Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 137

“Duke Krygen’s mother. I need to go see Arzena Krygen with Lady Werfel.”

“Ah…”

Macy was a little surprised to hear Eren refer to the Duke’s mother that way. She had suspected as much, but it seemed he wasn’t a blood relative after all.

“Should I not go?”

Eren must have interpreted Macy’s sigh negatively, as he asked. Macy shook her head.

“No, go ahead.”

She realized she couldn’t just tell him not to go. She had learned by now that when he made up his mind, he would follow through.

“I’ll be back soon. Just don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.”

Eren lightly hugged Macy and kissed her forehead.

“If I’m just going to be at the cabin, what trouble could I possibly cause?”

“You didn’t get some requests from the nobles at the banquet?”

Ah, so Eren had noticed everything. Macy awkwardly opened her mouth.

“I did get some requests, but since it’s been rumored that I’m… involved with Duke Krygen, I suppose all of them will be canceled…”

She figured Lady Werfel’s opinion would lead to the cancellations. Since she had mentally prepared herself for it, it didn’t make her sad.

“I told you. Not just anyone can be my mistress.”

But Eren looked at her as though he couldn’t quite understand her.

“You could use that position to your advantage.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean, the requests might not be canceled. The fact that you’re rumored to be my mistress might even bring in more.”

“Really?”

Macy’s eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected speculation.

“Do you know the opera singer Natalia?”

“I’ve heard of her.”

Opera was a pastime for the nobility. Commoners couldn’t afford the expensive tickets, but she had seen her name on flyers.

Natalia was the most famous opera singer in Laden, and she was said to be as beautiful as her fame suggested. Her singing talent was, of course, remarkable. Macy vaguely recalled seeing praise for her voice, which was said to be as enchanting as Siren’s.

“That singer is Marquis Naisen’s mistress.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But instead of being shunned, every performance sells out, her dresses become the latest trend, and nobles criticize her to her face but secretly imitate her behind her back. If she’s just a one-night partner, that’s one thing, but if she’s a mistress to a high-ranking noble, it’s a different story.”

Macy was taken aback. She had never imagined that someone so successful and well-off like Natalia would be hiding such a relationship.

“So, it’s up to you. Your career as an artist isn’t over.”

“But there are people who would absolutely despise it…”

“Sometimes you have to discard what you must. You can’t have everything.”

Eren spoke as if it was just part of the deal. When he spoke like this, his demeanor reminded her of a cold businessman.

But could Macy really withstand the sharp gaze? She had trouble even with the servants in the mansion watching her.

After experiencing the nobles’ gaze at the banquet, Macy suddenly felt fearful.

At the time, even though the gazes weren’t particularly negative, Macy still felt uncomfortable and burdened by the situation.

“If they’re going to insult you openly, you might as well mention my name and use it as a weapon.”

“Huh?”

Eren, noticing Macy’s troubled expression, offered a solution.

“If I favor you more than Lady Werfel who would become the Duchess, who would dare look down on you?”

The arrogance on the man’s face who told her to use his name was unbearable. It was arrogance with a reason, so Macy had no retort…

If she thought about it, just the fact that she had stayed with him instead of attending the engagement banquet could indeed make Eren’s words true. It might even give her power.

But she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of being a mistress. No matter how rare it was for a noble to not have a mistress, it was still, after all, considered improper.

To use the method Eren suggested, she would have to shed her feelings of guilt and be shameless. She would have to disregard whether others suffered, cried, or whether the world of another woman crumbled.

Could Macy really do that?

“I’m telling you this so you don’t end up acting like a fool. Don’t just keep getting yourself hurt.”

Macy couldn’t even muster a weak reply. Honestly, she didn’t know how to navigate life as Duke Krygen’s mistress.