Britia knew who the visitor was without needing to check.
“There is a way for you to stay. You could become His Majesty’s court painter.”
Kyra, who had been watching Britia curiously for not moving despite having a visitor, slowly parted her lips.
“Do you think it’s impossible? I believe you can do it.”
“Are you planning to keep asking His Majesty to accept me as a painter?”
“Why not? It’s worth a try.”
Kyra was left speechless by Britia’s confident tone.
“If you become a painter thanks to me, you owe me a favor later.”
“Well…”
“You won’t repay me?”
“I will. If that happens, it won’t be a problem. But…”
Once again, there was a knock on the door—three quick taps.
“The future court painter should get some rest. I’ll step out for a moment.”
Kyra didn’t bother asking Britia who had arrived or where she was going. Judging by the joyful expression on Britia’s face, she already had a good idea.
After making sure Kyra had laid down, Britia threw on a robe and stepped out into the hallway. She met Sig’s gaze as he waited for her and walked over to take his hand.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“It’s fine.”
The two of them walked down the palace corridor, heading toward a secluded spot where few people passed by. Since the Emperor had made it difficult for them to meet during the day, nighttime walks had become part of their routine.
However, something was off between them that night. They both seemed to have something to say but remained silent, stealing glances at each other.
Britia was debating whether to ask Sig if the tail she had seen earlier was really his.
Sig, on the other hand, was preoccupied with figuring out how to ask Britia for a favor.
*‘Whether His Highness can marry depends on you,My lord. Make sure you succeed.’*
The vice-captain had piled on the pressure, and Sig felt the weight of responsibility. But Britia hadn’t said a word since they started walking.
Could she be in a bad mood? If so, it wouldn’t be easy to make his request.
Sig anxiously glanced at Britia. They had wandered aimlessly and now stood at the end of the corridor, unable to go any further.
“Sig.”
When Britia called his name, Sig tensed up and swallowed hard. Even though he hadn’t done anything wrong, his feet felt strangely heavy.
“The weather is nice tonight. It’s not too hot.”
Britia’s casual comment made Sig’s nervousness seem silly. Of course, she had something else on her mind.
*Did you hear that Kyra called His Highness eunuch today? And with His Highness right there?*
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask that question. Still, breaking the silence had a positive effect. Sig seemed to realize that she wasn’t in a bad mood and mustered up some courage.
“Britia, I actually have a favor to ask.”
He gently took her hand.
“My brother needs to have close contact with Kyra Scandars. Can you arrange a meeting?”
“Close contact?”
Britia asked in confusion, and Sig nodded seriously, his expression grave.
“Is it a secret what he needs to talk to her about?”
Britia grew anxious, wondering if the Crown Prince intended to punish Kyra for insulting him. She cautiously asked,
“He’s not planning to starve her or burn her paintings, is he?”
Britia carefully probed Sig. Sig blinked and then shook his head.
“If someone burned a painting in front of him, my brother would be furious. And…”
“And?”
“He wants to keep her by his side so she can paint for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t be able to do that if she starved, so no, he won’t do that.”
Britia blinked, slowly digesting Sig’s words.
“So, what Sig is saying is that His Majesty wants Kyra to paint for him?”
“Yes, and not just anywhere, but here.”
“Here, meaning in the Imperial Palace?”
Britia’s eyes, which had been filled with doubt, gradually widened. That meant they were planning to appoint Kyra as a royal painter.
“Does His Majesty appreciate her paintings, her talent?”
“I don’t know for sure, but he seems to be very satisfied. He said he wanted to keep watching her paint.”
Britia took a deep breath as she watched Sig roll his eyes, trying to recall his memory.
So it was true that they wanted to make her a painter. Look at this. Becoming a royal painter isn’t an impossible task after all!
Only then did Britia let out a sigh of relief. She had told Kyra to try to catch the Emperor’s eye and become a painter, but in truth, it was a risky strategy.
The Emperor was the kind of person who could say he liked something today and hate it by tomorrow. It was common for him to suddenly dismiss people.
However, the Crown Prince was a consistent person in that regard. It was said that he treated the artists he selected very generously.
If Kyra became an artist under his protection, even the Duke of Scandars wouldn’t be able to touch her.
“If that’s the request, I’m more than happy to oblige. In fact, I wish His Majesty would tell Kyra as soon as possible.”
So that she wouldn’t have to return to the house where the Duke of Scandars was waiting to pounce on her.
“My lord has no intention of delaying.”
“That’s a relief.”
Sig felt slightly at ease when Britia smiled at him for the first time today.
“But Britia, has she returned to Scandars yet? Or is she…”
Planning to run away? Sig swallowed the rest of his words and studied Britia’s face.
“Not yet. She’s going to paint His Majesty’s portrait tomorrow. It seems that not only His Majesty but even the Emperor liked her painting.”
