Chapter 16
“You’re holding the pencil wrong. Again.”
“No, but this is how we hold it back in my hometown.”
“It’s different in the Empire! This is the most basic of basics!”
“……”
“Again.”
At the firm tone, Prim’s lips quivered, and she took up the pencil again with teary eyes.
Elina was kind and gentle—Prim had observed that enough times to know.
But the moment she started drawing, she became a completely different person. It was enough to make one believe she had a split personality.
Those sharp, gleaming red eyes would whip Prim mercilessly.
“Before I find the beauty, I might actually die of stress first…!”
That day’s art lesson dragged on until the sun had already sunk low in the sky.
By the time she was putting away her supplies, exhausted, Elina let out a sigh while glancing at Prim’s dress. Following her gaze, Prim looked down.
“Your dress…”
Oil paint from their earlier session had smeared onto the hem. The red-stained mark didn’t seem like something that could be wiped off easily, no matter how much she dabbed it with a handkerchief.
Prim tried to clean it off roughly with a tissue from the side.
“Well then, see you next time.”
“Make sure you practice a lot.”
Prim didn’t reply, only waved with a faint smile. As she watched Elina’s figure disappear into the distance, she thought to herself:
“Should I just quit?”
She seriously considered it for a moment but shook her head. Whether she liked it or not, staying close to Elina meant she could gather more information.
“Maybe I really should become a painter. Once I find the beauty, I won’t have anything else to do anyway.”
With such useless thoughts swirling in her head, Prim got off the carriage.
Just then, a familiar face approached from afar.
“McGurdin?”
“Hello.”
McGurdin was the gardener in charge of the Veles Palace gardens. No matter that “he,” the 8th Prince, lived there—the palace’s beauty still had to be maintained.
“I brought what you asked for.”
“Really?”
Prim’s face lit up as she followed him.
“This one, right?”
“Yes.”
In McGurdin’s hands was a flowerpot filled with blue forget-me-nots. It was the flower Prim had always wanted to show to Rein someday.
When the curse would be lifted, Rein’s ashen eyes were said to regain a blue hue just like these flowers.
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to see the color himself…
Someday, after the curse broke and he met his destined beauty, she wanted to tell him—
“Your eyes are the color of these flowers. Whenever I see them, I think of you.”
Smiling softly, Prim said, “Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just had them brought in with the monthly seedlings shipment.”
McGurdin chuckled and shook his head. A soft breeze fluttered his light-blue hair, and a small leaf had stuck to it.
Prim stepped closer.
“Hold on a second.”
“Huh?”
He flinched back slightly as she reached out and plucked the leaf from his hair.
“This was stuck there.”
She smiled, waving the leaf in front of him. For a brief moment, McGurdin simply stared at her blankly before taking a hesitant step closer.
“Um, Prim…”
“Oh, it’s already this late? I should go now—thank you so much!”
Before he could say anything more, Prim quickly dashed off. McGurdin could only stand there, watching her retreating back in dazed silence.
After placing her art supplies in her room, Prim picked up the flowerpot and headed straight for Rein’s chamber.
She didn’t forget to knock before opening the door slightly.
“What?”
Rein looked at her with clear irritation.
He’s in a bad mood today…
Reading the mood carefully, Prim held out the flowerpot.
“It’s a flower. It’s called a forget-me-not. They’re blue…”
Rein’s brow twitched as he gestured toward the pot.
“So that’s what you went out to get?”
Prim shook her head, then suddenly brightened as she got an idea.
“No, I met a friend. I keep thinking about them—it’s my first friend here in the Empire.”
“……”
“If you’re curious, I could introduce you to—”
“That’s enough. You’re trouble enough already.”
Rein turned his face away coldly.
He had seemed softer these past few days, but apparently not anymore. Prim’s expression drooped as she set the flowerpot on the windowsill.
“I’ll take my leave then. Have a good night.”
Just as she was about to exit, his voice stopped her.
“That friend of yours… is it a man?”
Prim turned around, meeting his gaze.
Rein’s expression was strange—his gray eyes were fixed on her with quiet intensity.
“She’s a woman.”
“……”
Rein let out a dry, hollow laugh. Not hearing it, Prim continued innocently,
“As I mentioned before, I’m helping look for your destined beauty—”
“Enough.”
“……”
“Leave.”
His sharp tone cut her off completely.
Prim had wanted to say more but fell silent when she saw how unusually tense he was.
He can’t act like this in front of the beauty either…
This was exactly why she kept things secret. Meeting his fated woman wouldn’t help much if his temper stayed this bad.
