Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 94
The fact that they were in the cabin seemed to amplify the resemblance. Strangely enough, Eren looked just like the imagined portrait Macy had been painting of him—the one where she had left the face blank, only to later fill it with the Duke’s features.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped from Macy’s lips.
What had she been doing all this time? She had painted a portrait that was an exact replica of his face, and now she was realizing the absurdity of it all. She had been so desperate to see Eren’s face. Surely, no one in the world was as foolish as she was.
“So, what now? What do you want?”
“What do I want?”
“You must want something, otherwise you wouldn’t have brought it up. Especially after what happened at the mansion.”
It seemed like Eren didn’t even understand why she felt so heartbroken.
“I don’t want anything. I just find it ridiculous—how you’ve been lying to me this whole time!”
“I never lied to you. I simply didn’t tell you everything.”
“You said you didn’t have a lover!”
“Oh, that.”
Eren tilted his head slightly as if remembering.
“Lady Werfel is your lover, is she?”
His eyebrows get a slight raise. As if he genuinely believed what he was saying. Macy’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“If anything, you’re closer to being a lover.”
“W-What? I don’t want to be in that kind of relationship with you!”
“Then forget it.”
He easily dismissed his own words, what was he trying to do. Macy felt like she was still playing right into his hands.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I heard you refused to see the doctor.”
“Don’t touch me.”
Eren tried to check on her with such nonchalance that Macy instinctively swatted his hand away. His expression immediately cooled into something icier. Though she shrank back slightly, Macy avoided his gaze.
“Are you expecting an apology?”
“You’re not sorry at all.”
“Right.”
What good was an apology from someone who didn’t even understand what they’d done wrong? Even if he apologized now, Macy didn’t think it would ease the frustration she felt. It wasn’t about getting an apology; her anger ran much deeper than that.
“You’re not even going to ask why my name is different?”
Macy shot him a glare instead of answering.
“Glare all you want, those tear-filled eyes of yours aren’t exactly intimidating. Just ask, and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Forget it. I don’t care anymore.”
“Do you hate me now?”
Eren reached out, cupping Macy’s cheek in his hand. Macy turned her head to avoid his touch, but Eren calmly moved his hand to follow, gently stroking her cheek each time she tried to pull away.
His touch was unexpectedly gentle, and finally, the tears that had been welling up spilled down her cheeks. Eren clicked his tongue briefly, as if regretting the sight, before leaning in to lick away her tears.
When she lifted her gaze to meet him, his lips curved into a smug, yet charming smile, as if he had been waiting for her to look at him.
“Are you… really going to get married?”
Macy asked in a trembling voice. Now that she had realized Eren was the Duke, the thought that hurt her most was the reality of his impending marriage. The fact that he was promised to someone else made her chest tighten with unbearable sorrow, as if she would never have a place by his side.
“Is that what all this fuss is about?”
His tone was so light, it gave Macy a fleeting sense of hope.
“But I can’t do anything about that.”
“…Why?”
“If you became the Duchess, people would get suspicious.”
Eren let his hand fall from her cheek.
“Everyone, even the beggars on the streets of Raden, knows you have the name ‘Eren Wood’ written on your body. You’ve only recently recovered after starting the Name treatment, and if rumors of you being involved with someone like me—a Duke—started to spread, what would people think?”
“…..”
Macy was at a loss for words. She realized now that this was why he had kept his identity hidden from her, going so far as to blindfold her. He had concealed the truth to avoid exposing who he really was. If people connected her with the Duke, they might uncover the name engraved on her skin—Eren Wood.
Beneath the satin gloves he’d just removed, faint scars marked his hands, scars not typical of a nobleman. Eren had always been determined to keep his real name from being revealed.
“And even if that weren’t the case, there are countless reasons why I can’t marry you. Just as there are countless reasons why I must marry Lady Werfel.”
He didn’t bother listing those reasons. Macy already knew she could never become a Duchess. She had never aspired to that. But hearing him dismiss her so easily, saying there were too many reasons to ever make such a dream possible, left her feeling crushed by the weight of reality.
“Then… what happens to me?”
She couldn’t understand. He still touched her so tenderly, as if he cared. He had just brushed his lips against her cheek moments ago, and yet he spoke of their future so coldly.
“Nothing changes. I’ll keep coming to the cabin regularly. I’ll kiss you, even when it has nothing to do with the Name treatment.”
Her face fell. Sensing her dissatisfaction, Eren offered an alternative.
“If you need something more concrete, you could always become my mistress.”
“What?”
That suggestion was even more outrageous than the first.
