Chapter 36
Aniella decorated the shelf prominently with the drawing he had left behind. Every time she saw it, she remembered his serious face and couldn’t help but laugh.
Paiki frowned as he flipped through the sketchbook page by page. It had been less than a week since he’d left the sketchbook, yet Aniella had filled it to the last page with drawings.
“When do you sleep?”
Aniella, who had been tearing a piece of bread in half to eat, paused and glanced at him cautiously.
“I only drew a little when I couldn’t sleep because I’d slept too much.”
“You’ve drawn everything… landscapes, various objects in the room… Why did you draw the meal that was served instead of eating it?”
Paiki clicked his tongue, seeming displeased.
“As I mentioned a few days ago, humans aren’t cats. Maybe we can sleep 20 hours a day for one or two days, but doing it every day is impossible.”
“Since you started drawing, you’ve started talking back to me.”
Aniella avoided his gaze and buried her nose in her soup bowl. Before, she would have been sweating buckets, desperately explaining that it wasn’t like that. But she pretended not to hear. It was thanks to the newfound belief that he wouldn’t actually do anything to her.
During this time, she had realized that Paiki often only threatened with words. The only ‘rough’ thing he had done after saying he would use harsh methods was to lay her down and read her a fairy tale. If that truly counted as being rough, then since she had also read him a fairy tale in return, they were even.
Aniella focused on the freshly baked bread and the delicious soup that tasted like it had been simmered for hours. Paired with the fresh meat and vegetables, the flavor was exceptional.
“I shouldn’t have told you to try drawing. Who knew you’d be so good at it?”
Even though it was a complaint, Aniella’s lips curled slightly at the praise hidden within it.
“Your Grace’s drawings also have their own charm once you keep looking at them.”
“So now you’ve progressed to mocking me outright.”
“I’m serious. I really think they’re charming. Ah, licorice candy! It has a bitter taste, but if you keep eating it, you can also sense a sweetness—your drawings are like licorice candy.”
Whether it was because she wasn’t scared or just being playful, Aniella had made a mistake. Paiki’s face hardened.
“That’s an unusual expression. Why compare it to licorice candy, of all things?”
“W-well, it just suddenly came to mind…”
The truth was, because of Marius, Aniella knew a few pieces of information about Paiki that others generally didn’t. Things like his name.
‘Do you know what the real name of that ruthless man is? The name he went by before being adopted into the ducal house!’
‘I don’t know. And I’m not even curious.’
‘Candy! Candy! It doesn’t suit that vile fellow one bit!’
Bringing up licorice candy wasn’t meant to mock Paiki by questioning how his name could be ‘Candy’. She had just suddenly remembered that conversation, and between his hair, his always-worn black gloves, it naturally made her think of licorice candy.
“Aniella, do you know my name?”
“It’s… Theodore Paiki, isn’t it?”
“My name before I was called Theodore Paiki.”
She should have just shaken her head and said she didn’t know, but Aniella, her weak spot struck, hiccupped.
“Marius blabbed, didn’t he?”
He easily guessed the source of the information. The man let out a light snort, the corner of his mouth quirking strangely. Aniella kept her head down, chewing on a tomato, trying her best to avoid meeting his eyes.
“What did he say while telling you my name?”
“He just… didn’t say much. Only that your name when you were young was Candy…”
She tried to brush it off, but Paiki didn’t seem convinced. Aniella was so tense she couldn’t tell if the firm tomato was delivering its proper flavor or if it was just mushy.
“Fine. Whatever that guy blabbered. Anyway, what I want to say is, it’s fine to draw, but don’t overdo it.”
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