After breakfast, Luke had nothing in particular to do, so he decided to head out and buy some painting supplies to pass the time.
Lux and Kahina still had to stop by their respective academies to finish up a few last preparations before break ended.
Quinn went to the royal guard barracks.
Fiora, after hearing that Luke was only going out to buy a few things, had no intention of tagging along. Since she was still feeling good after breakfast, she planned to continue practicing her swordsmanship.
As for Poppy, after stuffing herself full, she was now sprawled out in the living room, blissfully zoning out.
"Let's go," Luke said from inside the carriage.
"Yes, sir."
As soon as Yurna answered from outside, the carriage slowly started moving.
Their destination was clear from the start, straight to Durand Street.
It was one of the capital's most famous artistic districts, where craftsmen, sculptors, painters, musicians, and all kinds of artists gathered.
They passed through one lively morning street after another, and about an hour later, the carriage finally came to a stop.
"Your Highness, we're here."
Hearing Yurna's voice from outside, Luke opened his eyes from his light rest, let out a small yawn, then got up and stepped out of the carriage.
The street was bustling and spacious, packed with people moving back and forth. Shops lined both sides of the road, and scattered along the street were sculptures and paintings set out for public viewing.
From time to time, musicians could be heard performing their own pieces. Different melodies overlapped in the air, yet somehow none of them clashed, creating a kind of harmony that didn't disturb itself.
Luke had studied music with Sona for a while, but his understanding of it still wasn't especially deep.
The sculptures and paintings on both sides of the street, though, those he could appreciate now.
As he strolled down the street, glancing around here and there, he did spot a few exhibits that were genuinely impressive.
After walking a little farther, he noticed a crowd gathered in one place, the atmosphere lively and animated, which immediately piqued his interest.
So he headed over.
There were quite a few people there, but the area was large enough that it didn't feel crowded.
And because many of them had noticed Luke, they quickly made room for him.
The appearance of the prince naturally drew plenty of attention, but at the moment, most people's eyes were still fixed on what was in front of them.
When Luke got closer, he realized it was an art exhibition.
A number of excellent paintings were being displayed together for people to admire.
The more people gathered around a painting, the better that painting presumably was.
Luke walked to the one with the largest crowd and lifted his eyes to it. With a single glance, he could already tell that its quality was indeed noticeably higher than the others being shown at the same time.
The painting before him was of sunflowers. From the atmosphere, it was clearly set at that point where summer was giving way to fall, when the sunflowers were nearly ripe.
Sunlight, fields, woods, and blue sky, all of it caught the eye at first glance.
"This painting really is quite good."
"It gives you a very comfortable feeling."
"I wonder which painter made it."
"Is the artist here? I'd like to buy it privately."
The praise surrounding the painting was full of admiration, and someone had even already started asking to purchase it on the spot.
As Luke was still looking at it, a crisp female voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Your Highness, what do you think of this painting?"
He turned toward the sound and saw a young woman standing not far away.
She had refined, lovely features and a slender figure. Her brown hair fell over both shoulders, and the white dress she wore gave her a clean, graceful look, with a faint air of nobility about her.
At a glance, it was clear she carried the sort of poise that came from being raised in a great house.
Her blue eyes were fixed on Luke now, and there was a trace of wonder in them.
She had already seen him from a distance just now, but up close, this prince truly was just as handsome as the rumors said.
Strikingly so.
And his eyes were so clear they looked like polished gems.
Just looking at him gave her the strange sensation of admiring a work of art.
Luke withdrew his gaze from the young woman and looked back at the sunflower painting. "I think it's definitely painted very well."
A smile appeared on the woman's face. She had just been about to thank him for the compliment when she heard him continue.
"It's just that there are still a few flaws."
Luke spoke casually.
The woman blinked and asked curiously, "What flaws would those be?"
"The first is that the hierarchy of emphasis isn't strong enough."
Luke didn't hide anything and pointed it out plainly. "At first glance, the sunflowers, the blue sky, the white clouds, the woods, the fields, every part is painted well. But when every part wants to stand out, the true subject becomes less prominent. That's the first weakness."
The woman listened with a thoughtful look, then asked, "And the second?"
"The second is that the treatment of light and shadow isn't deep enough, and the contrast in color isn't strong enough."
Luke continued, "This kind of painting does make the eyes feel comfortable. But that's also the problem. It doesn't hit hard enough. It lacks the kind of visual impact that brands itself into your memory at a glance. Maybe I think this painting looks nice right now, but once I go home, within three days I'll have forgotten everything about it."
His comments drew the attention of quite a few of the surrounding viewers.
Once they heard him put it that way, they all looked at the painting again and began to share the same feeling.
The woman also looked back at the painting and studied it carefully before turning to Luke again, her expression now openly carrying the humility of someone asking for guidance. "What about the third?"
