Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 77
“Sorry, Duke… I’ll take my leave now.”
Avoiding the situation seemed like the best option. She walked in the opposite direction from where the painters had gone. Why had she been so casual about it? It was only natural for others to see it that way…
Even though there hadn’t been a deep relationship, she had done similar things with him. Though she never openly referred to it as compensation, Macy was receiving far more from Eren than she deserved.
That’s why she couldn’t confront them directly.
‘Is this really right…?’
If Macy stayed away from public affairs and remained only in the cabin, this situation would likely persist for a long time. A relationship where she stayed in his cabin and engaged in dirty activities at night.
She thought it wouldn’t matter as long as Eren was by her side, but now she wondered if that was true.
Above all, Macy was willing to endure discomfort because she liked Eren, but what about Eren? There was no guarantee that he would like Macy in the future. And if Eren thought of Macy lightly…
“Over there…”
As she pondered, she felt a presence behind her. When she turned and saw who it was, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Macy! I’ve finally found you!”
“Brother…?”
It was Yannick. He was wearing a hat he usually never used, and after seeing Macy, his expression brightened instantly, and he hugged her.
“How… how did you get in here?”
Macy asked, bewildered.
“I had some business with the Baron as well. I heard you were attending as the outing painter. I’m so proud of you. How have you been?”
“Yes…”
“I regretted sending you off like that without a penny. It wasn’t supposed to be like that…”
A bittersweet smile lingered on his face. Macy looked at Yannick, finding this side of him unfamiliar.
“I believe you’ve had a lot of time for reflection. You must have learned a lot being on your own. Why don’t we have that conversation we missed out on over there?”
“But the outing isn’t over yet…”
Yannick took hold of Macy’s arm and started to pull her. As she resisted, his smile slowly faded.
“It will be quick. I won’t take up much of your time.”
“No, later. I’ll come find you later.”
“When later?”
A strange glint appeared in Yannick’s eyes. Instinctively, Macy took a step back. The moment she met his gaze, a loud warning signal of danger blared in her mind.
“Today is the last day of the outing. Are you planning to hide away completely?”
“No, no! Let go of me!”
“Come here!”
“Let go!”
He revealed his true nature and pushed Macy into the bushes. Macy struggled with all her might, but her body was gradually forced out. No matter how skinny Yannick was, he was still an adult male and easily overpowered her.
“Now that you’re healthy, you’re going to just abandon family and everything else?! Do you have any idea how I’ve cared for you all this time?”
“Let go! I’ll scream, mmph! Mmph!”
Yannick roughly covered Macy’s mouth. She couldn’t breathe with her nose blocked as well. Gasping for air, she bit Yannick’s hand.
“Ow! This crazy woman!”
“Mmph!”
She managed to escape from him, but immediately felt a sharp, searing pain on her cheek. It felt like her skin might peel off. Losing her balance, Macy fell and covered her ears. A high-pitched ringing and a dizzying blur of vision overwhelmed her.
“Try screaming. I’ll rip your mouth apart!”
“Ugh, ugh… Please, save me… Mmph.”
Yannick’s taunting voice echoed in her ears. His angry breaths and the bloodshot, furious eyes she had seen while he was assaulting her seemed to blur into several menacing forms. The learned fear made it hard to breathe, and her legs felt weak, her voice nearly gone.
Yannick seemed about to haul her away again, back to that hellish place where he had treated her like livestock.
“Stop.”
At that moment, a calm and low voice intervened. Macy’s terrified eyes slowly turned to the source.
“D-Duke Krygen? What are you doing here…”
Yannick rubbed his eyes as if he had seen a ghost. Duke Krygen, having extinguished his cigar on the ground, was walking toward them.
“Oh, Duke! How did you get here? It’s so good to see you!”
Reflexively, Yannick stepped forward, repeatedly bowing his head and trying to ingratiate himself.
