."
I agreed to meet her at 9 AM and thanked her for showing me the documents and photographs.
As I left the café, I couldn't help but feel excited about what we might discover tomorrow. "Where is it?"
I asked Anja as we walked through the museum's front doors.
"It's on the second floor," she replied, leading me up a staircase lined with ancient tapestries and oil paintings of medieval royalty.
We reached the top of the stairs and turned left down a quiet corridor lined with glass cases filled with artifacts from ancient civilizations.
At the end of the corridor was a small room with a single painting hanging on the wall.
It was an oil portrait of a young woman with long golden hair and piercing blue eyes, just like in the photograph Anja had shown me yesterday.
Anja gestured toward the painting, her voice barely above a whisper.
"This is it," she said, her eyes fixed on the portrait.
I stepped closer, my heart pounding as I recognized the woman in the painting.
Standing before the portrait in the museum's small room, I couldn't help but notice how the morning light caught the painted woman's blue mark.
My hand moved towards it instinctively, as if drawn by a force beyond my control.
The canvas felt rough beneath my fingertip as I traced the curved edge of the mark.
And then, something unexpected happened.
Warmth radiated from the painted surface, spreading through my finger and up my arm.
Anja gasped beside me, pointing at my own mark which had begun to glow faintly.
The security guard's footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the room, growing louder with each passing second.
I quickly pulled my hand away from the painting, but the warmth lingered under my ear where my own mark tingled.
"Did you feel that?" Anja whispered, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"I did," I replied, my voice trembling slightly. "It's like the painting recognized me."
Anja nodded, her expression a mix of excitement and disbelief. "This changes everything," she said.
I pressed my palm against the ornate frame, feeling the warmth pulse beneath my mark again.
Anja ran her fingers along the edge of the frame, stopping at a small indent in the wood.
She pushed it, and a soft click echoed through the room.
Together, we pulled the heavy frame forward, revealing rough stone steps that descended into darkness.
Anja pulled out her phone to use as a flashlight while I glanced back at the empty gallery.
The guard's footsteps had faded into the distance.
My heart pounded in my chest as we stepped through the opening.
The painting swung shut behind us with a soft thud.
The narrow passage sloped downward, our shoes scraping against worn steps.
I gripped the damp stone wall as we made our way down the spiral staircase.
Anja's phone light cast long shadows on the walls ahead.
The air grew colder and mustier with each step.
My mark tingled more intensely the further we descended, like a compass pulling me forward.
After what felt like hundreds of steps, we reached a heavy wooden door adorned with intricate carvings of lilies.
I ran my fingers over the worn symbols while Anja snapped photos with her phone.
The door felt warm beneath my touch, just like the painting above.
"Do you think we should open it?" Anja asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I hesitated, feeling the warmth seep into my fingertips. "I think we have to," I replied, meeting her gaze with determination.
Anja nodded, taking a deep breath. "Alright, let's see what's on the other side."
