“Might I ask what affairs have compelled you to the region of the middle provinces?”
There came a deep sound, the unmistakable loading of firearms. Jean turned his gaze to the side, where Grand Duke Robert stood, holding a hunting gun. The gun was pointed at Jean, but the stance lacked readiness. The duke appeared to jest, yet also appeared to menace. Jean grinned.
“I have met Lady Baden, the eldest daughter of the Count of Baden, Your Highness.”
He then lifted the gun he had in his hand. It was a .32 revolver, and Jean’s gun was pointed not at the duke but toward the forest. The two were hunting. They could hear the hounds barking.
“The House of Baden is a long-standing sentinel of the Royal House of Joachim. I lack the skills to articulate its loyalty for my now bedridden brother.”
Loyalty... A quiet smile played upon Jean’s lips, for he was reminded of what Lady Ariel had said. He heard footsteps from behind him, but he did not turn to look back. He did not turn back even when an object—most likely the muzzle of a gun—poked him in the back.
“The lady told me, that Baden’s fealty lies with Joachim, not its royal family.”
Jean had taken the liberty of slightly modifying the words of the lady, but he deemed it no fault of significance. He kept his gaze to the front. His mind was clear, and he did not feel any apprehension. He could see two hounds herding a boar and closing in on it. He waited a little more with patience. The beast was whimpering on its way toward Jean. Jean tensed his grip on his gun as he held the weapon with his two hands. Two hounds and a boar mingled with one another in their advance. Jean pulled the trigger, which was followed by the sound of the gunshot. His body slightly swayed from the impact.
“I understand the feeling of your unease—”
Jean began speaking. There was only one with whom he could speak in the language of humans. Before him, a beast laid on its back, showing its belly, and trembled. Its limbs kicked the air as though it were having a seizure.
“—but should you err and hunt the hound, the prey shall flee, Your Highness.”
The one that was shot was one of the two Dobermanns, which had been pursuing a wild boar just moments earlier. Jean watched as the eyes of the dog rolled back. The other one was chasing after the boar, but Jean could see that the distance between the two beasts was gradually growing apart. He felt the muzzle of the gun retreat away from him. He turned back, and saw that the Grand Duke Robert was watching him, his eyes in slits.
“I have invited the Count of Baden several times. He had not once responded to my requests, and yet, he had agreed to see you. Do you not see how the circumstance warrants suspicion?”
“In the current state, I am afraid that the power of the count does not reside with the count himself. I observed that it is Lady Ariel who takes control of most affairs. And Your Highness did not address the correspondences to Lady Ariel. Am I right to assume so?”
Jean could see the Grand Duke’s vigilance waning at his words. His eyes, which had been in slits, slowly moved, glancing here and there. The duke shrugged.
“Do not mistake me, for I hold great respect and affection for women. They are exquisite creatures. However, they are also beings dictated much by their emotions, wouldn’t you say?”
“We appear to hold differing views on this matter, Your Grace. You are entitled to your thoughts, as I am to mine, and I believe that the deed would be a more challenging affair without the aid of the lady. All the more difficult if you are in doubt of your hound.”
Jean then proceeded to put the quivering dog out of its misery as he spoke. It was bound to die soon, and he deemed it better to save it from a prolonged pain. The Grand Duke chuckled without any awkwardness or shame.
“I have found this feat of yours quite to my liking even before. You would not yield, even for this old man.”
The duke secured the trigger and hung the gun behind him. Then, he posed a question.
“Do you have any proof that Baden chose to stand by your side?”
Jean made an answer in a calm tone.
“Lady Ariel will soon travel north.”
“Travel north?”
“She has an announcement to make in high society. I suspect that it would suffice as proof. If you still doubt me, then... Well.”
Jean recalled the dead hound sprawled on the ground. He tucked his gun away. It was his deliberate choice to equivocate the end of his speech. Jean Erhardt was not a servant of the duke. His freedom was unbounded, and he held neither duty nor inclination of loyalty toward the man. As long as the duke’s army was fed and housed with the gold in Jean’s treasury, the Grand Duke would not be able to abandon him. Jean suspected that the duke was scheming to execute him after taking over the throne. And that was enough for Jean.
“I have been told that you do not pay a call to the palace anymore.”
He would not be sitting on the throne.
“The portrait is done, thankfully.”
So would that feeble man of a crown prince in the Royal Palace.
“The Crown Prince had found a new source of entertainment. His Royal Highness would no longer seek my services.”
‘Jean.’
There was no reason for Jean to protect him anymore. There was also no reason for Jean to pretend he did not desire the prince, for he had no reason to desire him in the first place. His notion of escaping with the prince on horseback in the event of an emergency was quashed before it could evolve into a formal plan. It had been a fleeting daydream from the start. Now, Jean’s Little Pearl stood next to him in person, and he no longer needed to dream of his flight with his savior.
“Very thankfully, Your Grace.”
‘My Montespan.’
Hence, Jean had no reason to dwell on his last memory of the prince, Maximillian bidding him a cruel farewell, and to resent him.
“Let us commence when my army arrives at the border. It would be greatly convenient if Lady Ariel of Baden could reach the capital beforehand.”
No reason for Jean to think of him so much.
Everything was back to the start. He had been briefly swayed by the wind, but it was no more than a brief mistake. Maximillian was right. The prince was not noble enough to acquire a catamite and become its confidential patron, nor humble enough to conceal his identity even after having invested his gold and riches. He was the same man Jean had met at first. He was simply someone who enjoyed undressing others under the pretense of art and enjoyed spectating the sight. He was simply someone who enjoyed debauchery more than anyone, using his royal blood as his shield and spear.
“Your painting shall be up in the hallway before long, Your Highness.”
That was simply all he was.