Though it was an unfair contract, Rarien Reinhart, who was a pushover exclusively for Nicholas Reinhart, agreed to these terms. 

 From Nicholas’s perspective, he was making the sacrifice of giving up what he most wanted to do at the summer villa — ‘marathon-like s*x accompanied by sacred baths.’ 

 He thought he had every right to demand these things, as he was both a patron and practically a martyr for the artwork. 

 Click—

 The door opened, and Rarien emerged with a slightly haggard face. 

 “…… Nicki?” 

 Nicholas looked his wife Rarien up and down as she emerged from her cave.

Rarien, who had been wiping her hands on her paint-stained, messy apron, seemed somewhat startled to find her patron in front of the door. 

 “Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting here the whole time?” 

 As soon as their eyes met, Nicholas pulled her into a tight embrace. 

 “Ah, Nicki, I’m dirty. I’m sweaty, covered in paint, and haven’t even washed……” 

 “I missed you.” 

 When Nicholas squeezed her tighter despite her squirming, Rarien let out a small groan. 

 “I missed you so much, Rien.” 

 …… He must have been desperate. The usually fastidious man didn’t seem to mind the paint stains or that she hadn’t washed. 

 After her initial wide-eyed surprise, a ticklish smile spread across Rarien’s face. 

 “Do you like me that much?”

He nodded repeatedly. 

 “Even though I’m dirty from not washing?” 

 “You’re not dirty. I love that your scent is even stronger.” 

 This is quite severe. Maybe he’s matured and his obsession with cleanliness has been cured. 

 Rarien smiled mischievously and smeared some paint from her hands onto Nicholas’s nose tip. 

 “How about this?” 

 Nicholas’s brow furrowed slightly. 

“…… This isn’t Rien, it’s filth.” 

 He clearly doesn’t like it. She thought his obsession with cleanliness was cured, but it seems it only applied to his wife. Rarien chuckled. 

 “But you look cute. Just like a mischievous troublemaker.” 

 “You’re treating me like a friend because I’m cute?” 

 “No.” 

 Chu, Rarien kissed Nicholas’s cheek and stroked his heavy center through his clothes. 

 “I’m sorry for making you dirty…… but since you keep insisting we’re friends, I needed to check.” 

 “Is this a surprise inspection?” 

 “Yes, and quite irreverently, you’re standing at attention. How could we possibly be just friends like this?”

“Hah, f*ck…… You’re right. To hell with friendship. Let’s end it right now.” 

 Nicholas, suddenly aroused, lifted Rarien with a flushed face.

As he urgently lifted her skirt, her fair thighs were revealed. While Nicholas pulled down her panties, Rarien wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from falling. 

 “Then since we’re no longer friends…… shall we have one quick f*ck?” 

 “Wait, wait…… Patron, you need to see the painting first.” 

 “Ah, right. The painting.” 

 He had been on edge trying to manage his expression in advance. 

 It’s been so long since he’d seen his wife. He needed to treat her well so she wouldn’t hide away again. 

 If the painting she’d been so focused on had nothing to do with him, he might end up sulking like a child, thinking it was another case of unrequited love. What should he do? 

 With such unnecessary worries, Nicholas carried Rarien, who was dangling from him, into the depths of the studio. And when he reached her first work, he was momentarily stunned. 

-`♡´- click to view illustration

 “How is it? From the noble perspective of a Reinhart…… do you think I have potential?”

 “What?” 

 For a moment, he wasn’t sure why. 

 Nicholas stopped breathing, overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling.

He felt dazed, as if he’d been hit on the head……

Without realizing it, a tear rolled down his cheek. 

 Nicholas Reinhart, who had never cried because of anyone before, experienced something peculiar for the first time. 

 “Are your eyes stinging from the paint? I was too mischievous. I’m sorry.” 

 Rarien asked worriedly, having no way of knowing what was happening, but Nicholas could only move his lips slightly, unable to give any answer. 

 “Though it’s still amateur, this is my first work. So I’d like you to give it a title.” 

 A masterpiece moves people’s hearts. Perhaps that exists in a realm different from technique or skill. 

 Before such deep resonance, even the boundaries between time, space, and people become meaningless. 

 Perhaps it was natural to feel such emotions towards the work Rarien had created. 

 She definitely had the talent to stir hearts. She had become friends with Sera Evotte, notorious for being a tomboy, won the heart of the previous Grand Duchess of Reinhart, and even impressed the Goddess of Lust. 

 And…

 She was also the one who had melted his heart, which had been like eternal permafrost, with her unique warmth. 

 After staring blankly at the painting for a long while, Nicholas finally spoke.

