Kyra pursed her lower lip and looked at the canvas she was working on. Then, furrowing her brow, she frustratingly tousled her hair.
It had been a week since Britia first visited Scanders.
“It’s too much to do every day!”
Despite complaining like that, Britia had come here every day. Thanks to her, Kyra was able to observe her and gradually draw conclusions.
However, when she concentrated on the lines she drew and stepped back to look at them, she felt no sense of satisfaction, only an overwhelming sense of displeasure. Despite drawing numerous sketches for a week, she couldn’t find a single one that she was satisfied with.
But it wasn’t as if she could spend eternity just sketching. Two days ago, Britia received an invitation, and in three days, they had to meet the prince.
Among the sketches that she didn’t like, Kyra had no choice but to pick the least unpleasant one and start adding color to it.
“This isn’t it.”
Since Britia left yesterday afternoon, she had saved time for neither eating nor sleeping. And yet, the more she painted, the worse it became.
What kind of reaction would she receive if she showed this to the prince?
The person who would become the owner of this painting had praised her for consistently drawing well, but Kyra was certain it was because she rarely had the opportunity to see truly good paintings.
“If I hear harsh criticism, I’ll know just how terrible my painting is.”
Kyra’s vision blurred at the thought of the only person who praised her paintings turning cold and distant. She clenched her fists, looking down at her cold hands. Even cold sweat had started to form.
At that moment, the front door creaked open. Without even confirming the visitor, she knew who it was. Britia always came at this time.
“I was taking a break. I’ll definitely finish it today…”
As she spoke, almost making excuses, the scent of alcohol brushed against the tip of Kyra’s nose.
‘Had Britia ever come after drinking?’
Surprised, Kyra quickly turned her head, and her face twisted. The visitor, a tall man with red hair, approached her, holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand.
“Rutherford.”
He was the eldest son of the Scandars family, the man Kyra despised the most in the world, and the thief who often sneaked into her house and brazenly stole things.
“I heard you’d be away on the estate for a while. Why did you come?”
In a hurry, Kyra covered the painting with a cloth and sharply asked. In response, Rutherford chuckled and placed the bottle he was holding on the table, then grabbed the cloth and forcefully threw it aside.
“Are you still painting this garbage?”
Kyra couldn’t stop him. He kicked the canvas with his foot, knocking it over, and began stomping on it with his boots.
“If you have no talent and no money, at least know your place.”
Unable to push him away from his insane actions, Kyra flinched. His words struck deep into her chest, as she was already in the depths of despair due to her lack of ability.
“I know my place, that‘s why I’m here alone, painting. Why did you come to pick a fight?”
Unable to deny the words of having no talent, Kyra stiffened her gaze and spoke. In response, Rutherford stepped on the canvas and sneered.
“I heard you have some visitors these days. I came to see what kind of person would come to this small and dirty place.”
Kyra’s head went cold at the mention of meeting Britia.
“Don‘t concern yourself with my visitors and leave. If you’re bored, go meet that woman for whom you steal my necklaces and earrings and offer them to her.”
Saying so, Kyra threw one of the necklaces that was on the table at him. Rutherford’s face, which had been enjoying stepping on the canvas, hardened instantly.
Rutherford‘s palm slapped Kyra’s cheek.
“You mock me despite knowing everything?”
Unable to avoid the sudden attack, Kyra staggered and sank to the floor.
“You brought this upon yourself, didn’t you? You knew I liked that woman, and yet you approached Harty with arrogance.”
Her ears were ringing, and Kyra couldn’t hear his words clearly. But she could tell that he was extremely angry at the moment and was about to take it out on her. He had always been like that.
“I told you to live crushed without interfering in my life. But you dare to provoke me like this?”
Kyra still couldn’t fully comprehend what he was saying. But the words “woman” and “Harty” clearly resonated in her mind. That alone was enough to understand why he was so enraged.
“You‘re such a pathetic sight. What’s so great about someone who can’t even properly control their own body?”
“I may look disheveled, but what makes you so great, unable to even control your own body properly?”
Kyra felt dizzy as if her pronunciation was slipping. Still, she raised the corners of her mouth to mock him with all her might.
“What’s there to like about you more than Harty?”
“Shut up.”
“Even if Harty were to die right now, he’s still better than you.”
“I warned you, Kyra. Do you want to die?”
“What woman in this world would like you? Don‘t go out and babble about who you find attractive. Don’t leave a trauma in those women’s lives.”
A glint appeared in Rutherford’s eyes as he reached out to grab Kyra. She barely managed to evade his hand and grabbed the leg of the chair she had been sitting on, throwing it at him. Then she dashed up the stairs, trying to escape.
“Ugh!”
However, Rutherford, who was intoxicated and driven by pain, was faster. He grabbed Kyra by the back of her clothes and flung her to the ground.
Kyra struggled to free her face and jaw from Rutherford’s hand, pressing down on her.
“You‘ve gotten arrogant after I’ve been coming to see you lately.”
“Ruther, ford, uh, ah.”
