Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 23

“H-How do you know….I went to the festival?”

How did Eren know about that? Macy was so shocked that she could barely speak.

“I saw you while I was passing by.”

“Saw what?”

“You.”

“You know what I look like?”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t?”

“How?”

He spoke about this surprising fact so casually and with such audacity.

“Your brother is a well-known artist in the empire. Yannick Horton, the ‘God’s Brush.’ Before that, your father, Oliver Horton, was also a famous painter.”

“How do you know my family’s names…?”

He not only knew Macy’s face but also her family’s names and professions in detail.

“The Horton family spread the word far and wide that their daughter had a manifested name. They even asked around the name brokers and street vagrants looking for Eren Wood.”

“…”

“Isn’t it stranger not to know? I even came to see you long ago.”

“You came to see me?”

“Yes. Don’t ask when.”

He cut off her questioning, perhaps finding it tiresome. Indeed, it was known even among the townspeople that Macy had Eren Wood’s name on her body.

‘I didn’t know my father and brother had told people outside….’

This meant Eren knew everything about her situation. That she was born with his name, that she would gradually stiffen without treatment, and that she had spent half her life limping and nearly lost her ability to paint. Eren knew all of this but only went to her after his own name manifested.

“Are you upset?”

Even though he hadn’t said it directly, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

“…No, I understand.”

“What?”

“…”

She couldn’t find the words to explain. It was redundant to repeat what they both knew. Eren was puzzled when she said she understood. Because her understanding wasn’t something he needed.

“I don’t think I heard an answer to my question.”

“No, I misspoke. It’s not something that needs my understanding.”

Such casual indifference often made Macy feel sad. Whether she understood or not didn’t matter to him, and if he said he would be late, she had to fall asleep alone without a word. The reality of her situation hit her hard.

“It’s not that. I asked if you had fun at the festival alone with that guy.”

Just as she was sinking into her thoughts, he brought up the topic again.

“…Hils is more of an old friend than just a guy. And we weren’t alone; there was a female friend with us too.”

Despite feeling hurt and not wanting to explain, she corrected him, sensing he might have misunderstood. He chuckled softly.

“Friend? That’s only what you think.”

“No, Hils also sees me as a friend—”

“Do you really think a guy who touches you like that sees you just as a friend?”

Eren’s hand, which had been resting on her waist, suddenly moved up to her neck. His fingers brushed her chin, while the rest of his hand gently kneaded her nape.

She had worn a loose neckline due to the warm weather, leaving her skin exposed to his touch. His thumb slowly rubbed her collarbone, the sensation both ticklish and subtle, causing her shoulders to tense up.

As she took a deep breath, the hollow of her collarbone deepened, and he clung to her even more closely, leaving no space between them. His hand gradually moved lower, in a seemingly natural flow.

When she felt his fingers slipping under her clothing, she started in surprise.

“W-Wait…!”

“If you can’t even notice this, it’s not innocence, it’s stupidity, Macy.”

His hand quickly withdrew, as if he had only intended to demonstrate something. His voice and demeanor were so calm and matter-of-fact.

In comparison, a burning sensation lingered on her skin where he had touched. It was true that this kind of touch wasn’t something friends would do.

‘But Hils has never touched me like that. Yet, Eren doesn’t seem like he’s making things up either…’

That day had been crowded, and people were so close that it was possible Hils had been holding her without her noticing in the commotion.

‘But that’s not the point.’

Macy wasn’t focused on that now.

‘He called me by my name for the first time.’

Eren had indeed called her ‘Macy’. He had spoken her name with his captivating voice. The thought of it made her heart flutter like bubbles rising in her chest.

She had always imagined what kind of person Eren Wood might be, often pretending to talk to him and wondering why he hadn’t appeared.

Maybe that’s why she had started calling him by his name unconsciously, only realizing it later. Since Eren hadn’t corrected her or shown any discomfort, she continued to use his name.