Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 175

Rubens mentally listed suitable candidates among unmarried noblewomen.

This time, the criteria weren’t just family background, education, appearance, wealth, and social skills, but also a requirement that the woman should follow his priority of keeping a mistress, making it hard to come up with an ideal match.

The cigar he smoked to clear his frustrated mind seemed to cloud his thoughts even more. He furrowed his brow slightly, rubbing the cigar out in the ashtray, and instead took out the pocket watch from his pocket.

When he opened the cover, the clear image of a woman smiling brightly beyond the second hand appeared.

She seemed ready to speak his name and chatter about the things she had been up to. It felt like she would ask when he would be arriving at the cabin, while glancing at him expectantly.

While not a particularly striking face, it was delicate, and her smile, like that of spring flowers, was charming. With such a face, and acting shy and adorable, any man would likely fall for her.

Rubens couldn’t deny that he was deeply surprised by Macy that day.

“Back then, I thought Eren looked a bit out of place. He wasn’t enjoying the usual leisurely ease that comes from a noble life, but instead seemed annoyed and bothered by the boat ride. And your gaze, cold yet intense like fire… I was curious about why you looked that way. You don’t usually see that kind of passion in nobles. That definitely caught my attention. Yes, I think that was it.”

It felt as though the mask Rubens thought he had carefully hidden had started to slip away, like sand grains falling. Normally, he would have been uncomfortable if someone spoke about him as if they knew everything, but strangely, it didn’t bother him because what she said was true.

In fact, he thought he wouldn’t feel the suffocating need to pretend to be someone else when he was with Macy.

She wasn’t looking at him as Duke Krygen but as Eren Wood. From the start, he hadn’t pretended to be the Duke around her. At that time, he believed he would never reveal his true identity, yet somehow, he had ended up making her his mistress.

‘It would be nice to have her by my side…’

After all, if a street beggar could become the head of a noble house, what reason would there be for a painter not to become the Duchess? Especially when Macy was the most talented painter in Obelit.

If he took Macy back to his family’s estate, the trivial suitors would naturally disappear. He would be able to wake up beside her every morning, and he would see her eating every day, speaking softly with her small mouth.

He could bathe her every day after making love to her, and even while handling official business, he could call for her. He might even be able to increase productivity by having her sit on his lap while working.

On nice days, he could let Macy paint the landscapes she wanted in the Duchy’s garden.

‘What’s so good about it? I’ve completely lost my mind, damn it.’

Rubens faintly smiled at the endless thoughts running through his mind before suddenly becoming serious and stuffing the pocket watch deep into his pocket.

If he kept thinking like this, he might end up unintentionally involving Macy in something unwanted. Even if he were to go mad and do something reckless, it was still too early. If he was going to pursue this seriously, he needed to solidify his position even further.

He needed to make it so that no one could imagine Duke Krygen as anything but Rubens. Even if someone questioned the true identity of the Duke, they shouldn’t be able to dare speak of it.

“Go to the cabin now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

It was early to be heading to the cabin. Kronen was briefly surprised but then relayed the change of destination to the coachman.

Could he really have Macy by his side when the time came? Could he find even a small space to breathe in this life full of lies?

A future where he could have her by his side seemed oddly satisfying.

* * *

To be appointed as the court painter in Ciseina, one had to deliver ten or more paintings to be evaluated by the court art academy. However, Macy had only painted portraits for the nobility, and the ones she had painted before were under the name of Yannick Horton, leaving very few paintings she could submit.

When she mentioned this, Prince Benedict offered a solution, considering her convenience.

“Then I’ll propose up to five paintings at my discretion. However, let’s take extra care with one of them. I happened to see a landscape painting with Yannick Horton’s name on it. Isn’t landscape painting your specialty, Macy?”

Macy had never publicly acknowledged that the paintings under Yannick Horton’s name were hers. Yet, it seemed like he was certain that Macy had painted them.

“Yes, that’s true.”

Macy nodded, thinking it was pointless to clarify the truth here.