“Then, I’ll be going. Have a pleasant evening, Your Highness.”
No response came. She was already used to it by now. But just as she turned to leave—
Something flickered faintly in his colorless vision. Rein’s gray eyes darkened.
It was the faint red stain coloring the hem of her dress.
Even though he couldn’t see color, he had learned enough painting to recognize paint when he saw it.
She was painting.
He’d seen her earlier—talking and smiling warmly as she exchanged something with that gray figure of a man.
So she spent her time with him…
That thought alone made his already heavy mood sink further.
If she wanted to paint, why not do it here in the palace? Why in secret?
Why lie to me? And to bring that flower here, right where I can see it…
Rein reached out and touched the forget-me-not. The petals, still damp with dew, brushed against his fingertips. For a brief, ugly moment, he wanted to crush the colorless flower.
“……”
But he couldn’t. The image of Prim tenderly watering the garden flashed before his eyes.
If I could see color… would you have stayed by my side to paint?
The thought made his chest tighten painfully. Something hot welled up inside him, unidentifiable and suffocating.
What was this feeling?
He couldn’t name it. His eyes stung again—a familiar pain by now.
“…Damn it.”
Rein muttered softly.
The monochrome world shimmered. Just like the day he had watched cherry blossoms in spring, the flower Prim had brought began to glow faintly.
He didn’t know why, but only that flower shone vividly—bathed in a deep blue light.
No one was there to tell him its color.
Not that he wanted to ask anyway. Maybe it was just stubborn pride.
Scowling at the flower, Rein closed his eyes.
Better to hide in darkness than let his heart run wild at the sight of something so bright.
But his heart wouldn’t calm down. Under the moonlight, the petals continued to gleam a vivid, tranquil blue.
It was a day like any other. The sky was clear, the sunlight warm—perfect weather for smiles.
“……”
But Prim couldn’t smile.
“……”
Sitting across from Rein, she quietly studied his face.
His platinum hair shone under the sun, his gray eyes sharp as ever. The high nose bridge, the strong jawline—nothing had changed.
But the atmosphere had.
How should I put it…
“What are you staring at?”
“……”
Yes. He was even moodier than usual.
Before, he’d been like a prickly cat—now he was more like a wild lynx.
At his icy tone, Prim lowered her gaze. She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet she felt like a criminal.
The silence at the table was suffocating. She couldn’t even tell if the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
With such tension in the air, chatting like usual was impossible.
She’d thought they’d grown closer, but apparently, that had just been her imagination.
After glancing at him for a long time, she finally spoke timidly,
“Um, Your Highness. I was hoping to go out for a bit today…”
Rein’s cold gaze snapped toward her.
“And?”
“So, maybe we could postpone today’s lesson—”
“Do whatever you want.”
“……”
He agreed before she could even finish. Prim’s lips opened and closed helplessly, like a chick forgetting how to chirp.
It almost felt like he was silently mocking her: ‘Since when have I ever cared?’
Why is he so irritable…
With a small frown, Prim stuffed a forkful of food into her mouth.
The whipped cream that should’ve been sweet tasted like nothing at all.
Rein’s gray eyes flicked toward her briefly, then fell away again.
Prim sighed deeply as she arrived at her destination—the most popular boutique among noble ladies.
With the Princess’s birthday coming soon, the place was bustling with people, all in a frenzy to find the most dazzling dress.
Why are there so many people?
Mouth slightly agape, Prim slipped to a quieter corner.
Everywhere she looked were luxurious dresses and glittering jewelry too bright to stare at for long.
Ladies tried on ornaments, giggling and admiring their reflections in the mirror.
Prim had come here for one reason—to scout another “beauty” candidate, just in case Elina wasn’t the one.
But it was so chaotic that she couldn’t tell who was who.
She crouched behind a rack of gowns, narrowing her eyes as if focusing could sharpen her intuition.
Black hair, red eyes—that was her target.
“Excuse me, miss?”
A servant-looking man frowned down at her. Prim awkwardly stepped aside.
“Ugh, can’t believe how crowded it is today…” he grumbled irritably.
Prim glanced at him and asked, “Right? It’s especially busy. Is something going on?”
“You haven’t heard? Word is all the royals will be attending. Everyone’s losing their minds.”
“…All the royals?”
Prim blinked, startled.
“You didn’t know? There’s a rumor that he—the 8th Prince—has regained his sight. It’s not confirmed, but lots of people are hoping he might show up at the 7th Princess’s birthday party.”