Britia felt a sense of pride, thinking that her judgment in appreciating Kyra’s paintings wasn’t wrong after all.
How frightening and exhausting it had been to play hide-and-seek with the Duke of Scandars all day. She had also been mentally burdened, wondering if what she was doing was right, or if she was making things difficult for Kyra.
But now, all those worries had vanished. She was only glad that they had fled from the Duke, holding Kyra’s hand.
She had to make sure Kyra could become a painter like Elsalut here.
“It’s rare for His Highness to ask someone to paint.”
Sig was surprised, noting that it was unusual.
“Her paintings didn’t seem too bad, after all.”
“Sig, have you seen Kyra’s paintings?”
“My lord…”
“My lord? …Could it be the painting of the bottle that His Highness took with him?”
Britia’s face flushed with embarrassment. She never imagined that painting would end up in Sig’s possession.
“There’s no special meaning behind that bottle. It was just a prop next to me while I was painting.”
Feeling oddly guilty, Britia explained herself.
“I don’t even drink much. I’m not a drunkard.”
“But when we had just met, you did ask me to touch your tail…”
Britia quickly covered Sig’s mouth.
“Forget about the past.”
Unable to speak, Sig placed his hand on Britia’s waist. As she lowered her hand in response to his gentle gaze, Sig kissed her on the cheek.
“It smells a bit sweet.”
“I had some jelly.”
“Did you get it from my aunt?”
When Britia jokingly called him a bloodhound, Sig kissed her between her slightly parted lips.
“I was right.”
Seeing Sig’s satisfied smile, Britia pressed her lips together tightly.
“Is there no reward for being right?”
Not long ago, he was shyly asking if he could kiss her. What happened to that man? Had he changed because of the influence of that vice-captain who was always by his side?
***
Kyra pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed when she heard Britia quietly return to the room. Even when Britia’s breathing became steady and she fell asleep, Kyra couldn’t drift off.
To aim for the Emperor’s painter? She couldn’t possibly do that.
‘Was the meaning of being good at painting different from what I thought?’
Kyra couldn’t understand how Britia could be so optimistic about it. She wanted to avoid returning to her father, who was at his wit’s end. She would rather mess up the painting and die by the Emperor’s hand than face her father’s wrath.
Should she start walking to the Slanford estate now? If she was lucky, she might arrive before sunrise.
Kyra got out of bed, her heart pounding as she felt an urgent need to escape.
“Can’t you sleep?”
As she tried to get out of bed, Britia, possibly awakened by her movements, asked in a groggy voice.
“Don’t worry. You can succeed as a painter here.”
Britia reached out to Kyra, gently laying her back down and patting her as if she were a younger sibling. It was an old habit from when Leonie used to climb into her bed when she couldn’t sleep.
“You have something to rely on.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.”
With a yawn, Britia, who had been laughing, fell back to sleep.
Despite her irritation, Kyra felt oddly reassured by Britia’s calm demeanor. Could there really be a clever plan?
Kyra blinked her eyes alone until she eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, Kyra prepared to paint with a trembling heart.
“Please just tell me what that ‘something to rely on’ is.”
She asked to know whether it was something truly reliable so she could judge for herself and avoid being more disappointed.
“Don’t you trust me? Just believe in me a little.”
But Britia kept repeating that she would find out soon enough.
Hoping that Britia’s confidence wasn’t misplaced, Kyra saw the Crown Prince appear before her.
“It’s disappointing that you didn’t call me for the painting, Your Majesty.”
Kyra despaired as she saw him, who was known to quickly judge the quality of paintings. Britia’s shallow flattery would not work on him.
“Now, you can’t say you can’t do it, can you?”
“No, I can’t. I’ll just paint as usual.”
“Do you think I usually paint people, let alone Your Majesty?”
Kyra asked sharply in a low voice.
“Not usually, but just drink some water and calm down.”
Following Britia’s advice, Kyra drank water and tried to steady her trembling breath. Her hands shook so much she could barely hold the pencil.
“If you like her painting today, how about keeping her as Your Majesty’s court painter?”
As she finally started painting, Britia glanced at the Crown Prince next to the Emperor and made her pitch.
With such confidence, one might wonder if there was a clever trick. In the end, it seemed Britia was relying on her flattery skills.
Kyra found it absurd.
“How ridiculous, Britia Lockhart.”
Though she felt a glimmer of hope, seeing the Emperor’s dismissive expression made her give up immediately.
“Your Majesty.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince, who had been watching the situation comfortably from the sofa, spoke up. He had rested his elbow on the armrest and raised his hand. As everyone’s attention turned to him, he smiled.
“If Your Majesty is not satisfied, may I take her with me? I’ve had my eye on her for a while.”
