Odalisque - Chapter 110
A black carriage wasn’t uncommon. There was no need to be startled.
…But had she ever seen such a pitch-black carriage in Adelinde since she arrived?
Liv felt like her breath was caught in her throat, as though someone was strangling her. Even as she told herself it couldn’t be, her legs moved slowly, taking steps backward.
Clutching the front of her cloak, Liv spun around. All thoughts about wages and work seemed trivial in an instant. Instead, the overwhelming thought that the Marquis might still be chasing her took over.
“Newspapers here! Newspapers!”
Liv, nearly running away from the apothecary, suddenly lifted her gaze. Seeing that no one seemed to be following her, she quickly took out a coin from her pocket.
“Give me one.”
She grabbed a thick newspaper, not looking back until she made it to the inn. Liv locked the door behind her and spread the newspaper on the table. Corida, startled, asked her something, but Liv couldn’t hear it.
Scanning the large headlines, Liv’s eyes stopped at one: “How Malte’s Pride Ended Up in a Shameful Mud Pit.”
The long article was filled with dramatic details—the story of Zighilt’s broken engagement, the sordid past, secret meetings with Eleonore, the corrupted Peace Pilgrimage, Cardinal Calliope’s fury…
It was so sensational that Liv struggled to understand it all. But one thing was clear.
Her assumption that there was a rumor of an affair between the Marquis and Lady Malte in Buerno had been completely misguided. In fact…
“Public humiliation is necessary to stop others from talking recklessly.”
He was keeping his word.
Come to think of it, he had always been that way.
The Marquis was a man who kept his word. He had the power to do so.
Which meant…
“I never let go of what I catch.”
Suddenly, she remembered his words from when he had held her in the dining room.
He said he’d never let go. As long as he wasn’t tired of her.
“Sister, sister?”
“Pack your things, Corida.”
“Huh?”
Swallowing her dry throat, Liv quietly closed the newspaper.
“We’re leaving on the first train at dawn.”
The Marquis knew how obsessively Liv prioritized Corida’s health. He would never imagine she would give up the new medicine she had already reserved.
If the Marquis had really sent someone after her, Liv assumed they’d be waiting near the apothecary. So she chose to give up the medicine and take the first train.
She briefly considered taking a carriage, but if someone was truly after them, it would be better to take the train to get as far away as possible. Once on the train, they’d be able to put some distance between them quickly.
Reacting this drastically to just seeing a black carriage and reading Lady Malte’s scandalous news might be excessive. But they could go to a distant town and return if it turned out to be an overreaction.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll get the tickets.”
The early morning station was relatively quiet. Liv adjusted Corida’s hood once more and looked around. It was calm all around, and there wasn’t much of a line at the ticket booth.
It was easy to get tickets for the earliest train. Holding two tickets, Liv took a deep breath and turned around.
Everything would be fine.
Just think of it as taking a short trip to the nearby countryside.
“Now…!”
Forcing a smile, Liv opened her mouth but immediately closed it.
Corida was nowhere to be seen.
“Corida?”
Liv’s expression hardened. Just moments ago, Corida had been standing in the corner of the waiting room, but now she was gone.
With a panicked face, Liv looked to where Corida had been and scanned the surroundings.
It had only taken about ten minutes to buy the tickets. There was no reason for Corida to have moved away in that short time.
Moreover, it wasn’t far from the ticket booth. If someone had restrained Corida, there would have been commotion, and Liv surely would have heard it.
“Corida!”
Liv was about to take urgent steps to search for Corida when she felt a strong hand grab her arm, forcefully turning her around. The force caused her hood to come off partially.
She froze, her breath catching as she met the cold, icy eyes staring at her through her disheveled hair.
The man who stood before her was one she couldn’t forget—neither in her dreams nor in her waking hours. He was a man with a cold, beautiful face.
“In a hurry, aren’t we?”
A sarcastic voice flowed from his twisted lips. But what could she say in response? Liv found herself at a loss for words, her eyes dazed as she looked at him.
‘Why?’
She truly didn’t understand. She had hurried to escape precisely because she thought he might be chasing her…
Even so, she had assumed it would be his subordinates doing the chasing. Of course. The man could command others with a simple order.
There was no reason for him to be here in person.
Dimus Dietrion. Why was this man here?
“No matter how urgent it is, you should at least pick up the medicine. It’s for your precious sister’s health.”
The moment he mentioned Corida, Liv, who had been frozen like ice, finally opened her mouth.
“You… you haven’t… Corida?”
“I’m not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.”
Dimus responded with a mocking tone, a smile tugging at his lips.
“It’s obvious whose safety to secure first in order to put a leash on you.”
It was an admission that Corida, who had vanished, was now in his grasp. Liv’s face twisted with anguish.
“She has nothing to do with this!”
“You’re in no position to raise your voice.”
His grip on her arm tightened. Dimus pulled her closer, growling in a low, hardened voice, “You came quite far. I didn’t know you had this kind of skill, letting you wander around so freely.”
“Where’s Corida…”
“Silence.”
With a forceful tone, Dimus cut off Liv’s words, taking a short breath before speaking each word deliberately, “Keep your mouth shut. Unless you want to show off that pretty body right here.”
Liv looked at Dimus with a face that had gone completely pale. Standing close enough that their breaths could touch, his raw emotions were fully transmitted to her.
His blue eyes trembled, his lips were tightly pressed, and his jaw was clenched with tension. Though his face was more ruthless than ever, it wasn’t only due to anger.
More than that, there was anxiety, a sense of urgency.
His bloodshot eyes looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for days. On closer inspection, his once smooth and elegant skin appeared rough, and his lips were dry, devoid of color.
But the most unusual thing was that he wasn’t hiding his emotions at all. There was none of the composure she had always known him for. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had always looked at her with either cold indifference or a mocking gaze.
While Liv was taken aback by his unexpected demeanor, Dimus moved. She didn’t even have time to resist as she was dragged along.
A black carriage stood not far away.
Liv tried belatedly to plant her feet and resist, but Dimus effortlessly lifted her and put her inside the carriage. She fell into it, scrambling to sit upright. Dimus climbed in after her and pounded his fist on the small window leading to the driver’s seat. The carriage began to move immediately.
Though she knew it was dangerous to jump from a moving carriage, Liv’s eyes instinctively turned to the door. Her mind was racing.
Dimus seemed to guess what she was thinking and pulled her arm, forcing her to sit beside him. His grip made it clear he had no intention of letting her go, and Liv glanced sideways at him.
His cold expression remained as he stared out the window silently, but at the same time, he seemed to be on edge, ready to react if she made any sudden move.
Liv opened her mouth, then closed it again, deciding against saying anything.
The carriage sped forward.
But she had no idea where they were headed.
***
The carriage didn’t travel far before stopping. Thankfully, it seemed they weren’t heading back to Buerno.
They had arrived at what appeared to be a mansion not far from the city of Adelinde. Once the carriage came to a stop, Dimus opened the door and stepped out first, still holding Liv’s arm.
MANGA DISCUSSION
Leave a Reply
1 Comment
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Villainess No.121
happened so much in just one chapter, hah?! I’m glad he finally found him but i swear if he doesn’t finally treat her better and doesn’t confess his feelings then i would swear the author….