“What did you talk to my grandmother about?”
“What did I talk about?”
Asha looked up at Karnov with an expression of frustration.
“Actually, I’m curious too. What did you say to your grandmother, Karnov?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t say anything at all?”
“No, why are you giving me a dirty look as if I said something when I said I didn’t?”
“You should have said something nice.”
“I did say something like that.”
“You did?”
“Oh my goodness. Now you’re giving me a dirty look even though I really did say something.”
Karnov sighed at Asha complaining, but he didn’t seem to dislike it.
He glanced at Asha’s hair, which was adorned with pearl hair accessories instead of her usual ribbons, due to the grandeur of the emperor’s birthday celebration.
“I really didn’t do anything…”
Asha pouted her lips. In the meantime, the Kerum game between the emperor and Alexei continued, almost reaching the end.
The emperor’s posture was elegant, but it seemed that he did not often play Kerum and his skill was not outstanding. However, with years of experience, it was not an easy match. Alexei moved agilely and flexibly, but it seemed that he couldn’t match the emperor’s expertise.
“…Phew, I lost.”
Alexei looked disappointed when the emperor fired the last ball and looked triumphant. However, the emperor didn’t bat an eye at Alexei’s expression.
“Don’t think about swaying my emotions with that expression. If you lose, you have to accept it.”
“I’ll win next time.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
The emperor waved his hands. Alexei let out a sigh and gently brushed Asha’s cheek before pulling back the curtains and heading outside.
“Well, let’s give it a try now. Since there are many people, we can divide into teams of two or three.”
Yekaterina, another person who was waiting silently for the confrontation between the two, said enthusiastically. The teams were quickly divided into Maxim and his son Dimitri, the emperor and his granddaughter Asha, and Yekaterina and her grandson Karnov.
“Since it would be a shame to just write letters, how about we make a small wager for each team?”
Dimitri’s complexion turned pale at Yekaterina’s suggestion. Karnov quietly licked his dry lips.
“Well, that sounds good.”
“It will be fun, I’m in favor too!”
“Oh, Father…”
Dimitri whispered in a hushed voice as he grabbed Maxim’s collar, but Maxim just patted his head with an amused expression, completely unaware of his son’s feelings.
“So, what will Your Majesty wager?”
The emperor held the cue stick and pondered for a moment before something crossed his mind.
“I have a villa built in the southern part of the city, which I intended to use as a summer retreat but haven’t had the luxury to visit. I will wager that.”
“Ooh!”
Maxim clapped his hands, seemingly knowing what mansion the emperor was referring to. Yekaterina smirked, lifting the corners of her mouth.
“Then I will take responsibility for the landscaping of that mansion.”
“Oh my, Yekaterina?”
At the mention of her taking responsibility for the landscaping, Maxim seemed almost moved. Asha, feeling slightly puzzled, rolled her eyes in contemplation, and Karnov whispered to her from the side.
“My grandmother’s spirit is the Spirit of Sand.”
“Sand?”
“Yeah. If sand breaks down, it becomes dirt, and if it becomes dirt, it can control the earth.”
Karnov spoke as if she could control the earth, indicating that Yekaterina was someone who had awakened the power of a great spirit.
In an instant, Asha’s eyes widened. If Yekaterina could mention landscaping with such confidence, it meant she had excellent powers to make flowers and trees grow, and that would undoubtedly apply to edible crops as well. For example, the fig tree that Alexei brought this time… it could be grown on the estate…
“Hahaha! Then I will take responsibility for interior decoration.”
“Oh, Father. Instead of that, how about something else…”
Dimitri desperately tried to object to Maxim’s relaxed statement. However, the emperor chuckled softly, as if he thought Dimitri was just feeling burdened.
“You can wager whatever suits your means.”
Dimitri alternately looked at the emperor and Maxim, and dropped his head with frustration.
“T–then I… I’ll wager… sugar.”
“…!”
As ingredients suddenly appeared out of nowhere, everyone’s heads turned in surprise, except for Asha, who stifled a small laugh. Dimitri seemed to already sense his impending loss and even predicted the winner.
However, Maxim, who knew nothing, chuckled and playfully patted his son’s back.
“No, my son. What’s with the sugar? I have fabric from the coat made for His Majesty and for your clothes. Let’s wager that!”
“Father… then what kind of coat will I wear in winter…”
“We’ll win, won’t we!”
Dimitri’s face showed a sign of giving up when he saw Maxim smile.
“What will you bet, Karnov?”
“Then I’ll wager wooden knives made from the wood in our territory.”
“Wooden knives?”
The unique combination of wood and knives made Asha’s eyes sparkle. Karnov leaned forward and explained as if waiting for her question.
