The Portrait of Pride

Prince Aizen personally comforted the frightened Diana, gently stroking her shoulders.

 

“My brother has a tender heart. He cannot easily overlook anything delicate and beautiful. He won’t abandon you.”

 

“So, blind his eyes and block his ears until I go to sever his neck. That’s your role.”

 

The prince spoke as if it were a plausible plan, but in truth, it was nonsensical. It was one thing for the crown prince to lose his reason momentarily and spend a night with a maid, but becoming a favored one whom he consistently sought out was a completely different story. Essentially, it meant using her body to win his heart.

 

Regardless of Diana’s feelings about such an act, the plan itself was practically unachievable. The crown prince wasn’t just any ordinary man.

 

Would the crown prince even spare a glance at a bedchamber maid?

 

“I cannot do it, Your Highness. How could a mere commoner maid like me dare approach someone destined to be the sovereign of the empire?”

 

“If you succeed in winning my brother’s heart, I’ll provide the antidote to heal your eyes and help you return to your homeland, Dorthes.”

 

Diana’s new employer was far more shrewd and cunning than the Defierre viscount couple. Aizen offered terms that Diana couldn’t possibly refuse.

 

Diana’s homeland, Dorthes, had become a colony of the empire, now an island one couldn’t freely enter or leave without a travel permit. Such permits could only be issued by the imperial army’s supreme commander, directly dispatched by the royal family. If the prince ordered it, as many permits as needed could be issued.

 

To Diana, who lived clinging to the hope of returning home, Aizen’s proposal was like a lifeline descending from the heavens. Moreover, he even promised the antidote to cure her blindness. If she succeeded in this mission, Diana could start a second life in her homeland.

 

But it might be a rotten lifeline.

 

Enticing offers always came with strings attached.

 

“What happens if I fail?” she asked.

 

At that, Prince Aizen smiled as if hearing the most natural question in the world.

 

“If my brother discovers that you are my spy, you will be killed. In the most cruel and merciless way imaginable. While my brother is gentle, his underlings are anything but.”

 

“…..”

 

“Even after death, they won’t stop until they’ve desecrated your corpse. I hope I won’t have to witness such a sight.”

 

The mere words sent chills down her spine.

 

“Of course, even if you manage to survive their hands, I will personally sever your head.”

 

From the start, Diana was never given a choice.

 

As she stepped out of the room she had stayed in for seven years, Viscountess Clara was waiting for her.

 

Clara gripped Diana’s shoulders firmly.

 

“Under no circumstances should you disappoint him, Diana.”

 

The noble face of the viscountess was etched with tension. If the mission failed, not only Diana’s life but also the Defierre family, who had sold her, would face ruin. Angering the crown prince could mean the immediate downfall of a humble viscount family like Defierre.

 

Even in failure, there was one thing she wouldn’t lack, Diana thought with a bitter, hidden smile.

 

“Thank you for everything, madam.”

 

Diana picked up her suitcase and left the estate. A carriage awaited her.

 

***

 

Diana had been highly sensitive since birth.

 

After losing her sight, her other senses developed exceptionally—her sense of smell, hearing, touch, and even taste. She could recognize voices, the scent clinging to clothes, and faint external odors with astonishing precision.

 

From the scent lingering on a collar to the light or heavy sound of footsteps, the texture and sound of the ground beneath her feet, the smell of the air at different times of day, and even the warmth of sunlight.

 

Thanks to these enhanced senses, Diana could easily retrace paths she had walked once and remember most of the people she had encountered even briefly. With these compensating senses, she had managed to work without major accidents for the past seven years.

 

But this only held true in familiar surroundings. For someone blind, an unfamiliar, completely new place was a source of fear.

 

The place she arrived at after leaving the Defierre estate was a mansion she had never been to before. There, she spent three days memorizing trivial details about the imperial palace and the crown prince, then was loaded back into the carriage to be taken elsewhere.

 

How long had it been? The carriage came to a silent stop.

 

Diana instinctively knew she had arrived at her destination. The unknown driver who had brought her here roughly pulled her out.

 

“Is this the palace?”

 

“It is.”

 

Even the texture of the floor beneath the low heels of her shoes felt worlds apart from the roads she was used to. A smooth, slippery stone floor that seemed ready to make her fall with one wrong step. The fine, soft soil of the garden, the fragrant scent of resin unique to well-maintained buildings, and faintly underlying it all…

 

The smell of blood?

 

Amid countless scents, only a faint trace remained, but it was unmistakably the smell of blood. The metallic stench lingered in the corners of the walls and the seams of the floor, causing Diana’s back to stiffen.

 

As Aizen had mentioned, the Crown Prince was known for his gentle and fragile nature. He was widely praised as a ruler of virtue due to his kind and mild manner. Whenever he made brief appearances at imperial events, countless people marveled at his striking appearance.

 

However, it had been over 13 years since the Crown Prince was last seen by the public.

 

Born with a weak constitution, his health had deteriorated to the point of immobility after being bedridden with a severe fever. For the past three years, he had completely secluded himself in the detached palace.

 

Recently, there were even doubts about whether he could ascend the throne at all. Naturally, public attention had shifted to Aizen, the next in line for succession.

 

Even back when her sight was intact, Diana had never seen the Crown Prince’s face or any of his portraits.

 

“You don’t need to know what he looks like. It’s better this way—you won’t be distracted by his outward appearance.”

 

“But what if I fail to recognize His Highness the Crown Prince and offend him by mistake…”

 

“That won’t happen. No one in this land could fail to recognize him, even if blindfolded.”

 

From Aizen’s muttering, it seemed one of the many rumors surrounding the Crown Prince was true—that he was extraordinarily handsome.

 

Someone approached, their footsteps resounding on the stone pavement. The knight introduced Diana.

 

“Butler, this is the new maid from the Osfil household. I understand the Duke has already informed you in advance.”

 

“I’ve been informed. So, this is the girl.”

 

The Butler of the detached palace scrutinized Diana from head to toe. The knight tapped Diana lightly on the shoulder as a signal.

 

Diana lifted the hem of her dress on both sides and curtsied.

 

“My name is Diana Escalif. Duke Osfil wrote me a letter of recommendation.”

 

“I’ve heard. You’re blind, aren’t you? Can you see absolutely nothing? Is it a congenital condition?”

 

“I lost my sight in childhood due to consuming spoiled food. However, it doesn’t hinder my work in any way.”

 

Her throat felt dry as she recited the answer she had memorized in advance.

 

“The Butler is a demanding old man. He’s one of the Crown Prince’s few close aides. Passing his evaluation and being assigned to the detached palace is your first task.”

 

“We don’t need someone who requires constant supervision. His Highness is already sensitive enough; we don’t want any more incidents or mishaps.”

 

The elderly Butler seemed unimpressed with her. Thankfully, the knight spoke up in Diana’s defense.

 

“She’s meticulous and quick. Although her pace is slow, her hands are deft. She’s perceptive and loyal, and she’s never once offended the Duke’s sensibilities.”

 

“How is that possible when she can’t see?”

 

“Once she learns the layout of the detached palace, she’ll navigate perfectly even without a cane. There’s no risk of her touching unnecessary things or witnessing and spreading unnecessary matters. Besides, look at her. Isn’t she remarkably beautiful?”

 

Diana felt the sharp gaze resting on her face and tensed.

 

***

 

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