Rita’s pupils trembled.

The pledge she had presented contained something that should never have been written.

Pledge

I, Court Painter Margarita di Grimaldi, hereby pledge to gift Princess Camilla de Medina a n*de portrait of Crown Prince Gabriele.

“Wh-what is this…?”

“You wrote and signed it yourself. Don’t you remember?”

She wanted to say, “I don’t remember…” but when the pledge was thrust before her eyes, fragmented images flowed into her head, which throbbed with splitting pain.

Herself, drinking until her tongue twisted. Delighted that the haughty princess had reluctantly agreed to converse with her, she gulped down drink after drink as offered. 

After wandering through four or five high-class taverns outside the palace, completely drunk, she seemed to have said she would do anything the princess commanded.

Her usual loyalty to the royal family had swelled to pierce the heavens, and an excessive sense of duty blinded her eyes, making her lose all judgment. And so, to the princess who lamented the sadness of the broken engagement, she promised to grant any wish.

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything!”

“You mean that…?”

So drunk that her vision had narrowed, she failed to detect the meaningful smile the princess wore at the time. Even at words like “n*de portrait of the Crown Prince,” she simply nodded seriously and signed.

‘I’m going crazy. Why did I do this?’

At the time, she seemed to have thought the princess was also just spouting provocative words in her drunkenness. 

That she was only speaking out of upset feelings and anger, without real intent. So if she just played along for now, by the next day when the alcohol wore off, her mood would lift and she would return to Gares with a smile.

She had been completely wrong in her thinking. This devilish princess never spoke idle words, no matter how drunk. It was all sincere.

“Ha, haha. Princess, even so…”

“You’re not about to say something annoying like it was all a joke, are you?”

“…”

Naturally, her little trick to escape didn’t work.

“If that’s the case, I might do something terrible out of disappointment.”

“Wh-what do you mean, something terrible?”

“Well. For instance, I could get authority from my father and completely overhaul the trade system with the Torre Kingdom.”

“…”

The Medina family handled a considerable portion of Gares’s trade. Among the goods they controlled were cotton cloth, tea leaves, and copper—essential items for Torre.

“Or I could pressure the Gares royal family regarding diplomatic relations with Torre.”

Moreover, the Medina family, which enjoyed power beyond even the royal family, naturally had the strength to interfere in international diplomacy.

In short, if Camilla set her mind to it, she could thoroughly screw over the Torre Kingdom, and by natural chain reaction, Rita as well.

“…A joke, you say.”

If she went back on the pledge here, Camilla would negatively impact the Torre Kingdom. 

Rita would bear the responsibility for causing damage to the kingdom on top of that guilt, and having worsened the situation rather than resolving it, she would deliver crushing disappointment to Queen Cervone.

So Rita answered with tears in her eyes.

“I stake the name of Court Painter Margarita that I will bring you a n*de portrait of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Good.”

Seemingly having never worn a serious expression to threaten her, the princess instantly returned to a bright face and patted Rita’s back.

“I’m a noble who’s generous to artists. I’ll give you plenty of time. Until the ship I’m taking back to Gares sets sail.”

Afterward, Rita left the princess’s quarters after being treated to tea time and even receiving small gifts. But she didn’t know whether the tea and tea foods were entering her mouth or her nose, and only her burden had grown.

‘D*mn it!’

* * *

The next day, at the court of the Torre Kingdom.

“Rita. Is something wrong? Your atmosphere seems different from usual.”

“Does it? Haha.”

Rita smiled warmly at the noblewoman who had spoken to her and trailed off. She absolutely couldn’t say, ‘Something is very wrong, and now if I don’t draw a n*de of the Crown Prince, I’m going to cause serious harm to the country.’

Fortunately, the noblewoman didn’t seem to sense anything strange from her demeanor and spoke to Rita again.

“Have you met Princess Camilla? I heard Her Majesty the Queen assigned you the task of appeasing the princess.”

“Haha, yes. I met her. Hahaha.”

It was precisely the topic she least wanted to recall. Inwardly shedding tears as she answered, Rita suddenly looked out the window.

“Oh my, His Highness the Crown Prince is practicing swordsmanship.”

In the courtyard visible from the palace corridor, Crown Prince Gabriele and the Captain of the Guard happened to be sparring.

“How can he be so magnificent? The one who will become Crown Princess will be truly happy.”

The season was late spring, transitioning into summer. During the day, even slight vigorous movement caused sweat to flow, so the two men were training with their upper bodies bare.

Gabriele’s brown hair, naturally swept back, gradually loosened with his sharp movements. His forehead, beaded with perspiration, looked white and smooth, appearing all the more appetizing, and his two violet eyes sparkling with focus captured one’s gaze.

“Yes, he’s truly beautiful. He couldn’t be anything but the pride of our Torre Kingdom.”

Rita answered plausibly and moved closer to the window. As eye-catching as his face was the Crown Prince’s musculature, which didn’t look inferior or weak even compared to the Captain of the Guard.

Both had broad shoulders and thick chests, but Gabriele’s body, with its slender waist yet solidly packed muscles with delicate definition everywhere, looked more appetizing to the eye. Add to that his fluid, powerful movements, and it was truly difficult to look away.

‘This is it.’

Rita thought. Studying statecraft wasn’t the only thing—sword training was also a very important daily routine for the Crown Prince.

So every day when he practiced swordsmanship, she could familiarize herself with his body shape and reflect it in the n*de portrait. 

