My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 34

Of course not. The very thought made Yurisiel let out a faint, bitter laugh at herself.

The sharp smirk on his face still played vividly in her memory, as if it were right in front of her.

The young master wouldn’t have done something like that for her.

It had to be just another passing whim.

Someone had disturbed his peace, sending an uninvited guest to the rooftop without permission. That alone was enough to make him angry.

Even so, the strange thought kept surfacing, throwing her emotions into disarray.

Yurisiel was on her way.

Cassian had been watching her since the moment she left her room, just like always.

Every one of her movements was eye-catching, graceful in a way that made it impossible to look away.

Because of that, he often found himself wasting his mornings, mornings meant for reading the paper, just staring at her.

It had been that way since the day she arrived at the estate.

Though to be fair, it wasn’t entirely her fault.

He was the one who ordered her room to be placed right where he could see it through the window.

He was also the one who instructed them to tear down the window frame and install a large, clear pane.

So really, it was all because of her.

She always woke up at the same time. Never early, never late.

After a long stretch, she would slowly rise from bed and begin to move.

Her motions were as elegant and measured as a swan’s. Slow, deliberate, and somehow captivating.

Whatever noise or turmoil filled her mind didn’t matter. He didn’t care to know.

Understanding her inner thoughts wouldn’t do him any good.

From afar, he could see the silhouette of her changing clothes.

The soft flutter of movement, like butterfly wings, soon shifted into the outline of a neatly worn dress.

He couldn’t make out every detail, but he already knew which one it was.

She always chose the one he had picked out for her.

It was silly to feel pleased over something so small, but he still noticed.

Dressed and ready, she would sit down at her table, open a book, and begin to read.

Then she would write something intently before returning to her reading.

He remembered the butler once reporting that she was doing manuscript copying.

It must have been part of that task.

After being assigned to serve him, she had no time left for other work. Yet this was one thing she hadn’t given up on.

If he wanted to, he could easily take it away from her.

He had considered doing just that in the beginning, but in the end, he lost interest.

There was something strangely satisfying about watching her sit with such focus in the early hours.

Eventually, the bell rang, marking the time.

She stood from her seat.

Sometimes she left after helping with Lady Jane’s breakfast. Today seemed like one of those days.

Her shadow reappeared just after another maid entered the room.

That slender figure, delicate and slow-moving, made its way toward him.

When she reached the last corner, Cassian stood from his seat, as he always did.

Yet no matter what, he always arrived at the drawing room before her.

And once again, right on time, Yurisiel entered.

She bowed respectfully, her face expressionless but polite, and took her seat.

She always sat with perfect posture and followed dining etiquette with almost textbook precision.

It made him wonder if those books she read every morning were actually about manners.

Even noble daughters trained by expensive tutors didn’t usually carry themselves this well.

She was clearly a fast learner.

And maybe that same sharp mind was what made her bold enough to try and deceive him.

The meal passed in silence.

Ever since the day he decided to ignore her behavior, Cassian kept his eyes on the plate.

She acted as if even his gaze was unbearable, like it would contaminate her.

He quietly picked up his spoon, took a few bites, then lifted his glass of water.

And in the glass, he saw Yurisiel reflected.

The slight wrinkle of her nose when tasting something unfamiliar.

The way her clear eyes trembled without her even realizing it.

The tiny shake of her head, as if trying to deny she liked the food.

The head chef had done well again today.

Her hands, once frozen and hesitant, now moved with more ease than before.

After breakfast, when he stood, she followed him quietly with small, quick steps.

As they turned several corners, she suddenly stopped.

“This isn’t the way to the room…”

Did she really think he didn’t know that?

When he let out a faint chuckle, she flinched.

He turned again and walked forward. The weather was too nice to waste indoors.

He wanted to see what she looked like in sunlight.

From the windows, he’d seen her smiling gently in the light, nothing like the lifeless expression she wore inside the estate.

Outside, just ahead, art supplies and a large canvas had been set up, just as he had ordered.

To an outsider, it would look like something prepared for a royal court painter.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw it.

Cassian settled comfortably into a sunlit armchair and looked at her.

After glancing at him cautiously, she slowly took the seat across from him.

Then, just like always, she began to draw.

Just as he had commanded.

Like a doll that only moved when told to.

Maybe it was the sunlight, or maybe it was just how he felt that day, but Yurisiel’s expressions seemed more varied than usual. She looked surprised at first, then cautious, then clearly trying to collect herself.

Every time she reacted like that, Cassian couldn’t help but remember the moment she was caught trembling in front of him, her eyes frozen on his bare skin.

