Odalisque - Chapter 116

Despite the hesitant tone, there was no sign of hostility or anger directed at Corida. Dimus, glancing briefly at Liv’s downcast face, added an explanation amid the smoke.

“It means she’s not foolish.”

At that moment, Liv recalled Corida’s words. It seemed Dimus wasn’t harming Corida for fear of upsetting Liv.

But Liv knew Dimus wasn’t the type to worry about others’ opinions. Especially not to the point of sparing someone’s family out of fear of resentment. It seemed more plausible that he had some other reason. So, Corida’s words seemed more like an extension of the romantic fantasies she often indulged in.

Still, it was amusing how Dimus’ begrudging compliment sounded like proof of Corida’s assertion.

“You’re right.”

Liv nodded calmly, and Dimus tilted his head at an angle.

“Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I am.”

Truthfully, it was a strange feeling—not purely joyful. Realizing that her actions, which she believed were protecting Corida, had actually confined her sister was unsettling. Unlike Corida, who was already contemplating her future and making her own decisions, Liv felt lost without her sister.

Corida had told Liv to do whatever she wanted.

It was an unexpected key, handed to her suddenly. A key to the cage Liv had kept herself in for so long, just as Corida had.

Corida’s treatment, her future, the responsibility of supporting her sister…

A life without those burdens. She had vaguely thought such a day would come, but now that it had, she felt lost, as if darkness had fallen before her.

Feeling inexplicably unsettled, Liv parted her lips, changing the subject entirely.

“When are you planning to return to Buerno?”

It didn’t sound particularly unnatural, but Dimus frowned at her question.

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not going alone.”

It seemed Dimus thought Liv was ready to run away at any opportunity. In this situation, even if she tried to escape, she wouldn’t make it ten steps beyond the mansion before his men would emerge from all directions.

Imagining the scene made her smile wryly.

“If I go back to being obedient like before, would you quickly tire of me?”

“Tire of you?”

Dimus’ expression looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t remember ever saying such a thing.

“You said you’d let me go if you got tired of me.”

“If I was going to tire of you, I wouldn’t have come all the way here,” Dimus spoke without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Liv tilted her head, muttering, “Are you telling me to go back to pleasing you, to make sure you never tire of me?”

“Do you think you can do that?”

Dimus, who had placed his half-burned cigar in an ashtray, sneered at her.

“Don’t bother pretending to be capable of what you can’t do.”

Just as she had tried to understand him, it seemed he had figured her out as well. Liv let out a tired smile.

He was right—she couldn’t do it. Still, a part of her wanted to put on a brave face.

“How can you be so sure? I managed to deceive you and make it all the way to Adelinde. How hard could it be to go back to the way things were?”

“If you could, you wouldn’t have run away. You said it yourself—you ran because you couldn’t handle it.”

Liv pressed her lips together tightly.

Dimus, staring intently at her, spoke in a low voice, “…You said I was different from Jacques Karin.”

It was a sudden shift in topic. Liv’s lashes fluttered as she looked down.

“What’s different about me that you couldn’t bring yourself to shoot me?”

It was a question with an unclear motive.

Liv looked at Dimus, feeling his intense gaze on her, as if he was trying to discern something.

But she had no idea what he wanted to know. And even if she did answer, she wasn’t sure what meaning it would have for him.

“I don’t think it matters.”

To him, it was probably just a pointless emotion.

“As I said, I don’t have the strength to run away anymore. You may not believe me, but… don’t worry.”

It seemed he needed some certainty that she wouldn’t run away again. After thinking it over, she couldn’t think of any other reason.

Liv shrugged lightly and turned her gaze back to the annex beyond the window. She still felt Dimus’ gaze on her from behind, but he didn’t ask her anything more.

***

Had it been just over ten days since they reunited?

Dimus had firmly believed that once he found Liv, most of his problems would be resolved. After all, the troubles he faced had begun when Liv deceived him and ran away. It made sense that resolving the cause would resolve the consequences.

But unfortunately, Dimus was still plagued by insomnia. Before, he at least tried to sleep by taking medication. Now, he didn’t take anything, not even alcohol. He feared that if he fell asleep, he might wake to find Liv gone again.

It was absurd—he couldn’t sleep when she was gone, and now he couldn’t sleep even after getting her back because he feared she might run again. He knew well enough that his anxious thoughts were irrational.

The mansion was built in a secluded area far from the city, making escape impossible without using a carriage or horse, both of which were kept in the annex, guarded by his men. Reaching the annex without being spotted was out of the question.

Even if she tried to escape on foot, she wouldn’t make it beyond the mansion’s entrance. The first thing Dimus did after buying the mansion was set up layers of guards around it. Liv wouldn’t get more than ten steps from the mansion before being caught.

More importantly, Adolf and Thierry were with Corida all day, and there was no way Liv could sneak her sister out unnoticed.

If, for some reason, she decided to run away alone because she couldn’t take it anymore… her weakened condition would also prevent her from getting far.

No matter how he analyzed it, the conclusion was always the same.

Liv wouldn’t escape.

Yet, despite coming to this conclusion dozens of times, Dimus lay awake every night. Even if he drifted into a light sleep from exhaustion, the slightest movement from her would wake him.

Ever since Liv had once left him sleeping to go down to the lobby, his alertness had only heightened. The only improvement was that, with her in his sight, the itching anxiety that had tormented him had finally subsided.

“Isn’t it time you returned to Buerno?”

Dimus frowned at Liv’s question. Since their reunion, she had often made remarks that seemed to irritate him.

“I thought I already answered that.”

“Mr. Adolf seems to be struggling.”

Liv had insisted on meeting Adolf to get contraceptives, and when they finally did meet, it seemed she had also discussed unnecessary topics.

From Adolf’s perspective, it must have been frustrating to have his master drop everything to stay cooped up in the mansion, but Dimus found it all a nuisance. In his current mental state, simply keeping an eye on Liv was exhausting.

Unable to explain his state in detail, Dimus responded indifferently, “That’s his problem.”

Dimus thought that if he kept Liv close for a while, his anxiety would eventually subside. It was a vague hope, but he had no other solution. His body wasn’t in good condition either—it wasn’t just his mental state that had deteriorated. Ever since Liv disappeared, his health had worsened day by day, and the arduous journey from Buerno to Adelinde had only made things worse.

Even if Adolf urged him, he couldn’t return to Buerno immediately in his current state. And taking Liv back with him was also risky—bringing her to the train station could give her an opportunity to slip away, leading to yet another pursuit.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re comfortable here either.”

“Not really.”

“…You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”

Liv placed a familiar medicine bottle on the table. It was the sleeping pills he used to take.

“Mr. Adolf asked me to check if the medication had been used. But it looks untouched.”

Since there were no servants in the main building, Adolf must have asked Liv to check directly. Dimus clicked his tongue softly.

“People are meant to sleep without medicine.”

He had tried not to show his poor health in front of Liv, suspecting that she might find hope in escaping if she knew how weakened he was.

But Liv had always been perceptive.

“We share a bed. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

If Dimus spent all day watching Liv, that also meant she spent all day watching him. After a week, she could easily notice his sleeplessness.

“You once said you couldn’t sleep without the pills.”

“They don’t work anymore.”

“Should I ask Mr. Adolf to get you stronger ones?”

Why was she so insistent on getting him to sleep? He couldn’t come up with any reassuring answer.

Unease quickly spread in Dimus’ mind.