Chapter 197
“A court painter doesn’t need to be naturalized? Are you saying you don’t know what it means to be one?”
“But…!”
“I sent a spy to the Ciseina Royal Academy of Art to confirm. They already knew that if you became the court painter, you would naturalize as a Ciseina citizen and be admitted to the palace. Right next to Benedict’s bedroom, no less.”
What? Macy blinked in shock.
“I asked Benedict, but he’s already kissed you, so he’ll just lie to me. Do you think I’m that stupid?”
Her hands, clutching her skirt, trembled uncontrollably. This couldn’t be true. Prince Benedict had specifically said she didn’t need to naturalize, that she could become the court painter by sending her paintings…
“And on the day you stayed out without telling me, I had a watcher follow you. They said there was quite a bit of noise from the carriage that morning.”
“No!”
Macy shouted almost frantically.
“It’s a misunderstanding! Something went wrong! I swear, I didn’t do anything with His Highness! I swear on the heavens! I can even swear on my wrist! It was all because His Highness miscalculated the time and arrived late, I just showed him the painting and left—”
“Shut up, Macy.”
Eren cut off her words, as though he could barely tolerate hearing her speak. The way he spoke, like grinding his teeth, made it sound like he would tear her throat out at any moment.
“Who you sleep with doesn’t matter to me. What does your little life mean to me?”
So, stop with the useless excuses. Eren spoke as if he didn’t care at all. As though nothing she did would have any effect on him.
He made it sound like he had no expectations left for her, and Macy’s face turned to one of despair.
“I… I…”
“You’re here to do Name treatment, nothing more. Stop pretending to be innocent. It’s disgusting.”
He threw a black cloth at Macy as he spat the words at her.
“Bind it.”
The same cloth that had been used to blindfold her in the cabin. It was just a single layer of cloth, yet the moment Macy saw it, fear gripped her so tightly that she could barely breathe.
The invisible distance between her and Eren, the unbreakable wall telling her not to come any closer. No matter how much she reached out, the darkness was just out of her grasp. A love that could never be realized.
The emotions she felt when this cloth had covered her eyes before came rushing back like a wave. Eren was telling her to return to that lonely darkness again. Back to the suffocating blackness that would feel even darker now that she had seen the light.
With trembling hands, Macy picked up the cloth and covered her eyes. The sound of a belt buckle coming undone echoed in the room.
“Every time you cry, it kills the mood. Now that your body has recovered, we should start again.”
The sound marked the beginning of another nightmare.
* * *
Nicholas Shearton sighed deeply outside the office door. The silver-engraved door felt especially cold today.
But it was already done. Nicholas swallowed dryly and carefully knocked on the door.
“It’s Nicholas Shearton.”
“Come in.”
A low voice responded immediately. His lord was once again going about state matters with impeccable attire, as always. For a brief moment, Nicholas admired his god-given appearance before placing the prepared documents on the desk.
“They’ve accepted most of the terms Your Grace requested.”
“Good.”
“The price negotiations went well, and it looks like securing the raw materials will go smoothly. The construction is scheduled to begin in March next year.”
“Good.”
“However, there is one thing I’d like to ask about…”
“Speak.”
Rubens, still focused on the documents, continued writing without stopping.
“What about Macy?”
The unexpected subject made Rubens finally lift his gaze. Just a cold glance made Nicholas’s heart tremble. Recently, whenever Macy was mentioned, Rubens became tense, and Nicholas preferred to avoid bringing her up. But…
“Baron Shearton, please help me!”
Every morning, seeing the maid kneeling outside Nicholas’s bedroom door made it hard not to be moved.
Her name was Anna Rose. Anna had worked at the Shearton estate for quite some time. Despite her young age, she was quick-witted and diligent, and even when Nicholas didn’t know that she was close friends with Macy, he had remembered her name.
After Macy had been accused of arson and went missing, Anna showed up at his bedroom door every day, begging him.
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