1. The King’s Painter

Once, on the continent, although there were occasional rises and falls of small nations, there stood an absolute super-empire that seemed forever unyielding, occupying the fertile land at the heart of the continent, its territory once extending to every corner of the world.

Its name was—The Rodmar Empire.

This was a realm that existed like a myth in the eyes of humanity. After all, humans had already proven the truth of a certain rumor about the Rodmar Empire with their brief lives: it was a land of fairies, and at its center, existing like a goddess, were the queens of those fairies.

With their long lives, the queen did not need to worry about the mundane issues of succession that plagued humans, which could bring peril to the empire; nor did she need to fret over the vastness of her realm, as her subjects were powerful enough to rival the rulers of nations. The queen ruled over all, strong, beautiful, and majestic; in the eyes of ordinary people, she had become a “goddess” they were fortunate to behold.

However, for one of the “servants” by the queen’s side, his work would not become easier or more difficult based on the queen’s boredom.

“……”

[In the year XXX of the Rodmar Empire, on the X day of the X month, at 7:25 AM, the queen awoke.]

In the morning, within the queen’s chamber—a place where only a few fairies were fortunate enough to enter—a man stood beside the queen, who was slowly waking from her slumber.

He was not a male companion for the queen’s pleasures; she had no such extravagant tastes. Nor was he the “consort” mentioned in the rising rumors; as the fairy queen, her long life meant she had no need for heirs to inherit the Rodmar Empire. He was merely present in the queen’s chamber, watching as she gently stirred from her dreams…

Then, he wrote a line of the most ordinary text on a scroll. Faced with the queen’s beautiful sleeping face, stripped of her identity and majesty, and her alluring form that could make any man’s heart race, he remained composed, turning to leave.

“Painter, why are you really just watching?”

For a woman, such a thing could be rather displeasing. Unlike her usual regal demeanor, the queen voiced a hint of complaint, looking at the man before her.

His name was “Painter.” Just as every emperor wishes for their deeds to be eternally recorded and passed down, the Painter’s duty and mission were to be by the queen’s side, documenting every action of the Rodmar Empire’s queen in the most truthful manner.

This duty required the Painter to witness events firsthand; naturally, he became someone whom even many of the queen’s fairy servants could not hope to match, able to be by the queen’s side at any time, and then…

Record the queen’s actions on paper.

“Your Majesty, I am merely here to document your routine; please do not mind my presence.”

“…It is this very thing that leaves me at a loss for words, Painter.”

The queen rose, revealing her bare form without reservation before the Painter. While this scene would cause others to breathe heavily and gaze with fervor, the Painter merely…

[After waking, the queen changed her clothes.]

She recorded it without changing her expression. Thanks to this, the queen was now almost accustomed to undressing and changing clothes in front of this man, even bathing before him. Was it because of the unwavering nature of the painter that she had granted him the right to be in constant contact with her, or was it… because she could not attract the painter’s attention as a member of the opposite s*x, that he was allowed to be so close?

After day after day, the queen finally found a way.

She paused her actions.

【The queen changes clothes slowly today.】

【The queen makes no movements.】

【The queen…】

The painter finally set down his brush: “Your Majesty, what are you doing?”

“Based on your usual records, what do you think I should do next? Just write it down.”

“…Your Majesty, I am the painter who records your actions, not a prophet.”

“Ah, is that so? Then what I want to do is what you will write down next~”

The queen revealed a long-lost expression of pride, after all, it was the first time she had seen the painter display such a troubled look, and ultimately, he struggled to write down on the paper.

【Changing clothes finished, the queen dines.】

The queen quickly changed her outfit: “Come dine with me, and by the way, what was for breakfast today?”

“…Is this a new amusement you’ve come up with? Please don’t joke with history.”

As soon as the painter finished speaking, the queen, who had taken a step forward, suddenly stopped again.

After a moment, the painter, rubbing his forehead, wrote down with distress.

【…The queen’s breakfast is similar to yesterday’s.】

“Very well, let’s go~”

The queen’s mood soared with a long-lost joy, for she had finally discovered a way to make this man—comparable to Liu Xia Hui—the painter, notice her as a member of the opposite s*x and consider her.

That was to do nothing at all, but to follow the things recorded by the painter, thus, even the painter would have to think deeply about every move she made, inadvertently revealing the fact that he was indeed a man.

The queen, thinking this way, originally saw teasing the scroll artist as a pastime for her boredom. After all, it had nothing to do with the identity and duties of the scroll artist. The fact that she allowed him to be close already proved that she did not mind his presence beside her.

However, as time passed, this fleeting thought transformed into something deeper. The queen, caught in a strange emotion, continued to maintain a secret relationship with the scroll artist. It was only when she became slightly aware of her feelings that she realized: not only was she seemingly unable to part from the scroll artist’s presence, but even…

The scroll artist, who originally possessed no power or strength, seemed to carry a peculiar force in his daily records, compelling her to follow them with an urgency.

“Your Majesty, shall I record for you today as well?”

“Mm.”

“Then, [X Month X Day, the queen changed her clothes after waking up.]”

If she hadn’t been paying attention, the queen might not have even noticed that her hand instinctively performed the corresponding action. By this point, she had begun to suspect: could it be that years spent with herself and those fairies had influenced her through their magic? The events recorded by the scroll artist seemed to develop naturally if left unexamined…

“Scroll artist, from now on, do not record anything other than me.”

This power must not be shared; otherwise… she instinctively sensed something ominous. Yet, the scroll artist’s response surprised her even more.

“Are you referring to the fact that the records come true?”

“You know?”

“I have sensed something, but, Your Majesty, I am merely your scroll artist.”

This power could be described as the ability to secretly manipulate a nation! But why did the scroll artist speak of it as if it were nothing?

“You…”

“I am just your scroll artist.”

As the queen reached out, the scroll artist took a step back. “I record your actions; please do not… have too much contact with me.”

“That is impossible, scroll artist.”

The queen smiled. “It seems… I have fallen in love with you.”

“…”

“Are you not going to record it? Such an important matter?”

“……[The queen finished changing and went to dine.]”

“Sigh~ This is not good, the painter is leading the way in altering history~”

The queen smiled as she watched the painter escape in a somewhat flustered manner, and by the way…

That previous statement, indeed, held little humor.

The queen had truly fallen in love with the painter.