Ko-fi shop has been updated, you can find the link at the end of the chapter.
***
Every detail—the curl of her eyelashes, the shape of her lips, the saturation of her hair, the delicate features of her face. If even one of these fell below or exceeded the standard, she would have been mercilessly used to extract the drug’s effects and discarded.
No, in truth, she should have been disposed of long ago.
There were countless maids to replace her.
“M-master…?”
Diana, who had been laid flat, propped herself up with her elbows, struggling to move. Underneath her pale green eyes, tears pooled and shimmered transparently. The rumor that she was in harmony with the spirits of water seemed true—her tears glistened like jewels. The forcibly heightened senses exploded all at once.
“Ah…”
Cloudy semen arced through the air. Diana’s apron became soaked.
Realizing instinctively what had just occurred, Diana’s shoulders trembled. From the man’s body, towering over her, radiated intense heat. His rough breathing made her nerves stand on edge.
Is it… over?
The dense scent of night blooms filled the humid air, spreading thickly. A few drops landed on Diana’s chin and neck. Without thinking, she raised the back of her hand to wipe her chin, and sticky semen smeared onto her pale skin.
Felix cupped his manhood in his palm, stoking the remnants of his excitement. The semen that had arced through the air left stains on Diana’s chest.
The suffocating level of unpleasant desire that had surged within him subsided somewhat. His reason returned enough for him to take another look at the maid’s features.
Now, how should he kill her?
Her lips, quivering as she caught her breath, parted slightly. Diana’s gaze settled somewhere between Felix’s nose and lips. The mismatched eye contact irritated him. To properly face even a mere maid, he had to make an effort.
How tiresome. Should I just get rid of her now…?
Felix glanced briefly at the floor. The water pooling on the bathroom tiles seemed to gather around the woman as if drawn by a magnet. This confirmed that she indeed possessed the power of a spiritist.
This meant she was the seed of discord planted by his enemies in the palace. A seed of tragedy that could shake the nation and plunge the continent into chaos.
It was only right to eliminate her while she was still just a seed. Felix’s hand, which was caressing Diana’s jaw, applied slight pressure. Blinking slowly, she hesitantly asked, “Master, are you… all right?”
“……”
“Shouldn’t we call for a physician, just in case…?”
“You’re persistent. If you don’t want me to thrust into you again, keep your mouth shut.”
Diana promptly clamped her lips together. A helpless chuckle escaped him.
She was unruly, yet loyal. Pitiful, sorrowful, and still breathtakingly beautiful.
Most of all, she didn’t seem to understand exactly what had stained her hand.
Her naivety, so foolish it was almost endearing, inexplicably satisfied him. Judging by her reactions, it was clear she had never been with a man before.
With such beauty and purity, perhaps he could observe her a little longer. In the space where his sated desires had settled, an unusual leniency arose.
Felix brushed his finger across Diana’s crimson lips before finally releasing her.
“Spiritist of Ballestega.”
“……”
“That is the reason I am sparing you here, Diana. Etch it into your mind.”
Diana, her throat tight with emotion, couldn’t manage a proper response. Unconcerned, the Crown Prince stood and moved away from her.
It was over. Finally over. Diana hung her head low, listening to the sound of the Crown Prince leaving the bathroom.
She had survived another ordeal.
***
“Haah…”
Diana let out a sigh as though the ground would sink beneath her.
After overcoming one hurdle, another mountain loomed ahead.
Today marked the twentieth day of her employment in this palace. The employment contract she signed with Prince Aizen included a clause requiring her to leave the crown prince’s palace every twenty days and report her progress to the prince in detail.
“Once every twenty days is considered a holiday? Did anyone permit such a thing?”
Runok, the new Butler who replaced Emel, eyed Diana disapprovingly.
“You don’t have any dependents, no particular friends to contact, and not even a place to stay outside the palace. Is there really a reason for you to go out?”
