Odalisque - Chapter 24

‘Dominian.’

It was the name she had been looking for. The Dominian Academy was a place only the children of the upper nobility could attend, often used as gossip fodder by the newspapers. Naturally, its name appeared in today’s paper as well.

The unfortunate part was that it only talked about the Dominian Academy, with no news about the medical research institute.

Was relying on newspapers to find out about the new medicine impossible after all?

Liv’s expression turned gloomy. After taking out her frustration on Corida, she had resolved to learn more about the so-called new medicine. If it had been successfully developed, she expected the newspapers to be talking about it constantly, which was why she had checked the most prominent one.

She had been about to close the paper, but since she had already paid for it, she decided to skim through the rest. As expected of a major newspaper, it was filled with all sorts of news, neatly categorized.

There were even articles about international news. Stories about a neighboring country’s high-ranking nobles breaking off an engagement or a cardinal planning a visit to this country soon. None of it had anything to do with Liv—it was all too far removed from her, even as idle gossip. Liv sighed as she folded the paper, disinterested.

Her next destination was Hyrob Apothecary, located on Central Boulevard. It was the largest pharmacy in Buerno and was famous for supplying medicines directly to noble families.

The owner of her regular pharmacy often envied the sheer quantity of rare ingredients and the number of clients Hyrob served. When Liv had inquired about the new medicine, he had hinted that she might learn more at Hyrob.

As expected of a shop on Central Boulevard, Hyrob’s exterior was dazzling. It looked more like a boutique or a jewelry store than a pharmacy.

Unconsciously keeping her distance, Liv took a deep breath before setting her resolve and approaching the shop.

But before she could even touch the door handle, someone stepped in front of her.

“Where are you from?”

“Pardon?”

Liv blinked at the man in front of her. Before she could answer, he glanced at the paper in his hand and asked again, “Are you from the Poin estate by any chance?”

“…Oh.”

How big must this place be for a gatekeeper to be stationed at the entrance?

Seeing Liv’s momentary confusion, the gatekeeper’s friendly smile turned more serious.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“I haven’t made an appointment.”

“In that case, I’m afraid I must first confirm your identity. Could you tell me which family you belong to?”

“…I’m not employed by a noble family.”

The smile completely disappeared from the gatekeeper’s face.

“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”

He spoke in a businesslike tone, stepping back slightly as if used to dealing with situations like this. Of course, he still blocked her way.

Liv felt herself shrinking back for a moment but bit her lip and raised her head.

“Isn’t the purpose the same for anyone visiting a pharmacy?”

“Ah, a customer.”

There was something odd in the gatekeeper’s eyes. Before Liv could grasp the nuance, he quickly spoke again, “Hyrob keeps a large number of sensitive medicines, so browsing inside is not allowed. I ask for your understanding.”

“I’m not here to browse…”

“If the medicine you want to purchase is rare, you must make an appointment and wait. Otherwise, it would be wiser for ‘customers’ to find somewhere more convenient to visit.”

Liv’s face turned red. She had not expected to be turned away at the door. Barely suppressing her anger at the sudden humiliation, she asked in as calm a voice as she could manage.

“Can’t I at least get a consultation?”

“I’ve already provided the information you need.”

“How can I make an appointment?”

The gatekeeper frowned slightly at Liv’s question. He glanced down at his paper, then sighed in a seemingly regretful tone.

“I’m sorry, but it seems appointments are fully booked for now.”

Not even appointments were allowed. Liv felt her frustration boil over. It was clear the gatekeeper had never intended to let her into the shop. He must have thought of her as just some worthless passerby with no purchasing power, someone who had come merely to look around.

How should she address this rudeness?

After glaring at the store for a moment, Liv clenched her teeth and nodded.

“Alright. I understand.”

As she stepped back willingly, the gatekeeper withdrew his attention with a disinterested expression. His attitude made her want to protest to the shop somehow.

But that feeling passed quickly.

After all, the gatekeeper was right—there was no way Liv could become an important customer at Hyrob. She had only come hoping to find information about the new medicine, not to buy expensive remedies. Protesting about unfair treatment might do nothing more than bolster her pride.

Since she had told Corida about the new medicine, Liv wanted to get more concrete and realistic information.

The long, difficult walk home, empty-handed, was disheartening. Not wanting to return with nothing, she stopped at a pastry shop. It was the same store where Baroness Pendence had bought her those exquisite sweets.

She couldn’t afford the same expensive treats, but she had enough money left to buy something decent. Calculating her remaining funds in her head, Liv moved forward.

She should pay next month’s rent to Pomel in advance. She didn’t want Pomel and Corida to have any dealings over money.

“Liv!”

Lost in thought, Liv looked up at the sound of someone calling her name. She blinked in surprise, recognizing the woman running toward her, basket in hand.

“Rita.”

Oh, right. There was something she needed to discuss with Rita too.

“What’s this? Why is it so hard to see you these days?”

It seemed Rita hadn’t heard anything from Corida yet. She glanced at the bag of pastries Liv held and gasped, her eyes widening.

“Oh my, those are expensive pastries, aren’t they?”

“Listen, Rita—”

“Goodness. And that newspaper, it’s the one sold on Central Boulevard, right? Did you go there?”

Ignoring Liv’s words, Rita’s voice rose in excitement.

“Why would you even go to Central Boulevard…? Wait, don’t tell me! Did you switch pharmacies?”

Rita immediately thought of Hyrob. She had often seen Liv worrying over Corida, so it seemed she had guessed correctly.

Seeing Rita’s wide eyes, Liv quickly shook her head. “No, of course not. I just wanted to check the newspaper, that’s all. More importantly, Rita—”

Liv tried to speak again, but Rita, too caught up in her excitement, spoke over her, “My, Liv! So it’s true that your situation’s improved recently!”

Liv, on the verge of snapping, froze at those words.

“No, Rita. What do you mean, rumors?”

“Hmm? Someone said they saw you getting off a fancy carriage after work recently.”

“Me, getting off a fancy carriage…?”

Liv started to question her, but then suddenly fell silent. A vision of a pitch-black carriage flashed through her mind.

The place where she was dropped off had barely any gas lamps, and it was late at night, meaning there were rarely any people around. And the carriage itself was black, so it would have been hard to notice.

The thought that someone might have seen her made her shiver, but she quickly steadied herself. There were no markings on the carriage, so there was no way to connect her to Marquis Dietrion. And he couldn’t be the only one using a black carriage, after all.

“It’s just a temporary job. Anyway, Rita, did you teach Corida how to sew?”

Instead of giving a lengthy explanation about the carriage, Liv chose to change the subject. Rita knew how much Liv cared for Corida, so her expression immediately turned worried, her brows knitting together.

“Oh, Liv, you’re not mad about that, are you? Corida is fifteen now.”

“But she’s sick. She’s a patient.”

“Still, Corida’s grown too much to spend her entire day cooped up in that tiny house. A bit of sewing is a good distraction for her. You know she always felt guilty that you had to cover all the expenses alone. And with you coming home late so often these days, she’s been so worried.”

“I have no intention of making Corida work. If she’s bored, I’ll get her some books to read. That would be much better for her.”

When they were struggling just to make ends meet, she couldn’t even think about buying books, but if things stayed like this, she might be able to buy some without it being a burden. If Corida’s health allowed, Liv could even give her simple lessons at home.

Rita’s jaw dropped. “You can afford books now?”

Liv closed her mouth again. The conversation had taken a turn she hadn’t intended.

Ignoring Liv’s uncomfortable expression, Rita worriedly grabbed her shoulder, whispering, “Oh my, Liv. You’re not doing something dangerous, are you?”