Chapter 35

“Clarette. Are you painting outside today?”

“Yes, Your Grace. The spring scenery is so beautiful.”

Clarette started to tidy up the canvas she had been working on. The Duke looked over her art supplies and asked,

“Is this what they call a palette, this wooden board?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Isn’t it a bit too small? If you’re painting outdoors, you could bring more paint.”

“This is just the right size. If it’s too big, it’s hard to hold with one hand, and I can’t really bring that much paint outside anyway.”

“Why not? Didn’t you have those pigment jars? Why not ask Diane to help you carry them?”

“Your Grace, what I ordered was just pigment, literally. You can’t use it directly for painting.”

Lionel didn’t quite understand, so he tilted his head. Clarette smiled brightly as she organized her art tools.

“It’s always tough painting outdoors. I think I’ll head inside soon.”

“Really? Then let me carry it for you.”

He easily lifted the canvas and easel Clarette had set aside. He even tucked a small chair under his arm and started to carry it.

“Your Grace! I can handle this myself…”

“It’s fine. It’s not heavy at all.”

It was a behavior not at all befitting a noble, but he casually took on the role of a porter. Clarette followed, worried that paint might stain his elegant coat.

“By the way, there was supposed to be a ball today. But it was canceled.”

“Pardon?”

The Duke, walking ahead, spoke lightly.

“It means I’ll have free time tonight. I’ll have dinner out, but I’ll be back before it’s too late. You asked me to let you know if I had time, didn’t you?”

He glanced back at Clarette with a relaxed smile. She belatedly recalled her promise with the Duke.

<Please be my n*de model, Duke Valentin.>

The Duke, hearing her earnest request, finally answered with a smile. He let go of his regret about not having kissed her and decided to grant her wish.

<It’s best to paint at night. At night, I can go to the annex unnoticed, and most of the staff will be asleep.>

That’s how they had agreed—Lionel would let her know if he had free time at night. Since the auction party, he’d been pulled into more banquets and parties and hadn’t found the time…  

But tonight, the chance had finally come. Lionel spoke in a pleasant voice to the slightly nervous Clarette.

“After dinner would be best. When there are fewer eyes around.”

“That makes sense. Ah, I should also keep the studio lights as dim as possible…”

“Don’t worry about it, Clarette. Just act as you always do.”

He laughed cheerfully as he walked. Shameless or bold—Clarette felt Lionel, who seemed completely unbothered by anything, was truly remarkable. Maybe it was because he hadn’t grown up in a noble household.

Because of that, the Duke being her n*de model had to remain an absolute secret. Clarette wanted to protect his ever-rising reputation. If he suffered any damage because of her, she was prepared to take responsibility—no matter what.

“Your Grace! You shouldn’t be carrying things like that yourself!”

As they neared the annex, Butler Oliver came running from the garden with a shocked face. He hurriedly snatched the items from the Duke and fussed anxiously.

“You must let us handle these things! It’s troubling if you take our work from us!”

“Well, it’s not that heavy… All right, Oliver. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Feeling awkward, the Duke handed everything over to the butler. Once Oliver grumbled and disappeared into the annex, Clarette quietly spoke.

“Then, I’ll see you tonight, Your Grace. I’ll leave the lights on in my studio and wait.”

He gave a leisurely smile to her determined green eyes.

“I’ll be there right on time, so wait for me.”

* * *

Time crawled by until nightfall.

Clarette searched the furniture storage on the third floor and found a long sofa suitable for Duke Valentin to pose on. Thinking it would look suspicious to ask Diane to move it, she struggled alone to drag the sofa to her studio on the second floor.

She placed the long sofa in the spacious center of the studio, drew the curtains tightly so no one could see in through the windows, and brought the easel and chair in front of the sofa, preparing plenty of charcoal and other drawing materials. She covered the sofa with a clean white cloth and sat on it herself to check for comfort.

‘It’s a bit high for me. But the Duke has long legs, so it should be fine. Depending on the pose, the comfort level will change…’

Clarette’s goal was to practice drawing the male body and, ultimately, to use Lionel’s physique as the model for her painting of the God of Hope bound on the Rocky Mountain.

‘I can’t ask him to strike the exact pose from the painting right away. The Duke doesn’t have any modeling experience, so I’ll start with the basics. And as for clothes…’

Clarette, thinking only of his pose, froze when the issue of clothing came up. Normally, a proper n*de model would remove all clothing.

Even underwear, leaving not a single thread.

‘If I ask him to take everything off, the Duke would probably agree without hesitation.’

Duke Valentin was very confident about his body. From the start, he wanted to get closer to her. Clarette recalled the moment in the gallery when the Duke kissed her wrist.

If Clarette hadn’t stopped him, Lionel would have kissed her lips and gone even further. It was a night when no one would come anyway. So there was no one to stop him from getting what he wanted.

No one except herself.

‘Physical contact isn’t the problem. We agreed to take it slow. The real issue is me. I’m not sure I can handle it.’

Clarette had imagined the Duke’s n*ked body—but only up to his underwear. If even that last layer was removed, she felt she wouldn’t know where to look.

‘I’ve only seen it in statues or paintings, never in real life. They say the size varies a lot, but do I really need to use the Duke’s as reference?’

She sat on the model sofa, furrowing her brow in serious thought. What made Duke Valentin such an attractive n*de model was that his physique was ideal even with clothes on—shoulders, arms, chest, waist, legs. Not a single part she wanted to miss.

But Clarette knew nothing about that part of the male anatomy. She didn’t even have her own standards for its ideal size, shape, or color.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just skip it? I can always cover that part with a cloth in the painting.’

That felt more comfortable. But if she wanted to paint a male god, she might have to expose at least the hips or buttocks, even if the most important part was covered.

‘Yes, I can manage that much…’

Clarette made her own plans as she imagined various scenarios. Having decided how far the Duke should undress, she finally took a quiet, deep breath.

‘Don’t be nervous. Don’t be shy, just draw calmly and well. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

With all preparations complete, she left the studio to have dinner before the Duke arrived. Her face reflected in the darkened window was still full of tension.

Two hours later, around 9 p.m.

Lionel, having finished his schedule, changed into comfortable clothes and slipped away to the annex, avoiding people’s eyes. He knocked on the studio door in the dark corridor and waited for an answer.

“Clarette.”

But inside, where the lights were on, there was no reply.

It wasn’t that late, so had she already fallen asleep? Lionel, puzzled, opened the door without permission.

Fortunately, Clarette was sitting at the innermost table in the studio. Lionel quietly approached her from behind as she was absorbed in something.

Standing behind her, Lionel saw Clarette putting something into a small mortar and pounding it. He tilted his head from behind to peek at the contents.

The light brown powder, which looked like ground grain, gave off a pungent smell. It didn’t seem to be food preparation.

“Clarette, what are you doing?”

Lionel asked suddenly, and Clarette jumped in surprise, turning around. A white handkerchief covered her nose and mouth, hiding the lower half of her face.