Chapter 33

“Brad, don’t you think this situation is strange?”

Liv suddenly remembered her first meeting with Brad, back when they met as victims of the same scam.

Brad, who had been taken in by all sorts of plausible words, seemed to finally feel a sense of unease. His confidence waned, and he spoke hesitantly.

“But… the businessman has already paid for it. He said everything would be free once I bring the sponsorship contract.”

“What on earth…”

Liv was at a loss for words. Brad seemed a little discouraged by Liv’s reaction, but he remained stubborn. It seemed the businessman had fed him convincing words.

The promise to sell his paintings or hold a solo exhibition in the capital must have especially shaken Brad. Such opportunities were usually reserved for debuting artists. Brad, who felt more dejected with each rejection at exhibitions, must have been swayed.

But, unfortunately, Liv didn’t believe the businessman truly recognized Brad’s talent. If Brad were so skilled that a prominent businessman would approach him, he would have already won awards at art shows.

Paid for it? Liv was worried that some rough thugs might show up one day demanding repayment.

“You said you sent a letter yesterday, so I’ll let them know you’re unwell today. But take care of this situation before the next session. A sponsorship contract? Do you honestly think the Marquis would write such a thing for you?”

“Why else would the Marquis ask me to keep painting for him? Obviously, he likes it! There’s always a reason for such generous support!” Brad retorted, annoyed by Liv’s serious expression. He truly believed that the Marquis liked his painting.

“How can you be so sure?”

“What? The Marquis asked for another painting as compensation for the wrongly sold one! That means he wants my work!”

Liv stopped herself from pointing out that the Marquis might not be interested in Brad’s painting, but in the model within it.

The reason the Marquis wanted Brad’s painting was because of her—Liv had subconsciously thought that. Ridiculous! Such an idea was just as absurd as Brad’s grand fantasies about receiving sponsorship.

Seeing Liv’s hesitation, Brad’s face grew more upset.

“Do you look down on me because I haven’t debuted yet?” Brad shouted, his raised voice showing how insecure he felt about his situation.

Liv bit her lower lip and tried to comfort him. “You know it’s not like that. I’m just…”

She knew nothing she said would get through to him at the moment, yet Liv couldn’t bring herself to give up easily.

They had known each other for a long time, and she didn’t want to see him lose a large amount of money by getting caught up in something suspicious.

“Anyway, fine. Just end things with that businessman immediately. He sounds like a scam artist.”

“You just don’t understand because you haven’t met him!”

“Wasn’t he the companion you brought to the coffee house where we met?”

Brad froze at Liv’s question, evidently not expecting her to guess the person’s identity so quickly.

Seeing Brad’s reaction, Liv realized her guess had been correct and held her forehead.

Indeed, she had felt something was off when she first saw them together. They didn’t seem to be an appropriate match, and now it made sense—Brad had fallen for a scam artist.

“Brad, I’m saying this purely out of concern. Even if the Marquis writes a sponsorship contract, using it as a transaction document is too risky. Borrowing money against it? It’s wiser to sort this out before it’s too late.”

Whether it was even possible to resolve it was uncertain, but it was worth trying.

Brad waved his hand dismissively in response to Liv’s plea. He forced a smile as he patted Liv’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to drag this out too long. I’m just buying time to figure out how to persuade the Marquis. I’ll come up with an innovative painting technique to capture his attention before the next session.”

Liv started to say more but ended up sighing and shaking her head.

There wasn’t much more she could do. She had said all she could, and now she could only hope that Brad would come to his senses on his own.

***

Was it because she had come to the mansion without Brad this time?

The mansion seemed larger than usual, and Liv moved quietly, taking in its size. Normally, she would head straight to the studio upon arriving, but since Brad wasn’t here today, there was no need to go there.

Instead, Liv was led to another room—the drawing room where she had previously discussed the extra work with the Marquis.

This was her first time encountering the Marquis in this mansion since he decided not to observe their work sessions. The servant who guided her soon withdrew, leaving Liv alone with the Marquis, who glanced up at her with a calm gaze.

The Marquis, who was casually flipping through several letters, spoke first without lifting his eyes, “The session is canceled today?”

“Yes, Brad isn’t feeling well…”

As Liv’s composed voice filled the room, the rustling of paper echoed loudly. The Marquis frowned as he looked over the contents of a letter, clicking his tongue in displeasure. He brought the edge of the letter to the nearby candle, and flames quickly consumed it as the paper curled up in black.

Ash fell onto the table.

“So you’ve come to deliver his message?”

The Marquis brushed off the ash irritably and looked at Liv with indifferent eyes. Liv opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, the Marquis spoke again.

“With the artist absent, there was no need for the model to come either.”

The Marquis’s eyes, staring straight at her, made Liv flinch. His gaze seemed to pierce through her thoughts entirely.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking and why she had come to this distant mansion to face him.

“I came… not only to explain Brad’s situation but also to express my gratitude for your assistance.”

“If it’s thanks, I recall receiving it that day.”

A subtle boredom flickered in the Marquis’s eyes. Liv swallowed nervously, looking at him and then lowering her gaze.

She took a deep breath, her lips slightly parted, and forced herself to sound as composed as possible.

“…My additional duties are separate from the painting sessions. I haven’t been informed if they’ll also be paused, so I came for that as well.”

As Liv’s straightforward answer ended, silence enveloped the drawing room.

Liv, who was staring at the floor and waiting for the Marquis’s response, raised her eyes in curiosity at the prolonged silence.

She had expected to see him burning more letters, but instead, the Marquis was staring straight at her. Liv’s eyes widened as their gazes met.

Seeing her bewildered look, the Marquis’s lips curled up slightly—a very faint smile.

“Diligent.”

His tone sounded as if he were praising a student for not skipping class. His demeanor, as if he was genuinely complimenting her, made Liv’s cheeks flush.

She would have found it easier to respond if he had mocked her for being greedy and wanting more work for the extra money.

She didn’t know how to handle being treated like a child.

Before Liv’s embarrassment could fade, the Marquis spoke again.

“The injury?”

“It’s healing… oh.”

Liv’s attempt to respond without showing embarrassment faltered. Only then did she remember the bruises still on her legs.

The Marquis wanted her to sit unclothed because he wanted to see her pristine form. Naturally, he wouldn’t want to see a body marked with bruises and scabs.

It was foolish of her to come here today.

Liv bit her lip, lamenting her own poor decision, and waited for the Marquis to dismiss her.

But instead, an unexpected question came.

“The ankle?”

The Marquis’s gaze shifted to her skirt hem. Without thinking, Liv took a step back, avoiding his gaze, but she soon realized her reaction and quickly froze.

“It-it’s fine.”

Other than Million’s lessons, Liv hadn’t gone out much. As long as she wasn’t running, she barely noticed her injury anymore.

Hearing her response, the Marquis nodded and stood. He tossed the remaining letters into the fire, brushing the soot from his gloves as he walked past Liv.

“We’ll begin the extra work early today.”