Odalisque - Chapter 115

After the meal, Liv was finally able to see Corida again. The reunion took place in the mansion’s drawing room, right in front of Dimus. By this point, Liv had stopped expecting that Dimus would leave them alone for a comfortable conversation between sisters.

Even as she waited for the drawing room door to open, Liv couldn’t hide her nervousness. She wondered how Corida had fared over the past few days and struggled with how she would explain the current situation.

Finally, the door opened, and Corida appeared. As soon as Liv, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped to her feet, Corida called out joyfully.

“Sister!”

“Corida!”

Corida looked much healthier than Liv had expected, considering their separation over the past few days.

Not that Liv had wished for her sister’s condition to be worse—she was simply surprised because Corida looked so much healthier than the last time she saw her.

Before she knew it, Corida rushed over and hugged her tightly. The arms embracing Liv’s body trembled slightly.

“Are you alright?”

It felt strange to be on the receiving end of the question she usually asked Corida.

Corida had always been the one who needed her care, the one she had to look after so carefully.

“Yes, I’m fine. But where were you?”

“I was with Uncle Adolf and Dr. Thierry. Dr. Thierry took care of my health, and I took my medicine while waiting for you. But Sister, have you eaten? Why are you so thin?”

Corida, who had her head buried in Liv’s shoulder, suddenly lifted her head and began examining Liv closely. Then, in a low voice, she muttered, “Did that man not feed you?”

The fierce look in Corida’s eyes was unmistakable. Liv, taken aback, stammered a response.

“…That man?”

“The man with the pretty face!”

Corida confidently pointed to someone. At the other end of her gesture stood Dimus, who was watching them from a distance. Thankfully, he wasn’t close enough to hear their conversation. Not that she thought he’d be upset by Corida’s words—at this point, he hardly seemed to mind insults.

Still, calling him “that man”…

Adolf was “Uncle,” but Dimus was “that man”?

Considering Corida’s age, she supposed it made sense for her to call both men “uncle,” but…

“You haven’t said that in front of Mr. Adolf or Dr. Gertrude, have you?”

“I’ve said it plenty of times.”

Instinctively, Liv glanced at Dimus. Unsurprisingly, he appeared oblivious to the conversation, though he did frown slightly at the atmosphere between the sisters.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Liv turned away from him and wrapped her arm around Corida’s shoulders, speaking softly, “Corida, they serve the Marquis.”

“But even they agree that the pretty-faced man has a terrible personality.”

Well, that much was true…

Liv’s lips moved wordlessly as she decided not to prolong the conversation. She figured if Adolf or Thierry hadn’t warned her, then it wasn’t worth worrying about.

People spoke poorly of royals behind their backs, after all. It wasn’t surprising that even loyal subordinates would feel frustrated at times. Considering that Adolf and Thierry had followed Dimus all the way to Adelinde to chase her down, it was no wonder they might sympathize with Corida’s grievances.

…They must have struggled to the point where even they found comfort in complaining.

“Well, as long as they didn’t treat you badly, I’m relieved.”

“But it seems like that man treated you badly, didn’t he?”

Corida murmured with a sullen voice, glaring at Dimus. Liv couldn’t help but glance at him too. Feeling their gazes, Dimus frowned even more deeply. If they kept it up, he might start thinking they were plotting another escape and separate them again.

Clearing her throat, Liv quickly looked away, patting Corida’s shoulder to change the subject.

“More importantly, Corida…”

It didn’t seem like Dimus was going to let her go easily. She wasn’t sure whether it was due to the pent-up desire from the past few days, the accumulated rage from chasing her all the way here, or some other unknown emotion.

Whatever the reason, if she said she wanted to leave the mansion now, she had a feeling he’d drag her right back to the bedroom. For now, she would have to wait until those strange emotions in Dimus subsided.

She still had no idea how to explain all this to Corida, but she couldn’t let her sister remain completely in the dark either.

‘He said if I wanted to escape, I should shoot him, but that’s impossible.’

If Dimus truly thought Liv could shoot him, then he still didn’t understand why she had run away.

“Um… the Marquis and I have a bit of a disagreement. It might take some time for us to come to an understanding. I want to be with you soon, but…”

“Sister.”

As Liv spoke cautiously, Corida interrupted her in a firm voice.

Seeing her sister’s puzzled expression, Corida hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing in a calm tone, “Uncle Adolf looked into enrollment at the Adelinde girls’ school.”

Liv’s face instantly changed as she listened to Corida’s words.

“That man again…!”

“I asked him.”

Liv, who had begun to raise her voice, paused at Corida’s response. Taking advantage of the moment, Corida spoke quickly.

“Dr. Thierry said that, considering how well my body endured the stressful journey, I’ve really improved a lot.”

Corida’s words were tense, but they didn’t seem impulsive. Standing with her hands clasped, Corida looked at Liv seriously.

“Sister, I’m tired of running away. I don’t want to do it anymore.”

Liv’s expression wavered. As she listened to Corida, she found herself at a loss for words.

“We’re not running away.”

“It’s not just about avoiding escape…”

Corida shook her head in frustration and added, “I don’t want to be an excuse for you, Sister.”

“Corida!”

“If you really think I’m not a burden, then you need to understand the pressure I’m feeling too.”

Liv opened her mouth to protest, but Corida quickly continued, “Take me out of your life. From now on, I want you to do what you want.”

Corida spoke without hesitation, as if she had been waiting a long time to say this.

Seeing her sister staring at her blankly, Corida smiled bitterly. It seemed she had already anticipated Liv’s reaction and wasn’t surprised.

“Don’t run away because of me, and don’t stay because of me.”

Corida glanced towards Dimus. “Honestly, when you were unconscious, I confronted that man once. I don’t think he’s going to kill me.”

Liv frowned deeply at those words. “Don’t say something so scary!”

“Think about it. If he hurt me, you’d hate him forever, wouldn’t you? I think that’s why he won’t lay a hand on me.”

Corida lifted her calm gaze to meet Liv’s. And in that moment, Liv realized just how much her younger sister had grown.

The large cage Liv had created to protect her sister was now far too small.

“Corida…”

“So I’ll be fine, Sister.”

To soar, one must know how to flap their wings.

“Do what you want.”

What Corida needed wasn’t a comfortable cage, but the world beyond its bars, where she could fully spread her wings.

The same was true for Liv.

***

As it turned out, the mansion wasn’t just one building.

If the place where Liv and Dimus were staying was the main building, there were also several annexes and staff quarters behind it. Corida, Dimus’ subordinates, and the staff stayed in those areas.

Once the people who had been on standby nearby returned to the annex, only Dimus and Liv were left in the main building again. Contrary to Liv’s expectations, Dimus didn’t immediately drag her back to the bedroom after the mansion emptied. As a result, Liv had time to herself to reflect.

However, this wasn’t a welcome opportunity for Liv. She would have preferred rolling around with Dimus in bed to getting lost in unnecessary emotions.

“It seems the conversation didn’t go well.”

Sitting idly by the window facing the annex, lost in her thoughts, Liv looked over her shoulder. She had thought Dimus would treat her like a decorative flower for the entire day, but since he was now talking to her, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Dimus perched on the armrest of a nearby sofa, holding a cigar. As Liv stared at the flickering red tip of the cigar, she suddenly spoke.

“Perhaps you again…”

“I didn’t give any orders.”

As if he had expected what Liv would say, Dimus cut her off firmly. Then, frowning, he added, “From what I saw briefly, your sister resembles you.”