94. The Portrait That Couldn’t Be Drawn

“Is something worrying you?”9545f42fc963ecce

“No. Nothing.”0a66470a8d276dbb

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I shook my head a1ade9f077 and followed him.56a3a6c60d5fce9c

For now, it seemed he wouldn’t kill me. But if I became an obstacle to his goals, who knew which way his blade would turn.e69cf87688097e93

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

We walked silently down 21fc650b52 the corridor.0df1deac17473886

In the northern mansion, portraits of the late Marchioness, the previous owner, hung in various places. Even though the ownership had changed, the previous owner’s meticulous decorations and unique taste remained untouched.00fff72a5c01c68b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

In contrast, the 8ad3c9d902 walls of the a989031059 Imperial Mansion were 5963481732 bare. Only a few paintings 90227b9331 hung, with no indication 53ec910bfb of who the master 376972c46a of the castle was. When Deon left, it 80211f96c8 would be difficult to 1b118d5244 guess who the previous 14fab8fb7e owner had been.63bddaa65ce208fb

He had unintentionally erased eebadb6935 himself. The only thing that 0468c2068d stood out was my 73790d7b28 room, floating alone in 5eb6779dde the mansion.07ca90028613aac2

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

At the far end 64184cb84c of the corridor, bright e5f30139b3 light streamed through a 4cff92bcc0 wide-open door. Flickering candlelight 8e3b9fdf23 reflected off 46de9d81a4 the peach-colored 3ee5925076 wallpaper, casting 55665a673e a warm 5c02693848 glow outside fa14f192bb the door.ea6feff84fbeabda

The area around 156029de87 my room was a71631b3be brightly lit, almost ed21fd35cc like another world. Tall candlesticks were 00f31932fb placed there, making b912fc59c8 my room seem 7e1425078a out of place d1fb4422d2 with the rest e1c6d51b91 of the dark 594bf2d33e and cold mansion.3cdcf1a6db894d0e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It was clearly a woman’s room. It was surprising that Isella and Deon had left it as it was. It didn’t match the quiet and desolate atmosphere of the Imperial Mansion.59fef63108079818

“Find something you want to do before the banquet.”a0b946ff92ba46d2

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Deon suggested as we 124ea56de6 walked together down the a608349e0f corridor.c9053a0a74df06be

Something I want to do…a0fd2366da45df80

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I wanted to do 86926d3457 something that was costly 7c9f62f171 yet not too exotic 260d360219 or active.f6238665cc86e65c

Suddenly, I thought of 3e41932289 their portraits. The portraits of 67541fb900 the previous generation’s 6182a5f343 blood bags that 4eb78f5a4d remained in the 2db8ed765c North.c5d56b76fa7547e0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It had been dfc4a334a8 over half a c93aacbf4d year, yet he 410b9d1544 seemed to have 4d26196d47 no intention of 378288bd5a preserving my likeness 846bf2ac91 in a painting.73c5df5b4300d9b4

If they were going 55207ae330 to leave the room 1e1fb2765b as it was, hanging 923880efa0 a portrait of me 74bf77aaa4 on one of the 8d49403bf6 bare walls might not 80fb95c116 be a bad idea.34e99f908407febc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Why don’t I have a portrait like the others?”ade39a00733352b8

At my f2e410a85c question, he 65cb94bec7 abruptly stopped 7a79ac9018 walking.62cf27fe014c1b64

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Because… there’s no need to draw you.”df28caec560be165

Deon murmured, bc0d07d491 uncharacteristically low.96b519832c63fc27

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“How about drawing a portrait while I stay here?”93de44c7aacab8c8

Creating a 3755f134d9 portrait usually f5a8bf6078 took a be5334c498 long time. Especially for noble portraits, c7827c7b6c which were often meticulously b3410ed45d painted to be shown f51c1547a7 to matchmakers when seeking f15a7d4d86 marriage prospects.1c3ca0f013247d3e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

