chapter 45
“What is this?”
Grady pressed his slender fingers firmly against his furrowed brows and quietly accepted Eliana’s touch without a word.
“I won’t end things alone first, so don’t worry.”
“What did you say?”
Her gentle, soothing tone, as if speaking to a child, deepened the lines between his brows.
But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, Grady felt reassured by Eliana’s words.
Realizing this feeling himself, Grady let out a hollow laugh.
His hand that swept back his hair showed clear irritation.
He simply couldn’t understand his own feelings. Yet even so, Grady did not pull his hand away from Eliana’s.
“Do you know what your expression was just now?”
“…”
“You looked like a child who had lost their mother’s hand.”
Just as he was about to give up trying to smooth out the deepening wrinkles and lower his hand—
“Why stop?”
“Huh?”
Grady quickly grabbed the hand that was withdrawing and pulled Eliana’s hand back from the empty air.
“I think the problem isn’t here but here.”
Grady placed Eliana’s hand on his own chest. With her wrist held by him and her hand pressed against his chest, Eliana hurriedly bowed her head, hiding her face.
Thump.
Thump thump.
The rough vibrations were felt clearly in the palm of her hand. The stronger the vibrations, the wider Eliana’s eyes grew.
“…It seems the problem is that it’s too healthy.”
Eliana pulled her hand free and turned around, busily cooling her flushed face with the back of her hand.
“Is that so? It feels like it’s beating faster than usual.”
Grady tilted his head and placed his hand over his chest again. Surprised by the unexpected situation, Eliana tugged his hand.
“The Emperor is waiting. Hurry.”
Eliana grabbed Grady’s hand and hurried forward, looking only ahead.
“Ah!”
Only then did Grady seem to realize where he was. He looked around briefly and followed Eliana’s lead. After Rodin’s appearance, the sharp tension that had been taut between the two was nowhere to be found.
Grady, who had been staring blankly at Eliana’s hand in his grasp, bit his lip.
He recalled the reckless thing he had done last night. The burden of telling Eliana before it got any later furrowed his brow again.
He didn’t want to ruin this current mood, but he couldn’t let the Empress find out the truth.
“I sent a painting from the Marquis’s warehouse to Her Majesty the Empress.”
At Grady’s voice from above, Eliana looked up at him. They were walking through the sunlit courtyard. The breeze was soft, and the corridor was quiet.
“A painting?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s yours. I sent it to the Empress’s palace on my own, so I’ll pay twice the price.”
Eliana bit her lip while looking at Grady, who skipped explanations about what the painting was or why he sent it, focusing only on the price. Unintentionally, she felt a pang of disappointment.
“What painting is it?”
Grady made a troubled expression at Eliana’s question.
No matter how unaware of outside rumors Eliana was, Grady didn’t think she could be ignorant of Red Winter.
It was a painting that had once caused a sensation in the empire, and the Marquis was deeply knowledgeable about paintings. Having lived as his wife for years, Eliana would surely understand the value of Red Winter better than anyone.
Grady let out a low sigh. It was too late to regret what he had done.
“In Count Hoffman’s warehouse was Red Winter. It’s probably the Marquis’s painting that he had hidden away.”
Grady never thought Red Winter belonged to Count Hoffman from the start.
“Red Winter?”
Eliana tilted her head.
Facing Eliana’s deeply furrowed face, Grady licked his dry lips. The reflection of himself in her blue eyes made his mouth dry. Even though she wasn’t directly accusing him, her gaze made the thief feel his conscience pricking.
“Yes, Red Winter.”
“That was in the warehouse?”
Eliana’s question was met with a nod from Grady. It seemed Eliana had no idea.
“Did you have no knowledge at all about the Marquis’s painting?”
Eliana lowered her eyes.
She knew better than anyone that he sponsored many painters. But she had rarely seen any of the paintings the Marquis supported.
Their mansion was filled with renowned masterpieces.
But Red Winter was not among them.
If the Marquis truly owned it, he would surely have displayed it in the most prominent place in the mansion. Even someone as unfamiliar with art as Eliana had heard rumors about Red Winter — it was that famous.
“I didn’t know my ex-husband owned Red Winter. I have never seen it nor heard anything about it.”