“Well…”
Diana hesitated, unable to respond hastily. She hadn’t anticipated this situation. This matter had already been agreed upon with Emel.
However, Emel was dead, and Runok’s allegiances were unclear as well.
Even Emel Pillabar, who had rigorously tested Diana, turned out to be a pawn of the crown prince’s adversaries. In this palace, she couldn’t trust anyone.
What excuse could she offer now?
As Diana faltered, Runok decisively cut her off.
“If there’s no special reason, it’s denied. Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince has been calling for you nearly every day lately. Absences without cause are prohibited. If you must, get His Highness’s permission directly.”
“But… you know as well as I do that the current atmosphere doesn’t allow for that,” Diana protested.
It had been over a week since Harper’s death, and the crown prince’s mood was still at rock bottom.
“Not the right atmosphere? Aren’t you the one attending to His Highness closely these days?” Runok replied bluntly.
“I don’t know why he keeps calling for a mere cleaning maid like you. Even if he fancies you, you’re still just a maid. Tsk.”
“…He calls for me?”
Although Diana was still summoned to mix paints for several hours each day, the man no longer had her sit by his side or touch her hair or cheek.
He wasn’t painting either. There were no sounds of brushstrokes or the palette being picked up or set down. Even when Diana asked trivial questions to break the silence, he gave no response.
“Yet he keeps you by his side, looking at you like that…”
“How does he look at me?”
“How? Like…”
Runok trailed off mid-sentence and clamped his mouth shut.
Perhaps realizing he’d said too much, he clicked his tongue loudly and cut off the conversation.
“In any case, without a good reason, you can’t leave. If you’re done talking, return to your post.”
No, she couldn’t let this happen. If she broke her promise with the prince, the next spy to infiltrate this palace would likely target Diana herself instead of the crown prince.
“I… I have a lover.”
Panicking, Diana blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I have a lover living… on the outskirts of the capital.”
Since she couldn’t use family or friends as an excuse, this was the only plausible reason she could offer. Lowering her gaze to hide her trembling eyes, Diana continued.
“He’s very worried about me. Since I suddenly changed workplaces and can’t even send letters from the palace… I’d like to go out at least once a month.”
She grew anxious, unable to gauge Runok’s expression. To her surprise, his tone softened.
“Well… it’s only natural to have a lover at your age. Fine, that works.”
“Yes…”
Runok’s demeanor shifted abruptly, as if flipping a coin. He nudged Diana toward the door.
“If His Highness inquires, I’ll inform him as such. But overnight stays are still not allowed. I’ll give you half a day—make sure to return within that time.”
Can’t you just not say anything to His Highness? Holding back tears, Diana nodded.
“Thank you, Butler…”
***
Felix frowned.
For days, a brush that had been on the second table by the window was missing. After some thought, he remembered using a square-edged brush the previous night and tossing it into the oil can.
It was the cleaning maid’s duty to return items to their proper places so they could be found easily later. In other words, the maid hadn’t done her job properly. This was unprecedented.
“Diana.”
Two o’clock in the afternoon. By this time, the maid should have been stationed in front of the parlor table, holding a jar of pigment in one hand and an oil can in the other. However, the parlor was empty.
Felix pulled the bell cord to summon the Butler.
Since Emel’s death, a new Butler had been appointed to the annex. The man promptly ascended to the third floor. Felix didn’t bother to remember his name; he wasn’t meticulous enough to recall the names of people who might end up on his canvas someday.
“Where’s the maid?”
“Oh, she took leave today. She claimed it was something prearranged with the previous Butler.”
Felix’s brows furrowed in displeasure.
***
The portrait of Pride has opened a ko-fi shop with 5 advanced chapters. Ko-fi shop will be updated with each update in website. Here is the: LINK
***
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed what you have read, do consider tipping me a little through: click here. An advanced chapter will be posted as a thank you once I receive 6$. Don’t forget to mention the series that you’re supporting!
