ITIF SS 5

The New Portrait

“Let’s go with a frontal view.”

In the end, reflecting Giselle Grante’s opinion, it was decided that the portrait would be painted from the front.

Neither Lady Greykin nor Lady Howard raised any objections to her decision.

However, Lady Howard’s cheeks were puffed out in displeasure, and Lady Greykin’s lips protruded slightly as well.

Only the young painter nodded his head immediately.

Yet he began work on the portrait with a somewhat regretful expression.

A frontal portrait. It certainly wasn’t a method that would satisfy everyone, but it couldn’t be helped.

Not only Giselle Grante, but the young painter was busy as well.

It seemed he had given up his rest time to paint her portrait while commissions were piling up.

After all, he couldn’t paint the portrait twice just to satisfy the two young ladies, could he?

****

“It seems almost finished—would you like to take a look?”

Fortunately, the result was very satisfactory.

The faces of Lady Greykin and Lady Howard, who had been in conflict over whether the left or right side of Giselle Grante’s face should be painted, also brightened.

Turning her neck slightly, stiff from sitting still for so long, Giselle Grante spoke.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet.”

“Please call me Gauthier, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Though it was a bit burdensome to be addressed as “Your Imperial Majesty” at every turn, it was something she would have to get used to.

“Thank you. I… recently changed my name.”

Artists who changed their names after gaining recognition were not uncommon. The young painter had also become aware that his position had improved.

Giselle Grante said with a faint smile:

“It’s a lovely name.”

The young painter asked with a shy smile:

“But does the painting please you?”

Seeing him constantly fidgeting with his paint-stained fingers, he seemed anxious about her evaluation. Giselle Grante answered with a deliberately bright smile.

“I like it very much. Both last time and this time.”

“I-Is that so? What a relief…”

Gauthier trailed off and lowered his gaze.

Perhaps pleased by the praise, his pale cheeks, deprived of sunlight, quickly flushed red.

“I-If you ever summon me, I’ll come running even if it means setting aside everything else!”

Knowing why he was so enthusiastic, Giselle Grante nodded inwardly.

For artists, entering the palace meant reaching the pinnacle of their field.

Once word spread that he had painted a portrait of her, the prospective empress, his fame would rise even higher.

She was also pleased that she could be of help to someone she was indebted to.

“…A-Actually, my heart raced at the thought of capturing Your Imperial Majesty’s beauty in paintings from various angles! Of course, with my humble skills, I couldn’t express even half—no, not even half of that—of Your Imperial Majesty’s elegance. But still, whether left or right or from behind…”

Gauthier rambled on and on.

‘Was he always this talkative?’

She was a bit surprised by this unexpected side of him when:

“Quite enthusiastic. A bit excessively so.”

Giselle Grante turned her head toward the direction of the voice.

There stood Kavelaseth, his arms firmly crossed.

It seemed someone had informed him that the portrait was complete.

‘But why does he look displeased…?’

Though puzzled, Giselle Grante hurriedly pointed to the portrait.

“The portrait is finished—would you like to see it?”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Kavelaseth strode toward her.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty…”

The young painter, frozen for a moment, overwhelmed by the atmosphere Kavelaseth exuded, finally came to his senses and bowed deeply.

Passing by the young painter and standing before the portrait, Kavelaseth quietly gazed at Giselle Grante in the painting.

The painter’s Adam’s apple bobbed repeatedly as he watched Kavelaseth’s reaction while half-bowed.

Even though he had already received a favorable evaluation from Giselle Grante, he seemed worried.

After the painter’s Adam’s apple bobbed about three times, Kavelaseth murmured quietly:

“Hmm… Your skills are certainly not bad, as I’ve heard.”

Anyone who knew Kavelaseth’s usual temperament would have immediately recognized that he had just given the highest praise.

But unfortunately, the young painter seemed to be meeting Kavelaseth for the first time today.

Even before becoming emperor, Duke Cardia’s fastidious and cold personality had been widely discussed in society, but it was uncertain whether the young painter had heard rumors about him.

“I-Is that so? If you point out any parts you dislike, I’ll correct them immediately!”

That reaction confirmed it.

