Chapter 65

Lionel stared blankly at Clarette, who was carefully unbuttoning his shirt. Of course, it wasn’t the first time a woman had undressed him. But Lionel, for a moment, couldn’t react at all and just stood there frozen.

Because it was the first time Clarette had undressed him.

Lionel watched intently as Clarette’s delicate fingers awkwardly fiddled with the buttons. She managed the second button with no problem, but fumbled a bit with the third. Only then did he finally breathe.

“Take your time.”

Lionel’s gentle voice made Clarette even more nervous. His exposed chest, revealed through the open collar, kept drawing her eyes. As she finally undid the third button, she muttered,

“It’s surprisingly hard, undressing someone else…”

“It’s just because it’s your first time. You’ll get better with practice.”

“I wonder if I’ll have any reason to practice in the future?”

“Probably a lot. Now when I come here, I’ll go straight for the paint.”

When Clarette looked up at him with a reproachful gaze, Lionel laughed quietly. She shook her head as if she couldn’t handle him.

“Keep your fists clenched so you don’t get any on the sleeves.”

After finally undoing all the buttons, Clarette placed her hands on Lionel’s shoulders.

Without thinking, she pulled the shirt down both sides, but the cuffs caught on his elbows. Lionel, left with his shoulders and upper body exposed but tangled in his shirt, burst out laughing.

“Clarette. Haven’t you ever undressed someone?”

“Just a moment. Why is it stuck here…”

Undressing someone else was truly a difficult task. Clarette tried to mimic how she took off her own shirt and, after some trial and error, figured it out.

“Oh. Please take out your right arm first, Your Grace.”

“I can’t move. You do it.”

“…”

It was a deliberately lazy protest, but Clarette had no other choice. She moved around Lionel’s sides and back, finally managing to get the white shirt off.

While Clarette folded the shirt, Lionel stood quietly, watching her. When she turned, she frowned slightly at his unabashed gaze.

“Your Grace, you’ll have to take off your pants yourself.”

“But my hands are still dirty.”

“The pants are black. If it gets on them, it won’t show—handle that yourself.”

“Oh, there’s white paint on this hand…”

“I know which one’s clean!”

As Clarette hurriedly cleared away the empty capsules and palette, Lionel laughed and finally undid his belt himself.

While she set up the canvas on the easel, he was quickly down to his underwear—much faster than when Clarette had been struggling to undress him.

Lionel walked over to the sofa and asked her, his back turned,

“Are we starting painting today? The sitting pose.”

“Yes. Since it’s color practice, I wanted strong shading, so I placed the lamp closer… Is it too bright?”

At Clarette’s words, Lionel glanced at the lamp near the sofa. He frowned slightly, then looked at her.

“It’s bright, but if you need it, I’ll endure. I’ll keep my eyes closed.”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll begin.”

Clarette took a moment to admire his sketch, which she hadn’t looked at in a long time.

The man in the picture had a truly beautiful and sturdy body. Just like the man now sitting leisurely before her, baring his physique.

‘Let’s do my best. Even if it’s just practice, I can’t mess up…’

Clarette took a deep breath and picked up her brush. The base color paint she’d prepared was a muddy blue. She looked at the model to check the light and shadow.

Lionel had his eyes closed. His softly lowered golden eyelashes shimmered faintly in the lamplight. The sharp line of his nose and jaw were clearly divided by the contrast of light and shadow.

Clarette fought the urge to start with his face in detail.

‘No, basics first.’

Before laying down the base color, she checked the overall composition and colors. The long sofa Lionel sat on was made of dark green fabric and a dark brown frame. The blurry background was bluish.

Clarette gazed quietly at the way the light made Lionel’s body gleam. His large torso was impressively muscular, while his waist seemed slim and solid. His arms, stretching from shoulders to fingertips, showed curving shadows in the lamplight.

The man before her was made of pure white light and deep shadow. While she laid down the base color, she found her eyes wandering to Lionel’s body.

‘So that’s how the shadows fall on His Grace’s body…’

Clarette couldn’t look away from the deep shadows on his sturdy thighs and abs. Forgetting to move her brush, she stared at Lionel for a while, then blushed.

‘How can a human body look like that? He’s like an ideal statue.’

Though she worked diligently, Clarette somehow found it hard to look at Lionel directly. It was late spring but not hot, yet a faint sweat broke out on her neck. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

‘This is so strange. He’s just sitting there as a model, but I’m the only one getting flustered. Why am I so distracted?’

Maybe it was because so much had happened during their travels. Maybe it was because he felt closer now. Even as she tried to focus on painting, Clarette kept thinking about what would happen after tonight’s work.

Time spent beside him after the session.

‘…Wait, why am I looking forward to that? He’s the one who always initiates these things.’

Clarette was afraid Lionel might notice her feelings, so she bit her lip and swallowed quietly. Even her breathing sounded loud, so she raised her hand to cover her mouth. Her breath felt hot.

‘I can’t do this. At least finish the base color today.’

She shook her head to clear her mind, squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them again. She had to focus. She’d need to build up the colors layer by layer, so if she didn’t finish and dry the base today, it would mess up the next steps.

‘No wasting time. If I want to paint all His Grace’s poses, I need to work faster.’

Clarette really wanted to paint him in every way: his back, his profile, standing, lying down, curled up, stretched out, every creative pose.

‘I want to paint it all. So that I can recreate him perfectly even when he’s not here, I want him completely in my mind.’

She focused and sped up. Until the dark blue paint she’d made all day was used up, Lionel held his pose perfectly and silently.

Finally, when Clarette let out a long sigh and put down her brush, Lionel slowly opened his eyes.

“Is it done? For today?”

“Yes, for now… for now.”

Lionel watched Clarette rub her eyes. She looked more tired than usual, having concentrated so hard.

“Clarette. Is coloring harder than sketching? You look exhausted.”

“No, it’s not that… Sorry, it’s hard to explain.”

Clarette awkwardly avoided his gaze as she tidied up her tools, conscious of Lionel’s persistent stare.

“Your Grace, could you wait a moment? I want to open a window—the smell of paint is strong.”

“As much as you like.”

Lionel got up from the sofa and walked toward the easel where his folded clothes lay. Clarette left the easel and headed for the studio window, almost fleeing from him.

As he wiped his paint-stained hands and picked up his clothes, Lionel eyed her suspiciously.

Clarette opened the window in the inner part of the studio, where no one from the main residence could see. She held the fluttering curtain and looked back at Lionel.

“It’s past midnight already. What will you do?”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll just go home tonight? It’s later than I thought.”

Lionel smiled leisurely, saying what he didn’t mean at all.

Of course, he had no intention of leaving early. He wasn’t about to miss this rare opportunity.

But as Lionel fumbled with his buttons, unable to continue speaking, Clarette crossed the studio and came to him.

Having finally straightened his clothes, he turned toward her, ready to enjoy the moment.

“Clarette, then shall we…”

But Lionel couldn’t finish his sentence.