The duke had not allowed him to complete the last portrait he had drawn of him and his wife.

After she was gone, he had thought the Duke would have wanted it even more.

‘You’re too talented. If the painting is completed…. I might become obsessed with painting, instead of her.’

Was that a compliment?

The painter didn’t know how to accept those words until today.

Anyway, one thing was clear.

The Duke had only one heart in the world, and he was terrified of it changing or becoming lost.

“I’d like to ask you to complete it.”

There was a slight split in the voice that was reversing a decision made a long time ago.

Probably, it was that hard.

“Are you going to be alright?”

“Is it possible?”

“Well, it’s possible. But—!”

“Then I’d like to ask for your help.”

The painter dared to look up and see the Duke’s expression.

Surprisingly, the pain there hadn’t changed one bit from that day.

What a terrible thing for such a person. Still, many years have passed since his wife had gone first but..

He must have still been missing and loving her passionately.

He didn’t have anything to say.

“I’m worried about the Duke.”

“I’m worried about myself too.”

When he admitted his weakness, the artist smiled a little.

“Am I allowed to complete the painting? My skill as an artist has been acknowledged by the Duke.”

“The children should be able to see their mother.”

“If that’s the case, it’s not the painting but…”

“They need to know her face. Because she was the most beautiful woman anyone could have ever seen.”

“You’re still a devoted husband to your wife.”

“I’m just saying beauty is beauty. I’m telling the truth, there should be no hesitation.”

The painter sighed loudly.

But it was a nice sound to hear after a long time.

“Okay, I’ll take your request.”

“..Thank you.”

The duke nodded and turned around.

The painter suddenly became curious.

How could he make such a decision after he had been so afraid of the painting being completed before?

The answer to this came quickly.

It wasn’t even difficult.

The moment the three children rushed out of Darrell’s room and approached the Duke.

The painter understood the situation clearly.

That’s a relief, Duke.

The painter thought with a grin.

If he had guessed correctly, then he might not be able to get out of the capital for a while.

There were so many beautiful emotions and moments that he needed to capture on the canvas.

******

Winter was approaching.

Half a year had passed since Rieta had come to the Empire.

And on a snowy day.

A second letter arrived for the Princess of Liz, who was living with a Duke.

Of course, the first person who found the letter was the old butler.

Straight away, he ran to the duke with the letter.

“Duke! This—!”

It was unusual for a long-time butler to scream in surprise.

However, there was something shocking on the surface of the letter.

The Kingdom language.

The duke briefly touched his forehead before reading the letter.

Maybe it had been too long since he last read the letters of the Kingdom of Liz, and he had some trouble remembering them.

He was worried that this letter might upset Rieta or disturb the atmosphere of the mansion.

Therefore he had ordered that as soon as a letter came for Rieta, it had to be delivered to him first.

“I’m going to see the Princess.”

The duke rose from his seat.

******

Winter is a good season to show kindness to others.

As the weather gets cold, gentle gestures feel very warm.

Rieta couldn’t just get through this good season.

So, she decided to try and help Noel win over the female protagonist.

‘I’ll do everything you can to the heroine on a cold day.’

They said early education is essential, so if he could get used to it now, he will naturally become a warm man later on!

….That’s what she thought.

Puk!

Rather than showing off his “warm” side, Noel threw a cold snowball at Rieta’s forehead.

“H-hey!”

Fortunately, it didn’t hurt, but she was really surprised by the sudden attack.

Rieta looked back at Noel with a frown.

He was so happy to have aimed the snowball right on her forehead, that he celebrated with a thunderous laugh.

“Phew.”

Rieta sighed on her own.

In the original novel, there were famous keywords for #Kind_MaleLead #Too_kind #Except_for_the_night

Could he achieve those same keywords?