Chapter 90 – The Painting
After the duel, the banquet gradually returned to normal.
The noblewomen went back to their conversations. The maids resumed moving between the tables with glasses, trays, and tiny portions of food decorated far more than necessary.
The music began playing softly again.
Kaela Ardent had been helped back to her feet by one of her companions, though she refused to leave the hall to rest.
That made Matt respect her a little more.
Not much, but a little.
At least she had pride.
Stupid pride, maybe, but pride nonetheless.
Matt returned to his seat beside the throne with the same tired expression as before.
Noxx was waiting for him there, sitting on the edge of the seat he had occupied earlier.
The moment she saw him return, her red eyes immediately moved to his hands.
Then his face.
Then his clothes, searching for injuries.
Matt noticed the inspection.
"She didn't hit me."
Noxx looked up.
"I saw."
"Then stop checking me like someone threw me off a mountain."
Noxx lowered her eyes slightly.
"I was just making sure."
Matt sighed.
"I'm fine."
"You say that a lot when you're not fine."
Matt went still for a second.
Then he looked away.
"That was unnecessarily accurate."
Noxx didn't answer.
When Matt sat down again, she hesitated.
Only for a second.
But Matt made a small gesture with his hand.
Noxx blushed faintly.
Then she sat on his lap again.
This time with less awkwardness.
Not because she had stopped being embarrassed.
She was still red.
But at least she no longer looked like she was trying to solve an impossible social equation every time she got close to him.
Matt wrapped one arm around her waist so she wouldn't slip.
Noxx stiffened for a second.
Then relaxed.
Iris saw it.
Of course she saw it.
Her perfect smile tightened just a little more.
Eleonora laughed inside her mind.
Iris ignored her.
Or tried to.
◇◆◇
A little while later, an elf approached the throne.
She wasn't one of the delegation's leaders.
Nor was she a warrior.
She wore a light green dress embroidered with silver, her hair in the same shade swept to one side, and a long case hanging from her shoulder.
Unlike many of the guests, she didn't seem to have arrived with a chest full of gold or mana stones.
She came carrying parchment, ink, brushes, and an expression so excited it was almost dangerous.
The elf bowed deeply before the queen.
"Your Majesty Elyra."
The queen looked at her with interest.
"You may approach."
The elf raised her head with a restrained smile, though her eyes were shining far too brightly.
"Thank you."
Then she looked at Matt.
Then at Noxx.
And her expression changed.
It was the expression of someone who had just discovered a perfect composition and needed to capture it before the world committed the crime of moving.
"Matt," the elf said carefully. "Miss Noxx."
Noxx tensed when she heard her name.
Matt raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
The elf opened her case quickly.
Too quickly.
Inside were thin sheets of parchment, quills, brushes, and several small bottles of strangely colored ink.
"I would like to request permission to draw the two of you."
Matt blinked.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"We're at a banquet."
The elf nodded.
"Precisely."
Matt stared at her in silence.
Noxx lowered her voice slightly.
"Is that normal?"
Matt answered just as quietly:
"Don't ask me. I still don't understand why anyone would bring paintbrushes to a party."
The elf heard him.
But she wasn't offended.
If anything, she looked even more motivated.
"A moment like this will never happen again," she said. "Matt's official debut, Noxx's unexpected introduction, the closeness between the two of you, the crown, the red light of the hall..."
The elf paused.
Her eyes traveled over Noxx sitting on Matt's lap.
Then she smiled.
"It's a historic scene."
The elf already had the parchment ready.
Noxx looked at Matt.
"What do we do?"
Matt sighed.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"If we move, she might start over."
The elf raised her brush with a serious expression.
"It would help if you didn't move too much."
Matt looked at her.
"Knew it."
Noxx tried to stay still.
Too still.
Which only made her look even more nervous.
Matt sighed.
"Don't turn into a statue."
"She told me not to move."
"That doesn't mean you have to stop breathing."
Noxx swallowed.
"Understood..."
Matt closed his eyes.
"There you go with 'understood' again."
"Sorry."
"And that."
The elf began to draw.
Fast.
Absurdly fast.