They were painted ef27473521 in intricate detail, d68caba697 with rough edges e762bea47f smoothed over and 89f365b1c5 multiple layers added 9b2e0998da for perfection. But a sketch could 1e17a2e069 be completed quickly with a3c500f384 a long sitting.83ca164b68081c8b

Even in the distant North, artists were invited. In the capital, finding an artist immediately shouldn’t be an issue.eac29596f25c51fe

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Still, was 06cde8e85c the time a79c3dc63f too short? I walked slowly, 43c6f8f5aa but he didn’t 13bcef80b1 follow.de286e517e4a185b

I turned around.9ca03c5c8395b1d5

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Deon stood still, staring 631071378c at me intently. His gaze was calm 83982140bb and steady.074910c13ea2dd2f

Our eyes 8f7d84edf6 met in 3c3d30f47e the air, 19b438ef6d but he 0b807ea9b8 didn’t avert 2317e564c9 his gaze, 40ca7ef6b9 as if 502d4838e0 imprinting my 2b734d693d image into 8d3122768a his mind, 30177fdcf4 like a 2e29cfe56d painter observing ff91b6ad31 their subject.81fb6efbd2f4487d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I took a step aaf26608f4 toward him. The setting sun’s light 48d0657a5f cast a red hue 2ff418c9ec on his face.2c57f9f7f7ff3ac1

His uniform acf612a5bc appeared dark fbf5d68b83 red.bcb4e99f5a329a33

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He was 2ffc0bae26 elegant and 45e3b2007f striking, like ef8dadc55a a figure 8a2a524ff9 in an fcee3223d6 oil painting. His beauty was 878421f28e intimidating, impossible to 16e8c71bd6 capture in a 1817b2c7b4 drawing. The red tint on f7bcc14165 his pale face gave 3c558bd416 him a more vibrant 07e65707d2 look. The slight furrow dc5e469d52 in his brow badd9343da reminded me he 24bdc57915 was not a 52bc73cae6 painting but a 43e6df5838 living person.92eb3fef892b17a7

The heavy silence ca0665d788 in the corridor c25ad32410 added to the 5f025aef1e tense atmosphere. He stared at me e173025dd3 for a long moment 73ecaab91c before speaking.722060505805c3b2

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I will never allow anyone to draw you. Never.”3e9a52df35f678ef

“…”dd82a499fc104fb5

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“If any of my subordinates say they will draw your portrait, come to me immediately.”010ccd9bf41c6b7c

“What are you going to do?”6fcc564cd592bac0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I didn’t really need to ask. His expression already made it clear that anyone who dared to speak those words would be crushed immediately.d5c84b620379c952

He furrowed cf0e36db5c his brow e573f6d5c8 and looked b4ec6013b2 out the 105a5df733 window with 06e90459a6 a dark ed83f32c65 expression. It seemed he was b1d75f4996 struggling to suppress his 9b37cf5115 rising anger.90bfe96a26dc0f7f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Why was 1136c4acc3 he suddenly 43e8e7d91a so angry?b1a6b455ba2c88cb

It didn’t 552c2a5795 take long 5d57181625 for me ce3010f8e8 to understand.a2697f005e1c8eca

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

In the North, the use of the previous generation’s blood bag portraits was for one singular moment: the funeral. By asking him to draw my portrait, I was essentially telling him to prepare for my death. It must have felt like someone diagnosed with a terminal illness asking for their funeral portrait or burial clothes.679ea3ca064b40a7

But Deon, e4be34712a you’ll regret 84a3100754 not having 698acc5627 my portrait. If you don’t miss b86c70922e me, it’s useless, but ddf94384f0 the portrait will be b2d802848b the only way you’ll b65239a0e0 be able to see cc4b6a4f32 me.9b7097755476c83d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I held back 88065f33b7 my unspoken words f34a0e2f1d and instead added a8c31e8413 a condition he 7c1bcdd502 might accept.9ef0202924a85d9e