It was highly likely that the young painter had not heard the rumors about Duke Cardia.

“Well, I don’t think changing one part would make much difference…”

Kavelaseth’s cold assessment continued.

The painter’s pupils began to shake violently.

At this rate, the career he had built up could become worthless in an instant.

An artist who had gained recognition through word of mouth among nobles—their ultimate goal was to enter the palace.

There was no need to describe how bitter the experience of having one’s dream crushed at the moment of achieving it would be.

Just as Giselle Grante was about to offer words of comfort to the young painter after glancing back and forth between the two:

Kavelaseth wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Then, pulling her close to him, he said:

“…It seems you’re the only one who has managed to capture even a little of the empress’s beauty in a painting.”

“P-Pardon? Is that truly so?”

The young painter asked back with surprised eyes.

“If the schedule allows, it wouldn’t be bad to paint a few more portraits of the empress.”

After uttering those words, Kavelaseth spun Giselle Grante around.

Then he gave a signal to the attendant waiting at the entrance.

As she walked along as Kavelaseth led her, she felt wordless joy behind her.

Giselle Grante glanced back.

Just then, the attendant was approaching the young painter and saying something.

“I’d like to briefly discuss the future schedule, if that’s all right? As His Majesty just mentioned, we’ll need to arrange for a few more portraits of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress later…”

Giselle Grante’s head tilted involuntarily.

‘Surely… it can’t be?’

She suspected whether Lady Greykin and Lady Howard had insisted to Kavelaseth that several more portraits should be painted.

****

After the coronation ceremony, Kavelaseth became noticeably busier.

Even living in the same imperial palace, it had reached the point where they could hardly see each other’s faces unless they specifically made time.

The responsibility of being the empire’s sovereign was that heavy, and she was well aware of how busy he was. In fact, if there was anyone in the empire who understood his difficulties better than anyone else, it might be her.

After all, she too had been preparing since childhood to become the next emperor.

Nevertheless, Kavelaseth always made sure to spend time with her at least once a day.

Just like now.

As she walked through the vast palace corridor, Giselle Grante suddenly voiced a question that came to mind.

“Your Majesty?”

“What is it?”

“Where are we going now?”

After leaving his office, Kavelaseth had been silently walking somewhere for some time.

She had a rough idea of where he was heading, so Giselle Grante had been walking alongside him without saying much.

But when he simply passed by the corridor leading to the dining room, she couldn’t help but ask.

“I heard you had lunch a bit late today?”

He was right.

Lunch had been delayed today.

And he prioritized her health above all else. If she didn’t get at least eight hours of quality sleep or didn’t consume proper nutrition on time, he acted as if something terrible would happen.

So she had been living a life of sleeping and eating better than ever before.

Also, reports about what and how much she ate, the quality of her sleep—all such trivial matters—went to Kavelaseth.

Of course, she received the same reports as well.

Everything about where Kavelaseth went and what he did, how his mood was throughout the day—all of it.

She had also learned through noblewomen who had been married for quite some time that his approach was that of a very ideal husband.

‘He must have been worried because my meal was delayed.’

While Giselle Grante was briefly pondering, Kavelaseth continued:

“There’s a place I’d like to stop by before dinner.”

She was well aware of where his gaze had been directed all along.

Ever since they finished the portrait work and left his office, his gaze had been focused solely on the area around her lips.

Therefore, Giselle Grante knew what he wanted now. She wanted what he wanted too.

But there was something that bothered her.

‘The sun hasn’t even set yet…’

The sight of the emperor entering and leaving the bedroom at such an early hour wouldn’t look good.

So she was about to refuse when Kavelaseth pushed her into a nearby guest room.

“…?”

And no sooner had he closed the door than he kissed her.

Though Kavelaseth rushing at her so suddenly was a bit puzzling, she had no confidence to refuse him.

In truth, she also wanted to be with Kavelaseth, to touch him.

Giselle Grante wrapped her arms around Kavelaseth’s neck as if responding to him.

Seemingly emboldened by her lack of resistance, Kavelaseth pressed in even more intensely.

As the kiss deepened, both their breathing grew rougher.