After I told my ladies-in-waiting that I was going to meet with McKenna, Mastas escorted me to the office door at the appointed time.
McKenna had arrived first and was waiting for me inside with a large box.
Was there a portrait of Heinley as a small boy in that box?
"Ah, Your Majesty."
It seemed like there was. McKenna opened the box as soon as I entered, took out a small picture frame from inside and showed it to me.
"This is a portrait of His Majesty as a child."
Although I hadn't exactly come to see this, I was also curious, so I reached out and grabbed the picture frame.
Was Heinley seven or eight years old in this portrait? He looked to be about that age. When I saw little Heinley, I couldn't help but exclaim,
'Oh my, he really looks like a troublemaker.'
Why did he have the face of a bratty child? Why did his cheeks puff out like he was upset? In contrast, he was always smiling now.
"Heinley was angry at the time?"
"Yes. The portrait was done against his will."
"Look at this one too, Your Majesty."
The next portrait McKenna gave me showed an even smaller, smiling Heinley. Here he was five or six years old?
"Oh my."
I could not help but exclaim again. Even in the portraits in which he came out with a smile, that didn't take away from his unruly nature.
I was so curious that McKenna showed me some more portraits.
As I examined them carefully, several puzzling questions came to mind. Hadn't I come here to hear about Heinley's childhood? Why did McKenna have this? Why did he keep so many portraits of his cousin?
"Did you get along very well with Heinley?"
Although I got along very well with my brother, I didn't have that many portraits of him. At most I had two or three, but I didn't even know exactly where they were stored.
When I asked curiously, McKenna smiled, put the portraits back in the box and said,
"Whenever His Majesty Heinley did something wrong, the queen asked to have his portrait taken for the record and to use as a disciplinary measure on him."
"Heinley's mother?"
"Yes. His Majesty hated to sit still, so she punished him that way."
Oh, so that's why he used to show up with a bratty child's face.
"Originally, the portraits were to be given to His Majesty when he was older, but His Majesty was caught trying to destroy the evidence when he was 12 years old. Since then, I've been in charge."
It was nice to hear that, but no doubt... in his childhood he was a troublemaker.
My hands went up to my belly naturally. The baby had not been born yet, but I could already imagine my child causing trouble.
I knew nothing about disciplinary measures. Until now I had never thought about parenting or babies. Of course, it won't cause any problems if it looks like me... no, if he looks like me, he might have the same problems I do.
As I pondered this, McKenna smiled and pulled out another portrait.
"The story behind this one—"
But before he could begin to speak properly, there was a knock on the door.
