Having successfully taken Richard outside, Klaus brought only two guards with him, holding Richard’s hand as they entered the museum.
The people inside the museum turned around in surprise at the sudden appearance of the two princes, but since the guards kept them at a distance, no one approached Klaus and the others.
“How do you find the museum after such a long time?”
“Yeah, it’s fun.”
“I see…!”
Hearing Richard say “fun” brought Klaus a sigh of relief. Richard is very considerate of others and rarely expresses his own wishes, but by watching his expression, Klaus could tell he was genuinely enjoying himself.
(Thanks to Elvis.)
Without Elvis’s help, it probably wouldn’t have been easy to coax Richard out.
By the way, how did you find out that a new artist’s paintings are being displayed here?”
Even though Richard doesn’t go outside much, Klaus wondered where he had gotten that information from. Richard, while gazing intently at the painting in front of him, answered.
“I heard about it from Lord Clarence. He invited me to go… but Clarence isn’t really interested in paintings.”
Clarence is Klaus’s younger brother, just below him. He’s also concerned about Richard and often checks on him, but like Klaus, he’s failed to successfully lure Richard out many times. This time, Clarence, who doesn’t really like art but tried to make an effort, declined because Richard was considerate enough to notice he was forcing himself and refused. Klaus imagined how disappointed Clarence must have been after gathering information about an art exhibit he wasn’t interested in.
“But you often bring back Richard’s paintings, don’t you?”
Clarence has a residence in the capital after his marriage, and he only visits the castle about half the week. Klaus knew that Clarence was taking Richard’s paintings back to decorate his residence.
“Yeah, I wonder what he does with so many.”
“They’re displayed all over the place.”
“Even though Clarence isn’t interested in paintings.”
“Because they are your paintings, they’re special.”
“What’s that?”
Richard chuckled softly, and Klaus’s heart ached at the rare sight of his younger brother’s smile.
When Richard was still very young, a careless remark from their father caused a rift between Richard and their eldest brother, Georgir.
(If only Father hadn’t said he wanted Richard to be king, none of this would have happened…)
Their strict father wanted to see the most capable prince become king. Although Georgir, the eldest, nominally held the title of crown prince, that position was fragile enough to be overturned by a single word from their father. Klaus knew Georgir was aware of this.
In terms of ability, Georgir, Klaus, and Clarence were fairly evenly matched, with only minor differences. It was around the time their father was considering that Georgir would be the best suited to be king that Richard was born.
Richard was undeniably an exceptionally intelligent child from an early age, but for some reason, their father, despite being quite strict with himself and others, declared that this very young Richard was the most suitable for kingship.
When their father said that Richard might be the next king, Georgir panicked. As a result, Georgir became intensely aware of his younger brother and, at the same time, resolutely denied Richard’s existence.
Young Richard, rejected and ignored by his brother, must have been deeply hurt. Caught between his brother and Richard, Klaus and Clarence couldn’t fully protect him.
Hurt and still very young, Richard directly confronted their father and swore he would not become king. After their father abdicated and their eldest brother ascended the throne, Richard’s attitude softened, perhaps because he felt more secure. But by then, Richard’s heart had already been shattered beyond repair.
Richard withdrew into himself, believing that his existence only caused pain to his brothers, and rarely left his room. Klaus knows that just seeing Georgir’s face makes Richard tense up and stiffen.
(If only I had protected Richard more… more firmly…)
He regreted endlessly.
That’s why Klaus has decided he will do anything to protect Richard’s heart—to prevent his little brother from getting hurt any further.
“That piece wasn’t here the last time we visited.”
“It’s been six months, so it must have changed somewhat.”
“Hadn’t we been here that recently?”
The youngest brother squeezed Klaus’s hand gently, tugging him to hurry.
As Richard’s sparkling blue eyes, like stars sprinkled across the sky, admired the paintings, Klaus gently stroked his head, prompting Richard to show a shy smile.
Together, they leisurely viewed the artworks until they reached the much-anticipated section for new artists’ works.
“These paintings are really impressive—better than I’d expect from new artists.”
“Of course, they’re award-winning works.”
The grand prize piece was displayed at the back, and Richard was carefully examining each award-winning painting from the beginning. As Klaus stood beside him, lost in admiration, Richard suddenly stopped in front of one painting.
“What’s wrong?”
“Yeah… I really like this painting.”
“That one?”
The painting, which Richard stared at with a kind of longing or obsession, depicted a sky painted in soft hues. It seemed to portray a sunrise, with a beautiful gradient from reddish-purple to deep blue. The clouds floating within it were rendered so softly that they even felt textured, making it more than just a sky—drawing viewers irresistibly in.
“It feels warm.”
“Warm?”
Klaus widened his eyes at Richard’s description of the sky as warm.
While gazing blankly at the painting, Richard softly muttered, “I want to meet the artist.”
It was a tiny whisper, as if his inner voice had escaped involuntarily, but Klaus clearly heard it.
Richard then checked the artist’s name written below the artwork.
(Lena Cramoran… someone from the Cramoran Count family. Probably a woman, based on the name.)
He didn’t know if she was a countess’s daughter or a lady, but he was surprised that a noblewoman had submitted her artwork to a contest. Still, this was convenient.
(If she’s a countess’s daughter or a lady, it’s fine for Richard to meet her.)
Klaus cast a small smile as he continued to watch Richard, who was so absorbed in the artwork that he seemed to have lost track of time.
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
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 August, 23.
See you then!!
