Chapter 21

“……You seem very interested in my marriage. Even more so than I am.”

At Lionel’s words, Jasmine nodded as if it was obvious.

“Well, you’re ‘Valentin’, aren’t you? The Valentin family has a long history, is wealthy, the ducal residence is close to the capital, and the domain has both city and countryside, so you can enjoy everything. If there’s an empty spot by your side, Your Grace, anyone would covet it.”

“You too?”

Jasmine, who had been speaking so fluently, closed her mouth for a moment as if pondering. Under his steady gaze, she answered a bit shyly.

“To be honest, I wasn’t very interested in the position of Duchess Valentin. At least, not until I actually met you, Your Grace.”

“Really, you seem quite skilled at giving compliments.”

As he teased her with a smile, Jasmine replied with feigned annoyance.

“Please don’t dismiss my answer as empty words. I’m actually quite serious. The position of Duchess Valentin isn’t much less than that of the heir to the Bruyel Duchy.”

Lionel stopped teasing and quietly looked at her.

She seemed about five years younger than him, yet spoke of marriage so casually. She weighed the value of their two families naturally, discussing it as if it were a reasonable transaction.

If he decided to marry Jasmine, everything would proceed smoothly. Both would hold or inherit ducal titles, their status would match, and most importantly, she clearly liked him.

“Marriage…”

Lionel murmured, gazing at Jasmine’s hands on the table. Her hands, in ivory lace gloves, were very pale. Just like Clarette’s hands before she picked up charcoal.

As he grew quieter, Jasmine spoke up anxiously.

“Your Grace, I’m not asking you to answer right now. This isn’t an official proposal. If you’re interested, we could get to know each other gradually…”

At that moment, Lionel reached out and gently took Jasmine’s wrist. She stared blankly as he lifted her hand and kissed it tenderly. His lips were soft and warm.

“Is that your answer, Your Grace?”

Jasmine barely regained her composure and asked, but Lionel said nothing, continuing to kiss her hand. From the back of her hand, up her wrist, to her pale arm—her face flushed red from his gentle kisses.

“Ah, Your Grace…”

Lionel pulled his chair closer to her. Even though Jasmine had dated several men before, this was the most thrilling moment she’d ever experienced.

When he finally let go and met her eyes, Jasmine couldn’t hide her anticipation and parted her lips.

But Lionel only stared at her, then slowly released her hand. Jasmine was baffled to see him calmly adjust his posture as if nothing had happened.

“……What is this? Why did you suddenly stop?”

“I’m sorry, Jasmine. You’re such a precious person, I hesitated, wondering if it was really right to continue.”

Despite his polite words, Lionel’s face was utterly indifferent. Jasmine briefly considered storming off in embarrassment, but soon regained her composure.

The Duke had never intended to accept her proposal. He simply responded because she showed interest, and then gently pushed her away.

Now cold, Jasmine criticized him sharply instead of getting angry.

“Disappointing, Your Grace. Why lie? I wish you’d just told me honestly that you weren’t interested.”

“It’s not that I dislike you. In fact, considering my current position, you’re far too good a bride for me. You have a good family, you’re beautiful, lively.”

“And yet you dared to refuse me?”

Her words had a hint of playfulness, so Lionel finally relaxed and smiled. That face was very attractive, but Jasmine suppressed her fluttering heart.

“Actually, I already knew. I heard the rumors. You brought the painter’s daughter into your ducal residence, didn’t you?”

“Rumors spread fast. And accurately.”

“You just want to enjoy romance for now, right? Marriage is for later.”

“I won’t deny it. It’s true I’m not thinking of marrying soon. But that woman has nothing to do with my romantic life.”

When Lionel drew a clear line, Jasmine tilted her head.

“Isn’t she your lover, Your Grace?”

“No. She’s simply a painter supported by our family.”

“Oh, is that so? But I hear she’s very beautiful.”

Jasmine kept pressing, but Lionel shook his head.

“If I were a man who cared only about looks, I would’ve proposed to you already. Wouldn’t I?”

In the end, Jasmine burst out laughing. She realized she couldn’t win against Lionel’s slyness.

“Really, you’re impossible. So that woman is just being sponsored? How interesting.”

“It’s because I like her art.”

“Still, it’s rare to let someone move in. She’s really lucky. It’s hard enough for a woman to become a painter in the first place.”

Jasmine murmured in admiration. Clarette seemed to be a very unusual figure, even to other women.

“If there’s a chance, introduce me to that painter someday. All the painters sponsored by my family are men, so when they paint me, they hardly talk and it’s boring.”

“Of course. If you wish.”

With that, the two left the balcony and returned to the banquet hall. Jasmine, who had spoken of being Lionel’s partner, now left him without any regrets and sought out other men.

“Duke Valentin, aren’t you going to dance more?”

“I greeted you at the Devon Earldom before—do you remember me…?”

As soon as he was alone, other women who had been waiting for a chance approached. Lionel gladly accepted the attention, smiling as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Four days since Duke Valentin left for the Bruyel Duchy.

Clarette was slowly adjusting to life at the ducal residence, spending her days much like she did at the atelier.

“The pigments you ordered have arrived, Clarette. Where should I put them?”

Diane, the maid in charge of the annex, came carrying a box full of pigment jars from the delivery cart. Clarette, who had been sketching in the gallery, put down her paper and charcoal and hurried over.

“Thank you, Diane. Please give me the box. I’ll move it myself.”

“Shall we split the load? It’s pretty heavy.”

The kind Diane handed Clarette just a couple of pigment jars and led the way up to the second floor. Clarette followed and opened the storage room door next to her studio.

“Ah… There’s nowhere to put them.”

The storage room, already packed with art supplies, was too cramped. Clarette looked at Diane with a troubled expression.

“If we leave the box here, we won’t be able to close the door. There’s no space on the shelves either. Is there anywhere else we could put them?”

“Then, shall we go up to the third floor? There are unused rooms. We used to store old curtains and such there, so it should be fine for other things.”

The two women headed straight to the third floor. Diane entered the room closest to the stairs.

“This should be convenient for you to access. It’s rarely used, so it’s a bit dusty…”

The third-floor storage room was dim, with curtains drawn and dust swirling in the air. Clarette coughed and went inside.

Just as Diane said, the room contained old curtains, tablecloths, outdated furniture. Things too good to throw away, but too embarrassing to display—these ambiguous items ended up here.

After placing the pigment jars under the shelf, Clarette looked around. She wanted to find something to cover the pigments, to keep foreign substances out.

‘Huh…?’

At that moment, something unexpected caught Clarette’s eye. She immediately got up and approached the wall where the object was placed.

What she found was a canvas turned backward. Not even framed, the canvas was left to gather years of dust. Looking down from above, there were traces of paint even on the edges, so it was clearly not a blank canvas.

‘Was it abandoned? What kind of painting could it be…’

Not caring about dirtying her hands, Clarette grabbed the canvas and turned it around. The moment the mysterious painting was revealed in full, her eyes widened in shock.