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Chapter 488: The Emperor’s Daughter 488

“The Finance office has asked for the budget schedule of Fulgor Palace for the month.”

“I already handed it over to the treasury for a while now.”

“Yes? Then, the finance...”

It had been three months since the first talks ended. The end of the war was declared with the second talks; the south’s situation didn’t stabilize right away, but it wasn’t bad.

Less than two weeks had passed since Ferdel retired in my hands before Caitel could completely recover, and Jero became the new Prime Minister.

By the way, I must have spent up the month’s budget.

It was customary for the treasury to review it and give it to the finance office.

They couldn’t have forgotten it, right? It never happened in the past. Of course, the treasury, too, must have been busy, but they couldn’t just forget it.

“Wait a moment. The treasury must have been hectic.”

Well, I was fortunate to have a few documents to work on. Maybe I was feeling territorial about the work? I knew that there was a conflict between the institutes. Fardel was a special case; right after Caitel claimed the throne, he appointed Ferdel as the Prime Minister, so things streamlined.

Well, I couldn’t help it.

All I could do was watch how things went.

“I have come, princess.”

“Libby, is this all?”

“Yes.”

The stack of documents was thick, so I didn’t have time to go through them. If I had enough time, I would have verified them. If the finance was in trouble, would all the documents go to my palace?

I handed over the papers to the attendant, who seemed to be in a hurry.

“Right, here.”

“Thank you, princess.”

The attendant from the finance office bowed and left.

Ugh.

Seeing the way things were happening, I touched my forehead.

“It will be difficult for Jero.”

“I know.”

What could I do?

It was a problem he had to solve on his own.

When Jero became the Prime Minister, the state affairs got so hectic. However, if I asked my dad to help, he wouldn’t even bother.

Eventually, I jumped in, deciding to help him; even for me, who had nothing to do but order people around, I felt that it would be tough for Jero to establish stability right away.

The noble’s territorial acts. Ugh, man...

“Marshal division?”

“They are still busy, something about strengthening borders.”

“Right.”

They had to work on it.

The problem was money, as always.

However, if I fully support it, Jero might have a problem in trying to establish himself as a Prime Minister...

Ah, I was getting worried.

“Miss Ria.”

“Huh?”

“It is time.”

At Libby’s words, I checked the time; we must now commence on the other tasks.

No matter how busy I was, I had other tasks to deal with.

My body felt so stiff when I got up, probably because I sat all day. Ugh, maybe it was time I tried to exercise?

These days, I felt really sick when others referred to me as a weak person.

Well, Assisi’s work might not have ended yet.

Either way, we must press forward.

It had been a long time since a separate building in Fulgor Palace became a place for meetings.

As I crossed the bridge supported by well-structured pillars, I saw people moving busily in the building. They even lowered their heads when they saw me, but they didn’t stop doing their tasks.

I entered the room where the meeting was held, and a man stood there with a restless body.

I smiled when I saw him.

“Ah, you are here.”

“He-her majesty.”

The person was none other than the painter I met while traveling in Shertoenbosch.

He was the one who painted my favorite picture!

Ah, so thrilling.

It was a bit shameful, but once I resumed my activities, the first thing I did was hire the painter under my command and bring him to Agrigient.

I thought he wouldn’t comply with my wishes, but he did!

Ah, how do I explain that fluttery feeling inside me?

I wanted to laugh at my heart’s content, but my dignity as a princess only told me to smile... I was trying to conceal my laughter, but it was always tough to hold it back once it reached my lips.

Hmm...

The painter kept his head low and trembled since he thought I was some scary person.

“Do you have anything to be afraid of? Are you guilty of anything?”

“Ah, no. Absolutely not...”

He raised his head for a moment, but when our eyes met, he quickly lowered his head again.

Ah, I hadn’t even said anything.

“Raise your head.”

Only then did the painter raise his head.

The maids around and beside me directed many unpleasant gazes towards him, but all I was feeling was indescribable gratitude.

Ah, I could keep staring at more of those pictures in the future.

“Your name?”

“Degrin.”

“Such a lovely name.”

Degrin was so nervous that he didn’t know what to say.

I could see that he was sweating profusely despite the cold.

Well, I knew that talking with him would be difficult. I couldn’t help it, so I decided to get to the point.

“Okay, Deg. I will be your sponsor, so please paint for me.”

“H-how could I ever...”

Deg couldn’t speak, so I showed the sweetest smile I could muster. The one I never really revealed to others.

“Ah, in your free time, you can paint anything you want. This is not a formal contract with the Imperial Palace, but with that of an individual. Well, what else should I say?”

As I pondered, Libby handed me a bunch of papers.

Ah, right. There it was.

“Yes, everything was written under this contract. You don’t have to sign it right away. You can think about it.”

Since I was suddenly handing him a contract, Deg stared at me. The amount I was willing to give him was generous.

‘Why?’

‘He was my favorite painter, that’s why!’

“Ah, and is there any other painter you know? Even a sculptor is fine. I normally like such arts.”

“Yes, yes...”

“Ah, and this is the most important one.”

His lips went stiff. I gulped, trying to hold my laughter.

“Please be my art teacher.”

Surprised by my words, Degrin halted in his position.

Maybe it really was shocking. Of course, even I felt ashamed of asking that, asking him to be my teacher with my own lips and to someone I met only twice in my life!

I was embarrassed, but I didn’t overthink it; however, Deg didn’t respond.

Ah...

After a while, Deg returned to reality; he still looked a bit blank when he looked at my maids and me.

“Ah, the princess wants to paint?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t something new, but I didn’t want to paint without knowing the basics.

Obviously, making paintings was still considered a humble hobby among nobles. I even knew that people would speak behind my back in the coming future.

“I have something I really want to paint.”

Deg seemed a bit worried for a while, but it was a different kind of worry. He was looking into my eyes as if he was trying to find something.

Only silence lingered.

Deg nodded, making up his mind.

“I understand.”

Uh? Really?

I smiled very brightly.

That was enough for the maids to accept him.

After sending Deg away, I couldn’t help but hum a tune.

It was a huge success!

“Will you learn to paint?”

I was shocked upon hearing the voice from behind.

Libby looked at me with her wide eyes, so I spoke.

“You heard it all, right? I was looking for a teacher.”

“...”

“And a sculpture, too, if given the time.”

I wasn’t sure how perfectly I could learn.

In fact, in my previous life, I lacked the confidence to do anything. I wanted to do something right this time.

“It will be tough since it’s a job that even men struggle with.”

“There is something I want to leave behind. Of course, it would be tough if I was doing it alone, but wouldn’t it help me accomplish it under a good teacher?”

At my response, Libby seemed worried.

“You could just order someone.”

“That is too...”

I could if I wanted, even I would feel glad.

I had good taste in such things too.

“No matter how great an artist is, they could never paint what I have in mind. It’s probably something only I could do, so I want what is in my head to be painted with my own hands.”

“What is that?”

Could I let her know?

I placed a finger on my lips.

“A secret.”

Even my dad wouldn’t know it.

Thinking about the grand plan in my head, I passed by Libby and her curious gaze with a proud grin.

All they had to do was wait to know what it was.

“I’ll paint it later when I reach a point where I can express it well.”

Of course, it would take a lot of time for that to happen, but that thing I would show would be worth the wait.