The Villain Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 9. End of story, new beginning (8)

Perhaps this is not a portrait, but a landscape painting.

He must have been painting a woman sitting in a flower field, but for some reason, only flowers were drawn in a pile.

‘Are my eyes finally gone?’

I never thought people would reach the point where they could be seen as flowers.

It seems that bean pods are really dangerous.

Moreover, even though he was aware that the bean pods were covered, he did not think of removing them, so there was no serious illness.

“Ludwig, have you finished drawing?”

“Oh, it will be over soon. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Emilia.”

“What is this? It’s good because it’s fun to anticipate how it will be drawn.”

Ludwig broke out in a cold sweat at her words, full of anticipation.

I tried my best with my lack of skills in others, but even looking at the cancer, I fell far short of the real thing.

‘Since I drew all of this, can I show it to you?’

Everyone has their own eyes when looking at a painting, but at least in his eyes, it was a very ugly painting.

At least, since the subject of the original version is so great, should I think that something like this came out?

“It is complete. Emilia, would you like to come over here and take a look?

“Yes, hold on.”

Emilia got up from her seat, gently brushed off the flower petals from her body, and came to his side after adjusting her clothes.

Ludwig’s heart thumped violently with each step she took.

I came out saying that I would draw with my own confidence, but I wonder if I did something useless.

Unaware of this uneasiness, Emilia arrived by his side before long.

As he put his hands behind his back and poked his head out over the easel, his own image drawn on the canvas caught his eye.

“Wow… … !”

An involuntary springing of elasticity.

As such, the work completed by his hands was of a considerable level.

To the point where you could tell that even Emilia, who had a black eye for painting, was good at drawing.

In the canvas, the figure of Emilia sitting on a flower field was drawn while excluding the surrounding scenery considerably, and the realistic description and the dreamy atmosphere that can only be felt in the painting aroused admiration.

‘But what kind of butterfly is that?’

However, since there was a question, there were several butterflies drawn that did not even fly around him.

In addition, it seemed that he was more beautiful than he had imagined himself to be.

I am grateful that I drew it beautifully, but thinking that it was reflected in his eyes like this made me feel embarrassed for some reason.

“Lu, this is how I look in Ludwig’s eyes.”

The inner meaning of her words was ‘I look so pretty in your eyes.’

He nodded his head firmly and opened his mouth with a face like that of a conqueror begging for forgiveness from his lord.

“Yes. Actually, I wanted to make use of Emilia’s beauty more, but… My ability is so low that I can only express it like this.”

“… Yeah?”

Is this man aware of what he is talking about?

Emilia doubted her ears for a moment, wondering if she had heard her wrong, but looking at his serious face, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“I tried to draw a butterfly to add a flower-like feeling to Emilia, but it seems that this is not enough.”

“Oh no! You’re already pretty enough… … !”

Emilia was sure.

It is clear that this man wants to disgrace himself.

Of course, I’m grateful for being considered pretty, but isn’t that the norm?

Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to use such a vocabulary even though it was said without adding or subtracting.

“I’m glad you caught Emilia’s eyes. Actually, I was very worried.”

“I think it is a skill that you can have enough confidence in. Unlike my mother, I am unfamiliar with art, but… It is a very nice picture.”

Perhaps if his mother had been here, she would have highly appreciated his paintings, using all sorts of colorful vocabulary.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability to do that, but I wanted to give the maximum praise to the picture he drew with care.

“I want to show off this picture to my mother. He must be cheering for Ludwig to draw him too.”

“Thank you, but it is also difficult. So far, I’ve only been able to draw portraits of about three people… I don’t think it’s enough to show it to Mrs. Julia.”

“Three?”

Even with this level of skill, I could only draw three paintings.

Of course, he could have sharpened his drawing skills while looking at statues, but even taking this into account, it was surprising.

“Yes. Except for her parents, Emilia is the first. I was very shy to show my skills to others, so I seldom tried to draw someone.”

“How amazing. Have you never drawn Miss Sophia or Paula?”

It wasn’t a particularly bony word, it was just a question I asked out of curiosity.

Because he already knew that he had a deep friendship with Sophia, and that he had a bond with Paula that went beyond an ordinary master-servant relationship.

“There is not. Sofia once asked me to draw in an oblique way, but I pretended not to know.”

“It’s a big deal for Ludwig.”

Given his personality of taking care of others and liking to do something for him, he might have drawn him at least once, but he is the first other than his parents.

I was happy, but at the same time, a small question arose.

Why did I want to draw only me?

It would not have been a problem even if he erased the request that he had given excessively at that time to the other side of his memory.

‘Even I forgot about it.’

When I take my eyes off the canvas and look at him, I tilt my head as if I have something to say.

“Ludwig, may I ask why you drew me?”

“I didn’t expect to suddenly ask why. Although it’s not huge… … .”

You don’t have to be grandiose.

I just want to hear your sincerity.

“I just wanted to show Emilia my lack of skills. That’s all.”

“… is that so.”

There were a lot of things I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t bring myself to say them.

It’s still a little early.

In order to win the bet with you, I can’t put these words into my mouth right now.

“Anyway, thank you so much, Ludwig. It is the best gift ever.”

“I’m glad.”

