Marie began to pose

Hans was welcomed by Di Luigi, who was responsible for extending the courtesies of the house. The prince and Marie were seated on a comfortable sofa while the painter was seated in an armchair placed in front of them. Despite the soft seating and high-class fabrics, Marie felt as if she were sitting on a bed of thorns, but she tried not to show it.

Sarzi and Kellerman discussed the painting and how he wanted to portray her. Marie’s cheeks burned when she understood that the painter intended to capture her in all her glory. She felt like screaming, "In what sense?" But despite her agitation, she waited for the conversation and its translation to proceed. The painter proposed a portrait that would capture the full splendor of the lady beside him. Marie's cheeks were red as Sarzi asked if she was willing to pose with minimal clothing, as if she had just risen from her bunk on the ship.

At this proposal, Marie blushed even more, and while the prince explained that he would be delighted to see her portrayed in such a manner, she scrutinized the painter to see if he had a lecherous expression or if his gaze exuded lust. However, Kellerman’s eyes and expression were those of someone simply awaiting a response. Sarzi continued, explaining that if Marie did not want to pose, it would not be a problem.

The pirate found herself in a peculiar situation. On one hand, she was flattered because, after so much time serving a man so asocial and indifferent to women—she had never seen him flirt with anyone—he was now courteously asking her to pose semi-nude. On the other hand, she was deeply embarrassed at the thought of a stranger seeing her in such revealing attire. She set aside her embarrassment and merely asked if only the painter and her protector would be in the room while the painting was being done.

Di Luigi, ever professional, communicated that the model agreed, but only if the room designated for the painting contained just the painter and the noble Sarzi. Kellerman nodded and, since he had brought a sketch pad for preparatory sketches, asked if they could start immediately. The question was directed at Marie, who was not only red up to the tips of her ears but also stammered a "yes" that she had to repeat because the first one came out in a whisper.

For the painting, they chose one of the many guest bedrooms. The first thing the painter did, with the consent of both Marie and the prince, was to position the bodyguard in the pose he had in mind. Unfortunately, since she had to climb onto the bed, and given the fine fabrics, Marie reluctantly removed the men's boots she was wearing, revealing her men's socks. The prince seemed impassive, but the painter made a gesture that Marie didn't understand, so she asked her master for clarification. He explained that the painter was probably asking her to remove her socks as well.

Marie turned as red as a tomato, but seeing that her master seemed okay with it, she sat on the bed and began to remove her socks. She was acutely aware that they hadn't even started, and she was already showing her ankles and the soles of her feet to a complete stranger. She had never been so embarrassed. At least among pirates, they were all equal, whereas here, she knew she was a woman and was under the gaze of people with a different mentality than what she was accustomed to.