Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 26
Having only recently recovered, it was understandable why Hills found it hard to believe Macy would like someone else. She had no real opportunity to meet new people.
Yet, Macy had been seeing someone more frequently than Anna and Hills lately.
Her Name master, Eren Wood.
“Have you confessed your feelings?”
Her feelings for Eren had become unmistakably clear. It was baffling how she could fall for someone whose face she had never seen.
“No, I have no plans to confess.”
From the start, it was a one-sided love with a predictable ending. The moment she voiced her feelings, Eren might stop their meetings altogether.
Hence, Macy had no intention of confessing to him.
“But I can’t see myself dating anyone else in this state. It wouldn’t be fair to them.”
“Macy, I understand what you’re saying.”
Despite the disappointment, Hills calmly listened. Though his face briefly showed bitterness, he managed to smile.
“Let’s not let this make things awkward between us. I’ve really enjoyed becoming closer friends with you.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
Macy was relieved that their friendship remained intact. She returned home, where Catherine greeted her with a suggestive tone.
“Did Hills give you those flowers again? You two have been spending a lot of time together. We might be cutting a wedding cake soon.”
“It’s not like that…”
“No, there were rumors going around the neighborhood…”
Despite her denial, Catherine remained skeptical. Ignoring her, Macy looked around.
Luckily, there was no sign of Yannick.
‘If he saw these flowers, there would be another uproar.’
Yannick, who had once tried to marry Macy off when she couldn’t use her hands, didn’t seem too pleased with the idea of Macy having a romantic relationship now that she could paint again.
If Macy were to get married, there would be a risk of her secret—painting in Ynanick’s stead—being exposed. Moreover, a husband might challenge the unfairness of the situation, especially if his wife’s earnings were at stake.
‘If Hills were my husband, he might have stood up for me.’
He could have comforted her, sharing the burden she carried. Their marriage might have been reasonably balanced, warm, and filled with everyday contentment. However, even amidst these thoughts, Macy’s heart was elsewhere.
“I’m going upstairs.”
“Alright.”
Suppressing her discomfort, Macy quietly went upstairs. She changed into her loungewear as soon as she reached her bedroom and then headed to her studio.
There, she uncovered an unfinished painting. It was a portrait of Eren Wood she had recently resumed working on.
‘It’s more of an imaginative drawing than a portrait since I created it based on what I felt with my hands…’
The once blank face was now adorned with features. The eyes were long and half-closed, with one corner of the mouth subtly curled, giving a charming impression.
As she took in the painting from a distance, she felt it resembled a strikingly handsome man, the kind that would turn heads on the street.
“Why does he seem familiar…?”
A strange sense of déjà vu struck her. The features were those of someone she had seen quite recently.
“Who is it? Who could it be…?”
Before long, Macy realized who it was.
“Ah… Duke Krygen.”
She had faith in her observational skills, assuming she would be adept at drawing what she sensed with her hands. But now, she saw how inadequate that was. Eren was right.
‘There’s no way to truly understand just by feeling.’
Unconsciously, she had drawn the most handsome person she had seen, hoping that the object of her affection would be as stunning.
“Maybe I shouldn’t paint this…”
Macy’s resolve crumbled in an instant. It seemed that her belief of getting closer to Eren was just a delusion.
Recalling the memory of touching Eren’s face, she thought the result might still look similar. The image of Duke Krygen had overlain her memory of Eren’s features, making it blurry.
She put down her pencil and walked towards the place where she had stored her drawings. She was suddenly curious to see how similar her portrait was. She began to sift through the canvases, looking for the painting of Duke Krygen on his boat.
“I think it was around here somewhere…”
But no matter how much she searched, the painting was nowhere to be found. She unwrapped each covered canvas, but the painting of the Duke was missing.
Macy glanced around the studio. Since regaining her mobility, she had been the one cleaning the studio, but today, things seemed out of place.
‘Could it be…?’
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over her. She hurried downstairs.
“Sister, where is Brother?”
