Chapter 40: We Make Mistakes, Just Happy Little Accidents (2)

“Hey kid, how much are you selling your paint set for?”

I asked as soon as I walked up to the kid. I had two gold coins in my hand ready to give to him the moment he said yes, I’m not taking no for an answer.

“Eh? Ah, er…”

“Appreciate it kid.”

At my sudden offer the kid was flabbergasted and couldn’t communicate properly. So taking this chance to get the paint set, I swiftly picked up the canvas and brushes, tossed him the two coins and said to him with a smirk.

“W-what? Hey, mister!”

Ignoring the shouts of the kid as he tries to get my attention, I continue walking with Mary in tow and disappear into the ever busy crowd.

“Master, what are you trying to do exactly?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean that lately you’ve been acting strange. And not your usual pervert strange either. You’ve been going into the city more often and staying out more late as well… Could it be that you’re seeing another woman!”

Coming to her own conclusion, Mary said surprised  she even started to mumble something like “I must inform Ms. Alice…”

…What has Alice been telling Mary to do? I’m getting a little curious and scared.

But more importantly…

“Oi, what do you mean ”usual pervert strange”? Are you saying I’m strange for wanting to try and steal a look at my maid’s ass?”

“It’s completely strange. In fact it’s sexual harrassment!”

“Hmph! Say that when I actually get to see what’s under there. Anyways, the reason I’m out here is because I’m doing his majesty a favor?”

“A favor?”

“Yeah. As for what it is, sorry. I can’t tell you. That’s on a need to know basis.”

I said to Mary in a somewhat stern tone before she could ask why. As the saying goes, all good lies have a hint of the truth within them. It’s better to give her an inkling of what I’m doing than to have her come up with wild conjectures like she was doing earlier.

My instincts told me that it was for the best!

“...I understand. I won’t ask any further questions.”

“Why so downcast? While it’s on a need to know basis, it’s not necessarily important. If it was, I’m pretty sure you and everyone else would’ve known about it by now. So cheer up. If it makes you feel any better you can help me with something.”

“And what’s that?”

Putting my newly acquired canvas and paint set down and setting it up in a practiced manner, I looked at her and answered her question with a smile.

“Be my first customer.”

***

“I only have to endure a little more.”

I told myself as I watered the flowers in the garden. It’s been close to three months since I first came here to the Yulstein estate, and of those three months, the past eight weeks have been hell for me.

I somehow ‘caught’ Milord’s eye.

I didn’t think about it at first. I thought it meant I was being recognized for my hard work as a servant of the estate, but it turned out I was wrong. The peculiar stares I received from the knights guarding Milord’s bedroom and from the head maid and butler told me even more so.

…What happened that day shall forever be a stain on my life.

Some may say it’s a small price to pay for living a life of luxury but I don’t know if I can take it anymore. It was tolerable in the beginning but now, it gets wilder and wilder every time.

If this keeps up, I might end up dying just like the rest.

Should I run away?

No, if I was to attempt to run away, Milord would have his men kill me in order to keep his secret. And if I was to die, nobody would mourn my death anyways.  

I have no relatives here. 

My parents died in the war over a decade ago due to starvation. They were model parents because they gave their very last to ensure my survival. 

At the time, I thanked them for that, but now… I don’t know.

“...”

I then stare at the hedge clippers the gardeners use.

“Alright, who’s next?”

“Me! I’m next.”

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All of a sudden, I hear voices coming from over the estate wall. It was quite the commotion. Feeling curious, I exited the garden and followed the sound of voices until I saw the source of the commotion. I didn’t have to worry about getting in trouble since I’ve obtained a special status in return for my efforts.

“Okay, then stand right there. If you want to pose, please don’t hesitate to do so.”

It was a young man around his twenties and a young girl in her teens. With a merchant’s smile on their faces, they gathered customers by the dozen. 

I get closer and blend in with the crowd. I got stares of amazement due to my butler uniform but I ignored them and steadily waded my way to the front.

“However, please note that once you take a pose, you cannot change mid way. Got it?”

“I understand. I-is this good?”

A man with a balding head and a gut said nervously. He put his hands on his hips and struck a confident pose.

“Okay. Sit back and watch a master at work! Oh, and as a reminder, no refunds.”

Smiling, the young man said as he mixed paint together on his mixing board. He allowed customers to stand behind him as he began to paint. If one was to only hear his words, they’d chalk it up as arrogance. However, after seeing the beautiful painting of the girl that was next to him being proudly broadcasted to the rest of the world, I can see that his words were not false bravado but were for a fact true.

After around ten minutes of painting…

“Woah! Amazing! It’s a wonderful piece of art!”

“He did it so fast too!”

“That was spectacular! How come I never heard of him before?”

Compliments from all sides were being thrown.

“S-sir, can I see the painting?”

The customer who was posing for the portrait said in a nervous but excited fashion. It seemed the compliments from the surroundings gave him high expectations for the finished product.

“Sure. here you go.”

The young man then shows him his portrait. While the man who requested this painting didn’t have the best of looks, with the handy work of the artist, he managed to come out looking better than before.

The balding, slightly overweight man now had a full head of hair and his hanging gut was now replaced with muscles. 

If one was to first see the painting and then look at the actual person in the painting after, I’m confident that they’ll think they're two different people.

I know I would!

“It’s beautiful! Oh, thank you sir!”

The man said with tears in his eyes. It seems the painting gave him a confidence boost.

“No problem, my guy. All in a day's work. Now payment please.”

The young man puts out his hand, waiting for his payment.

“A-are you sure? Is three coppers really enough? I feel like it should be worth more than that. It’s at least two gold coins.”

The man said as he paid the young man, his comment drew the agreement of many others around us including myself. If he wanted, he could sell his paintings to nobles or even royalty and live a life of luxury. 

Taking his money, the young man replied to his answer with a shrug.

“If I wanted to do this for money, yeah, I could’ve charged you a couple of gold coins. But if I did that, I wouldn’t have been able to experience life.You see, I’ve come from a small village out in the west and there was hardly anyone there for me to make new acquaintances with. I knew everyone there but because I knew everyone there doesn’t mean I had any friends. No kid my age was interested in arts but rather they wanted to be either farmers or adventurers. So, in order to have brand new experiences and find like minded individuals, I chose to roam the lands. I’ve gone through towns, I’ve been through villages, I’ve been through cities, and I’ve been through capitals. And with each passing, I’ve learned new things. And with each new thing I learned, I applied it to my artwork. I want you to experience what I’ve been through, even if it’s just a small fraction. Therefore, despite the chance of me possibly selling my arts for chests of gold coin, I will not. For life is art and experience is its paintbrush… Now, the next customer. You!”

The young man suddenly points in my direction. 

I looked around to see who exactly was he pointing at.

“Oi, the person that’s looking around all crazy like.”

“Eh? Me?”

I said surprised.

“Yes, you. Come here  you’ve got a butler’s uniform on so I’m assuming you’re from one of the surrounding estates. I always wanted to paint a butler so the moment I saw you, I wasn't gonna give you up. So don’t be shy and come up here.”

“...Okay.”

After thinking for a moment, I agreed and stepped in front of the canvas.

What harm could it do? In fact, if I can get a painting from him and then recommend this guy to Milord, I might be able to use him as a replacement. With his art skills it should be no problem.

It’s a devilish thing to do but in order to escape that hell with the least chance of getting killed, I’m willing to involve an innocent person into this.

So, I’m sorry in advance! I hope you can please forgive me! 

***

Author’s note

- pulled this one out my ass. Enjoy the chappy! ????

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