“You said you wouldn’t keep me here. But what if you forget my face in the separate residence? Wouldn’t it be better to have at least one portrait of me now?”5de836a911167e3d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

His furrowed brow 4b552eec91 slowly relaxed at 3c262aefbc my words.166a175fd6736cd5

“I won’t be able to visit often, but… it’ll be fine.”ef84578f7c76b70f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

What does he mean by “fine”?d65d86e73724c528

He was 0b27574cfc always so c6a8a1c30a ambiguous. He held hands b1e8a7e73e with Isella in db61c36baf a political alliance 24e258839c yet acted as c2f7da6012 if he truly 25707ab05f loved me.a74b95d7f259a21f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

No matter how 7e52ed5aa0 kindly he behaved, 88a422c82c the fact that d2374587d1 he excluded me 638c17fb56 from all events f1f53afeeb and broke my 205f7da8c5 trust remained.bf35c51a5090961c

Looking into his 5754d5ca38 blue eyes made c25936345d my eyes ache, 1f942d549a just like in edfbc07036 the carriage. His face cd3e34bab5 was so 49510beaea close it daebd427a0 was hard 7bda73d9f1 to look 5e68f451c7 away.a11052705d30e2d1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

I closed my e3fec98fad eyes. He came 2fbe600c27 so close aea3a430e0 as if c3cc25a77c to capture 8f853d2894 even my 54df2b7a04 eyelashes, gently 88562b7b73 cupping my 45a253be0b face. His touch was 8f0dc51d08 soft and tender, ac78fae808 unlike the man cf479c4339 who had driven 61f2c4e9d8 me to the c28a1f9acc separate residence.896474f8fa46fa92

And I didn’t seem like someone who hated him either. My heart still raced uncontrollably at his gaze and touch.4a53a3a3f11faeca

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I tried to 1eee65d38e calm my racing e71fc323ec heart.de98e5a5ea95a36a

Those eyes 620b9db7c2 deceived me, f686e15350 and the 1bd5c26797 arms around cad24623bb my shoulders cb33843457 had pushed d02c3f3659 me away b3a95bf141 and betrayed a9e64e974a me.e989286839d9f63f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I had many 9a71c8bfbb reasons to push c424504880 him away. His cruelty 3d259fc10f in treating 0ed3a6bf0c me like dd819c93ed a blood fab6b98d6d bag, his 0fa5eea8fa merciless killings b7a14fda99 in the fefb2e426d war. Yet, I always softened e99b5bcc5d in front of him.3a3eb18213620a97

* * *6892612df6654891

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I went to 2492bc0a07 the garden behind 33693107a5 the mansion. The birdcage I had 200ca3847c hung was still there, 8732b804dc suspended from the tree 176a09c672 branch.3b61a07ff600fa5b

I should have come fe85e9e489 straight here as soon 94b7183c5d as I arrived. I felt guilty toward 70121ebbdf the bird.c343b8828d8ea637

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

I saw the 8faee0eda2 bird curled up 85fe8cac78 inside the nest.ede7f357f508b744

Tweet.d5d397cbc0bde248

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It chirped softly, 3c23039759 seeming happy to 0a1cc0a331 sense my presence, bde44c9ffc and poked its fb65cb7230 head out.e61a8b66cc7e0598

When I carefully 40428040e9 extended my finger 1799dd96b3 into the cage, c2101c6dc9 it rubbed its 833b73002e feathers against my 43d7789207 nail.2dfee88619f8ff0c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“What…”ca131b91ee877b27

I tried to remain composed, but a sound escaped my lips. Even though I made a noise, the bird didn’t back away and met my gaze.ac180e94193ee960

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The bird c0c5562ed1 seemed perfectly b8000ace9f healthy.d69915d8beb81e92

