Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 201: The Portrait

Chapter 201: The Portrait

The young man closed the door to his small studio and turned around, a bright, wide smile playing upon his full lips. He walked up to Melania who, too, was looking at him with a genuine smile of happiness on her youthful face.

"Second buyer! Your Highness, this is already the second gallery that agreed to buy my paintings!"

The princess nodded and clasped her hands together; the artist’s success made her feel fulfilled just as much.

"The art season is about to start so it is only natural that every respectful gallery is looking for fresh talent and valuable pieces to showcase. Imagine how many noblemen will come to see the exhibitions. Imagine how much money they will pay! You’ll see, you will be able to pay off your debt and go back to Lafad in no time! Are you happy?"

Seeing Melania’s shining face made Hayim feel rather awkward.

"Yes, I am, Your Highness."

The young woman tilted her head to the side and carefully observed Hayim’s face; there was no way he could fool her like that.

"What is it, Hayim? Come on, tell me what is bothering you."

The artist hesitated, shifting awkwardly on his feet, but then released a long, defeated exhale, and finally confessed,

"I can’t help but feel that all of this is happening only because I have a royal princess standing by my side. You hold a certain power over people and I am scared that my success is nothing but an empty shell."

Melania’s face grew serious.

She understood what he really meant. The young man was scared that he owed his success to the rumors circulating around the capital and that he would go back to being a nameless nobody once people’s attention would be diverted to something else.

He had a point, the princess was scared of that too, but the main point of her supporting him remained the same––Hayim had to return to Lafad. There, no matter what, he would be appreciated for who he really was.

A great artist.

In an attempt to dispel the looming sense of tension between them, Melania faked a laugh, "Goodness, Hayim, your concerns are ungrounded! I saw how the gallery owner was looking at your paintings, such a sincere reaction could never be faked, trust me! No, people look at you with the eyes full of admiration. They see how talented you are and that is why they buy your work. There is no other reason for that, I promise."

Somehow, even though he knew that her words were only meant to soothe his worries, Hayim felt a little bit better upon hearing them.

Walking slowly towards the farthest corner of his tiny studio, the young man moved one of the long, heavy curtains next to the wall, revealing a framed canvas covered with a white silk cloth.

"Your Highness," he started somewhat timidly, "I know that I will never be able to pay you back for everything that you’ve been doing for me, but I want you to know that I will never forget your kindness and will work even harder to prove to you that you’ve made the right choice when you decided to invest in someone like me."

Hayim carefully removed the silk cloth from the canvas and Melania gasped as she finally saw what was hidden beneath it.

It was her portrait.

Still rough in its execution, still unfinished, but it was unbelievably beautiful.

She was speechless.

"I know it still lacks polishing and blending but once I’m done with it, I promise you, you will never get a portrait as beautiful as this one. I will pour all my heart and soul into finishing it and making it perfect."

The princess slowly slid her elegant slender fingers over the carved wood of the wide frame, her heart was beating too fast to leave her any room to collect her thoughts.

’Is this really how I look like?’ She asked herself silently, ’Or is this how he sees me?’

During her life, Melania had her portraits painted by the best artists of Lafad, and although she was always flattered when she saw their exaggerated vision, this time, something deep inside her flickered, igniting a sequence of new emotions; something hopeful yet unsettling.

"I made the frame myself too," Hayim finally broke the silence once again, "But you don’t have to keep it, Your Highness. I am sure the palace’s craftsmen can do a much better job than me."

Shifting her deep brown eyes back to the artist, Melania stretched her lips into a light smile and finally said, "No, I want the frame to remain the same. I want this to be entirely your work, Hayim."

The young man’s face lit up upon hearing such words but the princess’ voice suddenly turned colder, "Keep it somewhere far away..." She lightly pushed the painting away from her, creating a distance between them, "No matter what happens, do not show it to anyone. Keep working on it in secret. This will be my only request."

Hayim understood what she wanted to say and although it still stung to have her doubt his intentions, he had no choice but to silently comply.

Struggling to conceal his bitter expression, the man covered the portrait with silk cloth and hid it back behind the curtain. Awkward tension filled the studio once again. It was palpable.

Hayim parted his lips to change the subject to something else but Melania spoke first,

"Well, it’s getting late, I must go back to the palace."

She did not give Hayim a chance to say anything else. The princess simply offered him another fake smile and left the room, her footsteps heavy with the invisible burden of her feelings.

As she arrived back at her quarters, Melania ordered the maids to prepare a light meal before she could retire to her bedroom to have some much-needed rest, when she saw Prince Valon shaking hands with the gallery owner they had just met today in Hayim’s studio.

Hiding behind the carriage, the princess watched Valon make his way towards his alchemy lab, then looked around, ensuring that there was no one to watch her, and whispered,

"I knew it. Let’s see what you have been planning all this time, Your Highness."