Chapter 43
The purpose of coming here was to meet Adolf and learn painting, so my first destination was naturally to go see him.
I wanted to see Adolf. I was very curious about how he was doing.
To be honest, I also wanted to surprise him — to just show up as if nothing had happened.
Of course, that was only my wish; in reality, seeing a member of the imperial family was no easy task.
In the Fontreich Empire, to have an audience with royalty, one had to first send a formal letter to request an appointment.
But to safely deliver such a letter to the heavily guarded palace, one’s family background and credentials had to be clear.
In that respect, I was in an awkward position.
Since I had divorced Duke Hydrian, I had technically reclaimed my family name “Bennet,” but I had long severed ties with my family.
Naturally, I had no seal or stationery bearing the Bennet name, nor did I have a messenger or carrier bird to send it with.
So, though it might be a little risky, I decided to try another way.
After all, as someone of the Bennet family, I was still allowed free access to the palace as a noble.
Once inside, I pulled my cloak’s hood low and made my way toward the prince’s palace.
Having visited the imperial palace a few times in my childhood, it wasn’t difficult to find my way there.
Avoiding people’s eyes, I slipped through the corridors until I reached the entrance of the prince’s palace. Guards stood at the gate.
They looked startled when I appeared out of nowhere.
“I am Cassia of the Bennet family. Please allow me to see the Third Prince.”
The two guards at the entrance glanced at me, then at each other, clearly unsure.
One of them turned back to me.
“Do you have an appointment? I haven’t heard of any such request…”
“…As you may know, an audience with a royal can only be arranged by prior schedule.”
“I know.”
I smiled gently at them.
For some reason, I suddenly thought of Ken.
Perhaps he, too, was serving as a royal guard somewhere now.
The two guards looked to be about Ken’s age—bright-eyed young men.
“If it were possible to make an appointment, I wouldn’t have come so rudely, unannounced.”
I continued,
“I may bear the Bennet name, but I cut ties with my family long ago, so I cannot send letters under their seal.
But I must see His Highness, the Third Prince. So I took the liberty of coming directly. Could you at least tell him that I’m here?”
The two guards exchanged troubled looks.
The one with a slightly sterner face finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot break protocol. You must have an appointment or—”
“Wait.”
The other guard interrupted his companion.
“Did you say you were Cassia of the Bennet family?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re that Cassia Bennet…”
They both seemed to realize something. Slowly, they turned to look at each other.
What was going on? I tilted my head in confusion.
“Cassia?”
A familiar voice called from behind me. My eyes widened, and I turned around.
Delight filled my face. Standing there was none other than Adolf himself.
“Cassia! It’s really you!”
“Adolf?”
Wearing his royal attire, Adolf ran up and embraced me.
I was startled, but I let him hold me for a moment.
Feeling him tremble slightly in joy, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.
And just like that, Adolf and I were reunited safely in the capital.
Adolf led me to a sitting room.
After we sat facing each other on the sofa, he asked a maid to prepare two cups of tea.
When she left with a polite bow, Adolf turned to me.
“I apologize — the guards only recently began serving, so they’re still a bit inflexible.”
“Oh.”
“I had told them to let you in immediately if you arrived, but it must’ve slipped their minds. Fortunately, I was out walking.”
“No, it’s fine, Adolf. I was the one who came unannounced and caused them trouble.”
I waved my hand lightly.
“I didn’t expect you to have even thought ahead that I might come. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you think so. They may seem rigid, but they’re good lads.”
Soon, maids appeared with warm tea and light refreshments, setting them neatly before us.
Adolf looked at me with an unmistakably cheerful smile.
Once the maids left, we each took a sip of tea. I spoke first.
“This is my first time in the prince’s palace—it feels very pleasant here.”
“Does it?”
“What are those portraits?”
I pointed to one wall. The framed paintings showed a young Adolf.
One portrait depicted little Adolf holding the hand of his mother, the current empress, in a garden.
Another showed him with his elder brother—the First Prince—arm in arm.
Ordinarily, such personal portraits weren’t displayed in reception rooms where guests were received;
normally, imperial lineage portraits of past emperors would hang there instead.
“Oh, those are my mother and my eldest brother. Two of the people I love most in this world.”
“I see.”
Unlike the usual cold image of royals, the portraits radiated warmth and family affection, making me smile.
In truth, since a royal’s childhood was never made public, such paintings were deeply meaningful.
The young Adolf in the portrait was so adorable that I smiled again as I looked at it.
“How have you been?” he asked. “I heard some news about your gallery.”
“Yes. I was going to close it, but after people protested, I just turned it over to the royal household.”
“I was so happy when I received your letter from Lorentia,” Adolf said.
“Knowing that you were thinking of me… it always overwhelms me.”
“I only said I’d come with your permission because I thought you might find it burdensome,” I replied with a smile.
“It was the best way I could think of to be considerate.”
“Either way, thank you. You made me feel lighter than air.”
Adolf smiled and took a sip of tea. Setting the cup down, he glanced at me and asked gently,
“May I ask why you came to the capital after closing the gallery?”
“…To learn painting.”
He watched as I took another sip of tea before continuing.
At my answer, joy sparkled in his eyes.
“After you left,” I said, “I thought deeply about painting. I asked others for advice and reflected a lot on my own.
And I realized—you were right. I truly love painting. That was my conclusion.”
“I see…”
“If I were to study art seriously, I’d have to come to the capital anyway, with or without your help.
But since you offered to help, I thought—why not accept? You have far better connections and resources, after all. That’s why I came.”
Of course, I could have used my own money to hire a private tutor.
But I wanted to learn through Adolf’s network, through the people he trusted.
He would be much better at finding and hiring a truly skilled art teacher.
It felt like I could reach a better environment that way.
Also, Adolf was the first person ever to show such genuine affection and interest in my paintings.
Somehow, I had the feeling he would find me a teacher who suited me perfectly.
“Please find me a good painting instructor, Adolf. I’m counting on you.”
“Gladly—very gladly.”
Adolf listened intently and nodded, his face bright with enthusiasm.
“You came to the right place, Cassia.”
“…”
“Trust me. I’ll make sure you have the finest environment to learn in.”
His confident expression gave me an inexplicably good feeling.
A few days later, Adolf came to my house, wearing a cloak with the hood drawn low.
Behind him stood two women, side by side.
“Have you waited long? I tried to prepare as quickly as possible.”
“Not at all. You could’ve taken longer. Please, come in, Adolf.”
I ushered them inside. Following me, Adolf removed his cloak and sat on the sofa.
The two women he had brought stood beside us.
One looked young—around Nick or Ken’s age—while the other seemed older than me.
Oh?
When I recognized the older woman, my eyes widened.
If she was who I thought she was…
Just then, Adolf gestured toward the younger woman and spoke.
“Let me start by introducing Sophie. She’ll be managing your schedule and assisting you with household matters.”
I looked at the maid. She stepped forward and bowed politely.
“Hello, Lady Cassia. I’ll be managing your daily schedule from now on. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”
“Oh…”
So that was it—she was to be my assistant.
“Nice to meet you.”
I greeted her, then leaned toward Adolf to whisper so she wouldn’t feel awkward.
“Adolf, I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need a maid. Just finding a teacher would have been enough…”
“You might think so now,” Adolf murmured with a mysterious smile, “but in a few days, you’ll see why you need her.”
I tilted my head, puzzled, and he added,
“As it happens, I found you a teacher who’s going to be quite the taskmaster.”
He gestured toward the remaining woman—the one in a black dress. She stepped forward stiffly.
“Allow me to introduce her. This is Mrs. McKenna Hudson, the instructor who will be teaching you from now on.”