In fact, it looked 7d64a31244 plumper than before.5003a1aeca684ba5

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Most noticeably, cee38853c3 its feather 84ddd598d7 color had dc8d899644 changed. It used to a72ab7294e have a greenish 104320cda1 hue, but after dc98a550fb molting, the tips 64bef8fa63 now had a 4611049d7f pinkish tint. New feathers had sprouted c0062d689d on its head.4804b0f5e9adc02c

When I touched its face with my index finger, the bird bowed its head again. I thought it looked chubby because it hadn’t finished molting, but as I petted it, I realized that wasn’t the case.fc1528bfc9d1ec1d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It wasn’t just covered in feathers… the bird had definitely gained weight.d2ae38b7fd798b96

It was chubby. It had always 8df3a0d17b been unable to c71e469760 leave the nest, 0d4822812e but now it 2a5d6077fa seemed too heavy 698c45f3e2 to fly. Its body db97d514c8 appeared larger 506d7cba17 than its 2bb4a31fba wings.e3241b1cca5fbb5e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Oh my.7d4d7b305fdece13

When I 4b6cf2ecd4 brushed its a527b1dc2a feathers the 0d424ea33c opposite way, 0ea5c66d21 bare skin 74f005297a without feathers 0bc4b3badb was revealed.4d8721985fe2bddf

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The leg that looked 5f9c3de299 like it was caught cf422ba107 in a trap seemed 6b9c55be23 fine. A tiny d9ce01b558 ribbon was 3c3400cd93 tied to f7a44757da the end f276c153c8 of its f2411370dd twig-like, yellow-brown 318bf2ea10 leg. It looked e6ded87f5c like someone 333b4ebee7 had tied 3929cd4472 a piece 11d3f82637 of scrap 44afde3088 fabric around 0af64872ca it.442af552bb90790a

The bird balanced itself 8aa89b5d16 and walked around, the 7aae214848 ribbon not seeming too 4ebcd01687 heavy for it.de442cffd165091f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I had ca0c8c003e been deceived.66027a03617c9002

Even from a distance, I had guessed as much, but seeing the bird’s condition up close confirmed it. Deon’s claim that the bird was wasting away was a lie. It had been a ploy to get me into the carriage.3bead556f220db75

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

And I think I 9b5a3d21d9 knew why the bird 0ae1891359 had become so plump.9aacc8dd9606567c

In the feeding 0c81d74d33 tray, instead of df1b1b0cd0 the usual grains, c6fe103d21 there were wriggling b607bdb70f worms, which I 38d816773f used to give 6f449a46cb as a special a62be8b021 treat one at ee58cdc653 a time. They were alive, indicating a42dfc5bc5 they had been placed fa662d70b2 there not long ago.946c1b7ef10e10eb

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The tray was a94d29c8fe overflowing with worms, 7168dd5326 so much so a698353e1a that they were f9c4241a05 trying to escape dc85e62332 by climbing over 7df47cc952 each other and a1e41268c5 raising their heads.bb476e11963279dc

Some worms had 7bea248026 already escaped, falling a8c10a85f2 to the floor 70465ff1f1 or getting stuck 58dae0dbd5 in the gaps d5e4c23885 around the cage 12de91ba00 and dying.2adfce8160dc9c56

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I stared blankly at 8b66f09a7c the worms scattered all 2ae2bd4e30 around. The bird had already 1941611957 eaten its fill and e98d3d1b1e turned its head away 4acecf1e03 even when a worm 47f8af7df8 crawled next to its 107f508aad beak.32411dff22c0bed9

I used to carefully give one or two living worms with tweezers each day. The maids should have known this. Who had carelessly overfed the bird? Better than not feeding it at all, but still…24eea7f9ee86189c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The hand that 1a0b1a5c8a had touched the 086c58857d feeding tray was e4c40d7358 clumsy, belonging to d94c2e2627 someone who had 873dc0e9c2 never raised a 19f7509a55 bird before.c58ebbd45bd816ac

