Odalisque - Chapter 18

“You can drop me off here.”

“Alright, take care.”

Hearing the coachman’s friendly farewell, Liv carefully stepped down. Coming back from a grand and lavish mansion, she felt as if she were waking up from a dream.

She stared blankly at the black carriage disappearing into the darkness, then wrapped her coat tighter around herself and started walking. Passing through the narrow, dirty alley, she wondered if everything that had just happened was even real.

The white room, the air thick with the smell of wine and cigars, the sharp, persistent gaze… It all felt like a midsummer night’s dream, drifting through her mind. The pungent smell of sewage in the air made those memories seem even more surreal, like an illusion. It was an utterly unrealistic feeling.

Liv tightened her grip on her coat. From deep within her pocket, she felt the thick envelope.

Ah, it wasn’t a dream.

Just sitting there naked for a few hours had earned her an unimaginable sum of money.

No one would know, but Liv walked quickly, tense at the thought of someone stealing the envelope from her. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for her to reach home.

“Sister!”

The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by Corida, her face glowing with relief. She must have been anxious because Liv was much later than usual; Corida had been standing by the door.

“I’m sorry, I’m so late. Did you have dinner?”

“Of course I did… But you?”

It wasn’t until Corida asked that Liv realized she hadn’t eaten dinner. While she was with the Marquis, she had been so tense that she hadn’t had the luxury of even thinking about eating. Now that her hunger was catching up to her, her body responded immediately.

Growl.

The loud rumble of her stomach answered for her. Corida pouted, complaining about how, no matter how busy she was, it was wrong for someone to be working without having a meal.

“I put it off to finish quickly.”

“I didn’t think the Baroness Pendence was so inconsiderate.”

“Corida, you shouldn’t say things like that. She’s been very kind to us.”

“Will you keep coming home this late from now on?”

A hint of anxiety crossed Corida’s face as she grumbled. It was true that Liv always made it home before sunset, so staying out late like today and leaving Corida alone must have been frightening for her.

Liv patted Corida’s head apologetically. “It might be like this for a while.”

She felt sorry for Corida, but the weight of the heavy envelope in her pocket kept her from making empty promises about coming home early.

Just today alone meant she wouldn’t have to worry about rent or Corida’s medicine for a month. If she continued working extra hours for another month, she’d be able to save enough for living expenses and even have extra left over.

Even if she only worked until Brad finished his project, she’d have enough money to get by comfortably for a few months.

“I’ll make sure we don’t run out of medicine, and I’ll pay the rent in advance so Mr. Pomel won’t bother you again. So please be patient, alright?”

“…Alright.”

Liv hugged the sullen Corida tightly, then opened the pantry, thinking about a late dinner. For the first time in a long while, she felt a faint glimmer of hope.

***

To be sitting so comfortably in a coffee house like this.

Liv looked down at the cup in front of her, feeling a strange sense of disconnect. Not long ago, she wouldn’t have even glanced at a coffee house. She couldn’t believe that just a few extra work sessions had made her feel this much more relaxed.

It was definitely something to be happy about, yet it was unfortunate that she felt no excitement at all.

“You seem down.”

“Pardon?”

“Did I make an unreasonable request today?”

It was only after Camille spoke that Liv realized she had been zoning out. She quickly shook her head, apologizing for her rudeness.

Camille waved it off as if it were no big deal, but there was still concern in his eyes. Clearly, Liv looked worse than she realized.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I just have something on my mind, that’s all. It’s nothing serious.”

It truly wasn’t anything serious—just that the extra work she’d started recently was more exhausting than she had expected.

All she had to do was sit undressed for a few hours, just like when she posed as Brad’s model, yet she found herself feeling mentally drained.

The Marquis, simply by being present, made her nerves sharpen, and whenever they happened to speak, he crushed her confidence without a second thought.

“A model, and all you know how to do is sit there?”

“Were you hoping I’d dance?”

“I didn’t realize you were teaching the Pendence family’s only daughter to dance.”

“You didn’t need to bring that up.”

“Even if you’re naked, you’re still a teacher. It seems you have no pride in your profession.”

Just thinking about their recent conversations made her head ache. To think he even mentioned the name “Pendence.” He clearly had no respect for her as a tutor, and maybe he even took pleasure in belittling her.

If it weren’t for the weight of the envelope Adolf gave her, she might have run away long ago.

It was too much money to give up just because of some mental exhaustion.

Liv tried to collect herself and looked back at Camille.

“At this rate, I shouldn’t have asked for your help.”

“It’s really alright. You said it was about Million, right? Then I should hear it too.”

Despite how tired she was, Liv was sitting across from Camille because of Million. He had sent her a very serious and lengthy letter, saying he needed to talk about Million.

Liv hadn’t intended to meet with him, but his eloquent writing had convinced her otherwise.

“All I heard was that Million was sick and wouldn’t be able to attend lessons for a while. Did something happen to her?”

Now that she thought about it, it had been quite a while since their lessons were put on hold, yet there had been no word about resuming. At Liv’s question, Camille frowned and nodded cautiously.

“Yes, maybe. I also received a message saying we’d take a break after a lesson one day. After getting that message, I thought back to how Million looked during the last lesson—it seemed like something was off.”

Million had always been quite healthy, often running around happily when others caught colds.

Liv had often been envious of her energy, thinking how great it would be if Corida could have even half of Million’s stamina.

So she had been surprised to hear that Million was sick. But she assumed it wasn’t serious and that Million would recover quickly.

“You thought something was off?”

“Yes. As you know, Million is usually cheerful and lively. But during our last lesson, she seemed very down. She seemed to have a lot on her mind more than being sick. But she didn’t say anything when I asked.”

Hearing that, Liv immediately thought of Million’s birthday party. The unexpected appearance of Marquis Dietrion. Million blushing in embarrassment while the young noble ladies around her gave her strange looks.

Liv knew how varied emotions could be at that age, and how openly they were expressed. She also knew how differently people could interpret wealth and noble titles in high society.

However, she quickly pushed those thoughts away. It wasn’t right to jump to conclusions.

“When I heard she was ill, I thought perhaps I’d been dismissed because of a problem with my lessons. But then I heard that all her lessons were on hold. Since you were the closest teacher to Million, I thought you might know something. I know it might sound self-centered, but I’m worried that a long break will affect my livelihood.”

Camille’s earnest words made Liv sigh softly. She felt a bit guilty for suspecting that his message might have had ulterior motives, and she decided to take the conversation more seriously.

To be honest, Liv didn’t quite see herself as Million’s closest teacher. Though she felt an inner fondness for Million, who was around Corida’s age, she wasn’t a live-in tutor and only taught on scheduled days, just like the other instructors.

Still, she did acknowledge that Million seemed comfortable around her. Maybe it was because Liv was the closest in age, and her easygoing attitude outside of lessons made Million feel at ease.

They were close enough that Million would sometimes seek her out for advice.

“I’m not sure—I haven’t heard anything. I haven’t seen Million since the birthday party.”

“I see.”

“I doubt it has anything to do with your lessons, Teacher Marcel. If it did, the Baroness would have said something right away.”

Camille still looked a bit unsure, but he nodded in agreement.

“I guess I was being too hasty. Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better, Teacher Rodaise.”

“I haven’t been much help, really.”

“That’s not true at all—”

“Liv?”

A loud voice interrupted their polite yet somewhat stilted conversation.

Hearing the familiar voice, Liv turned her head, eyes widening in surprise.