"Why do you look so sad?"
Adele sat at the table with berries and roses, smiled, and looked at Prince Arthur in the middle of the room.
He sat in front of the canvas, frowning, and the brush in his hand had stopped for a long time.
The painting was to be sent to Emperor Root so that he could see what his future wife would look like. This work should have been done by the court painter, and Roland officials were dissatisfied with the fact that the Root Empire let Prince Arthur be the chief painter—they didn't believe that a prince could have such superb painting skills.
However, after spending just one morning with Roland's court painter, Prince Arthur conquered them with his own talent.
The portrait is half painted.
Prince Arthur did not set off the dignity and elegance of the characters by deliberately highlighting the room furnishings and surrounding decorations like ordinary court painters. That's how ordinary people lift themselves up to the palace, but Queen Roland doesn't need that—she is all dignity and beauty itself.
In the picture, the drapery embroidered with gold thread, the sterling silver candlestick on the table, and the strong roses are all hidden in the shadows, and the only visual light is left by Prince Arthur to Queen Adele—her face is in the The dark room became clearer, the crown and her eyes reflected each other, and the satin-like curly hair was scattered along the rose-red silk dress...
Anyone who sees this painting can't help but want to step forward and kiss the back of the beauty's hand hanging by the table.
Even the jealous Roland court painter couldn't make a harsh evaluation of it.
It was Prince Arthur himself who was disgruntled.
"How can I be satisfied with this?" Prince Arthur put down his brush unhappily, "My poor drawing skills and lack of inspiration have made me unable to reach this point-I saw the goddess Aphrodite standing with my own eyes. In front of me, I can't leave even a tenth of her beauty!"
Hearing his angry words, Adele took out a rose from the crystal vase with a smile: "There must be many lovely girls in Root who are fascinated by you?"
"The lovely girl prefers my heroic brother."
Prince Arthur shrugged.
Adele caught the very subtle coldness in his voice.
The smile on her lips deepened, she stood up holding the rose, and walked to Prince Arthur.
"Thank you."
The queen handed him the rose, then bent over herself in the canvas.
Prince Arthur felt her long hair fall down his cheek. The queen looked at the picture for a while, and asked him softly if he had improved the paint, and if he used a non-traditional transparent thin layer painting method... Prince Arthur's eyes became brighter and brighter following her words. more and more dangerous.
It's like the sea before a storm in midsummer, so blue that it makes people palpitate.
This is really unexpected. You must know that few of the noble ladies nowadays can really appreciate these profound painting arts... Women's reds and how to please their husbands occupy so much energy that after they dress themselves up, It is difficult to find time to take care of an empty head.
As in most fields, women are not considered qualified to step into the high halls of art.
During the chat, Prince Arthur picked up the paintbrush according to the Queen's request, and showed her the different effects of different techniques on the canvas. He even forgot that he was painting Brother Wang's future wife, thinking that he was painting his own bride.
"You did a great job, I'm very satisfied."
Adele smiled.
"So be it."
"But..." Prince Arthur frowned subconsciously and wanted to refute something.
"Do you also want to draw the most perfect one and then send it to your brother?" The queen's voice became vaguely sharp, and then she seemed to realize her gaffe and then calmed down, "I'm sorry... I mean But it's perfect enough."
Prince Arthur was keenly aware that the aggressiveness she had just shown was not aimed at him, nor at his brother.
The Queen didn't notice his change, she stared intently at herself on the canvas, as if she was staring at something through the painting.
Prince Arthur wanted to say something.
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness."
Dalton's voice sounded from behind, interrupting the communication between Prince Arthur and Queen Adele.
The two turned their heads and saw the young general standing straight at the door.
He didn't know how long he stood there, how long he listened, how long he looked, every line of his face was straightened, like an ancient god of war forged by the most ruthless blacksmith. His gaze fell on Prince Arthur, giving the impression of a wolf staring at its prey with its fangs bared.
At that moment, no one doubted that as long as he was given a chance, he would definitely tear Prince Arthur to pieces.
"Dalton, you are interrupting us."
The Queen straightened up, the smile faded from her face, and she put on the cold mask.
Their eyes collided in the air, and the room vacated for painting was dimly lit, shadow and light existed at the same time, just like the glory and crime of the court, the twins of glory and scandal.
The smile on Prince Arthur's face also disappeared, and the midsummer storm in his pupils descended on the sea.
"Click".
He broke the paintbrush he was holding in his hand.