Her hand moved across the parchment with a precision that didn't look natural.
First came the throne, the chair, Matt's silhouette: crown, white hair, black clothes, his arm around Noxx.
Then Noxx: sitting on his lap, black-and-red dress, back slightly stiff, face flushed, fingers resting on the fabric, her eyes trying to look forward but tilted ever so slightly toward Matt.
The elf wasn't just fast.
She was far too good.
Which was annoying.
Because it meant she was probably going to capture things Matt would rather not see.
After several minutes, the elf took a step back.
Her eyes shone with pride.
"Finished."
Matt blinked.
"Already?"
The elf nodded.
"Yes."
"That was way too fast."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
The elf smiled as though it had been.
Then she turned the parchment around to show them.
Matt looked at the portrait.
And went silent.
It wasn't bad.
Actually, it was too good.
The drawing showed Matt sitting with a calm, almost commanding posture, the crown resting over his white hair and a dry expression that seemed to say he hated being there.
That was fairly accurate.
Annoyingly accurate.
Noxx, on the other hand, sat on his lap with a soft, shy, slightly embarrassed expression.
Her body leaned faintly toward him, her hands rested on her skirt, and her red eyes shone in a way that made her look...
Matt looked at the drawing.
Then at Noxx.
Then back at the drawing.
"It's decent."
The elf smiled proudly.
"I'm honored you think so."
Noxx, on the other hand, couldn't speak.
Her entire face had turned red.
She stared at the drawing as though she had just discovered something terrible.
'Is that what I look like?'
That question lodged itself firmly inside her head.
Was she really sitting like that on Matt?
Did she really look that comfortable?
That close?
That...?
Noxx swallowed.
"No."
Matt looked at her.
"No?"
Noxx raised a hand toward the portrait.
"My expression... no... that... I don't..."
The elf blinked.
Noxx tried to speak more firmly.
"D-Draw... an expression... more... like Matt... I mean... not like that... I..."
Noxx got stuck.
Horribly.
The words tangled together.
The idea died in the air before it could come out whole.
Noxx closed her mouth.
Her face turned even redder.
Matt looked at her.
So did the queen.
So did Iris.
The queen smiled fondly.
That smile made Iris want to tear the parchment in half.
'Is it really that hard to pronounce words properly?' Iris thought.
Eleonora laughed in the background of her mind.
Iris clenched her teeth.
The elf, meanwhile, looked at Noxx kindly.
"Would you like me to draw you with a more serious expression?"
Noxx opened her mouth.
"Yes, that's... I..."
But she got stuck again.
The queen let out a soft laugh.
Not a political laugh.
Not a threatening laugh.
A real one.
Small and amused.
"How adorable," Elyra declared.
Noxx froze.
Matt looked at the queen.
Then at Noxx.
Then back at the queen.
'Crazy woman,' Matt thought.
Iris, meanwhile, felt another piece of her patience snap.
The queen calling Noxx adorable.
In front of everyone.
'How wonderful... setting the gift table on fire would really complete the evening,' Iris thought as she took a deep breath and forced herself to smile.
Then she spoke.
Her voice came out sweet.
Too sweet.
"The portrait is excellent," Iris said.
The elf quickly turned toward Iris.
"Princess Iris..."
Iris looked at the drawing.
Then at Noxx.
Then back at the drawing.
"You did an excellent job portraying my sisters."
The sentence landed softly.
Sisters.
Plural.
Matt raised an eyebrow slightly.
Noxx remained silent.
The queen smiled.
"I agree," Elyra said. "The composition is beautiful."
Noxx lowered her gaze in embarrassment.
She had failed.
She had tried to say she disagreed.
That she didn't want to look like that.
That she wanted a more serious expression.
More confident.
More like Matt's.
But she couldn't.
And now Iris and the queen had approved the drawing.
Which meant the portrait would probably stay like that forever.
Matt noticed her expression.
And for some reason, that bothered him more than the drawing itself.
He looked at the elf.
"On second thought, I don't like it," Matt said.
The elf stiffened.
"You don't?"
Noxx's head shot up.
The queen looked at him too.
Matt pointed at the portrait.
