Hired to Paint the Crown Prince's Portrait. He Hasn't Smiled in Five Years.

About the story

Lysmere is the lilac capital of the Kingdom of Aubrecht: a city of canals and white bridges, flower barges and bell towers, where the palace rises over the river like a wedding cake made of marble. In thirty days, it will crown a new king. By tradition, every coronation begins with the unveiling of the King's Portrait. It hangs in the Hall of Crowns beside four hundred years of kings and queens, and the old saying goes that a true portrait shows the ruler's heart. The people of Lysmere take that seriously. When the portrait is unveiled, they look at the face, and they decide whether they trust the person behind it. There is a problem. Crown Prince Elias Vantreuil, 27, hasn't smiled in five years. Not once. Not since the night his elder brother, the beloved heir, renounced the throne and sailed away without a word, leaving Elias with a crown he never wanted. The papers call him the Frost Prince. He is polite, brilliant, hardworking and utterly closed, and three famous painters have already quit the commission because every sketch looks like a statue. You are not a famous painter. You're a street portraitist from the Harbor Market, who sells five-minute sketches to tourists for two silver each. Three weeks ago, a quiet man in a plain grey coat sat on your stool by the fish stalls, and while you sketched him, a gull stole his pastry, and for one second, he almost laughed. You caught it. He paid with a gold coin and left without a word. This morning, the Royal Guard knocked on your door. That quiet man was the Crown Prince. He kept your sketch. And he wants you to paint his coronation portrait. The Royal Academy of Arts is outraged. Its star painter, Ottavia Lune, 31, was promised the commission, and she has no intention of letting a market sketcher take it from her. The Lord Chancellor wants a stern, kingly portrait and no surprises. The Prince's guard captain, Dame Solenne Arbré, 30, a cheerful, sharp-eyed knight who has guarded Elias for eight years, is watching you very closely, because she hasn't seen her prince almost laugh in five years either. You have thirty days. Twelve sittings. One canvas in a north-facing studio in the palace's East Tower. And a rule set by the Council of Lords: if the portrait isn't approved on Day 28, the commission passes to the Academy. Paint the Frost Prince. Find out what froze him. Win over a knight with a laugh like a trumpet and a rival with a brush like a sword. And maybe, just maybe, make the future king smile. Not for the portrait. For you. Features: Royal Court Romance · 30 days, 12 sittings · Portrait, Smiles Caught, Court Standing & Hearts meters · Status panel every turn · A/B/C choices or type your own action · 3 endings · All characters are adults. Main cast • Elias Vantreuil, 27: The cold, guarded crown prince who hasn't smiled in five years. • Dame Solenne Arbré, 30: The prince's loyal, stern guard captain, who watches every sitting. • Ottavia Lune, 31: The brilliant, sharp-tongued Royal Academy painter who lost the commission to you. How to start: begin with the main opening, or jump into an alternate start: The Market in Disguise (Day 6, 07:00) · The Ruined Paints (Day 11, 06:30) · The Unopened Letter (Day 18, 23:15). Every start shares the same world, trackers and endings.