~Chapter 38~
Bang!
Damien flung open the door to the room where Rubiana was having her lesson with her art instructor.
Startled by the loud noise, both the teacher and Rubiana turned to look at him.
“Damien?”
The first thing Damien saw was the oil paint sitting beside Rubiana.
A significant amount had already been used.
“Your Grace? Is there some sort of problem—?”
Ignoring the flustered teacher, Damien immediately rushed to Rubiana.
“Damien? What’s wrong?”
He bent down to examine her complexion.
Nothing looked unusual… but he couldn’t be sure yet.
“Stop using this paint immediately. I’ll dispose of it all.”
“What?”
“The art store says they never sent any oil paints.”
His eyes shifted to the canvas in front of Rubiana.
She had used the paint in question on that canvas.
The painting, even though unfinished, was nearly perfect—depicting breaking light.
“…It was sent by my biological father.”
Rubiana said calmly.
“Rubi, are you feeling unwell? If anything seems even slightly off, you need to tell me right away.”
“I’m fine. I don’t feel anything strange.”
That, at least, was a relief.
Still, there was no knowing when the effects of the mysterious paint might show up.
“We should get you examined immediately. If you used even a little…”
“Yes, I used some of it, so I suppose that’s necessary.”
“Instructor.”
Damien turned to the teacher.
“Can we end the lesson here for today?”
“O-Of course. It seems something serious has happened…”
“Also, if you used any of the same paints, I recommend getting tested as well.”
The lesson was suspended, and both Rubiana and the teacher were examined by the ducal family’s personal physician.
* * *
“See? I told you, Damien. Nothing’s wrong.”
Rubiana smiled as she handed Damien the medical report marked “No abnormalities.”
The examination results showed both of them were in good condition.
All the oil paints were destroyed after being tested for toxins.
However, the ingredient analysis would take longer, so they still didn’t know whether the paints had been tampered with or what the suspicious substance was.
What they had found, though, was a tiny needle-sized hole in the paint tube cap.
‘It’s possible the toxin was administered in such a small amount that it simply wasn’t enough to take effect.’
The doctor added:
‘But it could also be a delayed-acting poison. Please remain vigilant.’
Recalling the doctor’s words, Damien spoke to Rubiana again.
“Still, as he said, we don’t know when the effects might appear. If anything feels off—no matter how minor—tell me right away.”
“Alright. Don’t worry too much. I only used a little yesterday and the day before.”
Rubiana didn’t seem too rattled even after learning the paints could be laced with poison.
‘Maybe because the tests came back clean?’
Damien considered that perhaps she was simply used to the cruelty of her birth family.
‘Still… to stay this calm?’
The Aristia family knew Rubiana painted.
They had reportedly sabotaged her supplies often to prevent her from doing so.
If they had sent tampered paint, they might have included a poison that paralyzed her ability to paint.
All out of spite because she had refused to help them financially.
‘If that had affected her ability to draw…’
Damien knew just how devastating that would be for her.
Being able to paint freely was one of the things Rubiana cherished most since coming here.
‘Please… let nothing bad happen to her.’
As Damien prayed silently, a knock came at the door.
“Master. We’ve received a report from Rezen Art Store.”
It was a spy from the House of Maledictus whom Damien had dispatched to investigate.
“Someone visited the store a few days before the paint was delivered. He was slightly taller than the average man and wore a hooded cloak that covered his entire body.”
Unfortunately, that alone wasn’t enough to identify him.
“However, the store offered a sketch of the buyer.”
The spy produced a roughly drawn portrait.
Despite its hasty strokes, the face was still recognizable.
“Myers…”
Rubiana muttered.
“You know him?”
“Yes. He used to serve our house for a long time.”
Damien gave the spy a silent signal.
This was more than enough to prove that the Aristia family had deliberately sent the tainted paint.
“Once the toxicology report is finished, we’ll begin legal proceedings. Until then, just focus on staying safe. Keep checking your condition.”
“Okay. I will.”
With that, the investigation concluded, and the spy left.
Rubiana then gathered her brush, water jar, and watercolor paints from the table.
[Waaaah—]
[Move! Move! Get out of the way!]
[Brush scary!]
The minor curses that had been loitering near her feet bounced away, murmuring nonsense.
When she stepped forward, they all shrieked and scattered.
“Rubi, are you going to paint?”
“Yes. As usual.”
She smiled faintly.
“I have an assignment to finish since the lesson was canceled, and I need to paint the twins’ portrait too.”
“I see.”
Rubiana painted at this time nearly every day—Damien knew this well.
But for some reason, today, she looked a little different as she prepared to paint.
“Are you painting here today?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying out different rooms lately. The lighting changes the mood and color tones.”
Damien nodded.
“Would it be alright if I watched you paint?”
“Huh?”
She looked surprised. He had never made such a request before.
“I don’t mind… But why?”
“I’ve just always wanted to.”
Damien locked his amethyst eyes onto her.
“You’re passionate when you paint. You glow… and watching you makes me want to be like you.”
“Oh… That’s a little embarrassing.”
Smiling shyly, Rubiana sat before the easel with her palette in hand.
“I’m serious. You’re amazing. But I’ll stop bothering you now.”
Rubiana mixed white and blue paint to make a soft sky color and began working.
‘Honestly, it was almost impulsive when I asked to watch her paint.’
But Damien had a reason.
There was a question he needed to answer in his heart.
“The assignment theme is ‘A Ray of Hope.’”
“I see.”
Rubiana spent several hours working on the piece.
At first, the blank canvas was filled with faint, blurry outlines. As time passed, the image took shape, and the colors deepened.
Eventually, the painting was finished.
‘A Ray of Hope…’
The canvas showed a sky dyed red by the rising dawn—framed within a window.
But there were thick black bars drawn across the scene.
Upon closer look, they were prison bars.
“It’s a view of the outside world from a prison cell.”
One of the bars had been broken—deliberately.
It suggested that perhaps, just perhaps, escape was possible.
It perfectly embodied the theme and was stunning in technique and emotion.
“…It’s incredible. Truly.”
“Really? Thank you. Your compliments always make me happy.”
She smiled brightly.
Damien smiled back and gently patted her head.
‘The painting is perfect. But…’
Still, he couldn’t truly smile from the heart.
* * *
Late at night.
I was writing names down on a sheet of parchment.
[Viscount Lapice
Baron Claredo
Isierka Mile
…]
There were exactly nine names.
Their common trait: they all lent money to nobles.
Ordinarily, those nearing bankruptcy wouldn’t qualify for loans.
But these people made exceptions for nobility—acknowledging their titles despite financial ruin.
‘Well, some of them are glorified loan sharks…’
The others didn’t even charge particularly high interest.
But if you didn’t pay on time, they’d take your organs as collateral.
‘As the Duchess, with Damien’s backing, I can block every path my father might take to borrow money.’
Once my full plan was in motion, no one with the Aristia surname would ever recover.
Knock knock.
I immediately answered.
“Come in!”
Assuming it was a servant, I spoke casually—but it was someone unexpected.
“Rubi. May I come in?”
“Ah, Damien.”
I said it was fine and invited him in.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing… I just wanted to check if you felt any strange symptoms since we parted.”
“Oh come on, what could possibly happen? We’ve only been apart for four hours.”
Honestly… he’s so kind.
No one’s ever worried about me this much before.
“Don’t worry. I’m really fine.”
“…Are you sure?”
Damien’s voice turned serious.
“Because… you can’t see right now.”
