The subtle, almost imperceptible, gazes of the observers are explained in these paintings, but beyond that, the strange fire that occurred in the corridor must also be related to the person in front of us.

"sorry……"

His pupils, washed clean by tears, shone with a translucent luster, clinging precariously to his pale, thin chin, even the corners of his eyes tinged with a pale red. Even as he wept, every movement he made was as elegant as a painting, captivating and mesmerizing.

He seemed unwilling to let Willy see his face, sobbing as he covered his face with his hands, muttering words of apology, but his voice was broken and drifting in the air.

"..."

I feel like I've become the bad guy.

With his eyebrows slightly lowered, Vili pouted unhappily.

"you……"

Just then, taking advantage of his slight relaxation, Leisen's figure turned into black mist and suddenly disappeared into the air, even taking away a few paintings from the vicinity.

Willie fell forward, but managed to brace himself with his hands and slowly stood up.

Staring at the empty room, he remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a cold laugh.

The system was now completely silent, as still as a chicken.

But Willy didn't even glance at the other paintings on the floor and walked straight out of the bedroom.

"Su... host..."

"Don't be angry... I'll start scanning right now and I'll definitely help you find that person's trail!"

"Need not."

Surprisingly, Willy rejected its offer very quickly.

"I prefer to catch disobedient mice with my own hands."

If anyone is to blame, it's his own greed.

Even though he can barely take care of himself, he's still thinking about these paintings.

As Vili's fingertips touched each sheet of paper... he had already left his magic on them.

It was originally just a precaution, but I never expected it to actually come in handy.

The boy walked at a leisurely pace, heading towards the rooms deep within the castle with a clear goal in mind, leaving behind the lit candles one by one.

Finally, he stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary door, but instead of rushing in, he put his ear close and silently counted.

one two three.

Then, he pushed open the door.

The house was empty.

The strong smell of paint, mixed with the faint scent of wooden frames, is overwhelming and can even make you feel dizzy if you smell it for too long.

This was probably an art studio, completely dark, with even the narrow window boarded up tightly, creating a gloomy and unsettling atmosphere.

Vili gently closed the door. The vampire's vision was unobstructed in the darkness, and he stood there and looked around.

Paintings are everywhere—on the walls, the floor, the tables—and the main subject is undoubtedly...

Unlike the paper paintings that are closer to sketches, these richly colored oil paintings are extremely well-finished. Not only are the colors vibrant, but upon closer inspection, even the boy's fine eyelashes are painted with remarkable clarity, almost as if they can be felt breathing.

As Vili made his movement, they seemed to look over as well, blinking slightly.

"..."

Doesn't he get tired of always painting the same pictures?

Thinking this, Willy's gaze swept over the messy pile of painting tools and finally stopped on the canvas in the center of the room.

The painting was much larger than the others, covered by a cloth, and stood upright. When he got closer, he realized it was the same height as him, not a fraction different.

Willie had no regard for the homeowner's privacy and ripped the obstruction to the ground without hesitation.

As expected, this is also a portrait.

The boy in the painting stares straight out of the frame, his index finger lightly touching his lips, his mouth flattened, his face expressionless.

Strangely, although it looks no different from other paintings, "he" did not give Willy the same feeling of looking in a mirror; it was cold and lifeless.

Or rather... this is the normal thing?

The click of the doorknob being pressed down rang out, and light poured in. Seeing Willie turn around, Lesson stood there, stunned, clutching the sketches he had picked up.

At that moment, the boy's face overlapped with the figure in the painting behind him.

The precious papers were scattered all over the floor. Leisen tried to run away as before, but suddenly felt a strong force behind him, which pushed him into the studio and made him fall to the ground.

At the same time, the heavy door slammed shut with a loud bang, startling him.

Light, cat-like footsteps sounded, and sharp claws emerged from the paw pads, allowing Vili to firmly pin down the venomous snake.

...But despite its vibrant appearance, perhaps it isn't poisonous?

He started crying again.

Tears fell to the ground, wetting the drawing.

As if reminded by the subtle sound, he hurriedly picked up the paper, only to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that it hadn't revealed the boy's face.

Vili watched his movements quietly, then slowly squatted down, tilting his head to try and meet his gaze, but was met with averted eye contact.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked curiously.

"..."

There are many people in this world who love him, but there are also many who hate him.

But he rarely saw someone like Leisen.

The two of them had never met before, had they?

He didn't speak, and Willy didn't seem to mind. Instead, he casually picked up a sketch from the ground. Meeting Lysen's tense gaze, he didn't "harm" it as before, but simply used it to attract the man's attention.

"You were the one who started the fire in the castle before, weren't you?"

The topic didn't seem to touch on the painter's sore spots; his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he agreed in a low voice.

"Why?"

"..."

“Those servants are talking about their master without permission…it’s disrespectful.” His voice was a little hoarse.

"They're talking badly about you?"

Leisen remained silent, as if tacitly agreeing.

“Then setting them on fire won’t do any good.” Wei tapped his cheek with his finger. “They’ll just feel unlucky that they suddenly caught fire, but they won’t realize their mistake.”

"With your status, you could simply step in and reprimand them, or tell Deville."

"But you didn't choose any of them."

"You should have been awake for almost half a month now, but I have never seen you in the castle."

The castle was indeed large, but not so large that two people living there would never run into each other.

"Seriously—"

He drew out the sound, suddenly moved closer to Leisen, looked at his suddenly shrinking pupils, and leaned back against the door.

"You're not actually afraid of me, you're afraid of everyone, aren't you?"

"Even when they paint my portrait, they have to choose to do it through peeping..."

He thought to himself that he knew how to punish the person in front of him.

Vili stood up, and as if in retaliation, his figure transformed into a cloud of black mist, just like Leisen had before, leaving only his final command in the air.

I want to see you at the restaurant tomorrow.

Long after he left, Leisen finally moved his stiff body, slowly picking up all the drawings on the ground, gathering them in his arms, and closing his eyes to smell the faint scent left by Vili.

...It's not fear.