"Please, have a seat," Gianluca said to the several uninvited guests.
Gong Saiyi sat down while examining the manuscripts in the study. Severus's expressionless face was like a mask.
"There's something I'd like you to investigate for me," Severus said.
"Go ahead," Gianluca replied readily.
"Give me the contact details for the people who supplied you with the manuscripts, especially any correspondence."
Gianluca glanced at his male nanny, who left the room.
"I expected you would make that request," Gianluca said. "In fact, I've already begun looking into it."
"What did you find?" Severus asked.
"That painting, The Wedding at Cana, really is a copy."
"I know," Severus said flatly.
"I mean the one in the Louvre Museum is the copy. The one in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute is the original."
"What?!" Gong Saiyi shouted.
"The Louvre Museum has been looted many times. Once when Napoleon abdicated, and again during World War II, when the Germans plundered its treasures. Don't forget that Italy and Germany were allies at the time," Gianluca said. "Besides, everyone was looking at the Mona Lisa. The Wedding at Cana received nowhere near as much attention."
"When was the copy painted?" Severus asked.
At that moment, the male nanny returned with something resembling a notebook in his hands.
Gianluca took it. It actually had a screen. He touched an icon with his fingertip, opening a document.
"Francis Hayez was an outstanding nineteenth-century painter. He was born into a poor family in Venice, Italy, the fifth child. Because his parents were impoverished, they had no choice but to give him up for adoption to his maternal uncle, Giovanni Binasco. His uncle loved collecting antiques and artworks. After discovering his nephew's talent, he sent him to apprentice under a restorer of old paintings, hoping that