"Noxx's expression."
Noxx's eyes widened slightly.
Matt continued:
"Make another one where she looks more confident."
The elf looked at the drawing.
Then at Noxx.
Then at Matt.
She hesitated.
"Matt... with all due respect, I can't portray something I don't see..."
The nearest part of the hall went silent.
That sentence had been dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Noxx tensed.
Matt looked at the elf.
His expression didn't change.
But the atmosphere did.
"Are you saying my sister doesn't look confident?"
The elf went pale.
"No."
The answer came quickly.
Very quickly.
Then the elf lowered her head.
"My apologies. I didn't explain myself properly."
Matt didn't look away.
The elf swallowed.
"What I meant was... she doesn't look insecure because she's weak."
Noxx tightened her fingers around her skirt.
The elf continued more carefully:
"It's obvious she enjoys being beside you."
Noxx turned red again.
Matt blinked.
The elf continued, trying to arrange her words properly.
"And considering how young she is..."
She stopped.
Very quickly.
Too quickly.
Her eyes moved toward the queen.
Then toward the place where the impaled noblewoman had been carried away earlier.
Cold sweat covered the elf's back.
She had almost said it.
Almost said that Noxx might have only existed for three years.
Or less.
Or who knew.
And that could come dangerously close to the forbidden subject of the evening.
The elf corrected herself at the last second.
"Considering how new this kind of public appearance is for her," she said with a slightly stiff smile, "it seems natural that she wouldn't want to be far from you."
The queen smiled.
Matt said nothing.
The elf breathed a little easier and continued:
"Her expression isn't one of weakness. It's tender. Like someone discovering the outside world for the first time, but who feels safe because you're nearby."
Noxx's eyes widened.
Then she lowered her head.
"Shut up..." Noxx said.
Her voice came out tiny.
Embarrassed.
Almost inaudible.
But Matt heard her.
So did the elf.
So did the queen.
And for some reason, that made the queen laugh.
Not the soft, polite laugh she used for appearances.
She genuinely laughed.
A clear, light, surprisingly warm laugh.
The nearby hall went still.
Iris's eyes widened slightly.
The elf froze.
So did Noxx.
Even several noblewomen turned toward the queen in surprise.
Matt didn't.
Matt simply looked at Elyra with the same tired expression as always.
'She's insane...'
The queen brought a hand to her lips, still smiling.
"The rumors about your talent weren't exaggerated."
The elf immediately lowered her head.
"Your Majesty honors me."
"Not only because of your painting," Elyra said. "But because of your intelligence as well."
The elf went still.
The queen rested one hand on the arm of the throne.
"Over the centuries, I've met many talented creatures."
Her voice remained pleasant.
That made it worse.
"But many of them died because of their tongues."
The color drained from the elf's face.
"Your Majesty..."
Elyra smiled.
"Relax. You knew when to correct yourself."
The elf lowered her head even further.
"Thank you for your mercy."
Matt looked at the queen.
Then at the elf.
Then back at the queen.
'Something's weird here.'
The queen continued as though they were merely discussing art.
"What should I tell your queen?"
The elf carefully raised her gaze.
Elyra tilted her head slightly.
"That I will extend the protection alliance with her kingdom for another... fifty years."
The elf went still.
Completely still.
For a second, she looked like she hadn't understood.
Then her eyes widened.
"Fifty...?"
The queen smiled.
"Yes."
"Years?"
"Naturally."
The brush fell from the elf's hand.
CLACK!
Nobody laughed.
The elf stared at the queen as though she had just heard something impossible.
And perhaps she had.
During previous meetings between the elven kingdom and the vampire kingdom, protection agreements usually lasted ten years.
Sometimes fifteen.
In truly important cases, twenty.
And never for free.
Never out of simple friendship.
The elves paid with pure mana stones, branches from the World Tree, sacred fruits, ancient resins, and natural artifacts that only their kingdom could produce.
All to secure military support.
All to keep away threats that were merely nuisances to vampires, but could become disasters for elves.
Elves lived long lives.
Almost as long as some vampire bloodlines.
But they couldn't regenerate like vampires could.
