Chapter 26
Since he had made the extraordinary request to find a house with an atelier attached, it was only natural that no expense would be spared in all other related matters.
“N-No! Really, you don’t have to go that far…!”
At that moment, Adrian’s voice burst out loudly. Perhaps frightened by such unexpected good fortune, he waved his hands and spoke again with emphasis.
“It’s really alright. Truly. Even what you just said about living expenses and a house… How could someone like me accept such things? I only intended to deliver the painting.”
The butler’s brows furrowed. He was about to reprimand the painter for the rudeness of daring to interrupt the Duke. However, Cedric reacted faster than the butler.
“Painter. Your name was Adrian, was it not?”
Cedric gently smiled as he waved the letter in his hand.
“You’re not suggesting that I ignore a recommendation letter from my future fiancée, are you? Even if you had arrived carrying a blank canvas, I would have supported you.”
Future fiancée.
Adrian’s eyes trembled.
“Besides, I quite like this painting. Discovering and supporting talented unknown artists is one of life’s refined pleasures. Your skill is more than enough to deserve all of this compensation.”
It was the aristocratic attitude of someone who had no intention of accepting objections.
Only then did Adrian realize.
The opinion of a mere commoner held no importance in the Duke’s decision. Whether it was appropriate or excessive was not something he could decide himself. In the end, there was only one thing Adrian could say.
“…Thank you.”
He had thought completing the painting would be enough.
He never imagined he would be able to show his painting to the Duke and receive praise for it.
Faced with a situation he had never once dreamed of, Adrian’s voice trembled as emotion clogged his throat.
His feelings were so complicated that a simple word of thanks could not fully express them.
“Your Grace, you must be leaving soon. You need to go prepare for the hunting festival.”
The butler checked the time and spoke to Cedric. Adrian had arrived while preparations for going out were underway, so the time that could be allotted to him was limited.
“Has it already become that late?”
“Yes. You boldly declared that you would catch a large snow fox for Lady Greenwood. The head maid and I are greatly looking forward to seeing whether Your Grace will truly bring back a fox as you promised.”
Despite his solemn face, the butler’s words were filled with teasing humor, causing Cedric to chuckle.
“You still see me as a child, Butler. I could catch ten foxes if I wanted.”
“Yes. In any case, you must leave immediately. There are many people waiting for Your Grace.”
When he glanced at the clock, the appointed time was indeed almost upon him, just as the butler had said.
Cedric felt a bit of regret.
Had he known such an unexpected meeting would occur, he would have postponed his hunting festival practice.
He might even have found an excuse to meet Ines under the pretext of discussing the painter’s treatment.
However, it was already too late. Leaving behind his disappointment, Cedric rose from his seat.
“We’ll probably meet again. Next time, we’ll be able to talk at leisure.”
He patted Adrian’s shoulder a couple of times as the latter merely bowed his head, unsure of how to respond.
Now, as the butler had said, it was time to leave.
“Butler.”
Arriving at the entrance hall, Cedric spoke to the butler who handed him his coat.
“Until the residence is prepared, let our guest stay here. And make sure he is treated well.”
Reading the meaning behind his words, the butler nodded.
“You state the obvious, Your Grace. After all, he is someone recommended by the future Madam.”
Although his expression did not change, the reply was rather bold.
Future Madam.
Unlike the head maid, who had warned him not to pressure the young lady, the butler was going even further than Cedric himself.
Still, hearing the words future Madam did not sound unpleasant.
“Future fiancé. Future Madam. I think I’d like it even more if we removed those modifiers.”
“You soon will.”
Once again, the butler replied in a dry voice, causing Cedric to let out a hollow laugh.
☆☆☆
Returning to the drawing room, the butler led Adrian to the dining room.
A simple meal was prepared for him, as his thin frame suggested he had not been eating or sleeping properly.
The hunger he had failed to notice due to nervousness in front of Cedric finally crashed over him, and Adrian devoured the food without even having time to savor its taste.
The head maid watched the young man with sympathetic eyes.
She knew nothing about judging paintings, but after spending many years in this household, even she could tell that the small painting he had brought was extraordinary.
