Oh, look at this guy.
Seeing his confident gaze, I slipped one of my legs in the air onto his thick waist.
âAre you good at it?â
The subject has been omitted, but now Valhail will know what kind of question it is.
He suddenly frowned and glanced down at my white thighs that were touching his waist.
His iron-clad chest fluttered as he breathed in deeply.
I found it interesting that even a slight stimulation would bring back a large response, so I wrapped my legs around his waist.
âI wonder how good you areâ¦â¦â
Perhaps feeling the soft touch, he closed his eyes as if holding back his reasoning.
In time, he looked back at me again with his brows furrowed.
The moment our eyes met at a distance, I folded my eyes and laughed.
Whether he knew I was making fun of him, Valhail eventually got up first.
ââ¦â¦ You just keep teasing me.â
After sitting me down properly, he sat down in the chair and let out a long sigh.
âWhooâ¦â¦â
Yeah, yeah. Life is truly hard, isnât it?
As I was looking at the cute figure with my chin on my palm, I flapped my toes like a habit.
âBut who told you that?â
Pause.
It was a light question, but Valhail was visibly hardened.
A look of bewilderment passed through the blue eyes that stared straight ahead without seeing me.
Well, thatâs definitely a suspicious response.
Somehow I felt like he wouldnât tell me a thing about the topic. Yet, donât you know it makes me want to dig more?
âThe person who said that is probably someone who has done something with you physically, right?â
I scratched him gently to make him confess.
âIâm quite curious what that woman has done with you.â
When I stabbed him with words, he came to his senses later and looked back at me as if he was surprised.
âI hate having something that has been touched by othersâ¦â¦â
It was a small, whispering voice, like talking to myself, but Valhail must have heard it. His ears must be focused on me.
âSelina.â
Unsurprisingly, Valhail opened his mouth with a face that became more urgent than ever before.
âThe one who said that to meâ¦â¦â
Now he was telling me. It felt like the content was so heavy that he couldnât say it easily.
âHe was my swordsman master.â
Itâs about his past.
I poked up my ears, wondering if it was Valhto Heinrichâs memory.
âOf course, my master was a man.â
âOf course, the swordsman master could have been a woman, too.â
âI meant that the only person who was close enough to talk to me like that was a man.â
I just listened to him with my chin lifted with a face of no slight doubt.
âThereâs no woman Iâve been close enough to talk to, not even once. Only youâ¦â¦ Even this kind of contactâ¦â¦â
I thought meaningless excuses would continue, so I cut off the middle of his words and intervened.
âItâs surprising that you learned swordsmanship from a teacher.â
âHow come.â
âI thought you would have done well since you were born.â
He looked at me as if he was embarrassed and opened his mouth cautiously.
âI heard I have a natural talent. Anywayâ¦â¦â
As I stared with interest, he blurted out his words.
Then he completely changed the subject.
âThe Countess told me to find the painterâs son.â
ââ¦â¦â
âBut he wasnât at his home.â
What the hell? It was too obvious.
ââAre you kidding me?â
It was so absurd that I laughed out loud.
On the other hand, I felt sorry for Valhail because he seemed to be nervous about my reaction, even though he was so embarrassed.
âI hear his son is the real painter who painted your portrait.â
Valhailâs intention to change the subject was so obvious that I decided to ignore it.
âI didnât think it was a lie.â
âThatâs right. Though heâs not his son, the boy he took is the real painter.â
Valhail reported to Camilla that he had gone to the house Isaac had told him about and found traces of the remaining garlands and paintings.
âSo she told me to stay and find the boy.â
So Camilla decided not to take Valhail to the capital.
An artist who paints a painting worth 100 million won per piece.
If my portrait makes headlines in the capital, it will become a goose that lays golden eggs in the future.
So she has to get the boy.
âThatâs fortunate.â
Nodding, I smiled and told the truth.
âThe boy at your house.â
Valhail hesitated for a moment. I guessed he thought I didnât know who the boy was.
âWe can send a letter by the time Mother arrives in the capital. That you found the boy.â
How happy will Camilla be?
Her face, which would already be smiling brightly after receiving the letter, seemed to be drawn in front of my eyes.
âThe name is Alphonse. Itâs cute, isnât it?â
Valhail looked at me bewildered as if asking how the hell did I know that.
I turned my head and stared out the door, pretending not to know.
âThatâs what William said. Isaacâs hand⦠was not the hand holding the brush.â
Indeed, William had told me that.
The time when he first met Isaac and followed him.
He probably did it because he didnât like my interest in the painter.
âOur Husky is very jealous.â
When I stared out the door with a lovely look, Valhail, who was staring at me, tapped the table with his fingertips.
Tap, tap-