Odalisque - Chapter 17

All she had to do was undress.

Liv wasn’t sure why, but it was clear that the Marquis liked her body. He had purchased nude paintings of her, insisted on observing the painting process, and now wanted to see her in person.

This was just an extension of the painting sessions, after all. The only difference was that Brad wouldn’t be there, and she’d be alone with the Marquis, which made her a little uneasy.

“There is only one thing you need to remember, Miss Rodaise: absolute confidentiality.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Confidentiality applies to the Marquis as well, correct?”

“Indeed.”

Who could she possibly tell that she’d agreed to undress in front of a man for an hourly wage? It seemed the Marquis also had no intention of broadcasting his peculiar hobby, which was a relief for Liv. Still, she found it difficult to sign her name.

It wasn’t easy to make an agreement she couldn’t end on her own.

“…What if he asks me to do something that’s not written in the contract?”

“Such as?”

Feeling embarrassed, Liv fiddled with her clothes as she hesitated.

“Well… something immoral or indecent…”

“Ha!”

It was a blatant scoff. Startled, Liv looked up, only to see Adolf quickly covering his mouth and apologizing.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Miss Rodaise. I never intended to insult you. It’s just that anyone who knows even a little about the Marquis would have reacted the same way.”

Though Adolf calmly explained himself, Liv’s embarrassment had already left her mind blank.

“Oh, I see. Of course. Someone like me wouldn’t even be worth his time. It was a foolish thought.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Knock, knock.

Both of them turned toward the door. Since it was obvious that anyone visiting would be a servant sent by the Marquis, Adolf excused himself and called the person in.

Indeed, the person entering had a message from the Marquis.

“He wants me to start today?”

“Yes.”

Liv swallowed nervously as she stared at the servant in bewilderment. Then, with pen in hand, she finally signed her name in the blank space. She hadn’t even waited for the ink to dry before the servant urged her to stand.

“Please follow me.”

Since arriving at this mansion, Liv had never visited so many different rooms in a single day. Usually, she would only travel between the entrance and the studio, but today she had been to the drawing room, the office, and now, she was climbing to the highest floor. The servant explained that he wasn’t permitted to enter the top floor and guided her only as far as the stairs.

“It’s the room at the end.”

Now alone on the top floor, Liv watched the servant leave, feeling a wave of unease. Taking a deep breath, she turned around. If this had been any other floor, there would already be several doors in sight, but all she saw was a long, narrow corridor. Liv began to walk slowly down the hallway.

There wasn’t a single tapestry on the white walls. If not for the carpet along the floor, the entire hallway would have been an overwhelmingly stark white. The excessive whiteness gave Liv an odd feeling, and she quietly rubbed her arms.

At the end of the seemingly endless corridor, there was a large door. Liv stopped in front of it, pressing her hand against her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Come in.”

The sharp voice startled her before she even knocked. Liv hesitated for a moment before grabbing the doorknob. She pushed open the heavy door, revealing a room as white as the hallway outside. Though there were a few pieces of luxurious furniture, something about the room seemed oddly empty for a personal space.

The Marquis sat on a single sofa in the corner of the room. Leaning on his hand, he looked visibly irritated. The moment he saw Liv enter, he flicked his fingers toward the bed, which was covered with white sheets.

“Undress.”

The Marquis snapped impatiently, roughly opening a bottle of wine. Only after catching the scent of the wine did Liv feel the reality of what was happening. This was merely an extension of the painting sessions.

Yes, this was just extra work. It was an odd pastime of a wealthy aristocrat, and it paid well by the hour.

As Liv calmly undressed, she noticed the Marquis’s gaze never left her. He held a glass of wine in one hand, staring at her bare body with an unwavering focus. Only when Liv, now undressed, carefully sat on the edge of the bed did he let out an inexplicable sigh and look away.

Liv, watching the Marquis sip his wine with a slightly calmer demeanor, couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

“Am I just supposed to stay like this?”

Though her voice wasn’t very loud, the room was so quiet that it echoed more than she’d expected. The Marquis gave her a sidelong glance. Sensing his questioning gaze, Liv licked her dry lips nervously before continuing.

“I mean… should I just stay undressed and do nothing?”

“Did you sign the contract without reading it? Or did my aide force you to sign without explaining it properly?”

Of course, he knew neither of those was true, which made his words nothing more than a sarcastic jab. Though the Marquis had never been warm or kind, Liv was taken aback by how blunt he was now.

Liv avoided his gaze, trying to hide her discomfort.

“Mr. Adolf told me that I only needed to spend time with you while undressed.”

“Then you heard correctly. So?”

“I just thought… maybe you wanted something else.”

“From you?”

The Marquis didn’t even bother to maintain the minimal courtesy he had shown her before. It seemed that, from the moment the contract was signed, he no longer felt the need to be polite. Otherwise, how could he so openly ridicule her?

“I thought you were different, but I suppose not.”

A faint blush spread across Liv’s face. She realized the Marquis saw her as no different from the other women who chased after him, desperate for his attention.

Liv knew she was different from those women. She had no desire for the Marquis’s affection, money, or status. She had no intention of trying to win his favor. She wasn’t foolish enough to covet what she could never have, nor did she want to suffer the consequences of overreaching.

If she hadn’t needed the money, she wouldn’t be here at all!

“No, I just meant that this situation isn’t exactly… normal.”

Liv spoke in a stiff voice, suppressing her rising frustration. Facing the Marquis’s disdainful gaze made her want to storm out, but the cursed numbers on the contract she had just signed flashed in her mind, holding her back.

“You’re right. I paid you because I have ‘unusual tastes,’ and I want you here for that.”

The Marquis coldly replied, swirling the wine in his glass with a smirk.

“So sit there quietly like a plant, will you?”

“A plant…”

How could he say something like that to a person?

Before Liv could react, the Marquis added indifferently, “Calling you a statue would be too generous. You’re not worth that yet.”

Liv’s mouth fell open without her realizing it.

“Excuse me?”

“I wasn’t expecting a noisy flower, you know. Are there talking plants?”

The Marquis had effectively told her to shut up, and he had done it in the most elegant way possible. Liv clenched her teeth, taking a deep breath before turning her head away.

Perhaps all the Marquis wanted was a convenient target for his insults, not someone to admire. Liv had known from the moment she wasn’t even offered a cup of tea that he didn’t see her as an equal, but to treat her like this…

Seething with anger, Liv turned her back to him completely. He hadn’t given her any specific pose, so she decided to sit however she pleased. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind, as he sipped his wine and sank back into his own thoughts. Occasionally, she could catch a hint of cigar smoke wafting from behind her.

Since he wasn’t speaking to her, Liv found herself lost in her thoughts as well. She glanced down at her own body. Her breasts, round and full, and her flat stomach weren’t bad, even in her own eyes.

If she had scars, she wouldn’t have even dared to make money this way. She should be grateful for the body she was born with.

Right, playing the part of an elegant tutor, only to throw off her clothes the moment she stepped into the studio. How ridiculous she must have appeared in the eyes of the Marquis. The way he treated her now was, ultimately, something she had brought upon herself.

A wave of melancholy made her chest tighten, and Liv shut her eyes tightly.

She imagined she was in the studio, with Brad behind her. She thought about the generous pay she would receive once all this was over.

Only then did she find a bit of strength to endure.