TVIOWHFW 108

I was covering my eyes with my hands while wrapped in John’s embrace.

“Until when do I have to keep covering?”

“Shh.”

John’s quiet laugh echoed in my ears.

“You’re doing well, just hold on a little longer.”

Maybe because his calm voice sounded so deep, I felt strangely tense.

‘No, maybe it’s because I can’t see anything.’

My skin tensed up as I desperately tried to sense any change around me. I heard the sound of footsteps ascending stairs. Then, John’s heartbeat overlapped with it.

‘He’s still going up.’

I don’t think I’ve ever gone this far up before.

‘What is he trying to show me?’

This morning, during breakfast, John suddenly told me he had something to show me and made me cover my eyes. It must have been something prepared at the imperial palace, he said.

‘If John is preparing this much, it must be a pretty big deal.’

Lately, I haven’t been preparing much for an escape.

I should save money when I can, but somehow, I felt so disconnected that I couldn’t make any progress in my plans.

‘Maybe because I have nothing more to prepare now?’

Even if it wasn’t perfect, I could run away anytime if I just decided to.

‘And I don’t really want to leave.’

I used to be ready to run at any moment, but now, just that idea itself felt uncomfortable. I was afraid that by preparing so much, John might start to distrust me.

At that moment, John’s footsteps stopped.

He slowly lowered me down. I was about to naturally remove my hands from my eyes, but John covered my entire face with one hand.

“Not yet. I haven’t told you to open them.”

His voice was firm and serious.

“Okay, then when can I open them?”

“Keep your eyes closed. I’ll open the door slowly for you.”

Click—

I heard the sound of a door opening.

Carefully, with my eyes still shut, I took a step forward. I knew it was the Duke of Blanchet, but just the limited vision made everything feel unfamiliar and tense.

“All done. Now open your eyes.”

John removed his hand from my face, and I opened my eyes, which I had kept closed.

“…Ah.”

The room was flooded with bright sunlight.

Decorative trinkets were arranged charmingly, an easel stood in the center with various painting supplies around it. The most striking thing was the huge window.

‘Was there a room like this?’

I moved closer to the window. I thought it was just a normal transparent window, but when I touched it, I realized it was a magical device.

‘The duke’s mansion… is it below?’

My eyes widened involuntarily, and my cheeks flushed. It felt like I was looking at the world from above the clouds.

‘I can even see the imperial palace far away.’

John smirked, raising the corners of his mouth.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. It’s so beautiful.”

While it was nice to see the sunset from the mansion, being able to see it while floating in the sky felt completely different.

I kept admiring the clouds that seemed close enough to touch.

“But how did you make this place?”

“This is just another space connected to the mansion. I thought it would be nice for you to come whenever you wanted to paint, so I made it.”

John answered casually. But the idea that he created this space with magic was beyond belief.

“Why a studio?”

“I heard that your hobby used to be painting.”

Suddenly, hearing about her past as Libertan pierced my heart.

“…Where did you hear that?”

“No?”

“Yes. I did draw whenever I was bored.”

It made me realize just how much I had forgotten about Libertan. It felt like painting was a distant memory.

‘Humility and nobility should come from within. Cultivation will at least hide the vulgar blood of the young lady.’

‘Being skilled at painting doesn’t mean anything. I need to cultivate my inner self!’

Honestly, I wasn’t particularly fond of embroidery or painting I learned back then. No matter what I did, I couldn’t do it the way I wanted.

‘But here, it’s different.’

In the Duke of Blanchet’s mansion, no one would criticize my paintings. There would be no one watching, so if I felt uncomfortable, I could just paint freely and discard my work.

‘John prepared this for me, so I should relax.’

While I was admiring the art supplies, John was watching me with a strange expression.

“Isn’t painting your hobby?”

“No, that’s right. I just hadn’t seen these art supplies in a while.”

But his gaze still remained bright.

‘Was I supposed to be happier about this gift?’

Lately, I’d gotten used to receiving presents. Maybe I should show a more excited side—

“By the way, have you ever had anyone close while staying here?”

“Huh?”

“I was thinking, since you came to the Blanchet estate alone, you might have felt lonely.”

John narrowed his brow and spoke to me.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up now. I should have paid more attention earlier.”

No, I actually liked that no one else came along.

‘Libertan’s people got involved, and yet they’re probably going to cause more trouble…’

But John misinterpreted my gaze completely. He pressed his temple and lowered his voice.

“I thought I did enough, but I realize I was lacking in many ways.”

“No, John, you’ve done so much for me.”

“Don’t think that way.”

Our eyes met.

His crimson pupils looked so sorrowful.

“Why?”

He brushed my hair gently and spoke slowly. There was guilt in his voice.

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean my sins are gone.”

His serious eyes made me unconsciously feel a strange courage.

“What sins did I commit?”

“…That’s…”

“John has always been a good person to me. Always made me happy. Because of you, I was always happy.”

“…”

“Is there something I don’t know?”

My whole body tensed.

‘Just tell the truth.’

I saw myself reflected in his crimson eyes. I was smiling beautifully, as always. And John…

“You’re the one who brought down the Libertan estate.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why I feel sorry.”

John smiled charmingly, just like he always did.

Gentle, handsome, impressive, so charming that anyone would fall for him. Suddenly, it became hard to meet his eyes.

“By the way, what’s that book over there? ‘Beautiful Monster’?”

“Oh, I heard it’s a popular book in the capital these days.”

John smoothly continued the conversation.

“It’s famous for its beautiful illustrations, so I thought you’d like it.”

Near the ornate garden door, there was a colorful book with shimmering stained-glass-like colors.

<Beautiful Monster>

“What’s it about?”

“You should read it yourself. I’ve looked at it too; it’s pretty interesting.”

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!