Eliana shook her head with a deeply furrowed expression.
“I see.”
Grady wiped his chin. The wrinkle on his forehead frowned as if the situation was quite displeasing.
“So you say you sent it to Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Yes. She is someone who loves special things more than anyone.”
Eliana’s heart thudded at Grady’s words. It was a moment that confirmed his love for the Empress once again.
In fact, Grady had sent the painting to Empress Rozella thinking it might help him avoid the Emperor’s wrath. But Eliana’s thoughts were different. Had he known she would misunderstand, he would never have sent Red Winter to the Empress.
“…We can use that painting as an excuse.”
“What?”
“Let’s go. It’s late.”
Eliana urged Grady. After sending off the knights who had come since dawn, she was hurried.
Grady followed Eliana’s brisk steps. Although his tightly pursed lips were annoying, there was no way to ask for the painting back now.
He promised himself to pay generously for Red Winter and then forget about this.
“Your Majesty. The Duke and Duchess request an audience outside.”
At Baron Bliss’s words, Emperor Mateo twitched his eyebrows, still holding a pen absentmindedly.
His gaze turned to the window. He was incredulous that the Baron had sent someone before dawn, yet they only just arrived at the palace. Worse, they came accompanied by Eliana. Mateo’s mood sank even further.
“A couple? They came together?”
Baron Bliss swallowed hard and bowed his head. It was difficult dealing with a grumpy Emperor. One had to be on edge at all times, never knowing when his mood might change.
“Yes. They are both waiting outside.”
“Hah!”
The Emperor threw the pen onto the desk and tilted his head back. Closing his eyes tightly, he seemed to be suppressing his anger.
“Let them in.”
After a while, the Emperor stood and gave the order. It had been less than half a day since they last seemed to have quarreled, yet seeing them together again made his stomach churn.
“We pay homage to the sun of the Empire.”
Eliana’s gentle voice prompted the Emperor to gesture in disbelief.
The handsome couple standing side by side looked perfectly matched even to his eyes. From Eliana’s sunlight-like sparkling blonde hair to Grady’s pitch-black dark hair, there was nothing to fault.
“Is the Duke planning to hide behind the Duchess as a shield?”
“Seeing Your Majesty’s honored presence, she seems a very fine shield.”
Grady bowed his head and took a seat next to Eliana. The Emperor’s brows furrowed deeply as he observed the couple sitting side by side, looking at him.
“I called for the Duke, so why did the Duchess come too?”
“I heard there’s a painting in the Empress’s palace I want to see, so I begged to come, Your Majesty.”
Eliana lowered her eyes, clearly not wanting to meet the Emperor’s gaze. Yet his eyes did not leave her.
“A painting you want to see? Could it be the painting the Duke sent the Empress yesterday?”
The Emperor licked his lips. This morning, Rozella had boasted so much about the painting that his ears nearly ached.
“I’m sorry, that is correct.”
“Then why didn’t you go directly to the Empress’s palace and come here instead?”
The Emperor looked at Eliana with a puzzled expression. Seeing her pale, translucent cheek, he forcibly suppressed the urge to just bite into her.
Fortunately or unfortunately, her neck was as clean as a blank sheet today. Had Grady’s marks still been there, the Emperor would not have held back his anger.
To the Emperor, Eliana was still just a jewel that slipped from his grasp. Something he could always bring back to his side.
“I came into the palace, but how could I see to my affairs without greeting Your Majesty?”
Her delicately arched eyebrows rose swiftly, and the Emperor’s ocean-blue eyes fixed on her.
Grady, who had been watching Eliana the entire time, suddenly cleared his throat and turned his head sideways.
“Ahem. I heard you were raised impudently, but it seems that’s not quite true.”
Taken aback briefly by the Emperor’s blunt words, Eliana’s face stiffened for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.
“Perhaps my efforts are still lacking. To appear that way in the eyes of Your Majesty the Revered. If I make a mistake, please scold me strictly.”
Watching Eliana flatter the Emperor with such smooth words, Grady clicked his tongue. This silver tongue was more powerful than anything he had ever seen in capturing the Emperor’s favor.