"The third is simply an issue of technique."
Luke smiled. "There's not much to say about that. You can tell the artist has solid skill, but the brushwork still hasn't fully matured. This was clearly a work painted while she was still growing."
"Your Highness is absolutely right."
Her eyes lit up, and her admiration was plain to see. "This is a painting I made two years ago. At the time, it received a lot of praise, and even now I've still been a little proud of it. But hearing you say all this... there really are still too many flaws. If I painted the same subject again now, it might turn out differently."
Hearing that, the people around them immediately understood.
This young woman was the artist behind the painting, and that realization brought another wave of surprise.
She looked to be only around twenty years old. Two years ago, she would have been even younger, and yet she had already been able to produce a painting of this level?
"So you're the artist. My apologies for not realizing it sooner."
Luke couldn't help taking another look at her.
The woman gave him a lovely smile. "It would be my honor to receive Your Highness's critique. May I trouble you for a little more of your time?"
Luke thought for a moment, then said, "Sure."
The moment she heard that, she sprang into action. She hurried to her painting and moved both it and the easel over in front of Luke.
Then she quickly brought over brushes of various sizes, her eyes full of expectation as she looked at him.
"Could I ask Your Highness to touch up this painting for me?"
Luke paused, not expecting her to be that direct.
Who asks someone to repaint their work like that?
And this was a piece from two years ago. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing that was easy to revise.
To anyone who didn't know better, it might even have looked as though she was deliberately trying to make things difficult for him.
But Luke didn't sense any malice from her. From the way her eyes sparkled, he could tell she genuinely just wanted him to help refine it a little.
"All right."
After thinking it over, Luke didn't refuse.
There was definitely some difficulty in refining this painting, after all, it was already quite striking as it was.
But for the current Luke, it was only a small task.
He was completely confident.
Picking up a brush and dipping it into the paint, Luke didn't hesitate in the slightest. He laid the first stroke onto the painting before him, instantly breaking the calmness within the scene.
The people watching all felt a little pained by the sight.
If he failed, that one stroke alone could ruin the entire painting.
But the owner of the painting was completely focused, her eyes fixed seriously on Luke's movements.
From the way he held the brush alone, she could already tell that this prince in front of her definitely possessed excellent painting skill.
And Luke's movements were indeed practiced and fluid. From the very first stroke onward, there was not the slightest hesitation.
It was as if in his mind he had already revised the same painting countless times.
Every color choice, every blend of paint, not a single step stalled. There was a kind of beauty in that confidence.
The surrounding onlookers were all transfixed. No one spoke.
The woman's gaze, meanwhile, couldn't help drifting from the canvas to Luke's face for a few seconds. Staring at that handsome profile, she actually felt the impulse to paint his portrait right then and there.
Suppressing that urge, she shifted her eyes back to the painting, and her eyes shone brighter.
The painting in front of her had already become something different from what it had been just moments ago.
Naturally, she could see how great that difference was.
And so, more than half an hour passed.
The crowd around them grew larger and larger, and people watching the nearly finished revised painting began letting out quiet exclamations of amazement.
When the final stroke fell, Luke stopped. He looked over the finished work and showed a trace of satisfaction.
"This feels completely different now!"
"Yeah, before, it just felt very pleasant to look at. But now it feels like I've actually gone there."
"That's what immersion is!"
"With just that revision, the value of this painting feels like it multiplied several times over."
"Looking at it makes me want sunflower seeds."
"I'm buying twenty pounds right now!"
Voices of astonishment rose one after another all around them.
The painting Luke had refined still retained the shadow of the original, but it now gave people an entirely different feeling.
If before it had only made people feel comfortable, with a soft sense of beauty, then now this sunflower painting gave them the sensation of summer slipping away and fall approaching, so vivid that it felt almost real, leaving them deeply moved.
The young woman stared at it in fascination. After hearing the comments around her, she finally came back to herself, and the amazement in her eyes was completely undisguised.
"This is incredible."
She even had the urge to rush forward, grab the painting, and study every inch of it up close.
Only now did she realize that in front of Luke, even her current self was, at best, still just a beginner fresh out of the gate.
She had originally thought that if she repainted the same subject now, it would definitely turn out better than before.
But after seeing Luke's revision, she instantly understood that even if she painted another version now, there was no way it could surpass the one in front of her.
"As long as you're happy with it." Luke smiled.
At that moment, he felt the same little burst of vanity he got every time he finished cooking and the girls all praised him afterward.
He really did like that feeling.
"Happy? This is far beyond happy. Once I return home, I'm definitely hanging this in my bedroom." A flush had risen to the woman's fair cheeks, and she radiated the delight of someone who had just received a treasure.
"Return home?"
