âDid you have a good time the other day? I heard âCrimson Tragedyâ is quite entertaining. Itâs the talk of the town.â
ââŠDid you put a tail on me?â
âOf course not. I just heard some rumors about it. Since itâs considered a masterpiece, I thought I might take some time to watch it myself.â
During todayâs session of painting the crown princeâs portrait, Rajaden was being particularly moody. He kept his taut smile fixed on Violet.
Though it wasnât enough to disrupt her painting, his continuous moodiness led Violet to neatly organize her sketches and put down her pencil. She didnât hesitate to sigh in front of the crown prince.
âDespite being an adaptation based on historical facts, It was enjoyable to watch. The lead actors were quite memorable.â
Of course, that was a lie. Violet didnât really enjoy the play.
âIn what way?â
âThe actress was beautiful.â
âI see, thatâs goodâŠâ
For some reason, Rajadenâs voice sounded bitter. Violet felt uneasy. Had he eaten something bad?
âYou rejected my invitation, yetâŠâ
Rajaden muttered to himself. Violet ignored him and refocused on the canvas.
âWell, Iâm glad you had fun.â
ââŠâŠâ
At that moment, a vague memory surfaced in Violetâs mind. Had Rajaden asked her out to see the play with him? Her sigh deepened.
âIf it had been an order, I would have complied.â
âYou never miss a chance to get the last word in.â
âI was just expressing my thoughts⊠Shall I conform to your wishes?â
âNo. Just be yourself. Thatâs more natural.â
Switching gears rapidly, Rajaden abandoned his displeasure and adopted a tender expression.
âI will be the one who adjusts to you.â
âOh, okayâŠâ
It really didnât suit him. Violet responded without hiding her distaste, but Rajaden just kept looking at her with that same tender expression.
Even after that, the trivial conversation continued, but Violet focused on her painting. Despite her half-hearted responses, Rajaden persistently asked her various questions.
When asked about her preferences, she answered absurdly, like saying that she enjoyed a dish made with dragon meat, its heat neutralized with a poisonous frogâs secretions.
Of course, dragon meat didnât exist in the current era, so her words were nonsense.
Even so, Rajaden praised her, saying, âYour sense of humor is remarkable.â Violet diligently mixed colors and painted.
The key to the crown princeâs portrait was capturing âlightâ from beginning to end.
Descendant of the Sun God, son of the light-enshrouded imperial family.
While she couldnât completely capture his likeness, the painting on the canvas gave off a similar atmosphere.
Rajaden, bathed in holy light, appeared more reverent in the portrait than he did in real life.
She incorporated yellow, white, and complementary colors like blue and a similar light green to enhance the color palette.
Though it was difficult to create depth by adjusting saturation instead of brightness, the painting turned out even clearer because of it.
Her painting resembled a depiction of a deity from a holy book rather than a traditional portrait.
The painters of this current era, who prioritized realism, might not acknowledge a painting such as this. As she half-heartedly answered Rajadenâs questions, Violet thought to herself,
âWhat exactly do I think of him?â
Human emotions were indeed fickle and complex. She didnât like Rajaden, but it was hard to say she outright disliked him.
He was just fundamentally incompatible with her. His heavy-handed approach to things especially brought up unpleasant memories.
Her first impression of him had been terrible. How could she forget the time he went on about that âpoisonous roseâ nonsense?
Yet, as a person, she didnât find him utterly repulsive.
Violet sighed.
âLetâs call it a day, Your Highness.â
Despite repeatedly thinking that he wasnât the one for her, it was inevitable that Violetâs thoughts kept circling back due to Rajadenâs persistent advances.
This was precisely Rajadenâs strategy.
No matter how hard he tried, Violet remained consistently lukewarm.
Those seasoned in politics and high society were all accustomed to maintaining a poker face, but even considering that, her reactions were undeniably indifferent.
ââŠIt seems I really mean nothing to you.â
In the end, Rajaden had to admit this. His gloomy expression was so pitiful it was hard to tell if he was acting or genuine.
ââŠâŠâ
Violet glanced at him while tidying up her art supplies. Rajaden looked at her and smiled again.
âI can adjust to you. In every way. âŠSo, please, give me a chance.â
As Violet finished organizing, Rajaden kissed the back of her hand and spoke imploringly.
.
.
.
On her way home, Violet repeatedly pondered Rajadenâs words.
She could see the ulterior motives behind his golden eyes.
Even if there was some sincerity in his words, it was hard to believe that was all there was to it.
âThis is whyâŠâ
This is why, no matter how hard he tried, she couldnât bring herself to fall for him.
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A corner of Violetâs lips went up as she gazed at the sky outside the carriage window.
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