“It wasn’t just my sister’s delusion after all.”
Alek, the younger brother, looked surprised when he saw the royal carriage arriving to pick up the Count of Claymoran’s family.
Even though he had told both Klaus and their father that he had been hired by Klaus, for some reason, both of them dismissed it as just Lena’s wild imagination and refused to believe him.
Their father, in particular, got angry, saying, “You shouldn’t cause trouble for the Prime Minister with your delusions,” and scolded Lena. She felt something was off, but upon seeing the carriage that had come to pick them up, it seemed her father finally believed Lena’s story was true.
“I can’t believe it… what’s really going on?”
The same words Lena thought when Klaus showed her the employment contract, were murmured by their father.
(Well, it’s only natural. I still can’t quite believe it myself.)
Until today, Lena had doubted whether this was all just a dream.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Wait, stop!”
As Lena, dressed in her painting clothes—garments that could get dirty—prepared to head out, her father hurriedly grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Are you really going in that outfit?!”
“Well, I’m going to paint. I wouldn’t want my dress to get dirty,” Lena replied.
“Don’t be ridiculous! If you go into the castle dressed like that, you’ll be thrown in prison!”
“Eh…”
Lena looked down at her clothes and made a little pout. Her outfit was covered in paint splatters from her painting, so it was definitely not a fashionable look.
Before Lena could argue further, her father called Catherine and ordered her to help Lena change.
(Father, you know the paint won’t come out, right?)
They didn’t have the luxury of buying multiple dresses, and Lena hated to waste even one, but she couldn’t understand why her father was so insistent.
Reluctantly, Lena changed into a dress, and as she boarded the carriage, one of Klaus’s aides, who had apparently been watching the whole scene, chuckled softly.
“We’ve prepared clothes for you, so you can paint comfortably.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Lord Richard told us to hurry and arrange it. Since we didn’t know your size, we bought a larger one, but I hope it’s not inconvenient.”
“Of course! Is that okay…?”
“No problem. We were the ones who asked.”
Despite saying it was a burden, it was an incredible offer—such good conditions for a job. And they even prepared a change of clothes. Lena wondered if it was really okay to accept.
Upon arriving at the castle, Klaus’s aide led Lena to a different room, not Richard’s, explaining:
“You’ll need a room to change in. This is the room prepared for you, so please feel free to use it.”
“Eh…”
(A room of my own?)
Having a private room inside the castle was dizzying. If her father knew, he’d probably faint.
It was a simple guest room with a bed, a shelf, and a single armchair with a table—much more luxurious than her own room, even so.
(Wow… the carpet is so soft… and the bed, too…! And they even prepared tea leaves…!)
Lena stared with her mouth open, and before she knew it, a maid had appeared to help her change. She was told she would assist her with changing clothes. Everything was so thoughtful and considerate.
Klaus had arranged a large, loose-fitting dress suitable for Lena’s small frame, and she put on an apron over it before heading to Richard’s room. When she knocked, she received a reply from inside.
Elvis, one of Richard’s aides, opened the door, and Richard was sitting patiently on a sofa, waiting for Lena.
“Welcome, Lena.”
“Thank you for having me, Your Highness.”
They exchanged smiles, and Elvis prepared a tea set for her.
A canvas was already set up for Lena, facing Richard’s own canvas, which was mounted on a tripod.
“Have you decided what to paint today?”
She looked, and Richard’s canvas was still blank. It seemed he had finished whatever he was working on.
“I haven’t decided yet. I’m tired of the view from the window, so I wonder what I should paint.”
“How about taking your sketchbook and strolling around the garden?”
“A walk…”
Richard lowered his gaze, seemingly lost in thought, not very enthusiastic about the idea.
Then Lena clapped her hands decisively.
“I was given a room, too. It’s on the opposite side of this one, so I think I’ll have a different view from the window.”
“That sounds great! Let’s take our sketchbooks and go to my room!”
“I’ll prepare them immediately.”
Elvis smiled warmly and prepared two sketchbooks and some charcoal sticks. Unlike paints, the charcoal wasn’t as colorful, but it allowed for more vibrant sketches, making it perfect for this purpose.
Richard put on an apron over his clothes, carefully holding his sketchbook.
Lena also grabbed her own and stood up, with Elvis following to bring along two sets of charcoal.
As Lena and Richard walked down the corridor, they unexpectedly crossed Klaus, who seemed to be checking on them.
“Richard?”
Klaus’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Richard and Lena.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“To Lena’s room. We’re going to draw the view from there.”
When Richard answered, Klaus seemed unexpectedly pleased.
(He smiled again!)
It appeared Klaus often smiled when Richard was involved.
While Lena watched Klaus, feeling moved, Klaus suddenly cleared his throat in a way that seemed deliberate, noticing her gaze.
“Lena, I hate to ask, but I need to leave my brother in your care.”
“Yes, sir!”
Startled that he called her by name, Lena’s voice wavered, and Richard chuckled.
“Lena, what’s ‘hyaa’ supposed to mean? It sounds like a hiccup. Hehe…”
“S-sorry. I guess I was a little dehydrated…”
It was a flimsy excuse, but Klaus seemed to believe it and told her to be careful not to strain her throat.
“Richard, I’ll come back later to check on him.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Lena.”
“Yes.”
“Heh, it wasn’t ‘hyaa’ this time.”
“Honestly, Your Highness, please don’t tease me.”
Lena bowed to Klaus and headed into the room with Richard.
Unaware, Klaus kept watching them intently.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
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 on October, 4.
See you then!!