A small, amused laugh escaped him.

Ever since that day, any time she looked cold or distant, all he had to do was recall that moment. It always made him feel better. Like magic.

But that only worked when her eyes were on him.

Now, the quiet scratching of her pencil had stopped.

Cassian slowly opened his eyes and saw that her emerald gaze was focused elsewhere.

He followed the direction of her eyes and saw someone approaching.

Silver hair.

A presence that didn’t belong here. An unwanted guest who had come to ruin this perfect picture was now looking directly at her.

It had been several days since Hael last appeared.

Judging by his appearance, he must have just arrived at the estate.

Yurisiel had so many questions she wanted to ask him.

Had he found Britt?

Where had Britt been this whole time?

Did that mean her name had been cleared?

She wanted to run straight to him and ask everything.

He looked okay. That was a relief.

Once she asked how he was doing, she planned to give back the money she had saved—the payment for the medicine.

Hael would probably refuse. Still, she couldn’t keep it.

It didn’t belong to her. It never had.

Her thoughts lined up clearly in her mind.

Somewhere along the way, her hand had stopped moving.

The drawing drooped in her lap, and a long, uneven line stretched across the paper.

She only noticed when the sudden clatter of a teacup broke the silence.

She turned her head toward the sound.

The cup had tipped over and now rolled across the floor, spilling its tea.

Steam still rose from it. The tea must have been scalding.

Even so, the young master’s expression didn’t change at all.

“Young master!”

Panicked, she rushed to his side and began wiping up the spilled tea from his hand.

But he didn’t move. He stayed exactly as he was, like he couldn’t feel anything.

The veins in his clenched fist stood out clearly.

That was when fear began to crawl up her spine.

He looked the same as always, but his expression was different. Subtle, but undeniably different.

His brows were drawn tight in frustration.

Like someone who had just seen something he couldn’t bear to witness.

Was it because she looked away?

Was that really something to get this angry about?

He had made her redraw the same portrait over and over again, so many times.

Each time she handed it to him, he only gave a single, flat response.

“Again.”

At first, she thought it was because she couldn’t draw well enough. She believed that if she did it perfectly, he would finally be satisfied.

But eventually, she realized the truth.

He never cared how good the drawing was.

Even if she created a masterpiece, better than any court painter could manage, he would still make her repeat it endlessly.

Because the drawings weren’t the point.

He needed her full attention. Constantly.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out.

If her eyes drifted, even for a second, or if her focus wavered just a little, he would force her gaze back to him.

Compared to that, drawing his portrait was actually one of the easier tasks.

When he was in a worse mood, he would pick up the pen himself and begin drawing her instead.

Crude, messy sketches that barely resembled her.

And even then, he wouldn’t allow her to look anywhere else.

Not even for a moment.

He would gently lift her chin to make her look up at him, or keep her gaze locked so she couldn’t look away.

And from that point on, the nightmare would begin.

That was why Yurisiel had never once let her attention wander while drawing him.

It was her way of protecting herself, even if just a little. A strategy to avoid the worst.

It was exhausting, yes, but she convinced herself it wasn’t a big deal. It was part of daily life.

After all, who in this house could serve at his side without doing at least that much?

Neither the butler nor the attendants ever risked upsetting him. Not even once.

Everyone around him remained perfectly tense, careful not to slip up.

In that sense, what had happened today was clearly a mistake.

She had been caught during work, looking somewhere else. And not just anywhere. At Hael.

She remembered a similar expression the young master had worn once before.

That time, too, she had been with Hael.

The difference was, back then, they had been talking. Today, their eyes had simply met.

That time had been after her duties were finished, and she had let her guard down because of it.

But even so, something happened the next day. A clear fallout.

It felt like speaking to Hael had become a kind of crime.

At least in front of the young master.

It was as if being caught talking to another man was the same as being unfaithful.

Like a fiancée caught cheating.

The way the young master looked at her now reminded her too clearly of that day.

And then, out of nowhere, a disturbing thought crept into her mind.

Did he hate seeing her with another man?

The idea made her skin crawl. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong.

She wanted to believe it was all in her head, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t.

Every time she crossed paths with Hael, the young master’s expression twisted in the same way.

Why? For what reason?

So many questions flooded in.

What did it matter to him who she spoke to, or how often she met Hael’s eyes?

On top of that, she couldn’t forget the rumor that the brown-haired maid had been expelled.

She forced herself to look away from Hael.

And when she looked back, the young master was already standing there, as if nothing had happened.

His face had returned to that calm, composed expression he always wore.

It almost made her wonder if she had imagined the previous moment entirely.

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