The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 188

His eyes took on a serious look as he continued.

“Last time, I mentioned that the artists supported by the Delphinium Fund all seem to develop similar painting styles, didn’t I?”

“…You did.”

“I found out they all continue painting in their original styles.”

“Then you’re saying all those artists have two styles?”

“There are artists with multiple styles. But it’s strange that their paintings all start to look alike as soon as they receive funding.”

“That’s true…”

“When artists have similar styles, it’s usually because they studied under the same teacher. If not, it’s because they’re the same person. It’s generally one of the two.”

And the frequency of exhibitions is quite high as well.

But suspicious pieces appearing under different names at every exhibition?

“That’s why I started to suspect that perhaps the same workshop is churning out lookalike paintings, passing them off as works of the fund’s artists.”

“That’s fraud, isn’t it?”

Surely this isn’t a case of a nameless painter selling their works at a high price using a famous name?

“If our suspicions are correct, then yes.”

That foundation must be up to all sorts of things.

Could they really be selling forgeries?

“In any case, I hope this information was helpful to you, Madam.”

“It was more than helpful. I’d been planning to ask you about it today… I’m grateful you looked into it ahead of time.”

Henry’s eyes softened into a gentle curve.

“You’re practically my benefactor, Madam.”

“Hm?”

Ash is the one funding him, so why is she the one being thanked…?

“It’s thanks to your attendance at my family’s ball that I was able to receive sponsorship from Duke Bayern. If not for that, I would have already given up painting by now.”

No, even without me, you would’ve gone on to succeed as a court painter in a few months…

‘I mean, I offered to sponsor you for financial reasons, but…’

Nina felt a twinge of guilt as Henry stood there, sincerely believing she had helped him purely out of kindness.

“Oh, by the way, the painting you made at the hunting festival—”

Just then.

Bang!

The glass door of the greenhouse burst open.

“What are you two talking about?”

Ash approached with the sharp tension of a cat bristling its fur and sat beside her, asking curtly.

“…Nothing much. More importantly, what brings you here at this hour?”

It wasn’t tea time, and it was still working hours… Why had he come here with such a sharp attitude?

“I had some business to attend to with that over there.”

Over there?

If ‘over there’ meant Henry…

Ash looked directly at Henry and said,

“If it’s about your artwork or the sponsorship, weren’t you supposed to talk to me?”

He must’ve assumed Henry had come to discuss the sponsorship again.

Well, technically, Henry was receiving the sponsorship under the Bayern name, and all related discussions were supposed to go through Ash.

“Oh, I didn’t come today to talk about the sponsorship. I had something else to say to the Madam…”

“You had something else to say to her?”

Ash’s voice, as he repeated the words, was high-handed and sharp, clearly demanding an explanation.

Nina frowned slightly at the increasingly oppressive atmosphere.

No matter the power dynamic, wasn’t this behavior a bit rude?

“What could you possibly have to discuss with my wife?”

“Ah, well, I wasn’t sure if I could say…”

As Ash bristled with hostility, Henry looked to her for help, visibly flustered.

It wasn’t about the sponsorship. She had invited him as a personal guest to ask some questions.

‘If I’d known Ash would react this way, I should’ve asked for his understanding in advance…’

“Honey, let’s talk later. I’ll explain everything then.”

It wasn’t like she had anything to hide from Ash, but it wasn’t something she could spill in front of Henry either. It was better to speak privately.

“…Alright.”

Ash closed his mouth, looking reluctant.

‘Still, isn’t it odd for a sponsor to interfere with private appointments, too?’

Why was he so angry?

Nina looked at Ash, who was clearly more upset than necessary, with suspicion… then suddenly realized.

With Ash’s stormy mood bearing down on them, a tense look had spread across Henry’s face.

‘No, wait. You can’t be creating a fearful atmosphere for the future court painter!’

“It looks like it’s your work hours right now, but we weren’t talking about sponsorship stuff, so don’t worry and head back for now.”

Nina gently pushed Ash out of the greenhouse.

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