Odalisque - Chapter 121

“Tsk.”

Dimus clicked his tongue softly as he examined Liv’s leg, now dirty and smeared with mud. Despite Liv’s insistence that she could walk alone since she wasn’t injured, only stuck in the mud, Dimus intentionally ignored her. He carried Liv back to the carriage, where the servant accompanying them found a towel from their belongings.

“It’s dirty; I can just clean it outside.”

“Must you?”

Liv seemed unwilling to soil the fine interior of the carriage with mud. But, as with her other requests, Dimus ignored her plea and sat her down in the carriage. Up close, he could see that not only her leg but also the hem of her skirt, stained with grass, was smeared with mud.

Seeing the waiting servant ready to assist with cleaning, Dimus gave him a stern look and extended his hand. The servant, understanding the unspoken command, handed the towel to Dimus and then stepped back.

Bending over to wipe off the dirt himself, Dimus startled Liv.

“Why would you do that, Marquis?”

Dimus frowned upon hearing Liv’s muttering. “Do you intend to show your leg to that servant?”

“No! I meant there’s no need to be served. I can do this myself!”

Naturally, Dimus paid her words no attention. He firmly grasped her muddy ankle, moving it around to clean the area. His gloves became soiled in the process.

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No. More importantly, Marquis, I can—”

“You know that I can’t resist seizing any opportunity to hold you, right?”

Dimus, still holding her ankle, glanced up at Liv.

“You’ve experienced it enough by now.”

For a moment, Liv seemed at a loss for words. She steadied her voice as she looked down at him.

“I know you like rolling around with me. But that doesn’t justify you stepping in here. You dislike dirty things.”

“Of course, I do.”

Dimus responded indifferently as he shifted his attention back to her ankle.

“But if I don’t check it myself, you won’t think it’s worth telling me even if you have a slight sprain.”

“Ugh.”

Dimus pressed on a spot on her ankle, causing Liv to let out a small groan. It seemed she hadn’t expected the pain herself, as her face flushed with embarrassment.

“No, it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you—I really didn’t know. It’s not a big deal.”

“What?”

Dimus ignored her words and looked to the side as the servant brought a bowl of water. Setting the bowl on the carriage floor, Dimus used the towel to wipe away the mud.

“You should take off the stocking.”

“I can do it myself.”

Her tone was almost pleading now. Dimus reluctantly handed the towel to Liv, who quickly moved to the far side of the carriage to distance herself from him.

She seemed to expect Dimus to wait outside while she managed on her own. Dimus gladly closed the carriage door, but instead of waiting outside, he opted to stay with her.

Liv opened her mouth, then shut it, her expression resigned. Cleaning up was much easier now that the large clumps of mud had been wiped off and she could use the damp towel to finish.

Liv tried to remove the stocking without hiking up her skirt, but soon realized it was impossible. With a sigh, she lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the smooth curve of her leg, which had previously been hidden beneath the muddy part.

Once she unclipped the garter belt holding the stocking in place, taking it off was quick work. After tossing the dirty stocking aside, Liv hesitated before reaching for the stocking on her other leg. She seemed to think it was better to take off both stockings rather than wear only one.

Seeing Liv awkwardly pressing herself into the corner, Dimus rose abruptly, only to pause as he noticed his dirty gloves. His sudden movement startled Liv, who froze, her eyes wide.

Under her gaze, Dimus slowly removed his gloves and placed them on the empty seat next to him. Liv watched with a strange expression as he discarded the gloves.

Regardless of her gaze, Dimus picked up the wet towel again. He held her exposed foot and carefully cleaned the mud-streaked areas on her ankle and heel—places Liv hadn’t yet gotten to.

The cool dampness made Liv shiver slightly, but she didn’t try to stop him as she had before. Perhaps she’d finally realized that trying to argue with Dimus was futile.

“The heel of your shoe is twisted. If you keep wearing it, it’ll break completely. We’ll have to cancel today’s walk.”

After meticulously wiping every speck of dirt off her ankle and shin, Dimus pushed the dirty towel and bowl towards the door. Liv watched Dimus quietly until that moment, her bare leg still resting in his grasp.

Dimus rubbed his fingers over her now-clean ankle and shin before finally letting go. He lowered her skirt back down to cover her bare leg, then half-opened the carriage door and handed the bowl and towel to the servant.

“If you want to come back, I’ll bring you here whenever you wish.”

Dimus turned around, wondering if Liv might be disappointed.

“…What’s so funny?”

Seeing Liv’s face, Dimus tilted his head. Though faint, a smile was visible on her lips. It wasn’t exactly a joyful smile, but it was still a smile nonetheless.

When Dimus asked, Liv touched her lips as if she hadn’t realized she was smiling.

“Did my actions amuse you?”

“No, Marquis, I wasn’t laughing at you. Rather…”

Liv quickly denied his words and blinked slowly, her green eyes thoughtful as they wandered.

“It would be more accurate to say that I’m laughing at myself.”

Her voice sounded bitter and self-deprecating, as if she were reproaching herself.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of just because your foot got stuck in the mud.”

“The first time is just a mistake.”

“Hmm?”

“But stepping into the same mud twice isn’t a mistake, is it?”

Liv’s voice carried an uncharacteristic twisted mockery.

“It’s foolishness.”

She was clearly mocking herself. It wasn’t hard to see that she wasn’t just upset about stepping in the mud.

Was she unhappy about the situation earlier, when she had to rely on Dimus for help?

As this thought crossed Dimus’ mind, his heart sank a little. She was always looking for an opportunity to tell him to return to Buerno, and Dimus, who was more sensitive to her mood shifts than anyone else, couldn’t help but feel affected.

But what could he do if she disliked it? If it happened again, he would make the same choice as before.

“Then just foolishly keep stepping into the mud.”

Dimus’ blunt words caught Liv’s attention.

“I’ll always be here to brush off the dirt.”

Liv’s eyes widened. Her tightly pursed lips seemed to be holding something back, and her expression turned strained as she stared at him before lowering her gaze.

“…Let’s just go back to the mansion.”

In the end, they finished their short outing without even opening the picnic basket.

***

“Testify in person…”

A summons arrived, stating that if Dimus wanted to achieve meaningful results from putting Lady Malte on trial, he needed to testify himself that he had been insulted.

Dimus tapped his fingertips against the bookshelf. It seemed Luzia was determined not to bear the shame alone.

Attending court wasn’t particularly difficult, though it was a nuisance. Unlike Luzia, Dimus wasn’t someone who cared about maintaining a refined appearance.

But now the situation was unique. He still had no intention of leaving Liv and departing from Adelinde.

“What if I don’t attend?”

“Without you, Charles won’t be able to bring Lady Malte to trial.”

“Even if we put pressure on Malte?”

Instead of answering, Adolf placed a letter on the desk. “It’s from Cardinal Calliope.”

Dimus didn’t need to read the contents to understand the cardinal’s intention. With the Gratia selection approaching, the message could only mean one thing.

“He’s telling me to back off now that I’ve done enough.”