A wound through the heart wasn't a temporary inconvenience.
It was death.
A destroyed arm wasn't temporary either.
It could mean the permanent retirement of a fighter.
That was why they sought protection.
And now...
Fifty years.
For a painting.
For drawing Matt and Noxx.
For knowing when to shut her mouth.
The elf dropped to her knees.
THUD!
She bowed until her head nearly touched the floor.
"Your Majesty Elyra, on behalf of my queen and my kingdom, I thank you for your immeasurable generosity."
Her voice trembled.
Not from fear this time.
From emotion.
"This news will be received as a blessing."
The queen smiled.
"I'm sure it will."
The elf raised her head slightly.
Her eyes were shining.
"If I may..."
Elyra looked at her.
"Speak."
The elf swallowed.
"I would like to remain in your kingdom for one year."
Murmurs immediately spread around them.
The queen raised an eyebrow slightly.
That did seem to surprise her.
The elf quickly continued:
"I am willing to place myself at Matt's and Miss Noxx's disposal, should they require additional paintings, portraits, records, or any other work they wish to preserve."
The queen studied her in silence.
The offer was no small thing.
That elf was famous.
Very famous.
Her paintings were sought after by royal courts, temples, clans, and ancient families across several territories.
She wasn't some ordinary banquet sketch artist.
She was an artist capable of turning a political scene into a symbol.
And she had just offered an entire year of her time.
Elyra smiled.
Then she looked at Matt.
"Would you like to keep this painter for that long?"
Matt opened his mouth.
But Noxx spoke first.
"Yes."
Everyone looked at her.
Noxx froze.
She realized too late that she had answered before Matt.
Her face turned red.
"I..."
Matt looked at her.
Then at the queen.
Then at the elf.
And finally shrugged.
"My sister already answered."
Noxx's eyes widened slightly.
The elf bowed deeply again.
"It will be an honor."
The queen let out a soft laugh.
"Then it's decided."
The elf lowered her forehead.
"Thank you. I'll do everything I can to make my work worthy of Matt and Noxx."
Matt sighed.
"You don't have to say it like we're statues."
The elf raised her head in confusion.
"Statues?"
Noxx murmured:
"I think he means he doesn't want you treating us like historical objects."
Matt looked at her.
"Exactly."
The elf blinked.
Then smiled.
"I understand. I'll try to treat you like historical people."
Matt closed his eyes and laughed a little.
"That was worse."
Noxx lowered her gaze.
But this time, she smiled a little too.
Just a little.
The queen saw it.
So did Iris.
Of course she did.
Iris tightened her fingers again.
Eleonora laughed inside her mind.
"Every minute, this gets better."
Iris didn't answer.
Because if she did, she might scream.
◇◆◇
Several meters away, a vampire journalist was writing rapidly in a small notebook.
Her quill moved without pause.
First, she wrote down the duel.
Then Matt's victory without taking a single hit.
Then the portrait.
Noxx's reaction.
The queen's decision to extend the elven kingdom's protection by fifty years.
The painter remaining in the kingdom for a full year.
And most importantly, the closeness between Matt and Noxx.
The journalist looked up.
Matt was still sitting there with Noxx on his lap.
The girl in the black dress was embarrassed, but she wasn't moving away.
Matt looked annoyed, but he wasn't pushing her away either.
When she spoke, he listened.
When she hesitated, he answered for her.
When she became nervous, he adjusted his arm around her waist as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
The journalist lowered her eyes toward her notebook.
And wrote:
[Princess Matt and Noxx display an extraordinary closeness. They share not only blood and origin, but a trust visible to the entire hall. Noxx's appearance could completely reshape the internal succession of the royal bloodline.]
The quill stopped for a second.
Then continued.
[If their relationship remains this close over the coming centuries, it would not be difficult to imagine a future in which the two rule together.]
The journalist looked toward the throne again.
The queen seemed satisfied.
Iris seemed calm.
Too calm.
Matt looked like he wanted to leave.
Noxx looked like she wanted to stay exactly where she was.
The journalist smiled.
The party wasn't even over yet, and she already had the headline for an entire era.