After four days everyone came to the meeting hall.

The meeting began at the appointed hour and everyone was seated in a circle facing each other.

As the butler entered the room, he placed the large wooden box down and the emperor sat beside him.

The butler stood in the center of the room and announced: "Master Alex has requested that these items be brought here today."

"Now, tell us what this is," said the Emperor.

"This is Master Alex's gift," the butler replied.

The butler opened the large box and took out something looking like sheets of paper but wrapped .

He then handed each member of the royal family the wrapped gifts.

The emperor unwrapped the gift first then everyone unwrapped the gift and to everyone's surprise it was a portrait of themselves.

"Where did he get these portraits?" asked the emperor.

"Master Alex said that they were drawn by him."

The emperor's portrait was grand. In the portrait the emperor stood with a big smile, carrying a sword, looking majestic. The background was a statue of a golden lion with a crown standing tall between other lions.

"I must admit," said the Emperor. "I never knew he had such talent."

"He said he drew them himself," said the butler.

"But he never said anything about this to me."

The emperor remembers Alex bringing paintings when he was a child and when the empress was alive. He used to smile a lot when the empress was alive, but he didn't smile anymore after her death.

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Rose also unwrapped her portrait and stared at it without winking.

The portrait was of a cute little girl wearing a red dress with ponytail hair and a silver small crown on her head. She held a silver wand, smiling beautifully, in a garden of flowers where butterflies fly around.

Tears ran down Rose's cheeks. She said "Thank you and sorry for leaving you broken." and cried...

Everyone were busy staring at the portraits Alex had drawn for each of them.

The prince and princess received a portrait of themselves as a baby while the concubines received a portrait of them with their children.

"Your majesty, please take this."

"I am sure you will find it majestic."

The butler then moved towards a wall covered by white cloth. He asked everyone to pay attention and slowly pulled out the cloth covering the wall behind his back.

It was the last portrait to be displayed and the most breathtaking anyone could imagine and draw.

The portrait was of the Empress, mother of Alex who died when Prince Alex was 4 years old.

In the portrait of the empress, she was smiling and carrying former crown prince Alex in her hand as when he was a baby. Prince Alex was smiling. He was a cute baby. In the portrait the empress had a tear drop on her cheek. She was wearing a silver dress, a silver crown and sitting on a golden sofa. She had Prince Alex wrapped in her arms with her silver wand next to her in Prince Alex's arms. An image of a large tree behind the sofa and flowers on its edge was in the background. It also had a silver cat sitting near the empress with blue eyes and a red scarf around its neck which passed away a year before the empress. It was the most striking picture anyone had ever seen.

The emperor was gazing at the portrait of the empress.

"She was an excellent woman. She kept peace in the empire and loved her husband, her child and the people equally. She adored her son more than anything else in the world. And I don't know why I left her alone."

The emperor smiled warmly at the empress' portrait.

"Do you know where he is right now?"

"He's on his way now," said the butler.

"And now the most significant farewell gift he would like you all to receive."

When the butler was about to deliver Alex's message, he asked everyone to sit in the seats.

"We have something very significant to share with you all today," said the butler. "Although your majesty may not believe it, we have a surprise for you all."

"What is it?"

The butler took out a notebook.

Here is Master Alex's diary, in which he has written everything he wants to convey to you.

So now I will read Master Alex's words addressed to you all.

Master Alex has asked me to give you all this message in person.

The butler opened the notebook and started reading..

"I am writing it here because I don't think you will believe my words otherwise. And I want you to know that you are free of any responsibility or guilt if anything should happen to me."

***