Chapter 104: Making Mess-I

Elise felt bad and sorry for knocking the painting; worse perhaps she had ruined it. All the paintings were beautiful to her eyes and she didn't know if she had destroyed the one which seemed as if in the middle of the work. She didn't know what painting it was as it was covered by the white cloth but Ian seemed to be the one taking care of the painting she concluded from his words.

Ian left his finger fingers from her waist, taking one step back to have herself a breathable space, Elise felt her hands clammy. She looked down on the paintings and and the objects she had knocked. Lord please, thought Elise. The air felt awkward after the chaos she started. She didn't know what she should do or which items should she pick first. The brush? Or the wooden easel? Or the paints? Elise bent on her knees, her hands moved and halted, confused with the shock that electrified her mind to stop working for once.

She felt under Master Ian's gaze, she fell rooted to her spot. Was he angry? She didn't dare to look at him before she clean the mess as she had told him he would fix the mess. Her hands picked the brush when she felt the shadow created by his body doubled, turning her face, she saw him bringing the wooden easel by himself and setting it straight. Elise then went to pick the canvas where the white fabric that covered it had been splashed with paints.

"How should I punish you with this one?" asked Ian and Elise felt her throat dried in a second. She then saw him staring at the canvas she holds and she also looked down. What painting was this?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock the easel over." Elise apology turn to soft whispers in the room.

"You may not but you have done it out of carelessness. Not every mistakes is done because they intended to, carelessness is one of a mistake and punishment came after mistake." Her heart sank. What was the punishment? Ian reached his hand forward to take the canvas from her hand. She then saw him opened the cloth, from where Elise stood she can't see what was the painting was and she chose to read Ian's expression. He first gaze at it then his brows furrowed and her brows also knitted.

"You got the painting colors it didn't need to. How would you be able to fix this painting now, Elise? A wash or two wouldn't be able to fix this."

"But... Master Ian, you were the one who surprised me." she reasoned, not being able to keep the fact alone. Wasn't it a little unfair for him to surprise her the way he did?

Ian's smile appeared, grin stretching his lips and he hummed with his brows raised, "What am I hearing right now? Are you turning the blame on me and trying to weasel your way out of this, sweetheart?" He asked her and when he did, his step move forward. Elise took a step back but before her feet landed, she heard him saying, "No, Elise." His red eyes stopped at her steps, telling her not to take a step back and she kept her leg on the air. "Do you want to repeat the mistake you created?" He asked her.

Elise saw how that she was very near the wooden easel and she can't afford to knock it down again, "I'm not pushing the blame but I think it's not only my fault." she whispered at him, in her heart she wished he wouldn't take one step forward but Ian knows how to mess with her wishes.

"Even though the one who is now in disadvantage is me with my painting having a very unneeded colors here? Try to remember it again, sweetie. Did you took a step back because you were surprised by my sudden appearance or was it something else?"

Elise was surprised when she saw Ian coming unannounced to the gallery she jumped when she realized his appearance but she took a step back when she saw Ian's face. Both Ian and Elise noticed that it wasn't Ian's appearance that surprised her but because she had took a step back in need to breathe and Elise noticed it slower after he questioned her. Her lips pursed and she say, "You came suddenly without a knock." she said, not being able to keep quiet with nervousness riling in her nerves.

"Is there anyone who would knock on their own house? Everything inside the castle is mine, if you forgot." Ian had a point that was hard for Elise to reply back.

He was smart when it come to talk and it was even more so against Elise who was quieter in term of talking. But today, she had learned to speak in a casual manner to him. Seeing that the girl was able to talk back to him and played the blame to him. If he had to be frank, it was his fault for suddenly appearing but then again it was his house, appearing suddenly wasn't his fault. But Elise just had to take one step back when seeing him as if she was running away from him and Ian didn't like her doing that every time she met him.

"And for your information, I walk inside this room with a noise, it was you who didn't hear me coming in. You were so absorbed in watching me," he paused and then added, "I mean my portrait that you was out of your surrounding."

On his words, Elise felt her heart skipped. It was as if her secret admiration was know known and told to the corner of the land and blood rush to her face. Indeed, she was staring carefully on the portraits of Ian and perhaps she had forgot about her surrounding when she was doing so. She couldn't tell if it was but there was a few time where she would walk on the clouds, forgetting everything because Master Ian came to her mind.

What now? she asked herself.

"I'm sorry, Master Ian." she apologized, bowing her head again. Master Ian was correct, it was her fault. It may be Ian who came suddenly but she was the one who knocked the painting over and not him.

"If only apologize could help to fix this painting." he sighed, his voice lamenting while feigning a sad expression as he watch the painting on his hand. "The painter must be very in distress right now if he knows his painting had been ruined. Look at this large puddle of green color here in the middle of this girl's face. This would take a very hard work to make it disappear. I can't imagine how heartbroken the painter would be when seeing his painting turn to this."

Elise frowned, her brows furrowed at the news. The mess she made was worse then she thought! Elise couldn't see the painting from where she was, she didn't know where had the green paint Ian claimed that the painting was no suffering under. Was it that bad? She recalled how the white cloth was soaked with paint and was possible that the cloth wasn't able to withstand the color from seeping in, resulting to the paint to transfer over the canvas.