Chapter 39
Adrian narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the corner Ines was pointing at.
Then he suddenly widened them in surprise.
“Ah…! Now that you mention it, you’re right. I hadn’t noticed it.”
“In this painter’s case, even after he became a master, he often repainted his works several times, so quite a few of them ended up losing some of their perfection like this. But when you painted your work, Adrian, your brushstrokes seemed very confident. Am I right?”
“W-Well… that’s true…”
“Then that means there’s at least one area where you’re better than this master. So you can do it too.”
In truth, saying you can do it wasn’t quite right.
Ines had seen with her own eyes the masterpiece he had painted with every ounce of his soul in her previous life.
Although she couldn’t tell him, that work was so extraordinary that it did not pale in comparison to the painting before her now.
Smiling faintly, Ines encouraged Adrian.
“When you become a truly famous painter someday, don’t forget that I was the one who wrote your letter of recommendation.”
It had only been a playful remark.
Yet Adrian nodded over and over again.
“Never! I’ll never forget. Never.”
Swallowing nervously, Adrian looked at Ines with desperate eyes.
It might have been presumptuous, but there was something he absolutely had to say.
“Um… Miss!”
“Yes?”
“The butler told me. He said you’re about to become engaged to the Duke of Angel. If I… if I really do become a famous painter someday, just as you said.”
Adrian’s anxious eyes trembled helplessly.
But the words had already left his mouth.
He couldn’t take them back.
Nor did he want to.
“If I become a famous painter, please reward me by giving me the opportunity to paint the portrait of the Duchess of Angel.”
She was a noble lady of such high status that someone like him could hardly even dare to look directly at her.
Painting Ines’s portrait was the greatest wish he could possibly allow himself.
At Adrian’s cautious request, the gentle smile that had been on Ines’s face disappeared, and her expression darkened.
The Duchess of Angel.
It was a position that should never become hers.
However, there was no reason to tell such a thing to Adrian, whose eyes were filled with hope.
“I suppose that will happen. After all, you’re under the sponsorship of the House of Angel.”
“Really? Do you truly think so?”
Avoiding Adrian’s sparkling eyes, Ines nodded.
“Yes. You’ll be able to paint the portrait of the Duchess of Angel.”
When Adrian’s talent finally blossomed, everyone would line up to commission their portraits from him.
As an artist sponsored by the House of Angel, the Duchess’s portrait would naturally become Adrian’s responsibility.
Yes.
Adrian would paint the portrait of the Duchess of Angel.
A beautiful and kind Duchess of Angel from a family that, unlike herself, would never drive Cedric to his death.
***
After finishing the urgent matter sent by the House of Lords, Cedric hurried toward the gallery.
‘That was a mistake.’
He was regretting his decision.
He never should have allowed that painter to view the gallery’s artworks together with Ines.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth, as though he had handed over the privilege of watching Ines marvel at the House of Angel’s treasured artworks to someone else.
By the time he reached the gallery, Ines and Adrian had just finished their tour and were coming back out.
The sight irritated him.
When she was with him, Ines had always been strangely tense.
Yet now she was showing a faint smile to the painter, who was enthusiastically talking away.
He didn’t like it.
He knew she was simply being kind.
The way she looked at the painter was completely calm.
It was entirely different from the way she had looked at him.
Even so.
Even so, he didn’t like it.
The two of them noticed Cedric’s approaching footsteps and turned toward him.
The moment she spotted him, Ines froze.
That expression alone was enough to leave him feeling disappointed.
“Miss Ines, did you enjoy the gallery? I hurried as much as I could to return early, but it seems I was just a little too late.”
Regardless of what he truly felt, Cedric wore a gentle smile.
As Cedric came to stand directly before them, Adrian quickly stepped back.
Adrian bowed his head and quietly withdrew, as though fully aware of his own place.
That action eased Cedric’s mood, if only a little.
Only then did Cedric address Adrian.
“Adrian. Since you kept Miss Ines company in my place, I should thank you.”
“Not at all. I could never presume to stand in Your Grace’s place.”
At Adrian’s respectful reply, Cedric looked down at him for a long moment before speaking again.
“I heard you came to see me today for a reason.”
“Yes. I wanted to show you the painting I completed… I wished to repay, even if only a little, the kindness Your Grace has shown me…”
Cedric let out a quiet chuckle.
“There’s no need for that, Adrian.”
