IGRA Chapter 99

Not long after, the demonstration of painting began. Eleanor stood in front of the canvas, dressed in a work uniform she had prepared in advance. She began to paint a landscape of a field near her house. Since it was a painting she had already tried once for today, there was no problem painting it from memory. Amidst the silent crowd, intermittent whispers and small exclamations could be heard.

It was in the midst of Eleanor’s painting. Emperor Hector III and Empress Theodora entered the venue with their attendants.

“Father, Mother. You’re here.”

Aaron stepped forward to greet them. The spectators who had been watching Eleanor all turned around and bowed their heads. However, Eleanor was still focused on her painting, her back turned. It seemed she hadn’t noticed the arrival of the imperial couple.

The chief attendant coughed loudly, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him.

“Let her be. She seems to be fully engrossed, there’s no need to disturb her unnecessarily.”

A smile of interest hung on the emperor’s lips. Empress Theodora glanced at him and then turned her gaze to Eleanor.

As the emperor said, Eleanor seemed completely absorbed in her painting. It was a new side of her that they hadn’t seen before.

‘This child was such a famous painter…’

This was the first time she had seen Eleanor since her divorce from Daryl. She had heard it was a planned divorce, but she didn’t expect them to part exactly a year later. She had read Daryl’s obsession with his wife in his eyes. Was that just Theodora’s misunderstanding? Or was there another reason?

She was curious about the reason, and she was also worried about Eleanor, who was alone again. She wanted to talk to her directly, but she couldn’t call her to the palace without thinking about Eleanor. Especially since she wasn’t in good health, she was worried that forcing her to appear in front of people might make her more uncomfortable.

So when she heard that Eleanor was a painter named Marcus Miller and was attending an exhibition hosted by Aaron, she was very worried. After the divorce, all sorts of rumors about Eleanor had been circulating, and it was only now that they had quieted down. This event could reignite public interest.

She tried to stop Aaron, but he wouldn’t listen to her.

[It’s an exhibition I’m hosting myself. It’s a great opportunity for the painter to become more famous, what’s the problem?]

[If she wanted to be famous, why would she use a man’s name? She’s a child who gave up her social debut because she didn’t like being talked about. Do you really think it’s for her to force her out in front of people?]

[Sooner or later, it will be known. Then it’s better to come out confidently at this opportunity. Who would dare to talk behind the back of a painter I sponsor. Stop worrying for nothing and leave it to me. I’ll handle it well.]

Theodora looked at Eleanor’s back with a worried gaze.

After a while, Eleanor suddenly put down her brush and stepped back. It seemed she had finished painting.

“Is it over?”

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The emperor, who had been sitting far away, got up and came closer. Eleanor, who was late to discover the emperor and empress, quickly bowed her head.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress.”

The emperor lightly raised his hand in response to the greeting, then stood in front of the painting Eleanor had drawn. He nodded in admiration.

“It’s a wonderful painting. I only knew you were dazzlingly beautiful, I didn’t know you were hiding such extraordinary skills. Isn’t this painting as good as the works of the masters hanging in the palace?”

“…Your words are too generous for such a humble painting.”

“No, it’s not. It’s really great. Isn’t that right, Aaron?”

“Your Majesty is correct.”

In fact, several of Miller’s paintings were already hanging in the palace. Miller was a painter recognized for his artistic value among experts. In other words, he should be considered one of the ‘masters’ mentioned by the emperor. From the emperor’s point of view, he might have praised her a lot, but in reality, he underestimated Eleanor more than she actually was.

However, Aaron did not bother to point out that fact. The emperor, unlike Aaron, had little knowledge of art, and Eleanor was quite different from the typical image of a master. It was only natural that his compliment for her was ‘she paints well for a woman’.

“I was thinking it’s about time I had a new portrait of myself. I guess I can ask you.”

The emperor slowly looked Eleanor up and down as he spoke. Theodora felt a chill run down her neck. It was a look she had seen from her husband many times before.

“…Your Majesty.”

“What do you think? Would you like to try drawing me?”

Ignoring Theodora’s call in a cracked voice, the emperor continued his words. Aaron, too, seemed to sense something unusual, and hurriedly intervened before Eleanor could answer.

“Miss Townsend is an excellent painter, but she is not a portrait specialist. How about entrusting the portrait to another painter? I will gather the best painters.”

“No, there’s no need for that. I like this painting.”

There was a strangely murky light swirling in the emperor’s eyes.

The emperor had been a womanizer for more than a day or two, but as he aged, his degree of womanizing was getting worse. Was he feeling impatient about the decline of his function as a man? Because he reached out to any woman who caught his eye, Aaron had a hard time cleaning up after him. It had been two years since the granddaughter of Earl Baker committed suicide, and for a while, the emperor seemed to have learned his lesson and restrained himself. But recently, whether his patience had run out, he was acting more brazenly than before.

On the outside, Aaron was smiling, but inside, he was deeply worried. In most cases, it was resolved by giving appropriate compensation and silencing the issue, but this time it didn’t seem possible. No matter how much he was the emperor, it was dangerous to let him touch Eleanor. There was a reason why Aaron had never thought of trying anything with Eleanor, despite her being such an outstanding beauty and having the attractive condition of once being Daryl Lloyd’s woman.

Eleanor was already too famous and had many connections. Daryl had changed like another person after divorcing Eleanor, and he still seemed unable to forget her.

Empress Theodora also seemed to still favor Eleanor.

And Eleanor seemed to have a neat temperament at first glance. There were occasionally women like this. The granddaughter of Earl Baker had also made such an extreme choice because she was like that. No matter what compensation was offered, it didn’t seem like she would accept the emperor’s offer to serve him at night.

Moreover, as of today, the fact that Eleanor was Marcus Miller became known, so the public’s attention was bound to be focused on her even more.

“You’re not answering. Don’t you like it?”

“No, how could that be? However, as His Highness the Crown Prince said, I’m not sure if I can dare to capture Your Majesty’s countenance…”

“It’s okay. Even if it doesn’t meet my expectations, I won’t show it, so you can rest assured.”

“……”

Eleanor had no words, her eyes slightly downcast.

“Father. How about we discuss this matter later? The exhibition is still ongoing, and there are many people gathered here…”

At Aaron’s words, the emperor squinted his eyes in displeasure. But soon he nodded his head with a resigned expression.

“Alright, I understand. Then I will call you again on a good day.”

“…Your Majesty, Your Highness.”

Eleanor bowed her knee in respect. The emperor shrugged his shoulders and turned around. The chief attendant and other attendants hurriedly followed him.

“…Aaron.”

Theodora looked at Aaron with a pale, strained face. Aaron smiled as if it was nothing.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll handle it.”

“…….”

Theodora looked alternately at Aaron and Eleanor without a word, then closed her eyes as if in pain. And she left the place.

“Now, then. Let’s give a round of applause to Marcus Miller…no, Miss Eleanor Townsend, who has given us a magical time.”

As Aaron raised his voice, the audience began to applaud in unison.