Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 99
“Macy, are you listening to me?”
“Uh?”
Anna’s voice broke through the haze of Macy’s thoughts. They had come to a dessert cafe in the city after a long time and were catching up on each other’s lives.
Anna had mentioned she was still seeing the guy who delivered groceries, but since then, Macy’s mind had wandered elsewhere, and she hadn’t fully absorbed the details.
“Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment. Where did we leave off?”
“You were worried because he hadn’t said much after we two had spent the night together, and you said that if he didn’t like me, he probably wouldn’t have done that!”
“Ah.”
Anna loved talking about love stories between men and women, so their conversations often drifted in that direction.
“You were right. You said that a person who doesn’t have feelings for someone wouldn’t go that far.”
“Exactly, that’s what I said…”
Even though it had been her own words recently, they felt strangely unfamiliar now.
“So when I asked him how he really felt, he spent the whole day telling me he loved me. I think I’m finally falling in true love!”
“That’s great! I’m glad to hear your misunderstanding is cleared up.”
Anna’s cheeks flushed with excitement, and her eyes sparkled with joy. She looked adorable, reveling in the thrill and anticipation of love.
However, Macy could no longer share in her excitement or smile brightly. She took a sip of her drink to mask her sinking expression.
“I shouldn’t have mentioned it to Josephine. She said it’s possible to sleep with someone even if you don’t really like them, which only made me more anxious.”
Anna, who had been in a blissful mood, suddenly had a sulky tone.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Josephine was one of the maids who worked with Anna. It seemed Anna had been seeking advice here and there because of her worries.
“Maybe that’s because Josephine had a bad experience with a guy? She was seeing someone who turned out to be a nobleman and married! Then he suddenly asked her if she wanted to be his mistress.”
“…Really?”
At that moment, Macy noticeably flinched, nearly dropping the fork she was holding.
“Yeah. They say it’s rare for noblemen to not have a mistress. He told her he would treat her better from now on, so they should just continue seeing each other as they were.”
“….”
Macy found herself in a similar situation. Eren hadn’t gone that far in his declarations, but there was a similar echo in the sentiment.
Could it be that Anna sensed something and brought up this topic? Macy felt a wave of anxiety and started watching her closely.
“They say love is about being with a mistress and marriage is based on conditions. It’s been years since they’ve slept with their wives. Still, noblemen are just infuriating, aren’t they? They’re all so pretentious.”
However, Anna was fully absorbed in her story, clicking her tongue at the idea that nobles only appear dignified while being quite the contrary.
Listening to her, Macy couldn’t help but wonder about Eren’s feelings toward Lady Werfel. Did he feel nothing for her? Lady Werfel really showed affection, while he seemed rather detached, maintaining only the bare minimum of politeness.
“So what happened next?”
Macy became curious about the outcome. As she subtly prompted for more, Anna responded lightly.
“I haven’t heard what happened after that. Once she found out, they probably stopped seeing each other, right? Why would an unmarried woman want to be with a married man?”
That seemed like a reasonable conclusion. Macy had felt the same way when she learned that Eren had a potential bride; she had thought she should stop liking him then.
But in her case, she was unable to refuse the situation.
“What if you’re in a position where you can’t avoid meeting?”
“For example?”
“Like if you owe that person a debt or they have some leverage over you…”
Macy mumbled, giving a vague excuse. Anna seemed to ponder for a moment before responding.
“Well, in that case, there’s not much you can do, is there? We hear of such situations often around us.”
“That’s true…”
Stories of daughters or wives sold due to their fathers’ gambling debts or situations where leverage was used to exploit someone’s body were more common than one would think.
Macy felt a bitterness wash over her. As she stirred her tea with a teaspoon, her body stiffened at Anna’s next comment.
“But that’s not the same as being a mistress. Engaging in a relationship for a price is much closer to selling oneself. They may not choose it willingly, but still…”
“…”
“Oh! Is the painting finished? Duke Krygen’s engagement is coming up soon!”