Without recognizing the meaning of each other’s laughter, the man and woman left the magic garden behind and moved on.

By the time I had just left Benzerus Street, it was mid-winter, and the sun had gone down early.

And only the whitish white moonlight that appeared before I knew it was welcoming the two of them.

The time has come to finish the day slowly.

Emilia held Ludwig’s hand and smiled knowingly or not.

* * * * * * *

Using the little time left until the fireworks display, the two finished dinner and left the restaurant.

Originally, this was where Georg was supposed to serve a meal.

However, because Ludwig refused, it was all over, but he hinted at his name, saying that it would be fine later, so let’s go together.

“I don’t know how it was for Emilia’s taste.”

“It was very delicious. It seems like the place Prince Rahethofen told me about.”

Since it was Georg’s recommendation, I expected it to be a splendid restaurant, but it just wasn’t like that.

It’s a place that competes only with the taste of the food.

The interior and decoration were not flashy, but the taste was satisfactory, so the two were able to finish the meal with a smile on their faces.

“Now the question is where to watch the fireworks.”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry. Because I am stitching it.”

Emilia shrugged her shoulders with a dignified face and replied.

It was quite refreshing for Ludwig, as she hadn’t shown this level of confidence many times.

“Then, can I just follow Emilia this time?”

“of course. Trust me and follow me.”

This is the place that I marked in advance when the schedule for the day was decided.

There is no place more suitable than that place to achieve one’s longing. because I was so sure

“I hope the fireworks don’t end on the way.”

“It will be fine. It is not far from here.”

When Ludwig showed signs of nervousness while looking at the considerably darkened sky, she calmed him down by carefully holding his hand.

Behavior that has become natural.

Even though they were holding each other’s hands, there was no sympathy or embarrassment between the two as before.

Only a pleasant excitement lingers in the corner of my heart.

“Can you tell me in advance which place it is?”

“Whoops, what should I do? It’s okay to let them know, but I also want to see Ludwig curious.”

“this.”

I forgot. The fact that this person is a woman who likes to make fun of herself more than anyone else.

When he noticed the nuance that he would not let her know lightly, Ludwig began to think of what to do to appease her.

“You can hear the sound of your head rolling from here? Do you want to know that?”

“Kuhm… Curiosity can’t help it.”

I wish I hadn’t heard beforehand. It was an inescapable human instinct to become curious after hearing something.

This isn’t just your problem. After rationalizing it like that, Ludwig avoided her gaze and muttered an excuse.

“Cook cook, I know. I meant to tell you anyway, so don’t be so downhearted.”

After appeasing him in a relaxed tone, Emilia immediately opened her mouth about her destination.

“The place we are going to is a place called ‘the hill where the sun rises’.”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. Is it a famous place?”

Emilia shook her head softly.

It was a place that even people who had lived here for decades, let alone famous, would not know.

“Actually, the name ‘The Hill Where The Sun Rises’ was coined by my parents. On the surface, it’s just an ordinary garden that might be common in a village.”

“That means it’s not a place.”

“Yes. They say they’ve seen the sun rise there, even though it’s only in the west, so they seem to be calling it that.”

If so, at least it meant there was little chance of being swept away by the crowd.

The lively and lively atmosphere of the festival was good, but it was good news for Ludwig, who wanted to spend the end of the day quietly with the two of them.

“Perhaps Sir Stefan and Lady Julia saw the fireworks there too.”

Emilia’s eyes widened at the words he spat out.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even thought about it until now.

Since it’s a place I’ve been to several times in my childhood, I thought it was the perfect place to watch fireworks, so I just kept it in my head.

“Iknow, right. Shall we ask when we return to the mansion?”

“If you’ve ever seen it, it must be astonishing.”

“Maybe. Because they are the ones who always went around avoiding the eyes of others.”

If the speculation turns out to be true, it seems like a strange feeling.

It would be like starting the day together at the coffee shop where your parents secretly met when they were dating, and ending the day on a hill full of their memories.

Emilia lifted the hand she was holding onto and brought it up to her face.

Then he tilted his head and threw a joke at him.

“You must still have the strength to go up the hill, right?”

“Even if you don’t have it, shouldn’t you exert the strength you used to suck on? How much did you expect?”

“Ludwig is like a child at times like this.”

Would it be so much fun to see the fireworks?

Emilia thought it was cute to see her twinkling eyes like a child watching a shooting star.

However, on the other hand, it felt like I was waiting for the fireworks display, so I was left with a sense of regret.

I’m more looking forward to being with someone I like than fireworks.

Of course there are other reasons too.

I couldn’t help but smile just imagining what would happen in a moment.

“Why are you laughing so much? Emilia.”

“I want to decide the outcome of the bet.”

“Hmm, it’s already difficult to put on a winner’s expression. I assure you, the results Emilia expects will not come out.”

His boastful face was as determined as when he rejected her invitation to dance with him.

‘What will it be like?’

I could make you open your mouth right away if you wanted to, but I’ll put it off for a while.

The condition of the bet was whether or not you would make a surprised face while watching the fireworks together.

He was not foolish enough to abandon the great precepts because of a moment of delusion.

‘Look forward to it, Ludwig.’

I’ll drink the victor’s rice wine to my heart’s content and tease you.