Odalisque - Chapter 106

“Oh? I didn’t expect it, but it really is you.”

His arrogant demeanor and low-class laughter were unmistakable.

“Wow, how long has it been? What was your name… Love? No, Liv?”

Even during the short time Liv worked at the Karin estate, she had glimpsed Jacques’ irredeemable nature. In the intervening years, he had become an even worse excuse for a human being.

It wasn’t surprising to see Jacques wandering the streets of Elke, full of casinos. A man who wasted his life gambling fit right in. But Liv hadn’t expected him to remember her. She was caught completely off guard.

Jacques greeted her as though running into an old friend.

“Meeting here, of all places. What a surprise.”

“I’m in a hurry.”

They were not on friendly terms. Liv quickly turned away from Jacques—that was her first mistake.

She hadn’t imagined that he would tenaciously follow her.

She couldn’t go straight back to the inn where Corida was waiting; Jacques showed no signs of backing off. So Liv chose a more complicated path, trying to shake him off. But in the end, it was her second mistake. Wandering unfamiliar streets in an unfamiliar city was bound to go poorly.

“Come on, meeting like this is fate. Just give me a little of your time.”

When Liv found herself at a dead-end alley, Jacques approached with his sleazy smile.

Nothing had changed from before. Just like when he had pestered her at the Karin estate.

Back then, Jacques was immature and reckless, his mind always several steps behind his actions. He reached out for her without thinking about the fact that they were in broad daylight, in the middle of the mansion. His impulsive attempt to overpower Liv had been easily thwarted.

Naturally, his attempt to have his way with her had failed, but the Viscountess had still blamed Liv for it. Liv had been dismissed without delay. Moreover, the Viscountess, determined to keep her away from her son, spread rumors of Liv’s “improper behavior” throughout the neighboring areas.

As a result, Liv had to travel far from the rumors to find new work—at a time when Corida’s health was worse than ever.

“Get any closer, and you’ll regret it.”

“Ha, you’ve gotten even sassier than before!”

Jacques was perversely pleased by Liv’s cold attitude. He reminisced about their time at the Karin Viscounty, embellishing the story with faulty memories, spewing nonsense.

In short, it was an attempt to corner her.

“It’s a shame, thinking back to those days. Though it did teach me to be more careful from then on.”

His giggling was disgusting and sent a chill down her spine. The moment she realized he was closing in on her, Liv instinctively grabbed the gun hidden in her coat.

She couldn’t kill a rabbit, but at least she could scare off a rat.

Shooting this gun wouldn’t bring the Marquis to rescue her…

Liv tried to recall what she had learned at the shooting range on the Berryworth mansion. Jacques, oblivious to what Liv’s hidden hand held, continued to drive her into the corner.

And that was how she ended up in her current situation—wanted as a criminal.

Fortunately, the alley where she fired the shot was known for its poor security, allowing her enough time to escape.

Barely holding herself together, Liv returned to the inn and immediately left Elke with Corida. Elke, with its constant influx of travelers, had many carriages going to different regions, making it easy to leave.

‘Should I make a fake ID…’

With a fake ID, she wouldn’t be able to present her educational background—her only source of pride. This would make it harder to find a job in the future. But she couldn’t think of a better solution.

‘First things first…’

Slumping her shoulders, Liv trudged along. Since she confirmed there were no wanted posters yet, she needed to hurry to buy hair dye and other necessities.

***

After several meetings with someone from Eleonore and waiting for someone urgently dispatched from Malte to arrive in Buerno, there was still no trace of Liv.

After burying a bullet in Jacques’ thigh, Liv had disappeared again. Dimus guessed she was likely traveling by carriage.

Based on her past actions, it was clear Liv was being extremely cautious. After all, she had escaped from Dimus’ grasp, and on top of that, she’d shot someone. A timid person like her would be even more careful now.

Dimus adjusted his approach, focusing on narrowing down the cities where Liv might settle. Knowing what had shackled Liv’s feet made it possible.

There were more cities than expected with both the newly distributed medicine and schools admitting commoners. However, it was still a more efficient approach than blindly scouring the entire country like searching for a grain of sand on a beach.

Even so, it did nothing to ease Dimus’ fraying nerves.

Crash!

The sound of something breaking and shattering rang out from early morning once again.

“I told you, if I don’t want it, get rid of it.”

Servants scrambled to clean up the scattered food and broken dishes. The butler, Philip, stood a few steps away, swallowing his sigh.

“The air was quite cold last night. If you’re not planning to sleep, at least eat something…”

“Spare me your useless meddling, Philip.”

Dimus cut him off with a cold, dry voice, averting his gaze as if he couldn’t bear to look at him. Philip watched Dimus with worried eyes.

Though it was a greenhouse, the air had been rather chilly at night. When Dimus suddenly decided to stay there, Philip assumed it would only be for a few hours, but it had already been two days.

Before coming to the greenhouse, Dimus frequently stayed in the basement of the mansion. After Liv disappeared, he often retreated there, and every time he did, something would inevitably shatter or break.

No one could enter the basement freely, so no one knew exactly what happened there.

After spending a while doing who knew what in the basement, Dimus suddenly started staying in the greenhouse two days ago.

They assumed he was trying to calm himself by looking at the plants.

At first, anyway.

“I’ll bring some tea.”

“Bring me alcohol.”

“My lord…”

“Who’s your master?”

Philip, with a troubled expression, gestured to the servants. A few hurriedly left the greenhouse. Dimus watched their backs with cold eyes, then slouched into a chair, his exhaustion evident in his pale complexion.

“…We’ll find her soon.”

Dimus twisted his lips into a smile at Philip’s words.

“Of course.”

Normally, Dimus’ mutterings were sharp enough to leave no room for doubt, but now there was a faint hint of unease beneath the cold tone that even Philip could detect.

It resembled the symptoms of withdrawal after quitting an addictive substance like alcohol or cigarettes.

“So please take care of yourself. You must welcome her properly when she returns.”

“Properly?”

Dimus reacted sharply to Philip’s suggestion.

“Dress up nicely and greet her with a smile? A woman who dared run away from me?”

“Of course, she is…”

“Philip, it seems you’re underestimating the insult to your master.”

“Then, are you searching for her just to exact revenge for the insult, my lord?”

Dimus, who had been speaking in a harsh tone, paused. Philip met Dimus’ fierce, bloodshot gaze without flinching and spoke calmly, “Should I prepare the interrogation room?”

In addition to Dimus’ personal exhibition room, there were other facilities in the mansion’s basement. Though they hadn’t been used in a long time, they were always kept ready, including an interrogation room.

If Liv were locked up there…

Her frail, slender body wouldn’t last an hour. The memory of her bony frame standing out as he last held her made Dimus’ brow furrow.

Choosing to run away with that fragile body—what a foolish decision. At least she had the presence of mind to take a gun.

“No.”

“Then perhaps you could post a reward and distribute wanted posters across the country.”

Dimus said nothing, simply staring at Philip. Despite the intensity of his gaze, Philip continued speaking calmly, seemingly unbothered.

“That would be far easier and more convenient than making discreet and detailed cooperation requests, as you’re doing now. And it would make tracking her movements simpler.”

“You don’t think I know that?”

“If you know, then why don’t you do it?”

Once again, Dimus fell silent. Philip watched him for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, “I am the butler of this mansion. No matter what happens outside, my duty is to maintain peace within these walls. However, not every situation can be resolved by blind faith.”

Philip was pointing out Dimus’ recent behavior. He had been handling things in a manner completely unlike himself.