How the Male Lead Cures the Time-Limited Young Lady - Chapter 7.7

Noel asked, raising one eyebrow. Sid smiled and averted his gaze.

“Haha, no. I’ll contact them right away.”

However, a few minutes later.

Sid, who had gone to send a messenger bird, returned with a gloomy face.

“She says she has a guest right now, and to come later.”

“…A guest? What kind of guest?”

“Well, it only said it was a professor from Ruhen Academy.”

At the mention of a professor, Noel’s expression visibly hardened.

There was a face that immediately came to mind.

‘Is it that woman I met before?’

The strawberry blonde woman who had shown excessive interest in Yvette.

‘Liliana, wasn’t that her name?’

She was a woman he hadn’t particularly liked from the first impression.

But it seemed Yvette felt differently.

‘Have they become close enough to invite each other privately in such a short time?’

Imagining the two of them laughing and chatting made him feel strangely upset.

No.

More precisely, he disliked imagining Yvette smiling at someone other than himself.

‘…I never thought I’d be having such childish thoughts.’

Noel chuckled deflatedly as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Sid.”

“Y-yes?”

Sid, who had been quietly observing Noel’s mood, straightened his back.

Noel slowly stood up from his seat and ordered him.

“Find out about a woman named Liliana among the professors at Ruhen Academy.”

“Yes. I’ll look into it right away.”

Sid gave a brief salute and left the office. Noel quietly watched his retreating figure before closing his eyes.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to investigate in advance, just in case.’

Noel slowly opened his eyelids. His calm gaze turned towards the desk.

On the desk were scattered documents that Sid had just handed over.

Among them was a report related to Viscount Magnus.

Noel, who had been quickly scanning the documents, paused.

He had found a sentence that caught his attention.

[XX/XX. Has not shown himself outside the mansion for over a week. Suspected to have another route.]

Noel frowned as he read the document.

Despite having someone tail him for nearly a month, Viscount Magnus was far more cautious than he had thought.

Judging by the fact that he hadn’t shown himself for days, it seemed he was using methods other than the main gate even when going out.

‘He must be hiding something.’

There was no reason to hide like this if he was innocent.

Noel sighed and picked up the next document.

“No progress on the artifact front either, it seems.”

The next was a report on ancient artifacts.

On the day he returned from meeting Viscount Magnus, he had separately ordered his subordinate to investigate.

It was because he couldn’t trust Viscount Magnus.

But contrary to expectations, there didn’t seem to be much gain.

‘I guess I’ll have to contact the Magic Tower directly.’

Noel leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingertips against his temples.

The thought of contacting those stubborn magicians was already giving him a headache.

‘But it’s a bit strange that there’s so little trace to this extent.’

The ancient artifact also called the ‘Magician’s Relic’, was something that even the Magic Tower would be interested in.

However, far from actively searching for it, they showed a rather lukewarm attitude.

As if they already knew exactly where the artifact was.

‘It’s unsettling in many ways.’

Noel clicked his tongue and stood up.

As he moved to the window, he saw the garden full of flowers just beginning to bloom.

Looking at the slowly blossoming flowers, Noel thought of only one person’s face.

“…I miss her.”

Soon, a whisper that no one could hear scattered into the air.

***

“Lift your chin a little more there! Yes, that’s perfect!”

At Liliana’s cheerful exclamation, Yvette inwardly swallowed a sigh.

It had been about 30 minutes since Liliana started painting her portrait.

Perhaps because she wasn’t used to sitting still.

She already felt stiff.

“Liliana, how much longer until it’s finished?”

Yvette carefully asked, mustering her courage. Liliana, who had been busily brushing, lightly stroked her chin.

“Hmm, at this rate… it should be done in about 10 minutes.”

“Really?”

‘Well, 10 minutes should be bearable.’

As Yvette let out a sigh of relief, Liliana let out a small laugh.

“It’s hard to sit still, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is a bit difficult.”

Yvette answered honestly, furrowing her brow.

If it was this hard with just 30 minutes, how difficult must it be for models who sit still for hours?

It was a moment when she suddenly felt respect for them.

“If you can endure a little longer, I’ll finish soon. I’m almost done now.”

Liliana said so and resumed her brushwork.

Yvette carefully watched Liliana from the corner of her eye, making sure not to break her pose.

‘She really does love painting.’

Her passion for art was evident in her serious expression.

Yvette felt a strange feeling as she looked at Liliana.

Liliana didn’t know her well, but Yvette knew everything about Liliana.

Thanks to having read the original work from beginning to end.

‘It feels somewhat unfair.’

Liliana probably doesn’t even know that Kervel likes her.

No. There’s a high possibility that she doesn’t even know of Kervel’s existence.

‘It’s problematic to become close with Liliana, but it’s also an issue if those two get closer.’

Though Kervel would probably approach on his own.

At this point, with the flow diverging from the original work, Yvette couldn’t predict at all how Liliana would receive Kervel.

Just as Yvette was lost in these various thoughts.

Liliana, who had been carefully painting, finally put down her brush.

Her face looked refreshed, as if she had just finished a round of exercise.

“You can move now.”

As soon as Liliana gave permission, Yvette stretched.

Her whole body felt stiff from sitting still.

“I worked hard on it, but I’m not sure if it will be to your liking, Count.”

Liliana, uncharacteristically shy, turned the canvas towards Yvette.

Following her gaze to the canvas, Yvette couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!”

The portrait was as delicate and vibrant as if a photograph had been directly transferred. It felt so realistic, as if it might jump out of the canvas at any moment.

Yvette knew Liliana was good at painting, but she didn’t expect it to be this good.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. I really like it.”

Yvette nodded in response to Liliana’s cautious question. A bright smile spread across Liliana’s face as well.

“I’m glad. I really enjoyed painting it too. I hope I get another chance to paint you, Count.”

“If I get the chance, I’ll visit your studio. Seeing this makes me curious about your other paintings.”

“You’re always welcome, Count.”