Ariel still didn't understand why she shouldn't say she's okay easily.

But one thing that she understands is that Susan really cares for her.

That's why she wanted to relieve Susan who's heart is breaking.

“Yes, I will. “

Susan peppered Ariel's cheeks with kisses.

“But I'm proud of you for growing up so prettily.”

Then Susan grabbed Ariel's hand.

“Now, shall we go eat delicious fattening foods as the doctor said? Dinner will be served with the Grand Duke soon, and I'll make sure it'll be loaded with high-calorie content.”

“Can they do that for me? “

“Of course. The food in the mansion is supposed to follow the tastes and preference of the masters.”

“Ah… “

Susan had a mischievous smile on her face.

“So if you want to become a great Lady of the house soon, you should try and experience a lot of delicious food.”

'Is that true?'

Ariel's head was wobbly.

She felt a little suspicious that the conclusion is that she has to eat a lot of delicious food to be a good Lady of the House.

But she soon held Susan's warm hand.

She felt like she's okay with anything as long as she's here.

That kind of routine went for a day or two.

Her morning starts with a kiss on the cheek from Susan and during the day, Allen, the butler, guides her around the mansion.

Then she'll share dinner with the blunt Grand Duke, Mathius in the evening.

Mathius didn't say much when he saw that his diet was changed following Ariel.

Their meals were very quiet because Mathius says nothing, while Ariel, didn't have any courage to speak first.

But for Ariel who liked to eat with someone, this is better than the breakfast and lunch she eats by herself.

“What did you do today?”

'That surprised me.'

Ariel almost dropped the knife she was holding.

Today was the first time Mathius spoke to her during a meal.

'I mean…it's the first time for a month.'

“Me?”

“I asked you.”

Mathius's tone was calm. It's as if he had been asking this on daily basis.

Ariel's mouth opened as she blinked her eyes.

She was so nervous that her small hands under the table began to tremble.

“Today, I finally got introduced to all the people in the mansion.”

She still hasn't officially met anyone yet except for Susan and Allen.

The other people greeted her whenever they ran into each other, but she still doesn't know any of them.

Susan said that it was such a sudden marriage so Ariel needed time to adjust to the mansion….

But Ariel knew.

She knew that it was a consideration for her, who was skinny, shabby, and had scars everywhere in her body.

Ariel had been eating a lot for a month now and her cheeks looks slightly plumper than before, and many scars on her hands and face had faded.

So it wasn't until today that she met and got introduced to the people who worked in the mansion, of course, with the accompany of the maid, Susan, and the head butler Allen.

Officially, as the little Lady of this house.

Ariel picked her finger and thought of the people she met.

Susan said there's only a few of them, but the house was so big that it wasn't actually a small number.

“I said h.e.l.lo to gardener Woods, and I also met chef Holston. I also met the maids in charge of the women's quarters. Becky, Sally and, Anna.”

Ariel didn't forget the promise she made with Susan and told the maids to do it properly.

It was difficult to use the Lady's way of speaking, but no one ignored or laughed at Ariel just because she was young.

Everyone was kind to her.

'Everyone seemed to look up to the name La Carte.'

Ariel is a wife of a La Carte, so she was able to receive all the respect as well.

Mathius, who had his chin on his finger and listened quietly to her, opened his mouth.

“What more?”

“More?”

'Hmmm….'

Ariel frowned

She unconsciously pouted as she tried to focused on remembering all that happened earlier.

“Ah, I painted today.”

“Paint?”

Ariel began painting these days during the day as well.

Susan brought small toys that can be played with indoors, including paints and drawing tools for her, who can't go out and play because it's still cold outside.

Ariel became interested in painting among them, because of the novelty of colored paints she had never encountered before.

She wasn't great at it, but painting was a bit like using magic.

'I can't use magic because of the promise with Lucian….'

Ariel hesitated and asked.

“Do you mind if I show you?”

She thought he'd say no, but Mathius surprisingly let her.

Susan brought all the paintings that Ariel painted today.

Mathius leaned against the back of the chair and looked over the painting.

Ariel swayed her legs nervously in the table chair.

She was the one who spoke first, but when Mathius saw the painting, she felt embarra.s.sed and anxious.

'What if he say I couldn't draw?'

' It is true that I couldn't draw well, but I still felt ashamed.'

He picked out a painting.

“This painting, I like it.”

Ariel's face lit up.

Mathius said he liked it without saying if she drew it well or not.

Ariel asked gladly.

“Would you like to have it?”

“You can give it to me just like that?”

Mathius said while looking at her through the paper.

But before Ariel could even say 'Yes!', he bluntly affirmed.

