TPOP 36

Chapter 36

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Felix pushed Diana's back toward the entrance. Diana's foot caught on the low threshold and she nearly fell, but she quickly regained her balance. She could tell immediately that they were inside a room. The door closed and the air stopped.

It didn't smell like blood or paint. Instead, the scent of the woods from outside mingled with the cozy smell of fabric. The smell of burnt wood lingered faintly, from the ashes left in the fireplace.

Someone knocked on the door. A servant carrying a sketch bag, easel, and canvas set them down near the entrance.

Felix motioned for the servant to leave. The servant bowed politely, closed the door, and left. The cabin was once again enveloped in silence.

Diana hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Master, what should we do?"

"Familiar yourself with the layout. We're going to be here for a while."

"Yes, I understand."

Diana replied, still puzzled. She hadn't packed anything, and she hadn't been told to pack a few days' worth of clothes or supplies.

How was she supposed to go without a change of clothes, and more importantly, was the Crown Prince planning to stay here for several days?

"And how do we eat or bathe here?"

"You don't need to worry about or take care of anything I haven't clearly mentioned, just do as I say."

"...yes."

Diana thought, reluctantly convincing herself. She slowly began to feel around the interior. She regretted not bringing her cane.

She found a broom in the corner and decided to use it as a substitute and began to explore the second floor of the cottage. To the right of the entrance was a fireplace, and to the left were bookshelves, an armchair, and a carpet. There was a window in the wall opposite the door, and next to that room was a small kitchen and dining table.

Next to the living room window was a staircase leading to the second floor, which looked like a bedroom. The structure was simple, but not shabby.

For lack of a better word, it was a cabin, but it felt like a private palace of the crown prince, decorated with the finest luxuries.

As Diana cautiously explored this new space, her master left her alone.

But every once in a while, she felt a piercing gaze pierce her from somewhere. Every time she bumped into something or made a small noise, she could hear the slight click of his tongue. Diana's heart thumped as she realized he was watching her.

He must think I'm pathetic.

Misjudging the angle, she slammed her hip against the table. Just as she reached out to size up the table, a harsh voice rang out.

"Were you always this clumsy?"

"Uhm, I forgot my cane, and it takes me a while to adjust to new places, I'm sorry. If you'll give me a little more time..."

"Enough. I can't stand to watch this any longer."

For some reason, his irritation rose. How perfect did he expect a blind person to be? His fickleness was hard to keep up with.

With a short sigh, Felix strode over and grabbed Diana's arm, yanking her roughly.

Before she could understand why, he ordered. "Take it off, starting with this headscarf."

It was a familiar command now. Diana unwound the tightly wrapped cloth from her head. As she lifted her arm to untie the knot, the sleeve slipped slightly, revealing her wrist. The knuckles were stained red where they had been struck by various objects.

Underneath, her forearm was faintly bruised, but not yet fully healed. Noticing a bluish mark that was only a few days old, Felix quickly rolled up her sleeve. Her arm was covered in more than half a dozen scratches and abrasions.

The last time Felix had seen Diana naked, she had been relatively flawless, save for a few faint scars. The new wounds were obviously recent.

"What happened?"

"What?"

"Did you fall down the stairs while I wasn't looking?"

"Uh... No. I'm just adjusting to the recent changes in the palace's layout..."

"The layout changed? When?"

How could he not know that his living quarters had changed? Felix's order seemed like the obvious cause, and Diana couldn't hide her surprise.

"Since the new people came... There are many things that are different from my memory, even the location of the art supplies..."

Before she could finish, he burst out laughing in disbelief. How had he not noticed the servants bustling about in front of him? Where had his attention been?

Felix turned her around and unbuttoned the collar at the nape of her neck. Beneath the loosened collar, her pale back was bruised. Felix frowned, remembering the woman who had stumbled and injured herself around the cabin.

"This is not the picture I want to paint."

"..."

"Don't you understand? I want to paint something flawlessly beautiful, not something worn and torn like a rag, unless I'm moved to do so."

"I'll be careful..."

She replied, but bewildered. Was her condition really bad enough to be compared to rags?

As the thought crossed her mind, Felix tightened his grip on her wrist. It wasn't a firm grip, but she instinctively screamed in pain. New bruises were already forming from where she'd slammed her wrist into the corner earlier.

"I went out of my way to bring you here, but it's been pointless."

The man seemed genuinely upset, so Diana said nothing. She knew only one thing: He brought her here to draw her.

How many times had she begged him, conscious of the servants near the door or outside the window. But now, those watchful eyes were gone. It meant that there was no one to chatter about what was going to happen.

In other words, there was no longer any reason for the man to tolerate her unbridled defiance. Diana didn't dare move as the man knelt down and lifted her dress to examine her bare calves.

After her forehead, her ankles and knees were the most injured areas. As expected, there were red and blue bruises in those areas. The irritation simmering deep inside Felix turned to anger.

"Who ordered you to do this? Who was it?"

"No one, no one, uh, no one," she stammered.

"You've lost weight, too, and you don't lose weight by eating and moving around like you normally do. Did you change your food?"

She instinctively knew she shouldn't answer honestly that no one had been providing her meals. If she revealed that the head chef had been giving her nothing but rock-hard bread for a week, it might result in her receiving proper meals again. But the new chef wouldn't escape reprimand from the master.

In the end, Diana herself was doomed to isolation.

"I'm just nervous, Master calls for me every day, and I can't afford to make mistakes and upset you….”

"Then you're saying it's my fault?"

"That's not it, I'm not blaming you, master-"

"You belong to me.”

"..."

"No one can spoil what's mine but me, not even you, and yet you did this to yourself, it's outrageous, and earlier in the yard-"

Felix gritted his teeth, unable to finish his sentence. His heart skipped a beat as he watched her nearly fall into the well. The fact that he'd even thought of putting her on a horse, a huge warhorse, made him dumbfounded at his own carelessness.

"Enough. Go inside. If I see you before things are in order, I'll send you to Eisen, remember that."

"If you mean sort things out, I'll-"

Before Diana could finish her sentence, Felix shoved her into the room off the kitchen. The door slammed mercilessly shut, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Left with no choice, Diana began to survey the room she'd been shoved into. It wasn't as large as the living room or the second floor, but it was still large enough for a maid to use alone.

"What's a big deal about few bruises..."

Diana sat down on the worn bed and rubbed her stiff ankle. What had she almost run into in the yard earlier? The master’s loud voice calling to her echoed strangely in her ears.

It smelled like water, so it must have been a well. Did he really care that much? Was he startled, why?

...Surely he wasn't worried about me?

The way he was so sensitive to her wounds, the way he leaned down to check the bruises for himself - maybe he was...

Diana snapped out of it, startled by the thought that flashed through her head.

No. What was she thinking?

At best, he was unhappy that the subject of his painting was flawed. Diana tried to rationalize her master's bizarre behavior that way: it was impossible for him to be genuinely concerned about her.

He was not a man of such warmth. She tightened her grip on her heart and controlled her thoughts.

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