“Is a blue bird, Lena?”
Richard peered over at the painting Lena was drawing and laughed.
“Is this bird imaginary? It’s cute.”
“Your Highness’s painting is also very wonderful. Especially the expression of the pigeon on the far right is adorable.”
“Is that so?”
Lena had drawn a blue bird flying with a single flower in its beak, while Richardās painting showed white pigeons in a park eating. As expected, with his usual level of skill, it was impressive.
“Surely that pigeon is smiling because the food is tasty.”
“Wow, you noticed that really well!”
“Because the pigeon’s eyes are sparkling.”
“heh, thank you!”
Richard wore a face that suggested he was being tickled, then returned his gaze to his own canvas. His expression tightened in an instant.
(Heās always so intensely focusedā¦)
At this moment, Richard should have only the canvas in front of him in his view. The surrounding sounds and scenery were outside his awareness.
Lenaās own drawing was simple in composition, so it would probably be finished soon, but Richard seemed to have a long way to go. He tended to labor over every detail, so once he started, it would take a while.
(I have to concentrate too, right?)
Though nominally a teacher, Lena couldnāt let herself lose to Richard.
As she focused on finishing her own painting, there was a soft tapping on the door.
Richard, immersed in his work, didnāt seem to notice, but Lena, who wasnāt as immersed as him, turned toward the sound. She briefly worried whether it might be Klaus, but from his side of things, Klaus would burst into the room a few seconds after knocking, even if Richard didnāt respond. But this time there was no sign of the door being opened.
Elvis also seemed to decide that it wasnāt Klaus, and went to check outside. Then, through the opened door, a child about three or four years old sprung into the room as if from nowhere.
“OjÅ«e!” (āOjÅ«eā? That would mean Prince George, right?!)
King George III had one four-year-old prince. A child with glittering blond hair and big orange eyes didnāt look much like Richard, but for now the only person Richard could call uncle was George.
“Ah, Your Highness! Not good!”
George, who was trying to leap onto Richard, was quickly picked up by Elvis.
“Yay!”
When George wriggled in Elvisās arms, perhaps because they were right in front of him, Richard looked up with a start.
“George?”
“OjÅ«e!”
“Oh, no, youāll get paint on you.”
George, being held by Elvis, reached out toward Richard, who gave a wry smile and pointed at his apron.
“Ugh!”
Perhaps unhappy with Richardās response, George puffed out his cheeks.
“Elvis, bring us some sweets. George, sit on the sofa for now? Iāll change.”
“Mm.”
George seemed to react to the word sweets, nodding vigorously, and after Elvis set him down neatly on the sofa, he sat properly.
Elvis called a maid to prepare tea and sweets for George.
Meanwhile, Richard took off his apron and checked the clothes underneath, probably to see if there was any paint on them.
“Lena, is there paint on your back or anywhere?”
“Donāt worry, thereās nothing anywhere.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Sure enough, a countess would not interrupt a discussion between the kingās brother and the prince, so Lena quietly watched the two.
Richard sat beside George, and George climbed into Richardās lap.
Seeing a handsome child cradling his adorable young nephew, Lena felt flustered with emotion.
(I want to draw this…)
The sweets were brought, and Richard fed George with an āa-anā (open your mouth) gesture.
What a highly stimulating scene for artistic inspiration. The two were too cute. Were they angels?
“So, George, what happened? Did you study?”
“Study, yes!”
“Did you run away again saying that?”
“Ha-ha, I said yes itās fine.”
“…Sigh.”
Richard shrugged as if exhausted. It seemed George disliked studying. He was still young, but it was said that royal children had far more to learn than noble heirs, so Lena shouldnāt judge by her own simple notions.
“Wonāt you become king someday? You have to study.”
“Even if I canāt study, I can become king.”
“Who said that?”
“Ha-ha!”
“That person againā¦ If you canāt study, the country would suffer, you know?”
