Chapter 99

The garden of the Devon Earldom was rather spacious, offering many places for discreet conversation. Lionel walked with Richard across the garden and stopped in front of a secluded fountain.

Lionel stood silently, prompting Richard to break the awkward atmosphere with a light joke.

“It feels strange standing here with you. Normally, I’d come here with a woman.”

“Are you talking about Lady Vivian? Are you getting to know her?”

“We’re in the getting-to-know stage. We only met at the capital’s tea party last spring.”

“If you set your mind to it, Richard, you could find out everything about her quickly—what kind of woman she is, how she’s lived until now.”

Lionel spoke with a meaningful tone, but Richard tilted his head.

“Well, her father, Earl Moro, is very strict. So Lady Vivian must have been as dignified and graceful in the past as she is now. Don’t you think?”

Lionel didn’t believe Richard’s feigned ignorance at all, but since he was evading, Lionel decided not to press. Instead, he asked with a hint of disbelief,

“Graceful, huh. Is that your type?”

Richard chuckled at Lionel’s sarcastic tone.

“Lionel, why ask the obvious? Purity and grace are a woman’s most important virtues. It’s not a matter of taste, it’s a basic requirement. Of course, you… since you’re not thinking of marriage yet, you probably don’t care.”

“Even if I got married, I wouldn’t care much. As long as both are faithful after the ceremony, that’s enough, whether it’s the woman or the man.”

“Well, that’s easier said than done. Someone who’s lived stimulatingly with many partners will find it hard to be satisfied with just one person for life.”

Satisfied, though?

Lionel thought to himself, shaking his head.

He’d brought up women, but even on this topic, he and Richard disagreed. They never seemed to see eye to eye.

Then, Richard seemed to remember something.

“By the way, how’s the paint business? The rumor’s all over society. Sales are so good, they say you’ll soon open a company under the Valentin name.”

“Ah, there are so many people involved, I do plan to set up a company systematically. Not so much because profits are good.”

“Really? How much are you earning, then?”

After the hunting tournament, Lionel hadn’t shared business details with Richard. Lionel replied with indifference.

“Well, it’s not even worth showing you. It’s nowhere near enough to pay off my debts.”

Too modest, or was the rumor exaggerated?

Richard studied Lionel, then asked,

“Did Miss Sollier really help a lot with this business? Enough to name the product after her?”

Lionel quietly cleared his throat. He didn’t know why, but every time Richard mentioned Clarette, it irritated him. He didn’t like Thiago approaching her either, but Richard’s constant attention toward her was just as unpleasant.

Still, Lionel didn’t want to hide Clarette’s contribution, so he answered calmly.

“Yes, Clarette helped a lot. Without her, I wouldn’t have started the business at all. I didn’t name it after her for nothing.”

“So, is your next venture also art-related? Planning to keep pushing in that direction?”

“I don’t have an idea for the next business yet. I’ll have to think about it.”

Whatever he did, he had no intention of telling Richard. Lionel changed the subject.

“But Richard, are you becoming more knowledgeable about art? Why did you suddenly invite Thiago Salto to the hunting tournament? He’s not even a landscape specialist.”

When Lionel mentioned Thiago, Richard smiled. Lionel was sure Richard had a personal reason for inviting Thiago.

Richard spoke with satisfaction.

“I’m not interested in art, but I am in people. Like the previous Duke. Watching talented people inspires me. I want to support them, just like the late Duke did.”

“Thiago Salto doesn’t need sponsorship.”

“Ah, of course. He doesn’t need financial help; he’s already supported by Marquis Xavier. What I want to offer him is more of a… human connection.”

Richard looked at Lionel with violet eyes and continued cheerfully.

“I want to match him with Clarette Sollier, Lionel.”

“What?”

“Yes, the Miss Sollier you keep around. Thiago Salto and she are a perfect pair. He’s interested, so I thought I’d help them along.”

Lionel was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak. He never imagined the proud Thiago would ask for help like this.

“Did Thiago Salto come to you and beg for help? Is that why he painted the landscape?”

Richard shook his head lightly, laughing.

“No, of course not. Thiago Salto is dignified for a commoner and has a strong pride. It was me who reached out, not him.”

Richard spoke with a satisfied look, recalling a pleasant memory.

“When I visited the cathedral in Genoa, I had a chance to meet Marquis Xavier. We drank late into the night and talked about many things. The Marquis boasted about his favorite portrait artist, and how hard his life had been. He spoke passionately about ‘Flower in a Frame,’ the painting that won the Crown Prince’s favor, and the romance behind it.”

“He’s just a painter, isn’t he? How hard could his life have been?”

Did that guy risk his life for the country, or suffer lifelong discrimination as an illegitimate child? Even Lionel, who rarely played up his own hardships, felt indignant.

But Richard calmly relayed Marquis Xavier’s story.

“Thiago Salto’s life isn’t well known. He’s famous for his connection to the Crown Prince, so people only remember the glory. But Lionel, he’s from the slums.”

That surprised Lionel. Thiago, with his silver hair and calm light green eyes, always seemed stubborn yet refined. If anything, he had the air of noble blood.

“Thiago Salto’s mother was a high-class courtesan, and his father was a smuggler. Not proper parents. His mother left early, and he survived under an abusive father. He was practically an orphan.”

“Richard, I don’t really…”

“And at thirteen, he became Arno Sollier’s errand boy and grew up in the atelier. After a year of chores, he became a student. So, he and Miss Sollier have been together since age ten. They spent their childhood together…”

“Richard, that’s enough! I don’t care. I don’t want to know about that man’s life.”

Lionel finally interrupted Richard, who seemed about to walk away. Richard quickly wrapped up.

“Anyway, isn’t it amazing? He painted his first love perfectly, made her famous, and wants to make his eternal muse his partner. What a passionate romance.”

“Romance? Where? Thiago Salto’s portrait of Clarette isn’t perfect. He’s looking at her with a distorted perspective.”

“‘Distorted perspective’? That’s quite a phrase. But Lionel, if not Thiago Salto, who really sees her? Are you saying there’s someone who understands her inner self better than the painter who painted the portrait recognized by so many?”

Richard shook his head, truly unable to understand.

“That couldn’t be you, could it?”