“Cedarwood is strong and of good quality. We can use the thinly sharpened knives made from that wood to cut butter, cheese, and fruits.”
“Wow, I didn’t know such a cool thing existed…”
“Your Highness, what will you wager?”
“Hmm, then I’ll wager a cake that I’ve baked.”
With Asha placing the wager on a cake, the three teams’ game of Kerum began.
<Tsk tsk. Don’t torture the lambs too much.>
“I’ll be gentle.”
Tap! Tap!
“Oh, why did it go there…”
Tap tap!
“How can the ball end up like that…”
Thud! Thud!
“Wait, just a moment. Wasn’t there something strange about the ball a moment ago?”
Tack, tak!
“Oh, my goodness. How did that happen?”
Tap, tap, tap!
“That’s why I told you to wager something else, Father…”
Thud! Thud!
After the Kerum game, when the six people came back to the hall after pulling back the curtains, only a girl with pink hair and light green eyes was smiling.
After the celebration of the emperor’s birthday, news about “the portrait of the emperor painted by Mura” swept the city. Mura Aylau, who hadn’t drawn – or rather, hadn’t publicly revealed – any paintings for a while, had dramatically returned like a scene from a novel.
And it was none other than a portrait of the emperor!
In the nobility-dominated magazines, someone even copied and published that portrait. With just that poor imitation, the magazine achieved record-breaking sales.
Asha had hoped that the emperor would like the gift, but she couldn’t have imagined the fervent cheers of everyone to this extent, so she felt a bit bewildered.
“Um… an exhibition?”
Moreover, it somehow spread that Mura Aylau had not only painted the emperor’s portrait but also Anastasia’s portrait.
Although the emperor’s portrait had only been briefly unveiled at the reception hall, and no one had seen the portrait of Anastasia, the news caused a frenzy of curiosity among the public.
The emperor also seemed very surprised to learn that Mura even drew a portrait of Asha. Then, while appreciating Asha’s portrait for more than an hour, he concluded so.
“Shall we have an exhibition with just two paintings?”
“No household has two paintings by Aylau before.”
Although they didn’t know where the exhibition would take place, if the emperor pushed for it, it would undoubtedly not be a small venue. Two paintings in a spacious hall. And portraits at that.
“Even just imagining it feels empty.”
“W,who else has a painting by Meura? No, a portrait by Lady Mura?”
Even in that brief moment, the emperor, who bent over again and looked into Asha’s portrait, opened his back and glanced at the chamberlain. The servant quickly opened his mouth.
“Marchioness Tataricha has one, as does Duke Sedvoyer, as well as the Viscount Ceilistria, and I heard that the Marquis Oleg purchased one, but that was recently sold off… to Baroness Saratov…”
Upon hearing that, Asha made up her mind. Since it had come to this…
“If we must have the exhibition, how about gathering all those paintings together?”
An exhibition with just two portraits, and one of them being her own face – such an exhibition would undoubtedly be incredibly embarrassing. Asha resolved to hang at least five paintings at that exhibition, but Emperor Mikhail shook his head.
“As an emperor, I cannot dictate nobles’ properties.”
“It’s not about dictating, it’s about enjoying the good things together. I’ll talk to Marchioness Tataricha… I’m friends with Natalya, so I’ll discuss it with her. And I’m sure Karnov will lend one as well.”
Asha counted them on her fingers, one by one.
“Viscount Ceilistria… I’m not sure… but if Baroness Saratov also suggests having the exhibition, then he’ll do it. Ah! What about charging admission fees for the exhibition? We can use that to give a little to Lady Mura as well, and to those who lent their painting.”
“It is not the emperor’s place to make the nobles uncomfortable. There may be those among them who cannot refuse even if they want to. And it will also be a task to find a venue to exhibit more than three paintings.”
“I’ll just mention it briefly. I’ll pretend that it’s not the emperor’s idea, but mine. And for the venue…”
Asha smiled mischievously.
“I recently acquired a small villa. We’ve already started renovating the interior and landscaping the exterior, so why not use that?”
“This rascal.”
The three teams’ Kerum game bet ended with an unstoppable victory for Asha. Yekaterina and Maxim tried to catch up till the end, but it was futile. The emperor, who saved face after finishing the game, willingly gave Asha the villa.
“Isn’t it a good idea?”
The emperor looked down at Asha and chuckled.
“Yes, if that’s what you want, then let’s give it a try. But Asha, do you remember that I promised to grant you one wish?”
“Ah! I forgot. Well, but I did receive the villa…”
The emperor clicked his tongue as Asha widened her eyes.
“Are you forgetting that I promised to grant your wish? And the villa was what you earned through winning, not something I granted you separately.”