“……Salvation.” 

 Having blurted out the word suddenly, he couldn’t continue speaking immediately. His gaze remained fixed on Rarien Claude’s first work. 

 “My Own Salvation…. Let’s go with that.” 

 Let’s just say it was the paint stinging his eyes.

There’s no need to express today’s emotion in detail. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. 

 If his judgment wasn’t wrong, everyone would have to acknowledge Rarien anyway. 

 And thus, Rarien Claude’s first work, <My Own Salvation>, was born. 

***

After their dreamlike vacation at the summer villa ended, the Reinhart couple returned to their daily lives. 

 Rarien hadn’t completed anything else after her first work. Still, taking that first step held great meaning for her. Since she’d decided not to be too ambitious from the start, she was honestly satisfied with just that. 

 Nicholas had said that the most important thing was for the artist to be happy while painting. 

 Thinking that way made her feel content regardless of the outcome. 

 Nicholas, her patron, said he would buy a very expensive frame for  and display it in the summer villa. Since she had transferred ownership of her first work, Rarien gladly agreed to his wishes. 

 After all, it was their private hideaway. And Nicholas was the only person who appreciated Rarien’s work. If not to others, she could at least proudly show it to her husband. 

 “But I’m so excited. An exhibition of award-winning works from the Imperial Art Competition…… The Empire must have discovered many talented artists?” 

 Rarien said with a dreamy expression in the exhibition hall of the annex palace. 

 “Do you like it that much?” 

 “Yes!” 

 Her face was absolutely glowing. 

 Though Nicholas often took his art-loving wife to art galleries and museums, this was their first major exhibition hosted by the Empire, and she seemed thoroughly excited. 

 “Thank you for bringing me. There are so many excellent paintings, I think it will be a great learning experience.” 

 “Actually, there’s a new artist I’ve been watching whose work is excellent.” 

 “A new artist?” 

 A new artist. 

 How excellent must the work be for Nicholas to praise it so highly? 

 She was even more curious because the Reinhart art collection only contained works by masters. 

 “I’d like to formally sponsor them under the Reinhart name. Would you take a look? You have a good eye for art after all.” 

 “Well, if I can be of any help, of course. Where is it?” 

 “This way.” 

 Nicholas guided Rarien to the inner part of the hall. 

 “This is…..” 

 Rarien’s eyes widened almost to bursting when she saw the work hanging on the wall. 

 “Why…… is this here?” 

 “Because it won the Newcomer Award.” 

 Award-winning work. The Imperial Art Competition was a prestigious competition where all promising artists in the Empire participated. Good heavens, she couldn’t believe it, so she rubbed her eyes and looked again, but it was indeed that work.

[<My Own Salvation>, Rarien Reinhart]

 The title and artist’s name were clearly written beneath the work. 

 “Did you submit it, Nicki?” 

 “Yes, it seemed a waste to keep it hidden in the villa, so I submitted it. Think of it as my modeling fee.” 

 Seeming concerned he might get scolded for submitting it without permission, Nicholas glanced at her nervously while making excuses. 

 “Anyway. It seems my eye for talent wasn’t wrong, was it?” 

 “Now that you have an award under your belt and have officially debuted. Rather than my personal sponsorship, I’d like to formally sponsor you under the Reinhart name. What do you think? Mother approved as well.” 

 “Rarien?” 

 Though Nicholas kept calling his wife, Rarien couldn’t hear anything. 

 Her vision blurred and tears fell endlessly down her cheeks, drop by drop. 

 “Why are you crying. Were you that surprised?” 

 Only after being embraced in Nicholas’s large arms did Rarien finally realize she was crying. 

 How foolish. Why had she done that? 

 Rarien hadn’t been able to accept herself for a long time. 

 That it was a useless waste of time, just worthless scribbles. She grew up believing her mother’s words of denial verbatim, and nothing changed even after marriage. She didn’t want to resent her mother now. Rather, she might have used that as an excuse because she lacked courage and wanted to run away. 

 Since it was just doodling, just meaningless scribbling. It was fine if no one acknowledged it. From the start, she couldn’t even be proud of herself while doing something she loved. 

 Nicholas was the first one to tell her that it was okay. That it was fine even if it was useless, even if it was a waste of time—if she was happy, that alone had great value. That’s why she found the courage to complete her first work and had intended to keep it as a hobby known only to herself and her husband. 

 It was Nicholas Reinhart who took the treasure Rarien had been holding close and showed it to the light of the world. She couldn’t believe it when people called it excellent. She made excuses not to believe it, thinking people were just being kind because they were close to her. Though he could have been hurt by that. Nicholas proved it through his actions.