Odalisque - Chapter 30

“Is your ankle okay, sister? Maybe you should rest at home today.”

“I told you yesterday, it’s not a serious injury. I’ll be back soon.”

At Liv’s words, Corida looked down at Liv’s ankle with a worried expression. But she soon nodded and wished her a safe trip.

The ankle, which had hurt with even slight movement yesterday, had improved somewhat after a good night’s sleep. Although her limping gait would be noticeable if observed closely, it wasn’t enough to stop her from going out. Liv crossed the yard, passing through the unfamiliar front door.

She had already memorized the layout of the neighborhood. Adolf had kindly provided her with a map of the area, which even marked nearby shops and amenities. It seemed to have been custom-made with additional information beyond that of regular commercial maps.

Thanks to that, Liv was able to find the newspaper boy without any trouble.

Generally, newspaper boys were quick to pick up news, as they often overheard things while selling papers. They also tended to form their own networks, sometimes acting as breeding grounds for rumors.

“Newspaper!”

“I’m not here for a paper. I just want to ask you something.”

Liv handed the boy a coin. He grinned brightly, nodding at her.

“Did you hear anything about a murder last night?”

“Unofficially?”

An unofficial murder? Was that even a thing?

Liv’s expression turned awkward as she struggled to grasp the meaning.

“Uh… whether it was official or unofficial.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of that.”

The boy shrugged nonchalantly and continued, “All sorts of terrible things happen in the back alleys of Buerno—things a proper young lady wouldn’t even imagine!”

The boy, acting out some gentlemanly caricature he had likely seen somewhere, spoke with exaggerated flourish, “But Buerno was quite peaceful last night, so you don’t need to worry!”

After thanking him, Liv handed over another coin and turned to leave.

Peaceful, huh? Even after such a loud gunshot? It was hard to believe.

If she had been helpless against that thug, could it still be called peaceful? The thought alone sent chills down her spine.

Anyway, considering that neither the gunshot nor the man being shot had become public knowledge, it seemed that the Marquis had handled it well. He had the means to take care of things properly, especially since he had fired the shot himself—ensuring everything was neatly dealt with.

Liv wasn’t particularly concerned about the thug who had been shot. She was more worried about the Marquis. If he got entangled in an unnecessary incident because of her, Liv would find herself in a precarious position, as she had come to rely on him financially.

Not that it was only about the financial aspect… Not really…

“Do you still seek God at the chapel?”

Liv pressed her hand firmly against her chest.

The quick, pounding rhythm of her heart left her feeling strangely despondent.

***

Twisting her ankle slightly wasn’t a valid reason to miss Million’s lesson. Liv was relieved her skirt concealed the bruising on her leg as she arrived at the Pendence estate.

“Teacher, teacher!”

“Yes, Million. I’m listening.”

“I heard you moved near the Femon district!”

Once again, Million was more focused on chatting than on her studies. Liv nodded absentmindedly as she graded Million’s test paper. The more mistakes she marked, the deeper the frown lines on Liv’s forehead grew.

“There’s a really good cake shop there!”

For Million, who was notoriously picky, to say something was delicious meant it was indeed exceptional. Liv nodded at Million’s comment, which only seemed to encourage her further.

“It’s across from the jewelry alley in the heart of the Femon district! They make an incredible whipped cream cake.”

“Oh, I see. But Million, didn’t I tell you to review your lessons? Why are there so many mistakes?”

It seemed like more than half the questions were wrong. Or perhaps even more than half.

It was clear Million hadn’t reviewed as Liv had instructed.

“They also serve fruit juice with the cake! You can watch them squeeze the juice right there!”

“Your coming-of-age ceremony isn’t far off, and with so many mistakes, I don’t know how I can face Baroness Pendence.”

Liv pressed her hand to her forehead. If Baroness Pendence saw this test paper, she might sternly demand a change in teaching methods.

“My coming-of-age ceremony is still two years away. Teacher!”

“Million, don’t you realize that your etiquette lessons aren’t the only studies you should be focusing on?”

“Ugh, teacher…”

Million, who had been stubbornly avoiding the issue, finally slumped her shoulders in defeat. She quietly took back her test paper and began looking over her mistakes with a sullen expression.

Million was currently learning social etiquette. Though it seemed somewhat outdated for young noblewomen to learn these days, Liv had discussed the curriculum with Baroness Pendence beforehand and could not simply skip it. Besides, Million would need to learn it if she planned to engage in high society in the future.

“Honestly, all this stuff is outdated,” Million muttered in frustration, waving her test paper.

“It’s not quite outdated yet.”

Liv’s own certainty wavered as she spoke. After all, she herself hadn’t participated in high society events.

Still, the content she was teaching now was what she had learned during her time at Clemence Boarding School—a curriculum considered essential by all her noble peers. So, at the very least, Million needed to acquire the basic knowledge.

“By the time I’m old enough to join high society, everything will be different.”

“I understand your wish, but the social world is more conservative than you think.”

Million pouted, clearly unconvinced. Yet it seemed even she couldn’t entirely ignore her lessons, as she reluctantly opened her textbook.

“But teacher, did people really get engaged right after being born in the old days?”

Unfortunately, Million’s focus didn’t last even three minutes. Resting her chin on her hands, she looked up at Liv with sparkling eyes.

“Where did you read that?”

“In the book I read yesterday, the heroine got engaged to a man she didn’t even know right after she was born!”

“Ah, a new romance novel.”

No wonder she hadn’t reviewed—she must have been busy reading a novel. Though Million disliked studying, she usually put in more effort than this.

Liv could easily guess how late Million must have stayed up last night. She might even have pulled an all-nighter.

“But then she fell in love at her coming-of-age ceremony and broke off her engagement, defying her family!”

“A bold and headstrong heroine.”

To defy her family and break an engagement.

It seemed that the outdated customs of high society had begun to clash with Million’s imagination, influenced by the romance novel she had recently read. Liv finally understood what was behind Million’s uncooperative attitude toward her lessons.

Million was an enthusiastic reader, and her level of immersion usually depended on how entertaining the book was.

Judging by her reaction, she must have been deeply engrossed in yesterday’s novel.

Sure enough, Million, as if she were the protagonist herself, clasped her hands to her chest and dramatically declared, “But then it turned out the male lead was an illegitimate child of the king!”

“Oh, surprising.”

Despite Liv’s dry response, Million’s excitement peaked. She clenched her fists and energetically waved her arms in the air.

“So they faced a crisis together, but they ultimately overcame it through their love!”

“Yes, it sounds like an amazing story.”

A novel is just that—a novel. Liv nodded absently.

If they were engaged from birth, the families must have had significant history, making the broken engagement quite unrealistic. And to fall in love with the king’s illegitimate child and overcome everything with love?

In reality, an illegitimate child of the king was more likely to face execution at the guillotine.

It was undoubtedly fiction, devoid of realism, purely romantic.

Without knowing Liv’s thoughts, Million, still captivated by the story, asked again with sparkling eyes, “So, teacher, did people really get engaged at birth in the old days?”

“There are still cases like that today.”

“No way, you’re lying!”

As a newfound believer in bold and romantic love, Million reacted with exaggerated disgust.

“How could someone get engaged to a person they haven’t even met?”

“It’s a union between distinguished families. Didn’t you mention before about cooperation between families?”

“But that’s just cooperation! Getting engaged without love—how is that cooperation?”

“Marriage is the most solid alliance.”

Million pouted, glaring at Liv, who had shattered her romantic ideals.

“But things will change now. Even the Malte and Zighilt families called off their engagement.”