Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 31
“Please, please spare me. I was wrong. Sob…”
Even though Yannick knelt and begged, rubbing his hands together and weeping, it was futile. He never should have come here.
There was a reason why Macy had hidden that painting away. She had been acting strangely, hiding something, which had made him anxious and angry.
“Duke, it’s just that my brother… he’s not at fault… Eek!”
Macy began to speak, her voice trembling, but the Duke swung his sword. The sharp blade cut through something, and the sound of slicing was chillingly clear.
Yannick clutched his chest and fell to the floor.
“Brother…!”
But something was off. When Yannick blinked, his vision cleared. His head and hands were still intact.
He realized that the Duke had slashed the painting Yannick had so carefully brought with him, leaving a deep diagonal scar across it. The Duke, looking thoroughly uninterested, tossed his sword to the ground.
The clanging sound made Yannick flinch.
“The Horton family is to stay out of my sight from now on. If we meet again, you will feel the sharpness of this blade on your skin.”
“…Y-yes! Yes! I understand!”
Yannick stammered, his voice barely audible from fear.
“And make sure your impudent sister understands as well.”
“Yes! We will never show ourselves again!”
The Duke adjusted his gloves and coolly ordered his steward to clean up the mess. As he walked past Macy, she stood frozen, unable to move.
* * *
“Why did you take that there? I hid it for a reason!”
“How was I supposed to know what kind of painting it was? Why did you even paint it like that? You did it on purpose! I almost got killed because of you!”
The argument inside the carriage was loud and heated as they headed back. Macy and Yannick were bickering nonstop.
“If anyone was going to be killed, it would have been me. You told him to blame me!”
“Who painted that picture in the first place, Macy Horton? Wasn’t it you?”
Yes, it was Macy’s painting.
Despite having lived off Macy’s paintings all this time, Yannick had no qualms about throwing her out when things got tough.
That painting wasn’t even meant for sale; Yannick had stolen it and brought it to the Duke’s mansion without her knowing. If he had any real understanding of art, he wouldn’t have gone there in the first place.
The way he had looked at her with wide eyes, urging the Duke to blame her, was unforgettable.
At that moment, Macy realized that Yannick was less than family—he was worse than a stranger.
“I can’t live with you anymore, Brother.”
“If you can’t live with me, then what are you going to do?”
Yannick snapped, even in his agitated state, still glancing around nervously.
“I’m leaving.”
“Do you even have anywhere to go? You think I care if you leave?”
Yannick sneered, his laugh dripping with mockery.
She was fed up with everything. The disdain and the helplessness.
Macy said in a firm voice.
“Stop the carriage.”
“Fine! Get out! Let’s see where you go!”
Yannick made no move to stop her. As she stepped out, he slammed the door shut, glaring at her through the window.
“You don’t know anything about the real world, do you? You’ll come crawling back, and I won’t let you in!”
“…”
“What are you waiting for? Get going!”
“Yes, sir…”
Macy didn’t look back as he shouted. Then came the sound of wheels rolling as the carriage drove away.
She was left standing in the middle of the street.
‘I’m finally out.’
It was such an easy thing to do, and the ease of it left her feeling empty.
‘I hadn’t planned to leave so suddenly…’
She had run so hard that her shoes were falling apart, and her clothes were damp with sweat. She didn’t have a single coin in her pocket.
“Wow… I really am a beggar.”
She muttered to herself. She sighed at the hopelessness of her situation.
‘But what was that about Duke Krygen?’
Macy had nearly witnessed a horrific scene at the lavish Krygen mansion. Despite her deep-seated disdain for Yannick, he was still family, and he almost died in front of her.
The thought of seeing him beheaded was unbearable. She had tried to stop Duke Krygen, even though her small voice seemed to have no effect.
In the end, Yannick was spared, and the Duke slashed Macy’s painting instead.
Without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Something’s strange…’
Duke Krygen’s voice.
As the situation resolved, what Macy had was confusion.
It is the uncanny resemblance between the Duke’s voice and Eren’s.
‘How can they sound so alike?’
Macy replayed the earlier scene in her mind.
“I don’t care who painted it. The issue is that you insulted the Krygen name.”
“Didn’t you beg me to kill you earlier, painter? I despise men who speak with a forked tongue.”
