Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 172

The prince, whom Macy hadn’t seen in a while, seemed to have lost some weight. He had always been on the thinner side, but now his face looked pale.

“I’m sorry for what happened back then. I was drunk and behaved inappropriately.”

“I’m sorry too. I must have startled you when I disappeared without a word.”

They exchanged light apologies.

“No, it’s not that. It was Duke Krygen who…”

He hesitated, trailing off, and appeared troubled. Prince Benedict seemed uncomfortable bringing up Duke Krygen. Macy felt the same way.

After a brief silence, the prince swallowed, as if making a decision, then continued.

“The Duke suddenly took you away, didn’t he? The rumors circulating now say that this wasn’t something you wanted, that you might be forced into it… Are you being threatened?”

Macy wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I can’t answer anything about my relationship with Duke Krygen, Your Highness. I’m sorry…”

It was better not to answer at all than give an ambiguous response. If she spoke as she had with her friends, it would only leave more frustrating questions for the prince.

Besides, there had been rumors recently about important negotiations between Obelit and Ciseina. If Macy said the wrong thing and his relationship with Eren grew sour, the negotiations might be at risk.

“If you want, I’ll help.”

“No. I don’t want any help.”

If she could have solved it with help, she wouldn’t be in this situation. No matter how great he was, Prince Benedict couldn’t erase the name Eren Wood from her life.

“And it seems you’ve misunderstood something…”

She had come here not to clear up her relationship with Eren, but for something else.

“Even if things hadn’t been the way they were with him, Your Highness, I still don’t think it would have worked out between us.”

She had come to correct a misunderstanding.

“I was the one who invited you to the garden, but the kiss…”

“I know. I didn’t realize it at the time, but you were pale, Macy. I was too hasty. I apologize again.”

Surprisingly, he already knew that Macy didn’t want the kiss.

‘Then why did he call me here?’

A question mark appeared in Macy’s mind.

“I didn’t come here today to ask you to reconsider your feelings for me. I was wondering… if your inability to study in Ciseina because of Duke Krygen?”

“What?”

Macy’s heart dropped at the question. It sounded as though the prince knew about Eren being Macy’s name master.

“Macy, I’ve heard that your name master lives in a cabin inside the Hallain Mountains. He’s not a noble, is he? The Duke I saw back then didn’t seem to want to let you go easily. Is it that he’s against you studying abroad?”

Fortunately, the prince didn’t realize they were the same person. Macy took a moment to steady her racing heart.

Eren had predicted that rumors about her name master would spread, and it seemed the prince was believing those rumors.

“That’s…”

Macy hesitated, neither confirming nor denying, and the prince continued.

“I had noticed your talent as an artist before seeing you as a woman. I wouldn’t want to miss it for anything.”

His eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.

“So, how would you feel about becoming the court artist for Ciseina?”

“Court artist?”

“Yes.”

Macy’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.

“It would be wonderful if you could join the court, but you wouldn’t even need to naturalize to Ciseina. If you become the court artist, just send us your paintings, and we will help you debut in Ciseina. We can even organize a solo exhibition and support your career in the Ciseina art scene.”

Court artist, debut, solo exhibition… Every word the prince spoke grabbed Macy’s attention.

“It must be hard to paint without prejudice here, don’t you think?”

The word ‘prejudice’ stung sharply.

Macy had faced unfair discrimination simply for being a woman, and now, with the stigma of being Duke Krygen’s mistress, people treated her even more carelessly.

While the prince’s offer came with certain benefits because of her position, Macy couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it. It didn’t feel right, and she struggled to accept it wholeheartedly.

Of course, she wouldn’t completely escape such biases in Ciseina either. After all, Ciseina wasn’t a country completely removed from Obelit, with their exchange being quite frequent.

But it had to be better than Obelit. At least there, women artists weren’t treated terribly.

Most importantly, establishing herself as an artist in Ciseina would be far better than in Obelit.

Macy’s thoughts were in turmoil.

“Is this really something you can make happen?”