She seems inclined!

Marie went through a range of emotions when her boss finished speaking. Embarrassment, astonishment, pleasure from the compliments—she even felt something like butterflies in her stomach when she thought about, "…you are beautiful to me…," and she couldn’t believe her ears. The Prince wanted to see her naked for a painting? Marie was so embarrassed that she didn’t know what to say. She stared at her boss for a moment, trying to figure out if this was really the same detached, pragmatic person who disliked noble etiquette and always seemed uninterested in women. Marie kept staring at him for what felt like an eternity, while he, in turn, became visibly embarrassed.

Finally, it was Marie who broke the awkward silence. “Should I consider this an order, or do I have a choice, sir?”

Sarzi looked her straight in the eyes, trying to be reassuring. “Marie, how many times have I told you that in private, you can just call me Sarzi?” he said, gently tucking a rebellious dreadlock behind her ear.

At that gesture, Marie once again felt a wave of warmth wash over her. Not understanding what that feeling was, she simply said that it was true—he had told her countless times. She whispered those words, almost as if saying them out loud would diminish their value. The Prince then added that, of course, his beautiful bodyguard had a choice in the matter.

Marie, still speaking softly, replied, “Alright, I’ll do the painting naked, but I’ll choose the pose, and neither you nor the painter will see more than what I allow. If he tries to peek, I’ll punch him in the face! And as for you, well… I… I work for you, Sarzi, you saved me, so if you want to take a look, but only one, or else the punch will be for you too, you can.” By the time she finished, she was blushing furiously and even curling her toes in nervousness. Sarzi, beyond embarrassed after this declaration, simply nodded.

Before leaving her, he added, “Thank you so much, Marie, but I don’t want to pressure you. Thank you for agreeing to my request, which might seem lecherous, but… well… I mean…”

Marie, smiling, interrupted, “Sarzi, don’t bother with any justifications—you’re not good at lying, at least not to me. You wanted to see me naked, and you’ll get your chance, but not all of me! You’ll need to develop your persuasion skills as well, not just your bargaining abilities!”

As Marie, barefoot, went behind the screen, her boss exited, muttering something in Italian that not even the amused, though still embarrassed, Marie could understand. Once outside the room, the painter waited, as it was obvious something had happened. Di Luigi asked if everything was alright, and with a nod of affirmation from his boss, he relayed the Prince’s message to the painter. Essentially, Kellerman had permission to do a second painting, but Marie would choose the pose—take it or leave it. The painter agreed!