* * *
“Good day.”
“Hello. I look forward to working with you.”
As the middle-aged man greeted him politely, Lowell turned away from the window where Grey was visible and walked toward the door, extending his hand for a handshake.
The man quickly bowed several times before taking Lowell’s hand.
“My name is Taylor. I will be teaching you how to paint starting today.”
Lowell glanced at Felix, who stood behind him.
Felix had taken a long time selecting an art teacher—his criteria had been extremely strict.
At first, he was just looking for someone highly skilled.
But when Felix started rejecting candidates left and right, more and more conditions were added.
First, the teacher couldn’t be an Alpha.
That was a fairly common requirement, so people accepted it without question.
Next, they couldn’t be unmarried—regardless of gender, age, or personality, being single was an automatic disqualification.
That’s when people started thinking the requirements were excessive.
However, Felix, convinced that Lowell was attractive enough to charm even married people, added the final, outrageous condition: no teachers under fifty.
Originally, he had insisted on hiring only women over sixty with exceptional skill, but since it was impossible to find someone matching those criteria near Nix, he had to lower the bar.
‘So that’s how this man ended up here.’
Having heard the entire process, Lowell unintentionally scrutinized Taylor before realizing his rudeness and feeling embarrassed.
“I may be lacking, but I’ll do my best.”
Lowell smiled warmly, his eyes curving in an affectionate arc.
Taylor, momentarily captivated, quickly straightened up when he caught sight of Felix’s sharp gaze, his arms crossed.
“Will Your Grace be observing the lessons?”
“N-No, he’ll be leaving soon. Right, Felix?”
Taylor, voice almost a whisper, asked hesitantly.
Sensing his unease, Lowell waved a hand and turned to Felix.
Felix rubbed his forehead before nodding.
“I’ll step out, but nothing improper should happen.”
Even after setting such strict standards, it seemed Felix couldn’t fully ease his worries.
Once he left, Taylor let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Young Master, please make sure His Grace knows that I have only ever loved one Beta woman in my entire life. I am an utterly devoted man who has never strayed even once.”
With a sigh, Lowell lowered his head, unable to meet Taylor’s gaze.
“I’ll be sure to pass along the message.”
“Ahem. Well then, shall we start by assessing your current skill level? I need to see your work before I can guide you properly.”
“Of course.”
Taylor took out various materials and placed a bowl of fruit on the table.
He planned to gauge Lowell’s ability through a still-life drawing.
‘This is nothing.’
It was the most basic of basic exercises.
Smiling, Lowell confidently picked up his pencil—only to have that confidence completely shattered within ten minutes.
‘What’s going on? Do I have a tremor or something?’
His hands weren’t moving the way he wanted them to.
The biggest problem was that his grip lacked strength—no matter how hard he tried, his pencil strokes were weak, and his lines wobbled uncontrollably.
In his mind, he had a perfect image of the apple.
But the moment it translated onto paper, it looked so unappetizing that even a starving beggar would refuse it.
“Uh…”
Behind him, Taylor was at a loss for words.
‘No matter how unskilled he is, how can it be this bad?’
But the shock Taylor felt was nothing compared to Lowell’s own dismay.
He had expected physical activities to be difficult since his body was fragile, but drawing should have been a different matter entirely.
Lowell had assumed that, at worst, his skills might be a little rusty since this body had never held a brush before.
He had never imagined there would be such an extreme gap.
‘This isn’t an apple. This is garbage.’
He wanted to throw the pencil away immediately, but with someone watching, he couldn’t just give up.
If anything, his determination only grew stronger.
‘If I keep practicing, my hands will gain strength, and I’ll improve. I just need to think of this as rehabilitation.’
His discouraged expression shifted into one of burning resolve.
“You can stop now.”
But before he could do anything with that newfound determination, Taylor interrupted.
Deflated, Lowell hung his head.
“It’s a complete mess, isn’t it?”
Before he could hear a harsh critique, Lowell took the initiative to assess his own work objectively.
“It’s very… um, unique. A highly, uh, individualistic piece.”
Taylor had almost said it was a disaster but quickly remembered where he was and changed his words.
Lowell wasn’t just a student—he was a paying client.
And not just any client, but one who had paid him enough to live without touching a brush for three years.
He couldn’t afford to offend him.
“We should start with line exercises. A solid foundation is key to perfecting a drawing.”
“…Line exercises.”
Lowell stared up at the ceiling, feeling yet another wave of despair.
‘I’ll paint a portrait of you, Felix!’
He regretted his past words more than anything.
At this rate, it would take ten years before he could even begin sketching Felix’s face.
“Your goal is to paint a realistic portrait, correct?”
Taylor asked, as if confirming the inevitable.
“It’s going to be difficult to draw anything properly in a short time, right?”
“It would be best to set a goal of gradually improving while learning the basics.”
Perhaps worried that Lowell would lose interest, he offered some encouragement.
Lowell hesitated, wondering if there was even a point in drawing Felix when his skill was so poor that the result wouldn’t be recognizable.
After a moment, he nodded.
‘Yeah. Even if I’m terrible, having a goal will give me a sense of accomplishment.’
Lowell let out a bitter smile.
His original reason for learning had long since faded, leaving behind nothing but sheer stubbornness to regain his former drawing skills.
“I’ll be in your care once again.”
With that thought—’If I keep trying, I’ll get somewhere’—Lowell steeled himself.
“Sigh…”
“Haa…”
Lowell and Taylor sighed at the same time.
It had been well over a month since he started learning how to draw.
By now, even a beginner should have shown some noticeable improvement.
And Lowell truly had put in the effort.
Whenever Felix wasn’t around, he always had a pencil in his hand, and even when Felix was with him, he still found time to practice.
Not a single day was wasted, and the number of sheets he had gone through was proof of that.
“You have improved, but… your circles are still quite lopsided. The shading has gotten better, at least.”
At first, Taylor had been careful with his words, but over time, he became more straightforward.
Lowell actually found that easier to deal with.
“What exactly is the problem?”
“You need to strengthen your hands and fingers. Though, of course, that’s not the only issue.”
Lowell set aside his practice sketches and stood in front of the easel.
Seeing that at this rate, he’d be stuck doing basic exercises forever, Taylor allowed him to draw whatever he wanted twice a week.
“So, this is the one you said was for His Grace?”
“Yes.”
Even after seeing it multiple times, Taylor still couldn’t believe what the drawing was supposed to be.
He asked the same question every time.
* * *
