Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 1.30

I was shown into the same study of Marquis Haren as before. The painting I had delivered during my previous visit was now displayed on the wall.

Lady Haren smiled gently, surrounded by the roses she had loved so much. The person reflected in her eyes was likely the Marquis Haren of his younger days.

The painting depicted Lady Haren at the moment she accepted his proposal. The engagement ring she had just received sparkled on her finger.

“This is the family portrait I painted this time.”

“Ah, thank you. Let me see it right away.”

Taking the painting, which was about two sizes smaller than the previous one, Marquis Haren examined it closely. Perhaps because this was the second time, he didn’t shed any tears.

Mariadoll could only show three dreams at once. Most people requested scenes from their youth, when their children were small, and their later years.

(But Bishop Mantel said he only wanted to see one.)

Some people did ask for just one particularly memorable scene.

But in Bishop Mantel’s case, that didn’t seem to be the reason. After all, in the dream he had me show, the two of them were fighting.

(Somehow, there are many things that don’t add up.)

It was Marquis Haren who introduced Bishop Mantel to me, meaning they should be close.

“Marquis Haren, what kind of person is Bishop Mantel?”

“What kind? … Did something happen?”

As the Marquis suddenly furrowed his brow, I hurriedly shook my head.

“No, not at all. He was very kind. To lose his wife and child in a fire and then become a monk, it must have been terribly painful for him.”

“Ah. Mantel had a string of bad luck back then. His child, who was already weak, began frequently running fevers and taking to bed. He called doctors from far away, went wherever he heard there was a good physician to have the child examined, but there was no improvement. Then, his mine was closed down.”

“Medical treatment must have been expensive. It must have been terrible for his business to hit a dead end.”

“Indeed. Even before the mine closed, he was bowing his head everywhere, borrowing money. And then came that fire. Mantel was so devastated that I worried he might follow them in death.”

Bishop Mantel severely blamed himself.

He apparently drowned his sorrows in drink, and each time he would say, as if delirious, “I’m being punished.”

“So, when he said he would become a bishop, I was relieved. I don’t know if God exists, but I thought it would give him something to lean on.”

After finishing his story, Marquis Haren looked at the painting again.

His expression softened, and his eyes seemed to be fondly recalling those days.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted from beyond the door.

“Young lady, please wait! The master is with a guest right now.”

A voice from the hallway, and footsteps.

Wondering what was happening, I turned around just as the door was flung open forcefully, without even a knock.

“Father! You called that woman to the mansion again, didn’t you?”

“Liza, what are you doing here? Didn’t you go home?”

“During the trip, I started to get suspicious because you seemed so restless. So, this is what it was. Mariadoll, are you trying to seduce my father while being engaged to Lord Jerf?”

She advanced on me with such fierce intensity that I stepped back, only to bump into the sofa.

The young lady who had appeared was the one who had struck Mariadoll at the ball. Liza, Marquis Haren’s daughter.

“That’s enough! And you, Father! You loved Mother so much, yet you’re falling for the wiles of a woman like this?”

She shoved Mariadoll with a thud, then turned to face Marquis Haren.

“That’s wrong! My relationship with Miss Mariadoll isn’t what you think it is!”

“Then what kind of relationship is it? Explain it to me. Wait, what is that painting? Now that you mention it, that woman did run a gallery. Don’t tell me you’ve been buying worthless items from her at exorbitant prices!?”

Liza forcibly snatched the painting that Marquis Haren was holding protectively and was about to throw it to the floor when she suddenly stopped, her hand frozen.

Her brown eyes widened as she stared at the image of her mother, who shared the same eye color.

She gazed at the painting depicting the three family members as if she couldn’t believe it.

“What is the meaning of this? Father, who painted this?”

“… Miss Mariadoll. She listened to my stories and painted this for me.”

“Lies, that can’t be. Because this is something only someone who saw this scene could paint.”

Mariadoll looked up with a start. Her face had turned pale.

Marquis Haren glanced at Mariadoll as if unsure how much he should say. In response to his gaze, she gave a small nod. It’s alright, she had prepared an excuse for situations like this.

“My father painted under the name ‘Gilbert.’ I learned painting from my father, who was called a legendary painter, so I can paint just from hearing a story.”

“Do you think such a story will work on me? I’ve been helping with my father’s gallery all along, and I intend to take over. This is something you couldn’t paint unless you saw that moment.”

“It’s possible with the techniques my father taught me.”

“Impossible. Because look here…”

Saying this, Liza pointed to a flower in the background. Several beautiful rose pots were lined up, and one of them had a ribbon tied around it.

“Back then, I broke a rose. I didn’t want to get scolded, so I tied a ribbon I had with me to hide it. Mother knew, but Father never noticed until the end. So, there’s no way you could paint this just from hearing Father’s stories. Well? What’s really going on?”

“That is…”

She thrust the painting toward me. But I didn’t need to look; I remembered painting that ribbon.

Thinking that Lady Haren loved roses, and that this potted rose was probably a gift, I had painted it.

“… Miss Mariadoll, under the circumstances, perhaps you could tell my daughter? She may seem like this, but she’s tight-lipped. She has a bit of a fiery temper, but she’s a girl with a strong sense of justice. I promise she won’t do anything you’d worry about. More than that, I had been thinking of making Liza my successor.”

(Make Liza his successor?)

Marquis Haren has a son. I had assumed his successor would be him, or perhaps a trusted man with a title.

Women’s status in this country is lower than men. If it were Liza, she probably wouldn’t be able to refuse the requests made to Mariadoll.

As if reading Mariadoll’s unease, Marquis Haren continued.

“My son will inherit the Marquis’s territory, but I’ve decided to entrust everything related to paintings, including the gallery, to Liza. I believe that as the owner of the oldest gallery in this country, she can sufficiently fulfill the role.”

Marquis Haren also owns a museum separate from his gallery and has greatly contributed to the arts in Dunbargas. If she inherits that, then even as a woman, she might be able to manage the requests.

“Father, I can’t follow this conversation. Stop with the half-explanation and tell me everything properly. If your relationship with Mariadoll isn’t what I think it is, then you should explain it.”

Having said that, she sat down on the sofa as if to say she wouldn’t leave until she heard the story.

It was probably true that she had a fiery temper. After all, she had struck Mariadoll with a fan.

But she was willing to listen.

(…Under these circumstances, it’s better to talk than to keep lying.)

Mariadoll steeled herself and sat down in front of Liza.

She had a strong will too, and wasn’t about to back down.