Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 38
He fell silent again. Macy nervously bit her lower lip, unsure of what to do.
“Macy, don’t hide the truth. I know more about you than you think.”
What did he mean by that? There were so many things she was hiding from Eren.
In fact, he barely knew her at all. He never asked about her, and she never volunteered information about herself. Yet, he claimed to know more than she thought.
“The changed address is my friend’s house, but I’m staying elsewhere… It won’t affect the Name treatment. I was late today because something came up suddenly. So—”
“Do you think I’m angry because of the Name treatment?”
He was indeed angry. Macy shrank back at the raised tone in his voice.
‘If it’s not about the Name treatment, then why is he angry…?’
Her fingers that were neatly resting on her lap, curled up. She felt wronged, scared, and upset, and tears threatened to spill.
Then Eren said something that shocked her.
“You paint, don’t you?”
“What?”
“You paint, you?”
“How do you know…?”
Macy’s heart sank. If it could fall, it would plummet to the ground below. How much did Eren know about her? How much did he know about Macy the painter? She was confused.
“I had someone follow you. I haven’t received reports since you disappeared, though.”
“Follow me? Reports?”
“Why do you paint?”
“Well, obviously…”
“No, do you really want to paint?”
The barrage of questions left Macy disoriented. When did he start having her followed? After the Name treatment began? Or before? Eren mentioned he had come to see her once before, so he could have had someone follow her if he wanted to….
‘Why?’
That was the most confusing part. Despite being his Name partner, he never seemed to consider her important. His actions felt unfamiliar.
“I asked if you really want to paint.”
As she struggled to process her confusion, Eren spoke, his voice strained as if suppressing anger.
“Yes. I do want to paint… It’s the only thing I can do.”
“If you’re only doing it because it’s the only thing you can do—”
“It’s everything to me.”
This was something she could say with certainty.
It was a clear and simple question. It was true that painting was the only thing she could do, but it was also the only thing she wanted to do. Without painting, what was left of Macy’s life?
Even when her leg was stiffening due to the Name curse, painting was her sole support.
The small, cramped studio sometimes felt stifling, but it also provided a sense of comfort. When she painted, time would fly from sunrise to sunset without her noticing.
That’s how much she loved it and believed she was good at it. Her love for painting became clear during the period when her hands were stiff and she couldn’t hold a brush. The prospect of never being able to paint again was more despairing than the thought of dying from the Name’s curse.
After a long silence, Eren spoke softly.
“Then stay here.”
“In this cabin?”
“Yes. Don’t forget that this is my property.”
“But how can I…?”
“I’m tired of assigning people to watch you and setting up meetings. If you stay here, the Name treatment can proceed more smoothly. I’ll provide everything you need to live here tomorrow.”
“But…”
This place was large for Macy to stay alone, and though it looked a bit shabby from the outside, the inside was clean. It was the perfect place to stay, but it was too sudden to accept.
Besides…
“I don’t want to burden you, Eren. I really am okay right now.”
She didn’t want to be a burden to him. She had seen many people try to exploit their connection to their Name partners.
She didn’t want Eren to see her as one of those people.
“You call this okay?”
Eren showed no signs of backing down.
