“Why is that child wearing such a distressed expression?”
The Empress, strolling through the palace, noticed Sig passing by in the distant corridor and spoke.
She instructed the maid by her side to fetch him. Upon receiving the Empress’s summons, he approached briskly as their eyes met from a distance.
“Sig, did you come here without even greeting me and trying to leave?”
“I was just about to come and see you.”
Upon hearing that, the Empress snorted and turned her head.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been spending a lot of time with Count Lockhart lately. If that’s true, come and spend some time with me for a while.”
The Empress walked ahead with a smile. She walked towards one of her reception rooms.
“I don’t know what it is, but it seems uncomfortable to hold onto. Put it down.”
Sitting comfortably on the sofa, the Empress spoke as she looked at Sig. Since earlier, Sig had been clutching a rectangular object tightly against his chest. In response, Sig blinked his eyes and carefully placed the painting next to him.
“It seems you attended the party I invited you to. There have been rumors lately that you’ve been seen often with Lord Lockhart.”
Although she had separate questions she wanted to ask, the Empress exercised patience and started with a lighter question.
“What kind of man is he?”
“Despite the small age difference between us, he is a close friend who knows a surprising amount about many things.”
At the mention of the word “friend,” the Empress’s eyebrows twitched. It was the first time she had heard him refer to someone as a friend other than the wolves he raised in Altheim.
“He has a keen sense of understanding what people think and enlightens me on various matters.”
“What kind of matters?”
“I learned about the proper etiquette for inviting guests to a banquet.”
The Empress nodded slowly, wearing a benevolent smile.
“See, when you interact with people, you also gain such connections.”
“I thought that a frail friend like him would have no means of communication. But when I had a conversation with him, I found him to be an interesting man. On one hand, he has depth.”
“You shouldn’t judge people based on appearances alone.”
The Empress teased him as she took a sip of tea. Sig agreed with her words.
“It’s fortunate that you have found a good friend. Is there any other good news?”
Following the subsequent question, Sig momentarily closed his mouth and thought about another piece of good news before answering.
“Lord brother has decided to help with the hunting competition that will take place soon.”
“Ah, the annual hunting competition that will be held in a few days. You should also learn how to prepare for such events.”
The Empress wanted to take this opportunity to properly educate him besides the Crown Prince, but now she wanted to get to the main point.
“By the way, I heard that His Highness performed another play recently. Were you also present there?”
“I didn’t assist with the play, but Lord Brother extended an invitation to me.”
“Just you?”
“I went with Britia.”
Finally, at the mention of her name, the Empress slightly bit her lower lip before smiling.
“Britia? Have you become friends with her too?”
“Friends…”
Sig rolled his eyes around, lost in thought. While she had been closer to him recently, he had never explicitly referred to her as a friend. He had asked if it was okay to treat her like a friend, but it didn’t mean they became friends.
“No, we’re not friends.”
“Then how did you end up going to such a place together?”
“…I wanted to spend time together.”
Sig hesitated for a moment and wore a thoughtful expression. The Empress realized that her shy and reserved nephew was feeling somewhat flustered.
“So, she’s also a good person?”
“Yes.”
The Empress felt her patience reaching its limit as she restrained herself from teasing him at his immediate response.
For a moment, he forgot about discussing Britia and her face appeared in Sig’s mind. Her laughter could freeze time or the moment she called him cute.
She’s truly a wonderful person. Anyone would agree.
As Sig nodded his head, recalling the events of that night, he suddenly fell silent.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” the Empress asked, sensing something amiss.
“…Britia is someone who allows me to have many thoughts.”
“Hmm, what kind of thoughts?”
“I didn’t like the idea of her having enjoyable conversations with other men. And I fervently wished that she would wear the dress I gave her.”
The Empress forgot about drinking her tea and focused on his story.
“I wondered why I felt that way, but it seems it was jealousy.”
She found it amusing and endearing to see her nephew earnestly grappling with matters of love. She nearly burst out laughing.
“I didn’t know how to handle the burning jealousy until she told me that I was cuter than that man.”
The Empress suppressed her laughter and raised her chin slightly.
Granted, he had been cute in a certain way when he was younger, but as he grew older, he became reserved and serious.
Did she really call Sig cute?
The Empress thought Britia was quite capable and nodded, urging him to continue.
“Despite me showing such a rude attitude, she even went as far as agreeing to wear the dress I would gift her. So lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of clothes would suit her, and strangely enough, it brings me joy.”
Hence, he had planned to meet her today to present the dress, but they missed meeting with each other twice, and he muttered, feeling regretful.
“That’s good.”
The Empress displayed a satisfied smile as she spoke.
“I have some news for you, but I can’t seem to figure out when our talented prince will share some happy news. It’s getting tiresome with all the pressure from various families.”
“What family is becoming a thorn in your side, Aunt?”
Sig’s face, which had been softer than usual, turned harsh. It was a fitting portrayal of someone deserving the title of the Emperor’s mad dog.
“It’s not their fault, at least not in this matter. The problem lies with the crown prince, who hasn’t even announced an engagement, let alone marriage.”
