Chapter 566: Painting (Part 1)
Chapter 566: Painting (Part 1)
"Felicia."
Hmm...
"Felicia, wake up."
Who...who's calling me?
"Felicia, don't sleep anymore. It's time to wake up."
Shh, shh, I'm getting up!
Hearing the familiar voice, the emerald-eyed maiden unconsciously rubbed her eyes and sat up from the ground, then looked around her surroundings in a daze.
Lawn, fountain, pool, open terrace... The brick path covered in moss, exquisite sculptures with broken edges, untended green spaces with patches of yellowing grass, and an overgrown, dilapidated garden. Everything seemed so foreign yet strangely familiar...
Is this...the old garden behind the palace?
"You're finally awake."
Looking at Felicia, her hair in disarray as she sat on the yellowed grass, Prince Andre, standing behind her, couldn't help but chuckle softly. He continued setting up the easel while reminiscing:
"You used to love lying on the lawn and sleeping, especially during the early summer days when it wasn't too hot. You'd always pester me to bring a parasol and take you to play in this garden.
After playing, you wouldn't even wipe your sweat. You'd just set up the parasol and lie down, falling into a deep sleep. You'd even roll around in your sleep, getting your little face all dirty like a mud monkey, and I'd get scolded by Mother..."
Big brother Andre...
Seeing the gentle expression on Prince Andre's face, Felicia's initially flustered heart suddenly relaxed. She couldn't help but ask:
"Just now..."
"Just now, I dealt with that troublesome cleaner and rescued you from his grasp. You're safe now."
"Oh...that's good..."
"..."
Seeing the emerald-eyed maiden ask a question and then stand in place, not moving for a while, Prince Andre blinked in surprise. Then, as if understanding something, he frowned and said:
"Did he say something to you?"
"Mmm..."
Of course, Felicia knew exactly who Andre was referring to when he said "he." After recalling Leon's previous words, the emerald-eyed maiden bit her lip, but in the end, she chose to be honest and said:
"That person told me...that you had tried to kill me at least twice.
During the attack on the Scorpio Bureau Chief, you probably didn't know that Leon had already taken me away. But to prevent me from being taken by the Scorpion Chief, you eventually ordered the bombardment of Administrative Zone 38, where the Cleaning Bureau is located.
Also, you had Atifi 00 take my place, controlling the kingdom's remote weapons. Once a suspicious target was spotted leaving the palace, you ordered an immediate saturation bombing... Are all these things true?"
"..."
After hearing the emerald-eyed maiden's question, Prince Andre couldn't help but nod slightly.
"Mmm...I did give those two orders."
"..."
"But you also know that I had to do it."
Sighing, Prince Andre explained sincerely:
"Felicia, you're also an officially recognized member of the Butcher King Guild, and you understand the situation over there. Both of us are bound by the rules of the Corlok Royal Family. We must ensure the bloodline's discontinuation, and I only had one chance to ambush the Scorpion Bureau Chief.
If I had held back during the attack because of you and failed to keep him there, and if he had taken you away from the Corlok Kingdom, both of us would have been 'bound' and executed."
"Mmm...I understand."
The emerald-eyed maiden nodded and responded softly:
"I don't blame you. After all, everything that happened is my fault. If I hadn't given in to my curiosity and insisted on approaching Leon, you wouldn't have had to make such a choice. It was my fault for being too impulsive."
"It's not your fault."
At the words, Prince Andre shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "I agreed to let you go, after all, my previous actions didn't reveal any flaws. In the eyes of the Scorpio Bureau, the entire royal family should still be alive, so they had no reason to target you."
But then he thought of the guy from the Royal Banquet painting, the one who, even when transformed into a clown, could still pinpoint his weak spots and attack relentlessly. Prince Andre's lips twitched involuntarily, and he sighed, "That guy is just not normal."
"Felia, after he captured you, I thought about it for a long time, but I still couldn't understand. He clearly doesn't know anything, so why did he act without hesitation?"
"..."
After listening to her brother's words, the Emerald-Eyed Girl couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. She raised her hand and touched the back of her head, where Lyon had cut her, and fell silent.
Indeed, that pervert was truly outrageous.
Before deciding to approach him, she had repeatedly calculated using the AI Core, and no matter how she calculated, the result was always that he wouldn't harm her. But that pervert dared to do it anyway. After chatting with her for a moment, he immediately captured her without a word.
As for how to describe that person... after much thought, there was only one fitting word: "not normal."
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
The siblings, exhausted by Lyon's abnormal behavior, fell into a silent pause. Prince Andre broke the silence, speaking in a comforting tone as he bent down to organize the easel, "At that time, the trap for the Scorpio Chief hadn't been triggered yet, and my goal was to keep them calm. So, whether it was me or you, one of us had to make contact with Lyon.
If you hadn't suggested going, the one captured would likely have been me. The situation then might have been worse than it is now. In any case, it's not your fault that you were captured."
"Mhm."
The Emerald-Eyed Girl nodded in acceptance of the comfort and looked at the easel in front of Prince Andre, hesitating before asking, "Brother Andre, are you going to paint me again?"
"Yes."
After stretching the canvas on the easel, Prince Andre nodded. He cleaned the paintbrush with turpentine, his eyes focused as he replied, "In the past, when I painted you, I only captured the likeness. Technically, there were no issues, but I could never capture that ethereal feeling. But now, it's different. I'm confident I can paint the complete you."
"That's good..."
The Emerald-Eyed Girl nodded, then pressed her lips together and asked, "Brother Andre, can I ask why you couldn't capture me before, but now you're confident you can paint me?"
"..."
Hearing Felia's question, Prince Andre paused, then lifted his head to look at her, his brows furrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"I just want to know the answer..."
Felia's small fist clenched, and she looked straight at Prince Andre, asking softly, "Brother Andre, is the person you've been painting truly me?"
(End of Chapter)
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