Luke repeated the key phrase.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."
Only then did the woman seem to remember that she still hadn't said her name. She performed an elegant curtsy. "It's my first time meeting you, Your Highness. I'm Panis Margaret, from Glorant."
"Margaret..."
The name sounded a little familiar to Luke. About two seconds later, it clicked. "A pleasure to meet you, Princess Margaret."
"You can just call me Panis." Panis smiled at Luke and gave him a playful blink.
Luke was still a little surprised.
Glorant was a country southeast of Demacia, and its strength was fairly respectable.
It had been one of Demacia's allied nations for many years, and the friendship between the two countries could be traced back a long way.
And Panis standing before him was the only daughter of the king of Glorant.
In terms of status, she was on the same level as Luke.
"To think that on my very first day in the Demacian capital, I'd happen to run into Your Highness. I wonder if that counts as fate?"
Panis looked at Luke with bright eyes as she spoke.
"I suppose it counts as a kind of fate," Luke replied with a nod.
Panis looked at him and then took the initiative. "What are you planning to do next, Your Highness? If you don't mind, could I come along? This is my first time visiting the capital, and if Your Highness could show me around, that would be wonderful."
The moment he heard that, Luke felt a headache coming on. If it had been anyone else, he would have refused immediately.
But this was a princess from a neighboring country, refusing her too bluntly would be a little inappropriate.
After a moment's thought, he answered tactfully, "I'm planning to buy some painting supplies. I probably won't have much time."
"Then please leave that to me!"
Panis's eyes lit up the instant she heard that. After tossing out those words, she immediately ran off at a quick pace.
Luke was left standing there in confusion.
Very soon, he saw her returning with several attendants behind her.
And in their hands were all sorts of painting supplies, all of them brand new.
Only then did Luke remember.
Though Glorant was small in territory, it was famous as a nation of art.
Many renowned works of art that circulated throughout Runeterra came from that country.
Naturally, that also included painting.
With National Day festivities underway, there was also trade between Glorant and Demacia, and most of the goods involved were things like these.
"These are all high-quality painting supplies from my country. Please accept them, Your Highness."
As she spoke, Panis quickly added, afraid he might refuse, "Consider them my thanks for helping me improve the painting."
To be honest, the supplies in front of him were even better in quality than what he would find on Durand Street.
If he accepted them, he wouldn't need to worry about painting supplies for quite a while.
Still, he had the faint feeling that accepting them would also bring him quite a bit of trouble.
But looking at how enthusiastic Panis was right now, he genuinely had no idea how to refuse.
Just then, a voice rang out from not far away.
"Panis, we only just arrived in the capital today, so why did you sneak out already? Didn't I tell you to wait until we finished official business before going anywhere?"
It was a deep male voice.
Luke looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a brown coat striding toward them. He had the same brown hair and carried an air of authority.
Panis's expression changed. She turned to him and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I couldn't help myself."
"All right, come back with me first. We're going to meet His Majesty shortly."
As he spoke, the man noticed Luke and paused slightly. After a second, he offered a proper greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Dupont Margaret."
Though it was their first meeting, that didn't stop him from recognizing Luke's identity.
Partly because Luke was wearing the Lightshield family crest.
And partly because of Luke's outstanding bearing and remarkably handsome looks.
He was extremely easy to identify.
"A pleasure to meet you as well."
Luke dipped slightly in return.
This man shared the Margaret surname, so he was presumably Panis's uncle, likely the king's brother.
"I didn't expect to run into Your Highness here. Unfortunately, we're about to go see King Jarvan III, so we'll have to take our leave first."
Dupont spoke to Luke with perfect courtesy.
The moment Luke heard that, he immediately nodded. "What a shame. I was just about to take her around and show her the city. But in that case, goodbye for now."
Dupont smiled when he heard that. "If Your Highness is interested in that, then after we've met with His Majesty, I can send Panis to visit you."
Luke fell silent.
He should've kept his mouth shut.
Seeing the expectation flare up in Panis's eyes, he quickly added, "That will have to wait for a while. I'm rather busy lately."
"Then it's settled." The anticipation in Panis's eyes didn't fade in the slightest as she waved goodbye. "Until next time, Your Highness."
With that farewell, she left with Dupont, leaving behind a pile of painting gifts.
Yurna then asked, "Your Highness, what should we do with these?"
Luke let out a sigh. "Take them."
At least that saved him a great deal of time.
Once all the painting supplies Panis had left behind were loaded into the carriage, the whole thing sank noticeably under the weight.
Then it slowly set off, heading back home.
Inside the carriage, Luke looked them over a few times and found that the set truly included just about everything imaginable, pigments, brushes, canvases, easels...
It was obvious at a glance that this batch of supplies was worth quite a lot of money.
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