āItās fine, because for that, thisā¦ an engagement will help us!ā
āEnagement? Are you proposing an engagement?ā”Yes, that!”
“What does studying have to do with engagement?”
“He says if you study, itās fine,” giggled George.
When George spoke with a sparkling smile, Richard closed his eyes tightly, looking up at the ceiling. The long sigh that followed revealed his feelings.
“George, who will you be engaged to?”
“Anrietta!”
“Anrietta? Could she be Anrietta Solfeccia, the granddaughter of Auntie?”
“Yes!”
Lena knew the name of Countess Anrietta Solfeccia well. She was Isabellaās granddaughter, Isabella being Ernestoās sister, and she was reportedly about three years old, cherished by Isabella beyond measure.
“Thatās quite the choiceā¦ Well, Auntie is looking after her, so hopefully Anrietta will be well-behaved.”
“Anrietta is smart! Itās fitting!”
“Indeed. Even if she dotes on him, Auntie wouldnāt neglect his education.”
“So, Iāll say thanks.”
“Thank you?”
“Thank you for becoming Konnyaku with me! And, you know, I want a present.”
“Itās good to say thank you, but a present?”
“Your Uncle! Him! Uncle Clarence always says he gets drawings from you!”
George then jumped down from Richardās lap and ran toward a painting placed at the roomās corner. Elvis hurried after him to prevent him from touching the painting.
George glanced around the room, then stopped to look at Lenaās canvas.
“This! This is it! The bluebird!”
“Huhā¦?”
This wasnāt Richardās painting; Lena was still sketching it. It had a simple composition and clearly wasnāt something a prince engagement gift would be.
(And besidesā¦ once this is finished, Iād planned to give it to Klaus-samaā¦)
Klaus apparently liked birds, so perhaps he would accept it. Of course, there was a real chance he would refuse.
(But if you say Iām with the prince, I canāt just give it awayā¦)
Lena was just a countessās daughter. She couldnāt risk angering the prince.
As Lena crouched to match Georgeās eye level and started to say, “That’s fine,” a slightly firm voice of Richard cut in.
“No, George. Not that.”
“Whatā¦?”
George hadnāt expected to be told no by Richard, and his big eyes grew even bigger.
“Any other painting is fine to take. But thatās not.”
“ā¦No! I want this!”
“Your Highness, if it were meā¦”
“Not good, Lena. And itās not right to make him think he can get anything he wants just by asking.”
(Maybe thatās true, but…)
Georgeās face was flushed red. Having watched a younger brother, Lena knew this look was a step away from tears.
“George, give up on this and choose another painting. You may take anything else.”
“No!”
“George!”
Richard called his name a bit more firmly, and George looked up with tears welling in his eyes and glared at Richard.
“Uncle is mean! Waaah!”
When George began to cry loudly, Richard held his head in his hands, and Elvis patted Georgeās back and tried to soothe him with a smile.
“Then Iāll handle the rest. Iāll take George to the bedroom.”
“…Thank you, Elvis.”
“No problem.”
Elvis carried George toward the adjoining bedroom, and Richard sighed wearily.
“Lena, Iām sorry for the racket.”
“No, itās fine. But is this all right? If itās a painting, we can always paint another one, so if itās okay to give this awayā¦”
“No. Itās a painting meant for my older brother, right? You must finish it properly and give it to him.”
“ā¦Perhaps heāll accept it, perhaps not?”
“Iāll take it. Absolutely. You can bet on it.”
While Richard and Lena talked, Georgeās cries faded from the bedroom. Elvis seemed to have settled him.
(Being a child, heāll forget as soon as heās awake, rightā¦?)
Lenaās sunny thought persisted, but a few days later the situation would take an unexpected turn.
~Ā·~Ā·*Ā· . Ā·**##^^##**Ā· . Ā·*Ā·~Ā·~
Hey there, Itās Green Rose š
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released on November, 1.
See you then!!