Camilla, who had stayed at the Torre palace for the national marriage proceedings, must have also seen the Crown Prince practicing swordsmanship at least.

If she saw a n*de portrait based on accurate observation, there was a high probability she would accept it, saying it felt quite realistic.

From that day on, Rita began secretly following and observing Gabriele during his sword practice times.

* * *

“You’re consistently popular, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean by that?”

When Gabriele deflected his attack and asked, the Captain of the Guard questioned back.

“Don’t tell me you’re asking because you really don’t know?”

At his glance, Gabriele briefly looked at the figure sitting on the steps above the training ground.

“Ah. I have been seeing her a lot lately.”

The woman sitting in the shade of a tree, pretending to simply avoid the sunlight, was the court painter. 

A beauty with long, luscious golden hair, wearing a simple dress with an artist’s apron over it. She was someone he frequently noticed when passing through crowded corridors or stopping by quiet lounges.

“If it’s Court Painter Margarita, she’s quite a beauty, isn’t she? I’m envious, Your Highness.”

“That’s not something I particularly want to hear, Lord Aaron.”

“Haha. Though I suppose it hasn’t been long since you were hurt in matters with a woman.”

He was referring to the failed marriage with Princess Medina, but this too was something Gabriele didn’t particularly want to hear.

“Focus on your sword, Lord Aaron.”

When Gabriele swung with force after his curt retort, the Captain of the Guard laid his sword horizontally to receive it. The sword vibrating from the strong impact made even his shoulder tingle.

Meanwhile, Rita was repeatedly nodding while watching them—or more precisely, Gabriele.

“Good. The width of the shoulders is like this, and the thickness of the chest is…”

Though it was difficult to capture an exact image with the subject moving ceaselessly, it was actually easier to grasp the overall appearance changing through movement. After struggling with charcoal for about ten minutes, she was able to create a quite usable sketch.

‘…This is fun.’

When she first received the request from the princess, she had only thought of it as a troublesome task. But once she actually started drawing the Crown Prince, momentum built naturally. Her two eyes and two hands moved with spirit.

Gabriele’s body was magnificent just to look at, and from an artist’s perspective, he was a coveted model. If she drew him clothed, she would have to hide those strong yet delicately positioned muscles.

But depicting this beautiful body without reservation made her excited. Rita wanted to transfer this torso onto a large canvas, not just this small notebook.

‘However…’

As she traced with charcoal the waistline wrapping dizzyingly around his abs and the glimpses of his iliac crest, this thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘What does it look like below this?’

It was an artist’s heart to want to draw the whole when seeing a part. 

Though the quick movements occasionally lifted his pants to show the lower part of his calves, it was only for a brief moment.

With the wide-legged training pants, no matter how intently she stared, there was nothing to learn except the length of his legs.

‘I need to draw his legs.’

She could roughly imagine and draw them, but somehow her artistic pride wouldn’t allow that now. She would completely capture that beautiful subject.

Though it had started with something like blackmail, now that her passion was ignited, it had become her pure will.

Around the time the Crown Prince and Captain of the Guard’s sparring was ending.

‘I should leave for now.’

Rita checked that there was no one around and tried to quietly disappear. But then.

‘…!’

Unfortunately, a trumpet sounded. A clear, elegant tone with a dignified rhythm. It was a trumpet announcing the procession of royalty. Rita hastily stuffed the notebook where she’d been secretly drawing Gabriele into her apron pocket and stood up.

“I greet Mother.”

Gabriele, having finished training in the training ground, offered his greeting upward. Since she couldn’t greet before the prince, Rita simply waited with her waist bent toward the queen.

“Gabriele. Is your sword practice going well?”

After exchanging greetings with the Captain of the Guard as well, Queen Cervone turned toward Rita.

“Rita happens to be here too. How fortunate.”

“I greet Your Majesty the Queen.”

Only after taking her courtesy did Rita raise her bent waist. Queen Cervone looked at her warmly with green eyes that harmonized well with her brown hair.

“What were you doing here?”

“Well.”

Rita smiled with her lips pulled tighter than usual. It was her own habit when lying to those of high rank.

“The peonies nearby are blooming beautifully. I thought I’d try drawing them for still life practice.”

It was the height of peony season, and enough peonies were blooming around the training ground to richly support her lie.

“I see. How interesting. I’m curious what peonies drawn by the finest painter would look like.”

The queen responded with a benevolent smile.

“Perhaps they might be more vivid than the real thing. When you finish the painting, send a piece to decorate my chambers as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rita bowed her head respectfully. Creating paintings for royalty was her proper duty. 

More than that, she was curious and anxious about why the queen had said it was fortunate that she was there too. As she kept her head bowed while glancing at the hem of Queen Cervone’s skirt, the queen finally spoke.

“The task I mentioned seems to have gone well. Princess Medina’s mood has completely lifted. She praised you so much with a bright face.”

“…I merely carried out Your Majesty’s request with sincerity.”

For a moment, Rita’s naturally worn smile nearly crumbled miserably. As she barely regained her composure, Queen Cervone patted Rita’s shoulder with satisfaction.

“You are so capable that you relieve me of much worry. In that sense, I’d like to make one more request.”

“I will do my utmost to the best of my ability.”

“Good. The position of Gabriele’s marriage partner has become vacant again, hasn’t it? This time we’re thinking of holding an open courtship, so I’d like you to paint a portrait to use for the courtship.”