Odalisque - Chapter 130

Suddenly, alongside the news about Marquis Dietrion that had popped up out of nowhere, Liv’s story began to be added. Although they managed to keep her name out of it, there was no telling how long that would last. Information about Liv could easily be discovered by simply listening in Buerno’s streets.

‘No, honestly, it’s best if there are no rumors at all.’

Liv sighed as she placed the newspaper back on the stand and started walking slowly. Today, Dimus had gone to court. He had looked like he wanted her to wait for him at the hotel, but Liv, having spent enough time lounging around the hotel room, firmly chose to go out.

When she left the hotel, she didn’t have a specific destination in mind. But once she was on the street, her steps naturally carried her somewhere.

Although the appearance of some shops and buildings had changed, the layout of the city and the shape of its streets remained the same. Liv reached her destination without getting lost. It was a building where her parents’ old workshop used to be.

The workshop from her memories no longer existed. Instead, a small flower shop occupied the space. Liv stood still, gazing at the neatly arranged exterior of the shop before turning away with a wistful expression. Not far from there was a modest house from her childhood.

Before long, she reached the house. Unlike the workshop, the house remained almost unchanged. The low fence covered with ivy, the narrow front yard hardly worthy of being called a garden, and the somewhat low two-story building with its faded roof.

Liv approached the house with a sigh of nostalgia. She wanted to look inside, but a glance through the window showed signs of someone currently living there.

She quickly pulled herself together and stepped back, knowing it wasn’t polite to loiter around someone else’s home. But the ripples in her heart didn’t settle easily. Childhood memories she had long forgotten resurfaced vividly—her parents smiling warmly at her, her carefree self growing up with no worries, days she thought would always be happy.

The time she spent with Corida now was just as precious…

“What are you doing here?”

It was as Liv sat down to rest on a bench in the small park where she used to play, having wandered around the neighborhood in a daze, that a tall man approached her.

Lost in old memories, Liv only realized how much time had passed when she saw him.

“Is the trial already over?”

“For today,” Dimus replied indifferently as he glanced around, seemingly trying to figure out what Liv had been doing.

“This is the neighborhood I used to live in.”

“The neighborhood you used to live in?”

“Back when my parents were alive.”

Hearing the nostalgia in her voice, Dimus quietly gazed at her. Liv looked around the park with a curious expression before suddenly smiling at him.

“Would you like me to show you around?”

Seeing Dimus nod casually, Liv quickly stood up.

She then led him to the house she used to live in, the alleys she played in, the streets she frequented, and even the site where the workshop used to be. Dimus didn’t particularly engage in conversation, but Liv seemed animated just showing him the places from her past.

“You remember everything, even from so long ago.”

“Of course, I remember it all.”

As she smiled and looked at the distant flower shop, Dimus spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on her profile.

“How do you think it would have been if you had continued to grow up so sheltered?”

“Sheltered?”

“If both your parents were still alive and you were still living here without any worries.”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Liv’s eyes widened.

She remained silent, contemplating Dimus’ question, then tilted her head slightly. If she had grown up sheltered…

If she had returned home after graduation to find her family still stable, continuing a happy life in the capital with her parents, never having to struggle alone to care for Corida.

“I think I would have been happy.”

Dimus narrowed his eyes. He had noticed the wistful look on her face as she answered. He never longed for any part of his past. He didn’t wish to go back, nor did he feel joy when reminiscing about it.

But Liv seemed like she would go back to that time in a heartbeat if given the chance.

The thought displeased him. He was about to say something when Liv spoke first.

“But if that were the case, I wouldn’t have what I have now.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you before? I only met you because I didn’t grow up sheltered.”

Liv awkwardly smiled. It was a smile tinged with embarrassment and bashfulness.

Dimus, forgetting his earlier displeasure, quietly watched her smile and then spoke in a low voice, “Are you happy now?”

The question, asked in a stiff tone, carried a hint of tension. Liv, noticing the subtle shift in his demeanor, looked at him with a curious expression before her smile deepened.

“Isn’t it too early to say?”

“No.”

Dimus answered quickly and took hold of her arm, as if to keep her from leaving for those happy memories.

“It’s a very astute conclusion.”

***

Liv knew more about the capital than Dimus did.

Of course, the information she remembered wasn’t always accurate, but many of the old restaurants and notable places still stood. So she took it upon herself to show Dimus around. Introducing him to the places of her happy past or recreating similar moments brought her joy.

Thanks to Dimus, who accompanied her without complaint, Liv was able to do as she pleased without hesitation for the first time in a while. Even when the newspapers began reporting stories about the woman standing beside Marquis Dietrion, she remained unconcerned.

As she and Dimus visited more places in the capital, the rumors surrounding them seemed to fade into irrelevance. What people said about them no longer mattered.

“I always stopped in front of that candy shop. I got scolded by my parents every time.”

“You liked candy?”

“It’s sweet and delicious.”

To a young girl, the candy shop had been a grand, magical place. Now, as an adult, it was just a small, old shop, but back then, the sweet aroma wafting from it was enchanting.

“It seems giving you candy for practice was a good choice.”

Liv, who had been staring nostalgically at the old wooden sign of the candy shop, looked at Dimus in surprise. Blinking, she replayed his words in her mind before her face flushed.

Practice candy. The memory of their first kiss, which had been under the guise of teaching her how to smoke a cigar, flashed through her mind.

“…I didn’t eat it.”

“You didn’t?”

“It’s probably still in the house in Buerno.”

Dimus frowned at her response. Feeling embarrassed, Liv averted her gaze and tried to change the subject.

“You don’t even eat candy, so why did you keep it in your drawer?”

Back then, she had been too overwhelmed to think much of it, but in hindsight, it was curious. Dimus never seemed interested in sweets or snacks—the kind of things children would like.

Dimus pressed his lips into a thin line at her question. It wasn’t a difficult question, but he didn’t answer right away, prompting Liv to study his expression with a suspicious look.

“…Was it someone else’s snack?”

She asked the question without much hope, not really believing it. Dimus’ expression twisted into a visible scowl.

“Why would someone else’s snack be in my drawer?”

Judging by his disgusted face, he wasn’t lying. Then why did he have candy in his drawer?

“They say sweets are good for coaxing people.”

“…What?”

“You were quite stiff, like a child who hadn’t grown up yet.”

Dimus replied nonchalantly, as if the hesitation earlier had been a figment of her imagination.

“I thought maybe giving you something sweet might help you relax.”

In other words, he had prepared it intentionally to lure her. Liv had suspected Dimus of using various tricks, but hearing that even something so trivial had been planned was strange. She let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.

“I’m not the kind of girl who would follow just because of candy.”

“If I recall, that candy worked quite well.”

“…It wasn’t the candy that worked.”

It was the unexpected kiss before she received the candy—their first kiss, heavy with the scent of cigars.

Dimus seemed to guess the rest of her unspoken words, the corner of his mouth quirking slightly.

“I didn’t think you’d prefer the smell of cigars.”

“I’m not a child, after all.”

“You don’t need to keep emphasizing that.”

Dimus gently held her chin and lowered his head without hesitation. He paid no mind to any journalists or photographers who might be secretly watching them.

“It’s a good thing you’re not a child. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

Liv’s lips curved into a small smile, but that smile was soon swallowed up by Dimus.