Chapter 184
Macy gave a polite farewell before returning to the carriage where Morgan was waiting.
“Is it over?”
“Yes, it took longer than expected.”
“It’s fine. Now, let’s head to the art supply store.”
They had often used the excuse of going to the art supply store when meeting with Prince Benedict. If she left without buying anything, they might get suspicious, so she would at least buy a pencil or an eraser.
But today, she actually had something they needed to buy. Because of that, Macy felt less guilty about it.
“I’ll be right back!”
Morgan stopped the carriage in front of the art supply store, and Macy quickly grabbed her painting and hopped out. As she opened the door to the stone building, a little bell above the door rang.
“Welcome!”
“Hello, Uncle Minuel.”
“Macy, is that you!”
This was the first art supply store Macy had visited when she came to the city. Back then, everything had felt new and awkward, but now she was close enough to the owner that they even remembered each other’s names.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Yes. How about you, Uncle?”
He asked kindly as he greeted her. Macy had come here often when she was working on portraits, but after the engagement banquet, her visits had become less frequent.
She suspected Minuel had heard the rumors about her, and that was why her visits had slowed down.
“I’ve been fine. It’s good to see you looking well, Macy.”
Minuel didn’t hide the fact that he knew about the rumors, but he didn’t pry. He simply expressed relief that she seemed okay, without pressing her for details.
“Yes, I’m doing well. Could you give me some Van Dyke Brown and Aquamarine pigments? Oh, and some white as well—two cans of white.”
“Alright. Just wait a moment.”
Minuel walked to the back area to fetch the pigments. While he was gone, Macy began to look around the store to see if there were any new arrivals.
As she scanned the shelves slowly, a dark brown art supply bag displayed on the top row caught her eye. It had a delicate engraving around the edges, like ivy climbing up.
“Wow, that’s beautiful. I’ve never seen this before. Is it a new item?”
The art supply bag itself wasn’t unusual, and it didn’t need to be pretty, but for some reason, Macy couldn’t help but keep looking at it. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out to open it, but it was just out of her grasp.
“Ugh.”
She stood on tiptoe, but it was still too high. She jumped a little, trying hard, when suddenly, someone’s hand reached out and grabbed the bag.
“Thank you—”
She was about to express her gratitude when she looked up and saw a familiar face.
“Ere, no… Duke Krygen? What are you doing here…?”
Eren, dressed in his dark gray frock coat, vest, and cravat, looked down at her with his blue eyes. He held the art supply bag out to her. Macy took it from him in surprise.
“I saw your carriage as I was passing by.”
So, he saw her carriage and decided to stop by?
“Did you come to buy art supplies?”
“Yes…”
The unexpected encounter left Macy feeling flustered.
When had he been behind her? Had he overheard her conversation with the shopkeeper? Her mind raced as she wondered if she had said anything wrong, if there was something that might give her away.
Eren’s gaze swept over Macy’s outfit.
“That’s not the dress I bought for you.”
“It is the one you bought, Duke.”
“But it’s not the dress from the East street, is it?”
“Ah, that’s true. But that dress was too flashy to wear to the art supply store…”
The clothes she had bought from the East street were beautiful, but when it came to actually wearing them, she hesitated. She felt like they needed accessories, stiff shoes, and wearing them out would just draw too much attention, which she didn’t want.
Besides, she had come out to meet Prince Benedict, hadn’t she? When she was meeting him, she’d tried to avoid drawing attention and even wore a cloak. It was a good thing she had left it in the carriage when she came into the store—if she had worn it, people would have surely questioned why she was trying to hide her face.
The thought alone made her shudder. Then, Eren said something that made her heart drop.
“Now that I think about it, you’ve been stopping by the art supply store quite often lately.”
“…”
He must have been receiving reports every time she left from the soldiers stationed at the entrance of Hallain Mountain.
Macy knew that Eren was keeping track of her movements, but hearing him mention it directly sent a chill through her.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.