“But doesn’t Lord brother have potential marriage partners?”
Sig relaxed his expression and blinked his eyes.
“That’s not the issue. It’s just that he doesn’t seem to have any intention of finding a partner.”
The Empress shrugged her shoulders and thought of her cunning son’s face, furrowing her brows.
“How long will he continue to live solely for his art?”
* * *
The rain that had been falling all morning finally ceased in the afternoon. The bright sunshine poured down. Britia wondered why she was sitting in the inner garden of the imperial palace, where the entry of outsiders was prohibited.
“Britia, your complexion doesn’t look good. Are you feeling not feeling well?”
At the Crown Prince’s question, Britia awkwardly smiled.
This situation had all come about because of Kyra.
The Crown Prince invited her, expressing his genuine admiration for Kyra’s painting and expressing his desire to talk about art. Standing beside Britia, who congratulated her on the fortunate turn of events, Kyra turned her face towards her with a menacing angle, lost in thought.
‘I feel like I’m going to throw up because I’m so nervous just imagining it.’
‘I want to throw up again! You’ve been doing a good job on behalf of Harty.’
‘I may be a coward, but I can’t stand being called a coward by anyone. It’s because of my bad personality.’
Kyra grabbed Britia’s arm tightly, wearing a wicked smile that didn’t resemble that of a coward at all.
“Let’s go together.”
“What? You were the one who received the invitation, not me.”
“Since His Highness showed me a favour, it’s better for you to be there with me.”
Even though Britia shook her head, saying it wasn’t necessary, Kyra held onto her arm even tighter.
“When I’m extremely nervous, I can’t filter what I say or don’t say. So, I might end up telling the truth about who hit someone’s head with excitement.”
“I didn’t hit anyone with excitement! You have no idea how urgent and desperate the situation was.”
Britia shouted in frustration.
‘You helped me!’
‘I’m not doing this to get back at you. It’s something that could unexpectedly slip out against my own will. Neither you nor I want that.’
Kyra’s mouth curled upwards, but her eyes betrayed unease.
“So, I’m begging you. Please, help me out.”
With that, Britia, who hadn’t even been invited, followed Kyra with an awkward smile. Fortunately, the Crown Prince welcomed the unexpected guest with pleasure rather than displeasure.
“I originally wanted to discuss the paintings by the talented one. But since I don’t have any of them in my possession.”
However, he brought up an unexpected topic.
“If it’s alright, could we witness you painting here?”
Britia saw Kyra’s tail, beautifully adorned with a smile, stiffen as if sensing danger.
Surely, if the Crown Prince weren’t present at this moment, she would have undoubtedly mentioned that she felt like throwing up right now.
“You can paint whatever you want. Since you painted Britia before, you can even paint me this time.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a gentle voice, and Kyra nodded with a relaxed smile. But Britia noticed the trembling in her eyes.
“Kyra, you’re particularly skilled at landscape paintings. How about a landscape this time?”
Britiia extended a saving hand as a last resort.
“The rain has stopped, and the weather is clear. It would be nice.”
And so, the two of them sat at a round table in the inner garden of the palace, with Kyra standing a few steps away, capturing the scenery of the garden with her brush.
“Didn’t I mention before that I enjoy watching the progress of a painting?”
The Crown Prince, who had taken a seat in a good spot to observe the canvas, spoke. His tail swayed happily.
“Crown Prince.”
At that moment, a soft yet powerful voice called out to the Crown Prince from behind.
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes slightly widened upon seeing his mother, who had suddenly appeared. He stood up from his seat, and Britia also rose to her feet.
“What are you doing in a place like this, Prince? And who is this young lady?”
The Empress glanced at Britia and raised an eyebrow.
“She is Britia Lockhart, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, I think I saw her once during the debutante ball.”
The Empress nodded, indicating that she remembered, and then shifted her gaze to Kyra.
“This is Kyra Scandars, the third daughter of Duke Scandars.”
Kyra smiled and greeted them. In response, the Empress smiled inexplicably for a moment. Then, she lowered the corners of her mouth as if pretending not to smile and turned to her son.
“You’ve had her draw and watched her paintings again.”
Her tone implied that such things happened often. Anticipating a lecture to follow, the Crown Prince closed his eyes slightly.
“It’s something that you enjoy, Prince. But this young lady doesn’t seem to enjoy it. Isn’t that right, Britia?”
Britia found it difficult to answer and awkwardly smiled instead.
“I will take care of it, so don’t worry. Go inside and relax in a cool place, have some tea or something.”
“Your Majesty, she is my guest.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t take away Prince’s enjoyment. I won’t interfere anymore, so please enjoy the art you love here as you wish.”
The Empress looked at Kyra with a resigned expression. Then, slowly, her gaze shifted towards Britia.
“But I suppose I should save at least one unfortunate soul.”
Britia’s eyes widened in surprise as things suddenly took an unusual turn. It seemed that she would have to follow the Empress and have tea.
“It’s too hot to stay here any longer. Let’s go inside.”
There was simply no way to refuse the situation.
