SLDS 52

As time passed, the empire entered a period of stability, and the Imperial Palace was enjoying more peaceful days than ever before.

“You have worked hard all this time. The lessons are now over. I have nothing more to teach you.”

Viscount Gerhalt, who had been in charge of Cecil’s private tutoring, closed a thick book and shared his thoughts on their time together.

“You have worked hard as well. I apologize that your white beard seems to have grown longer from having such an unruly student.”

“Ahem ahem, this is a symptom of aging, so you need not worry about it. More importantly, thank you for following my lessons so well. Mr. Cecil, you possess excellent qualities. I guarantee that you will surely be of great help to the empire. I will report this point in detail to Her Majesty the Empress as well.”

“She will be very pleased.”

Cecil replied with a light smile. Even with the sugar-coated praise, he showed no signs of great excitement, merely maintaining his usual indifferent attitude.

Viscount Gerhalt did indeed go to the Empress and report on Cecil’s exceptional nature. He said that unlike in the early days of the lessons, his skills had improved at a frightening pace as the days went by.

There is no mother who would not be happy about her child’s intelligence. The Empress was extremely proud and could not hide her joy, saying, “That’s my son, after all.” She rewarded the hardworking Viscount Gerhalt handsomely and immediately left to have an audience with the Emperor.

“Cecil Adrian will assist with work in the Emperor’s office from now on.”

At a dinner where they were all gathered, the imperial command was finally given.

“Even if you are of the imperial family, I cannot give you a high position from the very beginning. I have heard from the Empress that you are clever, but I must confirm it with my own eyes. Depending on your abilities, Cecil, if you do well, I will even make you a military strategist.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Cecil answered obediently. It was as good as fate that he would end up assisting the Emperor anyway.

Cecil was now familiar enough with his second life to be able to distinguish between things he had to avoid and things he had to accept.

The Empress could not contain her emotion, and the Crown Prince showed no particular reaction, focusing only on his meal.

Afterward, they even had tea before leaving the main palace. Cecil quickened his steps, closely following behind Alexis. His legs were so long that it was quite an effort to catch up.

He finally managed to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Alexis had his usual cold face. He walked staunchly looking only ahead, without a single glance wavering, but he unknowingly slowed his pace to match Cecil’s stride.

“You must be in a good mood. I don’t think I can congratulate you, though.”

“Yes. Your Highness should be on your guard as well. As you know, His Majesty is quite fond of me, is he not? It will be no time at all before I rise to the position of strategist.”

“So arrogant.”

Alexis replied with a smile. At a glance, it was an aggressive conversation where they were scratching at each other, but in truth, it was as good as a joke. The two bickered a few more times as they talked, then parted ways at a fork in the road.

That afternoon, Cecil secretly visited Saint Palace.

Using a secret route known only to a very few, he walked through the maze-like castle and encountered the Crown Prince’s Lord Chamberlain. The elderly Lord Chamberlain bowed deeply to Cecil and opened the door for him.

As soon as he stepped into the room, the distinct, strong smell of oil paint brushed against the tip of his nose. Cecil silently engraved the sight before him into his eyes.

Alexis was enduring the pouring sunlight in his full uniform. His posture, with his shoulders and back held straight and a longsword in one hand, even looked reverent at first glance.

“You’re here.”

Alexis did not scold the intruder who had entered without permission. On the contrary, he simply greeted him with a bright smile as if he had been waiting.

“…How much progress has been made?”

“It’s almost finished. No, it has to be finished. I can’t take any more of this. Right, Enoch?”

“Yes… Your Highness. We will definitely finish it today.”

The court painter holding the brush focused, his brows furrowed. He shifted his gaze back and forth, once at the Crown Prince’s face, and then once at the canvas.

Cecil slowly walked over to the painter’s side. He bent his back slightly and scanned the painting on the canvas.

He had no eye for art, but he could still tell that the Crown Prince’s portrait was nearly complete.

The tip of the brush, coated in paint, moved meticulously. With each stroke drawn with concentration, life sprouted from Alexis’s hair. The platinum blonde hair, bathed in sunlight, was shining brilliantly even in the painting.

As Cecil looked at the portrait with interest, Alexis asked, a loose smile hanging on the corner of his lips.

