Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 5
“Take it off. Are you deaf too?”
“No, no, not that. You mean, take off my clothes?”
“Yes. It’s basic protocol in name treatment to verify each other’s names, isn’t it?”
“Oh. You mean to show the name… You could have started with that.”
Macy calmed her startled heart.
“It’s not strange to ask you to undress. Surely, you didn’t come here without that level of preparedness, did you?”
She understood what he meant. Name treatment required sharing warmth.
While holding hands might suffice, embracing or even more intimate contact was known to be far more effective. This was why people often slept together, even with strangers, regardless of emotions.
“The name isn’t visible on any exposed part. Where is it written?”
“Well…”
Though he spoke as if she needed to take off her dress, as he continuously searched for her name, it suggested otherwise. Macy felt awkward even if the request was just to show the name, especially given its peculiar location.
“Let’s add a clause. So I don’t have to ask twice. If you’re not serious about proceeding with the treatment, you might as well leave now.”
“No, I’ll do it! I’ll show you right now!”
Macy hurriedly answered, as she was alarmed that her contract could be possibly terminated.
“But it’s in a somewhat embarrassing place, please understand.”
“It doesn’t matter where it is, just show me.”
His voice carried a hint of weariness. Though she couldn’t see him, this much she could sense:
‘He’s not pleased with this situation.’
Unlike Macy, who had been elated upon finally finding the name’s master, he seemed to have manifested his name only recently. To him, the manifestation might feel like an abrupt misfortune that was irritating and overwhelming.
Moreover, being accustomed to ordering people around, his authoritative demeanor was evident, even without knowing his status. She could argue, knowing he was unaware of her status, but…
‘Let’s just comply for now.’
As stipulated in the contract, Macy clearly occupied the ‘lesser’ position in this transaction. He could indifferently continue with another bearer should Macy die and the name manifest in someone else, as the name would surely appear on another individual upon her death.
“Whoo…”
Macy took a deep breath and removed her shawl. Thanks to the deep neckline of Catherine’s dress, she didn’t need to untie any knots. She slightly pulled down the lace covering her left breast.
“I think it’s around here… Can you see it?”
“…”
There was no response from him.
She felt something rough under her fingertips, definitely the spot where the name was inscribed. With her eyes covered by the cloth, it was hard for her to tell if he could see properly or if she needed to lower her dress further. As he thought his silence meant for her to reveal more, she pulled her dress down further.
“Stop.”
At that moment, a cool touch landed on the back of her hand. His large hand covered hers completely.
As she was startled by the unexpected contact, Macy froze.
“I’ve seen it. You can stop now.”
“Yes…”
His hand quickly withdrew. The atmosphere turned awkward.
Macy tensed up under the stern tone of his voice. She wondered if she had done something wrong. After a lengthy silence, he spoke in a firm tone.
“Before we proceed with the treatment, let me clarify something.”
“What is it?”
“I do not want more physical contact than necessary.”
It was a relief to hear that.
“And let’s not be curious about who we are. We are meeting solely for name treatment, and there’s no need to know more about each other.”
He really wanted to hide his identity, not only from the clause about covering her eyes. The name contract inherently included a clause against disclosing information to others, meaning that he didn’t trust the contract itself.
“So, any attempt to catch a man’s eye with such attire and behavior is futile to me.”
“No, this is…”
Before she could explain, he cut her off.
“The name treatment will progress gradually.”
“Today, we will hold hands for an hour and assess the situation. If that’s not enough, we will increase the frequency. If it still falls short, we will move to the next step. The necessity will be determined by my standards. If you have any complaints, speak now.”
He spoke with an air of having thought of everything before coming here. Recalling his earlier threat to terminate the arrangement if she wasn’t serious about the treatment, Macy found herself unable to say anything.
“And since we are only holding hands, there’s no need to sit on the bed.”
“Yes…”
“From now on, sit in a chair.”
“Understood…”
Macy felt as though she was being treated like a woman trying to seduce with her body.
Although Yannick and Catherine had dressed her in such attire, perhaps it was not exactly for the reasons he suggested…
‘I lowered my dress thinking it was not visible…’
Macy had no intention whatsoever of maintaining a favorable relationship with him through her body. She hoped that meeting regularly in similar circumstances would naturally build rapport and perhaps lead to a friendship.
A bond might form between them who shared a similar misfortune.
But now that they had met, she understood things differently.
