Chapter 26
When he said he could teach her, Grace’s heart started to race.
If she learned from him, maybe she too could draw such vivid pictures. Just the thought of it made her heart flutter and filled her with excitement.
That night, Grace carefully called out to Frederick as he was getting ready for bed.
“Fr… Frederick.”
“What is it?”
“I… I have a request.”
Asking him for anything always made her nervous. She spoke with a serious expression, almost blurting it out. Frederick silently looked at her, as if telling her to go on.
“I want to learn how to draw.”
“Draw?”
Frederick looked at Grace with surprise at the sudden request.
“Yes. I tried drawing once… and it was fun.”
“You drew something?”
“Yes… Look at this.”
Grace handed Frederick the three drawings she had made. They included the pebble she had drawn first, along with trees and bushes she had added later.
“I drew these.”
Frederick quietly flipped through the drawings without saying a word. Grace watched his reaction with a slightly tense expression.
“You drew the garden?”
“Yes… Yes, that’s right.”
“It’s quite… similar. Have you learned to draw before?”
“No.”
Grace shook her head. The artist had said the same thing, and now Frederick was echoing those words.
“You really drew these by yourself?”
“Well… the p-portrait artist… taught me a lot.”
Grace spoke as if she were confessing something.
But Frederick’s expression didn’t change. Regardless of who had taught her, drawing this well without any prior experience wasn’t easy. Even someone like him, who didn’t know much about art, could tell that much.
Who is this woman…?
At this point, it wasn’t just impressive—it was extraordinary.
She had picked up reading and numbers quickly, and now she was able to draw objects realistically, even though she’d never drawn before.
“You want to learn to draw from that person?”
“Yes… Yes!”
“All right. I’ll talk to Dorota.”
“Th-thank you, Frederick!”
“You don’t have to thank me for everything.”
“Huh…?”
Grace’s bright expression turned to one of confusion.
“If you want something, you can do it. Learning to draw and paying for lessons is your decision. You can do whatever you want. You don’t need my permission. You can speak to Dorota directly—it’s no problem.”
Grace’s face went blank.
“I’m not just doing you a favor. You are the lady of this estate.”
You can do whatever you want. You are the lady of this estate.
Each word seemed to carve itself into Grace’s heart. He didn’t smile, and his tone wasn’t particularly kind, yet for some reason, his words felt so warm.
“It’s just… even those words… I’m… thankful for them. Is it okay to feel that way?”
“Of course it is, but…”
“This is… the first time.”
Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes.
“N-no one has ever… said something like this to me.”
Frederick said nothing as he looked at her. The tears in her eyes caught the moonlight through the window and sparkled even more brightly.
“That’s why… I’m grateful. That’s all.”
“…I understand.”
His heart was pounding.
Why? Frederick couldn’t understand why he felt so strange. This gratitude hit him harder than any she had expressed before.
There had never been anyone like Grace in his life. And so, Frederick didn’t know what this unfamiliar tickling in his chest meant.
“…Sleep well.”
That was the only thing he could say.
After Grace began to learn drawing seriously, her enthusiasm grew even more.
She no longer followed Letius around, just watching him sketch. Instead, she took up her own sketchpad and pencil, going out to draw herself.
Her subjects varied. She started by drawing her own room, then moved on to sketch scenes in the hallway.
“My lady, what have you been up to lately? I saw you with a sketchpad in the hallway.”
“She’s learning to draw. And apparently, she’s incredibly good. Everyone who saw her drawings was shocked.”
Grace, standing still in the hallway and sketching on a sketchpad balanced on a wooden stand, caught the attention of the servants.
When she focused, she became so absorbed that she didn’t even notice people watching her. This made her a fascinating sight among the staff.
“Um… hey, you two, sit over there.”
“Us?”
“Yes. Over there on the… sofa. Side by side.”
During afternoon tea time, Grace had the maids sit next to each other on the sofa in her room. Though confused, they followed her instructions and took their seats.
Grace took her place at the easel facing them and began to sketch the sofa and the maids.
“To think we’d be models for our lady… What an honor.”
“I wonder what kind of masterpiece she’ll create…”
The maids were both curious and awkward about being models, so they spent the hour chatting and giggling.
“……”
While they chatted, Grace remained silent. She moved her pencil quietly, and only when she finished her sketch did she rise from her seat and bring the drawing to them.
“How… is it?”
“Oh my goodness, my lady. You’re amazing!”
“You really said you were a beginner?”
The sketch exceeded the maids’ expectations. Though it was just pencil on paper, the sofa and the individual features of each maid were captured vividly. Anyone could tell who was who just by looking at their faces.
“Your talent truly has no end, my lady…”
The more surprised the maids were, the more proud Grace looked. She handed the drawing to Sally, who was closest.
“Take it.”
“What! Just for Sally?”
“That’s not fair! We should each get one too!”
