Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 67

Macy had been crying a lot when she was alone. She would cry while staring blankly out the window, before going to bed, and sometimes even while painting, tears would suddenly well up.

‘Why is this happening? Eren said he wouldn’t leave…’

More precisely, Eren had said he wouldn’t leave as long as Macy kept her promises. As Macy began to wrap up her commissions one by one, he continued to visit the next day and the day after.

In fact, he came even more frequently than before and held her.

But perhaps because she had seen the possibility that he might leave, her heart felt empty. Eren wasn’t obsessed with the name and could leave at any time. She didn’t understand why she had believed so firmly that their relationship would be maintained.

Had she become accustomed to the tenderness he showed only inside the cabin? That tenderness wasn’t eternal. It wasn’t a tenderness born out of love for Macy…

Could Macy, then, return to viewing their relationship purely as a name treatment? That wasn’t possible either.

Just as she hadn’t consciously decided to like him, she couldn’t simply stop her feelings.

She realized this when he said he wanted to end things. Her feelings for Eren were already so deep that they felt almost irreversible. She was more dependent on and fond of him than she had realized.

Thinking back to that moment still took her breath away. It felt as if she couldn’t live without Eren now.

“Hils, over here!”

“Macy!”

Macy shook off her gloom as she met Hils after a long time. As soon as he spotted her, he beamed and ran over from a distance. He had requested the meeting with Macy through the Krygen agency.

“How have you been?”

“Good! How about you? What’s with the puffiness around your eyes?”

“Oh, I had a late-night snack and went to bed.”

“No, that redness….”

“Let’s talk inside! I’m starving!”

“Oh? Okay.”

Macy deflected the topic and led the way into the dining room, crossing her arms. Hils didn’t know exactly where Macy had been staying, but he knew she was relying on the name master. He briefly showed concern on his face but didn’t press further, sensing that Macy didn’t want to talk about it.

Macy appreciated his unspoken consideration.

“Oh, the reason I wanted to see you is this. I think the results are out.”

As Hils sat down at the table, he handed Macy a letter sealed with wax bearing the royal crest.

“The competition?”

“Yeah, it seems so. Go ahead and open it! I haven’t checked it myself yet.”

With a trembling heart, Macy tore open the letter. She read through its contents slowly, then carefully folded it back and set it aside.

“What does it say? Did you win?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Really? Let me see.”

Hils took the letter from Macy’s hand with disbelief. He read the contents, his expression falling as he absorbed the news.

“I really thought you’d win. There were paintings better than yours? I can’t believe it. Are you sure this isn’t a mistake?”

“It was expected to be tough, so it’s okay. Anyway, I feel relieved now that the results are out.”

If she had won in this situation, things would have been more complicated. Winning a royal competition could have led to being involved in numerous events organized by the royal family. Macy was no longer able to paint as freely. It felt like she had cleared away all lingering regrets.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t seem to have lost weight, but you have this strange look on your face.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so, I have to believe you, but….”

“Oh, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

Hils, who had been looking troubled, brightened up and asked.

“Do you know a maid named Molly from our household? There was one who told me that my brother went to the Duke’s house.”

“Oh, I’ve seen her a few times. Why?”

“Could you get in touch with Molly for me? I have a favor to ask.”

“But I haven’t seen her around lately.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll find out for you.”

Molly had been a long-serving maid at Macy’s home. Macy wondered if she had been let go because of the previous incident. She was concerned that Molly might have suffered any repercussions from helping Macy.