“What do you think?”

“It’s well-painted.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Only then did Cecil straighten his bent back. He looked at the real, living Alexis outside the painting and asked back.

“Does my opinion have to be anything special?”

“The moment Yuria saw the painting, tears welled up in her eyes, and Claude was speechless with admiration. Even the Lord Chamberlain praised it as the greatest portrait in history.”

“I don’t feel that strongly about it.”

Of course, it was a portrait that anyone seeing it for the first time would highly praise. The only problem was that this wasn’t the first time Cecil was seeing this portrait.

He had seen it so many times it was seared into his memory, so there was no way he would be moved.

As Cecil continued to show a lukewarm attitude, Alexis tilted his head and swallowed a hollow laugh. Then, he left his designated spot and strode over.

“Oh, Your Highness! You can’t move yet! Please stay for just 10 more minutes, no, 5 more minutes!”

“I have already devoted enough time. Just finish it up on your own. If you’re the chief court painter, you should know how to paint without your subject.”

In no time, Alexis was standing next to Cecil, gazing at his own portrait. His look was closer to an inspection than an appreciation, and the court painter’s shoulders hunched down further and further.

Seeing him unable to even make a proper brushstroke, Cecil tilted his face slightly and said.

“…How about you cooperate so he can finish.”

“You said you didn’t like it.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I said it was well-painted, didn’t I?”

“That’s a compliment for Enoch.”

“What more am I supposed to say about a portrait other than that it’s well-painted…”

As a thought suddenly occurred to Cecil, he turned his head, saying, “Don’t tell me…”

“Do you, by any chance, want to be told that you’re handsome?”

“What do you think?”

“……”

Cecil just opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, and Alexis laughed out loud. With a mutter to himself that he wasn’t expecting anything anyway, he pressed his shoulder against Cecil’s.

“To give you a piece of information, Enoch is meticulous and skilled, but on the other hand, he is very slow. He pours all his heart and soul into it. You’d better prepare yourself in advance.”

Alexis whispered, having closed the distance so much that their breaths could touch. His voice was lowered so the painter wouldn’t hear, as it contained a slight criticism.

Cecil replied, completely tense.

“…It took about half a year, right?”

“It did. And now it’s your turn soon, isn’t it.”

Cecil nodded. Members of the imperial family usually have their portraits painted in the year they come of age. In Alexis’s case, he came of age in the Black Forest, which was why his portrait was only being made now.

Standing before a painter for two hours a day, in the same place, in the same clothes, was no ordinary hard labor. On top of that, he had to adhere to the time when the sun shone brightly, so he had to make time amidst his busy schedule.

That period lasted a whole six months. As the Crown Prince’s portrait was nearing completion, it was now Cecil’s turn.

Having experienced how tedious and arduous painting a portrait was, Cecil’s vision already went dark. He resolved to somehow find a way to avoid it. There were less than 400 days left now, so if he played his cards right, his portrait would be left unfinished.

Alexis straightened his posture again and tapped the back of Cecil’s arm. He turned his back and began to walk away first.

Following the unspoken command to follow, Cecil also walked in the direction he was heading.

The room, filled with the smell of oil paints, had another side door, and after passing through it, several rooms, and several more drawing rooms, they were finally able to enter the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.

As soon as he entered his personal space, Alexis pulled the bell cord. With a knock knock, the Lord Chamberlain appeared. Only the Lord Chamberlain, who had served Alexis for a long time, could be present during confidential conversations.

“The Empress’s Palace has been quiet lately. Cecil, what do you think?”

“The Empress knows that I have become friendly with Yuria. She hinted at it during dinner last night. I told her that it’s true we’ve become close for now.”

In the meantime, the Lord Chamberlain was attending to the Crown Prince’s clothes. He was busy carefully removing the blue silk sash and heavy jeweled accessories and taking off the Crown Prince’s uniform.

Alexis, who was now shirtless, gently tousled his neatly combed-back platinum blonde hair, revealing his naked body.

“So what did she say?”

He had no qualms whatsoever about revealing his bare skin in front of Cecil. He had simply taken off his clothes because he had to change.

Cecil, however, was flustered, not knowing where to look. He had seen naked men countless times through the knights. But this was the first time his head had ever felt so dizzy.