“Damn it. Beg until I say it‘s enough. Swear that you’ll never again rebel against the eldest son of this household.”
“Ah, ah…!”
His grip tightened around Kyra’s throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. She glanced wearily at the ruined painting with the corner of her eye.
The opportunity she had tried to grasp had completely slipped away, and she was infuriated by the sight of herself being held in the hands she had tried to escape from. It had been just a week since she had received the joy and excitement of her first compliment on her painting. It felt so distant.
‘I thought my life was finally getting better. Well, apparently not.’
Kyra felt her mind growing blank and stopped resisting. After all, he wouldn’t really kill her. He just wanted to subdue her, so if she stopped rebelling, he would soon give up too.
Resigned and depleted of strength, when she heard a sharp sound, the grip around her throat that had been holding her loosened.
“Kyra!”
Her vision was blurred, so she couldn’t see clearly, but someone was urgently calling her. Kyra coughed weakly and blinked her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Perhaps because her mind was blank, the woman holding a broken bottle seemed to emit a radiance. Had a goddess come to her rescue, unable to bear Rutherford any longer?
“Say something. It’s me, Britia.”
Kyra’s hazy sight gradually cleared.
“Kyra!”
Britia urged Kyra, who was staring blankly at her without responding. She must have examined her condition, but Britia couldn’t take her eyes off the man she had just knocked down, afraid that he might get up.
“Did you faint?”
Britia grew anxious when Kyra didn’t respond despite her continuous calls. Something must have gone wrong, and it seemed like a dire situation.
Britia swallowed her saliva and cautiously approached Rutherford, prodding him with her foot. Seeing that he didn’t move, he seemed completely unconscious.
“Why aren’t you answering? Did you lose consciousness with your eyes open?”
When Kyra and the vacant gaze met, she let out a relieved breath.
“I told you to fix the doorknob. But he said thieves usually come, and he didn’t even listen!”
She didn’t suspect that the man she had just knocked out was a thief.
“I’ll call someone. No, before that, if the thief wakes up, it’ll be a big problem, so let’s tie him up for now…”
Britia’s eyes were busy searching for something that could be used to restrain the man. Kyra stared blankly at the fallen Rutherford. Her scattered mind was gradually returning.
“This man isn’t a thief.”
Britia, who found a rope under the table, turned to Kyra.
“He’s Rutherford Scandars. He’s my brother, for now.”
Britia‘s mouth hung open, frozen in the act of trying to tie up the thief’s arms and legs. She quickly looked back and forth between Rutherford and Kyra. It belatedly dawned on her that the two had similar hairstyles.
“Oh my goodness. I didn’t know he was your brother…”
‘Wait. Did I just knock out Kyra’s brother with a bottle?’
Unlike Kyra‘s tail with scales, Rutherford’s tail had fur, something Britia could not bear to think about.
“You don‘t have to apologize. You saved my life by knocking this human’s head. He’s my enemy.”
Kyra coldly looked down at the unconscious Rutherford and staggered to her feet from her wobbly position. Then she reached out and grabbed a canvas.
“I stepped on it so ignorantly. I can’t use it anymore.”
She tried to speak nonchalantly, but Kyra’s face was empty as if she had lost all hope.
Britia didn’t know what to say, so her lips merely trembled. She knew better than anyone just how hard Kyra had worked on her painting.
However, the canvas was so damaged, rough and uneven, that it would be difficult to draw on it again.
“Don‘t just stand there like that. Let’s go back quickly.”
As Britia hesitated, searching for words of comfort, Kyra spoke.
“When Rutherford wakes up, there will surely be chaos.”
While Britia agreed to leave this place before that happened, Kyra’s words felt somewhat strange to her.
“What about the painting?”
In this situation, it was difficult to calmly paint. However, there were only three days left until she was supposed to meet the Crown Prince. She should start painting again immediately, but for some reason, Kyra seemed resigned.
“Now that this human has returned home, we should consider it impossible.”
Unless some absurd miracle happened and Rutherford remained unconscious for three whole days. Unless that happened, there was no way he would let her repaint the picture.
“So, you’re giving up? After working so hard on it?”
In response to Kyra‘s incredulous reaction, she opened her eyes wide and glared at her. The situation had occurred solely because of Rutherford’s actions; Britia was blameless. She had actually saved her. However, Kyra’s emotions, already enveloped in despair and anger, easily turned towards Britia.
“Do you think I’m giving up because I want to?”
Kyra raised her voice, her face flushed, and started to confront Britia.
“You should know better than anyone else how the Scandars household works, to the point where you can‘t pretend you haven’t seen all this.”
Until just now, she had thought Kyra was grateful. Humans were truly cunning creatures.
“To come to someone who was quietly painting and start a pointless argument, turning things into this mess. What am I supposed to do here?”
As the end drew near, Kyra’s voice trembled, and in the end, it became sharp, as if she were using her fangs.
Britia looked at Kyra with surprised eyes, and then her eyes lit up as if she had made a decision.
“Let’s go to our house.”
Britia sat down and lifted Kyra, who was sitting down and glaring at her.