Unable to understand Cedric’s meaning, Adrian slowly blinked.
Seeing that Adrian hadn’t understood, Cedric explained more kindly.
“You’re someone personally recommended by Miss Ines. There’s no need for you to prove your worth. You can rest assured that the House of Angel’s sponsorship will never be withdrawn.”
At those words, the confidence Adrian had just regained thanks to Ines instantly collapsed.
His face gradually turned as red as his eyes.
In simple terms, Cedric was saying that Adrian’s ability had absolutely no influence over the House of Angel’s sponsorship.
It existed solely because of Ines’s goodwill.
There was no other reason.
‘Even if I had brought a painting as terrible as those tea cups, he probably would have sponsored me anyway.’
Not knowing how to respond to Cedric, who had no interest whatsoever in his abilities, Adrian merely moved his lips slightly before lowering his head.
Meanwhile, seeing Adrian’s obviously wounded expression made Ines uncomfortable.
Cedric had certainly not spoken with malicious intent.
He was simply too much of a nobleman.
To her, he was a good person and a gentleman.
However, he had been born the heir of the House of Angel, the central pillar of the aristocracy.
He had lived a life little different from royalty.
To someone like Cedric, Adrian’s feelings were neither something that needed consideration nor something worth considering.
“More importantly, Miss Ines, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Shall we head to the stables now? I’ve had several horses prepared for you to choose from.”
Cedric turned toward Ines with a bright smile.
By now, Adrian had long since disappeared from his attention.
Ines knew all too well how deeply such treatment could wound a person’s heart.
Her father…
And so many people in high society had treated her exactly that way.
Feeling a deeply human sympathy, Ines looked quietly at Adrian.
Seeing his drooping shoulders reminded her of the hope that had shone in his eyes only moments ago when he believed he might someday paint the portrait of the Duchess of Angel.
She couldn’t simply pretend not to notice.
‘Perhaps interfering this much is alright.’
This had nothing to do with breaking off her engagement to Cedric.
Besides, once Cedric saw Adrian’s true ability, perhaps he would begin treating him as someone far more important.
‘If he becomes a great painter, it’ll benefit the House of Angel as well.’
After hesitating for a moment, Ines spoke to Cedric.
“Duke Angel?”
“Yes, Miss Ines?”
“If you don’t mind, may I view the painter’s work together with you?”
Deliberately, Ines referred to Adrian only as the painter instead of calling him by name.
By using a distant form of address, she wished to emphasize that they shared no special relationship.
“The painting?”
“Yes.”
Ines briefly glanced at Adrian.
Would it be thinking too much if his timid figure, staring only at the ground, reminded her of herself?
“I’m curious because it’s the first work completed by the painter I recommended after receiving Your Grace’s sponsorship.”
As Ines spoke with the focus entirely on herself rather than Adrian, Cedric’s slightly raised eyebrows gradually relaxed.
“Miss Ines, do you know something?”
“What is it?”
“That was the very first thing you’ve personally asked for since visiting today.”
Cedric smiled warmly.
“Why would I refuse? Butler.”
The butler stepped forward and bowed.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Where is Adrian’s painting now?”
“I haven’t instructed anyone to put it away yet, so it should still be beside the entrance.”
At the butler’s reply, Cedric nodded.
“So it is. Since we’ll be passing that way on our way to the stables anyway, this works out perfectly. Let’s do that.”
Cedric readily granted Ines’s request.
At those words, Adrian’s face, which had been overwhelmed with shame after having his abilities dismissed in front of Ines, immediately brightened.
‘She’s truly a wonderful person.’
Once again, he had received Ines’s help.
Her kind words, spoken in his defense, gradually washed away his humiliation and pain.
Cedric offered one of his arms to her.
Ines quietly took it, and they began walking together.
Adrian silently followed three or four steps behind them.
Their backs suited each other so perfectly that Adrian found himself staring absentmindedly.
A beautiful woman.
A handsome man.
If he could capture this very moment on canvas, it would surely become a remarkable painting.
Unlike the way he treated Adrian, Cedric looked at Ines with warm eyes.
He tried not to miss even her smallest movement.
His affection for her overflowed through his gaze, his actions, the atmosphere around him, and every breath he took.
‘And yet…’
As Adrian quietly followed behind them, he sensed something strangely out of place.
They were unquestionably a perfectly matched couple.
Yet somehow, there was an unmistakable sense of unnaturalness between them.