“Butler, if he can paint such magnificent pictures, why does he make teacups so terribly ugly?”
The kind-hearted head maid spoke in a whisper so that the young man would not be hurt by her words.
However, remembering how the Duke had stubbornly insisted on using only that teacup ever since returning from meeting Miss Ines Greenwood, she clenched her handkerchief and grumbled slightly.
“I really don’t like it. There are so many beautiful and distinguished teacups in the world.”
“It’s not because he likes the teacup. It’s because Miss Greenwood chose it for him.”
As he spoke, the old man recalled Ines’s face.
Ines Greenwood.
As the butler of House Angel, the old man also knew that she was a timid and quiet young lady.
A young lady whose individuality seemed faint compared to the prestige of the Greenwood County and its other members.
How shocked he had been when the Duke announced that he had chosen her as his fiancée.
“Butler.”
The head maid whispered again.
“I think the Duke truly likes that young lady. It’s surprisingly touching.”
The head maid’s thoughts were not much different from the butler’s.
If he wished, he could have chosen anyone as a marriage partner.
If there had been an imperial princess of a similar age within the Imperial Family, he might have become the Emperor’s son-in-law long ago.
No matter how one looked at it, the engagement brought no advantage to the Duke.
“What a strange thing…”
The butler muttered to himself.
Contrary to objective judgment, he felt no doubts whatsoever about the engagement between Ines Greenwood and the Duke.
No, it would be more accurate to say it felt inevitable, as though something that was meant to happen had finally happened.
For some reason, he was beginning to feel an unfounded fondness for the name Ines Greenwood, which had never particularly interested him before.
And the same was true for the head maid.
“I thought she was only quiet and gentle, but perhaps she has excellent artistic taste? You said she likes teacups too, didn’t you? I think she and our Duke will make a wonderful pair.”
Though she had never even seen her face, her affection for Ines Greenwood continued to grow day by day.
☆☆☆
After waiting for Adrian to finish eating, the butler guided him through the corridor.
“They say the art collection of the House of Angel is comparable even to the Imperial Treasury. It will surely provide valuable inspiration.”
Sculptures and paintings were neatly displayed throughout the grand gallery.
Adrian’s eyes sparkled, having never properly encountered such luxurious works of art before.
The young man greedily absorbed the beauty of the artworks and wished he could remain there forever.
“It may take some time to find a suitable residence.”
The butler casually dropped the remark.
Completely unaware that the old man had said it intentionally, Adrian pleaded desperately.
“U-Um… Butler! If it’s alright, may I wait here?”
“Go ahead.”
The butler readily granted permission and added:
“There are quite a few artists sponsored by the House of Angel. However, Adrian, you are the first artist ever allowed inside this place. The same goes for being provided with a house that includes an atelier. Do you know why?”
“I think… because of the recommendation letter.”
“That’s right. More specifically, because you brought a recommendation letter from Miss Greenwood.”
Ordinarily, this was a place rarely shown even to nobles.
But he was someone personally chosen by the future Madam.
Naturally, special consideration had to be given.
“Appreciate many great works and become an outstanding artist. That is what you must do.”
Leaving those words behind, the butler departed first.
After bowing and expressing his gratitude several times, Adrian settled down and began admiring the artworks in earnest.
It was a day that felt unreal, as though he were dreaming.
Meeting Miss Greenwood.
Meeting Duke Angel.
Being treated to a meal.
And now he was admiring the magnificent artworks owned by the House of Angel.
“An outstanding artist…”
After staring at the artworks like a madman for a long time, focus gradually returned to Adrian’s eyes.
If not for her, he would have been as good as dead.
She had saved him twice.
When poverty had nearly killed him, she bought his teacup and allowed him to survive the winter.
But even more important than that was how she gave him the desire to keep living after he had lost all motivation for life.
After completing the painting of Lake Verota, he had believed he would never again find anything he wanted to paint.
As Adrian sat on the floor staring at a sculpture, his fingertips twitched.
Again.
I want to paint again.
Once more, something has appeared that I want to paint.
For that reason as well, he had to become an outstanding artist.
Adrian’s red eyes trembled violently.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
