Perhaps because Liang En and his group's arrival was a significant event for the Prince, the palace promptly made appropriate arrangements shortly after he made his decision.
Soon, a servant named John came over and informed them that everything was ready. The two of them immediately left the room and went to inspect the prepared studio, starting to make preparations for the drawing session.
"These are all top-quality pigments, some of which are even ancient dyes that are no longer in production." After inspecting a portion of the dyes, Liang En showed a slightly surprised expression.
Not to mention the ultramarine pigment, which has always been expensive regardless of the era, Indian Yellow has long since ceased production. The dyes placed here must be part of the Monaco Princes' private collection.
As a historically renowned trade center, the rulers here have never lacked wealth, naturally pursuing the finest in various collections, including painting pigments. Even if they don't use them, they would stockpile many as part of their wealth.
However, the painting tools were another matter. Liang En preferred to use his own equipment at this time, as he found it more comfortable to work with familiar tools.
Surprisingly, during dinner, the Prince's family invited them to dine together. This is not a privilege that all artists can enjoy, but as the heir to a duke and a scholar, such hospitality was inevitable.
What was surprising was that the entire royal family attended this dinner, including the Prince himself, the Queen, and their two children. Fortunately, the atmosphere in their home was relatively relaxed, so the whole banquet felt rather pleasant.
What left the deepest impression on Liang En was the Prince's two young children. They seemed genuinely interested in archaeology and history, constantly asking Liang En about his experiences during previous excavations and research during casual conversations.
This is indeed a characteristic of royal aristocratic education for children—they study subjects that interest them, even if those subjects are unlikely to be profitable.
In a way, this is common throughout the West. For example, if you look at the backgrounds of students studying natural history, Latin literature, and similar disciplines at top universities, you will find that they usually come from families that are not particularly lacking in wealth.
Naturally, the Monaco royal family is no exception. One of their ancestors made significant achievements in marine biology research, and even today, their oceanographic museum is a famous national landmark.
So it’s not surprising that the current generation of children are interested in archaeology and history. After all, traditionally, archaeology or history is also recognized as a subject suitable for noble study.
In fact, in Western perception, it’s easy to associate archaeology with nobility. For instance, the famous "Tomb Raider" series features Lara Croft, a hereditary noble.
After realizing that these two children were genuinely interested in archaeology and history, Liang En exchanged email addresses with them, promising to share any future discoveries. He also offered to help them with any historical questions they might have.
This could be considered building goodwill. After all, nobles often seek famous scholars to provide certain aspects of their children's education, and being chosen is an honor.
For example, Liang En could publicly declare himself as their teacher, which would be a recognition of his professional expertise and certainly not a bad thing.
Moreover, Liang En was willing to maintain a friendly relationship with these two youngsters because he discovered that they truly loved history and archaeology, which made it worthwhile to share some knowledge with them.
The next day, the painting officially began. Naturally, the Prince and the Queen had little time to observe the process, and their status wasn’t suitable for such things either. However, the two children often came to see Liang En's work.
As members of such a family, they naturally received education in the arts. Although their education was somewhat distant from professional levels, they were still capable of basic appreciation.
While they couldn't understand exactly what Liang En was doing, they were very interested in seeing how an oil painting was created from start to finish and wanted to understand the process.
What was more important was that Liang En enjoyed chatting while he worked. So, besides talking to Jeanne, he also occasionally answered the questions the two youngsters had about archaeology and history.
This was also one of Liang En's habits when creating—unlike many people who required silence during creation, he preferred to chat with others during this time.
At first, the two children were very quiet. However, after noticing that Liang En was having lively conversations with Jeanne, they asked him about it during lunch, and then they too started chatting with Liang En.
When one is fully engrossed in creating something, time often flies by. With everyone working together, Liang En uncharacteristically avoided slacking off and spent most of his time painting in the studio.
As for the leisurely moments, Liang En spent most of them collaborating with Jeanne and the twins' tutor, teaching the kids various knowledge about history and archaeology.
To be honest, this was their first time teaching younger generations, so they took it quite seriously. Liang En even specially drew some sketches to complement his lessons.
Moreover, at this time, he also realized how comfortable it could be to live in such a large residence, especially an old manor facing the sea and backed by mountains.
Unfortunately, they had too many secrets that they didn’t want others to know. And to live in such a big house, one would need many people to maintain it. So, this idea was just a passing thought.
Finally, after more than a week, Liang En completed the oil painting he titled "Winter in Monaco." In this painting, the inspirations from several masters were perfectly integrated, making it one of his finest creations.
The entire painting depicted a scene of prosperity, but amidst the human-made splendor, various plants and the sea interspersed throughout softened the coldness, making it appear full of vitality.
Even someone who knew nothing about oil painting would be able to feel the prosperity and beauty of the city behind the painting, and that is the characteristic of top-tier art—it possesses a powerful influence that transcends civilization, race, and educational background.
"Excellent, this is truly excellent." When the oil painting was finished, the Prince, accompanied by the Queen, came to view it, and upon seeing it for the first time, he exclaimed in admiration.
For others, this painting might depict a prosperous city in harmony with nature, but for the royal family, it carried another meaning—an implicit praise for their family's rule.
After all, as rulers of this place for centuries, the city's prosperity could be seen as a significant achievement of theirs, which is why they were so pleased.
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