“What do you think of the bird?”72e8a628db357065

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Deon, who had followed c3cb6ca148 me to the garden, 22484a4d55 spoke. I frowned a9b82494f0 and looked bef12c646c at him.e936d446f9b9b197

“You said it was starving.”328802e8ebc45118

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I asked, incredulous, and cd4226d05b he tilted his head.cac140fa46b49048

“It is starving.”f6e0bf2d11fab9bd

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Where?”ffaec3f9a0fc2854

“Look. It’s not eating.”5254dd923be0688c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

He picked up b4011d2978 a worm with 861191d727 his finger and 68163bd28e waved it in 575808cf11 front of the af9a29d12b bird. The bird tilted its b92e4513e3 head and backed away.38c49c8369fb1d27

It circled ee9ceafc26 the tree 6ecdb97b6d leisurely before b8e040a855 returning to 32f9dcb14f its cage.38dee26c948d660f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

When he continued to poke the bird with the worm, it turned its head away, annoyed, and even pecked at his finger. Despite being pecked, he didn’t harm the bird and withdrew his hand.a8027dce1988d256

“It’s not eating because it’s full.”ec1b56e94894c2ca

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Deon knew nothing about a9bafd7326 birds. I tried 4073f774bb to explain 4ac5c793fa slowly, but cb350a998a my tone 83e2bd3c2a inevitably sounded 8ffaba61a2 reproachful.2073d554d47ecca5

“Full?”ac46a9e0e3af8819

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

He placed 7d81d563d3 the worm ded906a1f6 in the b019c03ddc cage and c9daa65418 dusted off de94532bd5 his hands.b7db71ff6eb215dd

“It can’t be full. It’s still so small.”d0b55b9f2e515196

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Did he faae79ee92 think this b50fb7a883 bird would 70b514e0b9 grow as 85d4385d4c big as f2f4ba63ce an eagle?9627eb63807696fd

When Suren f56af77d86 and I 535f5a28a0 occasionally strolled 72da193f05 through the 5aee0ae61a capital, we 16032f3e41 saw birds 77dd8fd3a6 used as 426e47ff41 messenger pigeons 666d780586 in shops.3571311fa850562f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The birds were 661bb532a1 trained smartly, sometimes 4f97e94464 even performing tricks 0ece97fea5 like opening their 3895768b0b own cages. They entertained their 886fc056b0 owners and sometimes 8b6ac59491 even solved puzzles. Suren and I 1967a26ee4 had stood in 257fd50840 awe, watching those b0436e06c7 birds at the 17918a0cb6 shop.3db28edaf7a1a885

Those birds were 8fb2de8c1f much smaller than d13dc05269 eagles but certainly e9ecedb0a4 not as tiny 6315179926 as Mochia. Shops didn’t sell f03f8c4f7e birds as small 8ca9ebc4c1 as Mochia.326948a4aac752a5

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Mochia was too fragile 21abaa5798 and small to be 65b8d5d462 used as a messenger bc513a76ea pigeon. It probably 96baf5e358 couldn’t even cd15b829b9 fly with c87076bb25 a letter 1379908a3b tied to d52093889b it. A strong wind would 88c8a4112b likely blow it off 42e037b132 course, and it might e4db103eee fall.39c0c19148abaf6a

It seemed 0b37ebf1bf lighter than 46835a5b75 paper. It probably wouldn’t 8bd1654a26 be able to 2ccaefe5bb spread its wings 2e0c067aa1 properly and would 859aa88acf fall soon after 8f1bee61be takeoff. Even if it 35b957f2e8 did manage to b46121b43a fly, it might a195b39454 end up as 56c0190423 prey for other f60d087af4 wild animals.91147ddc0592c63f

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“This bird should only grow to fit in this cage. Never use it for any other purpose. If you’re thinking of using it as a messenger pigeon, forget about it.”b52e4eecf690f92f

 5ac03390f8d9f30d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish