We're Married, After All - Chapter 94
It was purely an impulse to suggest that Danel try painting again. I had coincidentally discovered his sensitivity to colors and simultaneously recalled that his drawer was filled only with sketches.
Danel didn’t reject my suggestion, but he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about it either. He merely did a few practice sketches in a sketchbook made of bound drawing paper.
However, when I went ahead and ordered an easel and canvas for the study, he had no choice but to take out his old art supplies from storage. And, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he painted me.
Becoming the subject of Danel’s paintings was something I never quite got used to. The thought that I had been doing this for over a decade without realizing it made my expression stiffen.
But watching Danel paint was enjoyable. If he had started sooner, perhaps he would have enjoyed it as well.
‘I wish he could find joy in painting…’
The moment I confirmed that Ireneo had finished swallowing the piece of fig he was holding, I pulled him away from the small easel. It would be troublesome if he started whining to be painted again, so I intended to divert his attention.
Whoosh.
At that moment, the early summer breeze gently ruffled both my and Ireneo’s hair. The fresh scent of grass, unique to summer, made the child slowly blink his eyes.
“Uung…”
He let out a small whimper, his voice slightly throaty. He must have been getting drowsy.
I carefully adjusted my posture. That marked the end of today’s outing. Now that Ireneo’s nap time was approaching, it was time to take him back and put him to sleep properly.
But…
‘It feels a little earlier than usual.’
The sun had yet to sink in the sky. It was an awkward time—too soon to wait for the guests arriving in the afternoon, yet too short a window to go horseback riding.
‘Should I come back out after Ireneo falls asleep? If so, I should tell them not to clear away the setup…’
As I was lost in thought, a long shadow stretched over me. Danel had risen to his feet and approached the edge of the picnic blanket.
His long arms reached out, taking Ireneo from my embrace. The child’s soft blonde hair drooped over his left arm.
Danel extended his other hand and gently tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. His fingers, brushing against my scalp, were warm.
I lifted my chin and met his gaze. His usually composed, even expressionless, face was now tinged with red. The scent of marigolds, clinging to his clothes, was faintly mixed with the smell of sweat.
As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, Danel took a step back.
“I’ll put him to sleep. You should rest a little longer, Laurea.”
Why was the man who spent entire nights pleasuring himself to my scent now acting so embarrassed by his own? And despite how much he struggled with the heat, why did he try so hard to like summer, just as I did?
But before I could come up with an answer, Danel quickly walked away, carrying the drowsy Ireneo with him.
In the end, I decided to accept his kindness. After all, there was no better way to enjoy summer than to savor a moment of solitude.
As the servants cleared away Ireneo’s snacks and toys, I remained completely still, lying on the picnic blanket. Even that small act was enough to wash away my fatigue.
The truth was, summer has always been my favorite season. The air, warm to the point of being almost scorching. The endless greenery. The cacophony of life, a sound bordering on noise. Everything about it made me happy.
Danel, on the other hand, didn’t particularly like summer. During the hotter hours of the day, he spoke even less than usual. Most of the time, he simply observed me from a distance as I enjoyed the season with Ireneo.
‘Or he painted.’
I glanced toward Danel’s easel, which stood abandoned beneath the shade of a tree.
As soon as Ireneo was taken inside, the servants had cleared away all the picnic items, but none of them had touched Danel’s easel. Bringing it all the way down from the study on the third floor to the garden wasn’t their job. No one but Danel ever handled the easel—it was a gift from me.
‘Though, I hardly ever get to see his paintings…’
Slowly, I sat up and stepped barefoot off the picnic blanket. With each stride, the sparse summer grass tickled the soles of my feet.
Finally, I reached the far side of the easel, the side hidden from where I had been sitting. The painting on the canvas was undeniably beautiful. The colors of summer were richly imbued in it, the painting already more than halfway complete.
Even while creating something so breathtaking, Danel rarely showed me his work.
After receiving the easel, he had kept the canvas covered with a white cloth for a long time. Whenever I asked, he would only say he needed a little more time.
I traced my fingertips over the dry paint. Seeing Danel’s paintings was an absolute delight. Discovering the world as he saw it was fascinating.
And of course… realizing that, in his world, I was always at the center.
Rustle.
Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me. Turning around, I saw Danel standing there in a different shirt. He had changed clothes in the short time since we parted.
I straightened my posture to face him. With the sun behind him, his expression was obscured. Even so, I could tell he was feeling awkward.
“You’re back early.”
“I thought Ireneo might wake up if I took the stairs, so I put him to sleep in the first-floor bedroom.”
“I suppose you didn’t brush his teeth, then.”
“No.”
Danel quickly stepped toward me. Just like when I had distracted Ireneo earlier, he positioned himself between me and the easel, blocking my view of the painting.
Unlike the child, though, I wasn’t so easily deceived. But I had no intention of pressing him.
I didn’t want to push too hard, not on a man still unaccustomed to painting me so openly.
Instead of asking about the painting, I reached out and grasped the collar of his shirt.
“Did you wash up?”
“I only changed my shirt. I’ll need to bathe properly anyway before the tea party.”
He had a point. The late-afternoon gathering would have important guests.
“Then… should we bathe together?”
Danel’s eyes gleamed in the backlight. He didn’t give a verbal answer, but it was as good as agreement.
