Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 29
“Is there anything you’re curious about….”
By the time Yannick finished his explanation, the air itself seemed to grow colder. He dismissed it as his own nerves, but still, he hesitated and watched the Duke’s reaction carefully.
“Is that supposed to be me?”
“Yes! You recognized it! It’s a depiction of you enjoying a boat ride with Lady Werfel.”
Yannick’s face lit up at the Duke’s question.
“The tender scene between you two was so moving that I couldn’t stop painting. I came here hoping to form a good relationship with Duke Krygen, who has such a deep appreciation for art.”
“Tender, you say…”
“Yes. You two are well-known in social circles for your beauty and your close relationship, so—”
“Ha.”
A crack appeared in Duke Krygen’s previously near-expressionless face. For someone so statuesque, it was hard to imagine him smiling, but now a smile graced his features.
However, the smile was closer to a sneer, causing Yannick to pause and look at him in confusion.
“Is something bothering you…?”
“No. They say a variety of emotions are part of art.”
“Yes, yes… That’s true. Art doesn’t have absolute standards, after all…”
The Duke’s words were somewhat ambiguous, and Yannick couldn’t fully grasp their meaning, but he nodded repeatedly in agreement.
‘What’s going on? Is he pleased with it or not?’
His mind was racing with conflicting thoughts.
“Art is about conveying one’s emotions to others. But personally, I prefer to paint things as they are in nature. So this painting is exactly what I saw. Not to contradict Your Grace’s opinion, of course…”
Yannick babbled, trying to say something, anything, to fill the uncomfortable silence. The Duke waved his hand dismissively, his smile vanishing as he asked another question.
“So, are you saying that you painted this?”
“Yes, of course…”
Yannick was about to say yes. But when he met the Duke’s gaze, he found himself unable to speak. What was supposed to be a simple introduction and sale of his work had suddenly turned into something much more intense, like an interrogation.
The underlying sense of unease finally surfaced from beneath the ice.
“Let me ask you again. Is this truly your painting?”
The atmosphere seemed to say that lying would immediately land Yannick in a cell. He froze under the pressure.
“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding Your Grace might have, but this is my painting. My style is so distinctive that any critic in Laden would recognize it as mine. This is indeed my work.”
Though momentarily flustered, Yannick managed to speak confidently.
‘Why is he acting like this? What does he know?’
His mind was in turmoil.
“Is that so?”
Despite his words, the Duke’s suspicion seemed far from dispelled. He hummed thoughtfully, then spoke with a hint of regret.
“In that case, it seems the artist himself did not realize what he had painted.”
“Pardon?”
The Duke rose from his seat and approached the painting. His poised steps made even the simplest movement appear elegant.
When he was sitting, he looked like he had a thin frame. But up close, his height and presence were even more imposing.
“This painting’s focus isn’t the scenery or the couple enjoying a boat ride.”
Duke Krygen began to explain the painting.
“The focal point is the man in black at the center. Didn’t you deliberately detail only this figure?”
“Yes, I wanted to show it to the Duke, so I—”
“And.”
The Duke cut him off, uninterested in further explanations.
“Everyone else is enjoying the festival, but this man seems isolated, staring straight ahead, as if entranced by something other than the spring flowers.”
Entranced? What was he talking about?
“Given his position on the bridge, it appears the man in black, while sharing a boat with Lady Werfel, was distracted by someone else.”
“……”
“Lady Werfel would be upset if she saw this. You even included the Werfel family’s crest on the boat.”
As the Duke spoke, Yannick looked at the painting anew. Details that had previously escaped him now became glaringly obvious.
The figure of the man in black stood out starkly against the surrounding colors, his piercing blue eyes seemingly drawn to someone beyond the canvas. Despite being informed that the painting depicted the Duke, the Duke referred to him as the ‘man in black’.
It seemed the Duke was insinuating that the man in black appeared to be infatuated with someone else, despite being with Lady Werfel.
He talked about the painting as if it was not a reflection of reality.
“No, I didn’t… That wasn’t my intention…”
Yannick’s hands began to tremble. His pupils darted anxiously as his breath grew ragged.
Duke Krygen’s eyebrows knitted together in displeasure.