Adele and Dalton were awakened suddenly and looked at him at the same time.
"Mr. Dalton," said Prince Arthur in an aristocratic and arrogant tone, "this is not the place for you."
"Your Highness," Dalton said, "an envoy from your brother is looking for you."
He deliberately emphasized the words "Prince" and "Brother Wang". Unsurprisingly, Prince Arthur's face turned livid.
The emperor's envoy walked out from behind Dalton expressionlessly and bowed to Prince Arthur. The person who came was an earl of the Root Empire, and also the lover of the Queen Mother of the Root Empire. Prince Arthur went out sullenly.
When passing by Dalton, he lowered his voice and said a word.
Dalton clenched his fists.
... ... ...
"Your Majesty attaches great importance to this alliance," the count said with a serious expression, "and so does your mother."
Prince Arthur rubbed the rose that the queen gave him in return, and crushed the petals with his fingertips. The spikes on the branches made his fingers suffer a little, and the blood mixed with the juice seeped into his fingers. He had a bright smile on his face, knowing in his heart why his mother sent her lover.
— to warn him.
His mother, who put his brother's interests first, treated him like a child.
Prince Arthur's smile widened.
The earl was still relaying the queen mother's order, but Prince Arthur's thoughts drifted to other places. He deliberately slowed down his pace when he left, and vaguely heard the quarrel coming from the room behind him.
dalton...
This name, which he didn't care about at first, and those disturbing rumors suddenly made him feel dissatisfied.
"Are they going to hold a jousting tournament in a few days?" Prince Arthur interrupted the earl's boring words.
"Yes."
answered the count.
The contract of the alliance between the two parties was signed faster than the marriage negotiations between the queen and the emperor. To celebrate the alliance, a traditional tourney will be held. This tournament was not only to show their strength to their allies, but also to urge the queen to agree to Emperor Root's marriage proposal as soon as possible.
"Prepare your armor, I want to participate too."
Prince Arthur commanded.
"Okay... wait? What did you say?"
The earl was stunned on the spot, staring at Prince Arthur with wide eyes.
Arthur has been eccentric since he was a child. When the royal children were supposed to learn riding, he always refused for various reasons and was lazy. Even he was awarded the title of knight, or benefited from the prestige of the royal family. This has always been a joke in the Root Empire, but there are reasons why the emperor and others condone it.
As Prince Arthur grew up, he went so far as to publicly declare that "only the roughest, savages would be keen to charge the enemy with a ridiculous stick."
This remark caused him a lot of trouble, but the prince still went his own way.
"Are you sure you want to participate?" the count repeated in disbelief.
Prince Arthur gave him a cold look, and walked straight forward.
He dropped the crumbled flower, and blood and rose juice dripped from his fingertips on the slate, like all evils that are both charming and vicious.
……………
Inside the room, a quarrel did break out between the queen and the general.
"You're about to make that guy kneel on the ground and kiss your pomegranate skirt!" Dalton said angrily, "What do you want to do? Control the Crown Prince of the Root Empire? Just like me?"
There were thick clouds in his iron gray eyes.
The contemptuous words of Prince Arthur still echoed in my ears-a commoner, what are you expecting
civilian.
These two words were like a lingering curse branded on him.
In the past, no matter how much military exploits he achieved, he would be gently assigned to those noble children who had never even been on the battlefield, but now no matter how close he is to the Queen, there is an insurmountable gully between him.
He could barely breathe as he stood in the doorway watching the young queen and prince stand together in an intimate gesture.
Anger, unwillingness, and jealousy bit his heart like a snake, and his reason seemed to be burnt out. He almost didn't care about the alliance or Protestantism. He just wanted to pull out his gun and pull the trigger on Prince Arthur's disgusting pale face. Until the magazine was empty, until the face was bloody.
"What reason do you have to accuse me?" Adele was irritated by his tone, she tore off the bouquet of roses on the table, and threw her head and face at Dalton, "Isn't this what you want? Isn't this as you wish?"
Dalton remained motionless as the flowers fell on him, and a thorn of a rose scratched the corner of his eye red.
He said coldly: "Then I didn't teach you to seduce Crown Prince Root."
"So?" The Queen laughed angrily, stepped forward, and approached him, "So? If I don't do this, wait for the Yager Kingdom to retreat, and the Root Empire to extend its hand to Roland? Or wait for someone to do it?" Resist the cavalry of the Root Empire for me?"
"I!"
Dalton blurted out.