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Chapter 14
“Duchess, have you been well?”
Baron Gilbert greeted politely.
“Yes. But let’s skip the formalities. What brings you all the way here without notice?”
“….”
“If this is about the artist you mentioned, you could have written me a letter.”
“Uh, well…”
With his blotched hands, Baron Gilbert took out the paintings he had brought. His hands trembled as he held them, as if my words had scolded him.
“T-the truth is, I painted all of these. They’re like my own children. When you recognized them the other day, I was so moved… though I couldn’t say it then.”
“…These are really all your works?”
Pretending surprise, I let him prove it. He began explaining the reason behind each painting.
“Uh—this first one was painted after my wife passed away, capturing my feelings of emptiness. The next one is from when I met my new wife…”
If I let him go on, this would never end.
I raised my hand to stop him. I hadn’t called him here for that reason.
“Baron, I thought artists spoke through their work. Am I wrong?”
“N-no, you’re right!”
“Then let’s stop the explanations here. I’ll overlook the fact that you didn’t reveal yourself as the artist sooner. They’re still wonderful works to me. Now, what’s your business?”
Baron Gilbert finally put the paintings down.
Tugging on one side of his mustache to calm himself, he slowly handed me a mining rights sales contract.
“I wanted to talk about your proposal for the exhibition. That’s why I’ve come, even if it’s rude.”
From his seat, Martin stroked his chin with interest, glancing at me as if to say, Not bad.
“I didn’t bring up the mining rights back then,” I said, sliding the contract back toward him.
Flustered, he cleared his throat repeatedly before placing his hand over his left chest.
“I know how valuable it would be for my work to be shown at an exhibition hosted by the Cloud family. I’d rather live as an artist than a businessman.”
It seemed Baron Gilbert had spent several days thinking it over since I’d made the proposal.
After all, in a small city like Delmant, there weren’t many who paid attention to his paintings. And certainly no one willing to support him.
Realizing the Duchess of Cloud valued his art, he must have decided to seize the opportunity.
It wasn’t as if the mining rights were doing him any good. He was now determined to secure my proposal for the exhibition, even if it meant giving them up.
“Duchess, Your Grace — if I can receive the Cloud family’s support for my work, I’d like to devote myself to my art from now on.”
Once again, he held out the contract.
He didn’t want this to be a one-time connection — he wanted something lasting.
In that sense, the mining rights were the best bargaining chip he could offer us.
A smile spread across my face.
“I understand.”
“Truly? Hahaha!”
He clapped his hands in delight.
Martin seemed satisfied too — after all, we had achieved the goal of acquiring the mining rights. He even started to rise from his seat.
But I set the contract back down on the table.
“!”
“!”
Both men stared at my hand in surprise.
Martin and the baron’s eyes met again, as if silently asking each other what was happening. Martin parted his lips to speak, but my calm smile stopped him.
“Baron, I know these mining rights could be a good asset for us. But the truth is… we’re not lacking without them.”
“I’m… not sure I understand…”
He looked between Martin and me.
“I’m saying it’s not something we desperately need. If you want to hand them over, I’d like to add another condition.”
Baron Gilbert’s mouth hung open.
Of course it did. He probably thought simply offering the mining rights would seal the deal. That’s why he’d come.
“A-another condition? What kind…?”
It wasn’t just the baron waiting for my answer.
Martin, who had been observing quietly, had already risen. Arms crossed, he looked out the window, tapping his fingers as if a little tense.
[You must close this deal, Duchess.]
Martin’s voice echoed in my head.
I will, I thought.
I rose slowly, bowed lightly to the baron, and spoke.
“Master Gilbert.”
Martin turned his head from the window toward me. His gaze was different now.
“Please paint the official portraits of the Cloud family.”
“!”
At my polite request, Baron Gilbert’s eyes shook. Tears welled up almost instantly — the word Master must have meant a lot to him.
He must have thought of all those years in a small town, painting with blotched hands, unrecognized by anyone.
Being acknowledged brought with it many emotions.
While he wiped his tears, I deliberately signed my name on the contract.
As soon as he saw my signature, he took the pen with trembling hands and wrote his name carefully.
Letter by letter, he finished his signature, then exhaled deeply as if relieved.
He bowed repeatedly to Martin and me.
“Thank you so much, Duchess… Your Grace. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“Your skills are too good to overlook, Baron. I look forward to working with you.”
“It’s an honor to be named the Cloud family’s painter, even at my age. To think I’ll be painting your portraits…! I’ll return soon with my tools.”
Still holding his paintings tightly, Baron Gilbert left the room.
Martin glanced at me, but said nothing, before following the baron out.
I felt completely at ease — my work here was done.
Not long after, Martin returned to the meeting room.
“How did you come up with the idea of asking for portraits?”
Because when I’d first arrived at the estate, the hall had felt empty.
The high ceilings and wide halls didn’t feel warm. And unlike other noble families, there weren’t many members here.
And I wasn’t the only one who had noticed the baron’s blotched hands and skill.
But Martin seemed to see the contract and the paintings as separate matters.
If you only think about the mining rights, yes… but I needed influence as Duchess.
The Duchess who recognized the talent of an unknown baron.
The Duchess with keen eyes and bold proposals.
That was the kind of title I wanted.
But showing all that openly wasn’t wise, so I changed the subject with a smile.
“As a keepsake. I thought it would be nice to have one.”
“…Is that your real reason?”
What kind of answer was he expecting?
“Of course. You never know — Baron Gilbert might become famous one day.”
Martin looked confused, scratching the back of his head like someone caught off guard.
Then he hid something behind his back even more deliberately.
Why was he doing that?
“Oh, and… thank you for today.”
He stared at me. My unexpected kind tone seemed to make his face flush slightly.
“W-what do you mean?”
Because even though this was an important deal, he’d listened to me without a single objection.
For someone who usually didn’t trust others, he’d been very cooperative — despite a few tense moments.
“You were… like a husband.”
At my half-spoken, half-thought comment, the corners of his mouth moved.
I thought it was just the satisfied smile of a businessman who had closed a good deal.
I only learned later that day that Martin had bought one of Baron Gilbert’s paintings.
“Should I set the letters here?”
A few days after the successful contract, Mary brought me the mail.
I put down the newspaper I was reading.
“What letters?”
“One from the royal family, and one from the Harold family.”
“The Harold family?”
Puzzled, I walked over to the table.
What letter could I possibly be getting from them?
I motioned for Mary to leave the room, then slowly picked up the letters.
One bore the royal seal. The other bore the seal of the Harold family — which I wouldn’t have recognized if Mary hadn’t told me.
The Harold family.
The place Gemma used to flee from every time Erica’s birthday approached.
I turned the letter over in my hands.
Selene Harold, Viscountess.
So — Gemma’s mother.
I carefully opened it, unsure what I’d find inside.
Was this because I didn’t attend Erica’s last birthday?
Had she written because we hadn’t been in contact for a while?
Or… had Gemma and the Harold family been close enough to exchange letters regularly?
Many questions began to grow in my mind.
I hadn’t expected anything from the Harold family.
If it had been a letter of support, that would have been wonderful.
But the moment I opened it, any such expectations went cold.