“I'm going to turn this painting into a 50 million denal piece soon.”

Denal was the monetary unit of the empire.

F-fifty million denal?!

Ariel wasn't even sure how much the worth of a single piece of Denal is.

But she was sure that the amount that Mathius just said was huge.

'By the way….why is the painting I just drew suddenly became worth such a price?'

Ariel looked at her painting closely.

Even though it was painted on quality paper with quality pigment, it only looked like an ordinary painting painted by a ten-year-old child.

Moreover, the painting is just scribbled and abstract, so it was difficult to find it's characteristics except that it was free-spirited.

Mathius reached out to Allen next to him.

“Allen. The fountain pen.”

“Yes, Grand Duke.”

Allen drew a fountain pen from his vest pocket and offered it respectfully to Mathius.

The fountain pen, which had briefly gone through the hands of Mathius, headed towards Ariel.

“Now. “

Ariel looked at Mathius, not understanding what he meant.

Mathius pointed to the bottom of Ariel's painting.

“Write your name,”

Ariel accepted the fountain pen.

She was surprised that the fountain pen with a smoky, sleek body was more frightening than she thought.

[Ariel La Carte]

When she carefully put her name in it, Mathius turned her head off as if she was satisfied.

“Good job,”

Then he handed over Ariel's painting to Allen.

“Put it in a suitable frame.”

Allen held the painting dearly and Mathius turned back to Ariel.

“I'll take it for a month and then return it. By the time it gets back in your hands, it'll include a certificate proving that your painting has a value of more than 50 million denals.”

'H-how?'

Ariel could only blink her big eyes.

Mathius, who was looking at Ariel, touched his lips and smiled.

The smile that appeared so quickly also disappeared just as fast. Ariel blinked her eyes again.

'I think…I just saw something amazing.'

“Everything that comes from this house is worth a fortune.”

Mathius called her in a low voice.

“Ariella.”

“Yes?”

“All the people in the capital are talking about you right now. Even though it's been a month, there's no sign of the rumors going away. There are a lot of socialites who agonize to see you even just once.”

It's Ariel's first time hearing this.

She never thought too deeply about the people outside since she's been living in a huge and comfortable mansion.

Mathius lazily swept his long black hair.

“It's too early to let you go out…, the painting should be enough.”

'Ah'

Ariel seemed to be able to understand the situation a little.

She has no idea what's the deal with her, but now the capital is probably half-crazy in curiosity about her ident.i.ty.

The Marquis of Lucilleon's 10-years-old veiled daughter who had never been shown in the aristocratic circle suddenly got married to the heir of the Grand Duke.

She'll definitely look like a mysterious existence in the eyes of others.

It was certain that the social n.o.bles, who like to talk about others, would be curious.

The corner of Mathius' mouth crept up.

“Throw them the painting and let them have a dogfight. What do you say?”

“….okay. “

Ariel wanted to satisfy their curiosity but she didn't want to please those who tried to bring her out.

One of Ariel's paintings will tell them nothing about her.

It will only lead to flurry speculation and miscellaneous interpretations.

When Ariel agreed, Mathius reached out his hand as if he was trying to stroke her head but he hesitated.

A large hand, which had stayed in the air for a while, came down and patted Ariel's pale cheeks.

Ariel's cheeks blushed brightly.

He got up from the table.

“I won't be able to join you for dessert. I have a schedule.”

“Yes…. “

Ariel suddenly felt a sense of regret.

She finally managed to have a conversation with Mathius in a month but it seemed to have ended too quickly.

Mathius, who was about to leave, picked up one of Ariel's other paintings on the table.

His cold, indifferent eyes got filled with a feeling of contentment.

“I'll have this. I'll add it to my collection.”

Ariel's mouth opened widely when she heard him say that he will add it to his collection.

For some reason, she felt more pleased about that than when her other painting became worth 50 million denals.

As he went out with the picture, Mathius commanded Allen like a pleasant lion.

“Hang it in my room where I can see it.”

The painting, which Ariel signed with a fountain pen, was handed over to Allen, the old butler, and was carefully framed.

There were a lot of luxurious picture frames at the warehouse of the Grand Duke, that's expensive is enough to buy a house in the capital.

Ariel's paintings, however, were framed in a luxurious but simple Gothic style frame. It was to emphasize the painting rather than the frame.

Dalton, who was sent out to put the painting out, wore white gloves and carefully looked at the painting through tiny lenses of his gla.s.ses.

◆◈◆◈◆◈◆

imagine painting just whatever you want then your rich daddy in law suddenly turned it into a half a billion worth painting…