Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 86
“You must have heard roughly about the construction of Gadvich Cathedral from Marquis Naissen. If the transaction with the Kingdom of Ciseina is successfully concluded this time, our family will be entrusted with the construction supervision.”
The king of Ciseina favored Queen Croix, Benedict’s mother, above all others. This favoritism towards the queen posed a threat to the succession of the crown prince.
Therefore, the queen made Benedict the head of the Royal Academy of Arts, securing a promise that he would not covet the throne. Unlike Obelit, the Royal Academy of Arts in the artistic country of Ciseina held significant influence. Many countries were eager to acquire works by Ciseina’s renowned artists.
As a result, Rubens found himself in the inconvenient position of having to entertain the bothersome child. Moreover, it was a demanding task, having devoted years to collecting paintings.
If Benedict had learned anything, it would have been from Naissen. In any case, since the queen of Ciseina owed a favor to Rubens’s grandmother, she would likely fulfill even excessive demands.
Regardless of the outcome, Rubens intended to observe the proper etiquette due to the involvement of their families and to select new artists to ensure that Ciseina would not be disappointed.
“Ah, that matter.”
Rubens had thought this would make for a very straightforward negotiation, but Benedict’s reaction seemed somewhat lukewarm.
“I will send several new artists, so it shouldn’t be a bad proposal for Ciseina. There are more artists with distinctive styles in Obelit than expected. I will show you the paintings I’ve collected when we return to the mansion.”
“Well, Obelit excels in architectural technology, but I haven’t seen much in terms of impressive artworks…”
Benedict rolled his eyes, not hiding his skepticism. To Rubens, who was aware of the underlying circumstances, this attitude appeared rather endearing.
“If there’s something else you would like, please let me know. I will do my best to accommodate.”
He was willing to entertain such demands to a certain extent. At that, a transparent hint of interest appeared in Benedict’s eyes.
“Then, please give me some time with the Duke while we’re in Obelit.”
“…Can you clarify what you mean?”
“I’m asking you to entertain me.”
He had thought he was going to ask for something big, but this….Rubens was momentarily on the verge of losing his courteous smile.
“…Is that all you need?”
“Yes, that will be enough.”
Rubens sighed deeply. Benedict, on the other hand, continued to smile brightly as if it was of no concern.
It’s true that Benedict is bothersome, but Rubens has never genuinely dismissed him.
‘It’s probably because of those eyes.’
Benedict’s light sky-blue eyes always reminded Rubens of someone. They were pure and openly expressive of emotions, similar to her. The young Macy playing in the meadow.
If Macy had grown up without much trouble, like Benedict, would she have turned out to be a woman who could indulge in whims? Now, she was timid and had very low self-esteem.
It would have been better if she could express her emotions honestly instead of being driven by touch. Rubens had always thought her timid nature was helpful in keeping her in line, but now these thoughts were amusing.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“Really? You’re promising?”
Rubens finally nodded. Benedict expressed his excitement by stretching his arms out to the sides.
“Well then, could you introduce me to your fiance? You’ve never introduced her before.”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
“You said you would accommodate as much as possible.”
“Though she seems busy with the engagement preparations, I will ask.”
It seemed like it would be tiring to entertain an immature guest for a while.
* * *
“Macy Horton. I’m sorry, but it seems you won’t be able to see His Grace today either.”
“Again…?”
Just when she thought she was finally getting somewhere with her modeling, the Duke was being fickle again. Macy was now making her third fruitless trip.
Seeing Macy’s disappointment, the butler continued.
“His Grace is currently entertaining a foreign guest. He says he will make time next week, so he asks you to come back then.”
“I just need to see him once more to finish the work…”
“I’m sorry.”
The butler bowed his head in place of the Duke. Was he really that busy?
Given that the Duke had previously avoided seeing Macy, assuming he could paint without her, it was hard to accept this reason at face value.
“Then I’ll wait for three hours. There might be a chance he becomes available.”
“But…”
“If he doesn’t come, I’ll return next week.”
The butler hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I will bring you some tea while you wait. What kind of tea do you prefer?”
“I’m not familiar with different types of tea. Could you just give me whatever the Duke likes?”
“Certainly. I will do that.”
“Oh, and may I also take a look at the garden while I wait?”
