Odalisque - Chapter 59

Liv never expected to hear such words from him.

“I don’t want to hear any more of this. What makes you think you can say these things to me? What if I go and spread everything you’ve told me?”

Liv, her face pale, finally retorted to him, almost pressing him.

“Your status, your work—you don’t want them exposed, do you? These are careless words to be uttered in the heat of emotion.”

“My status is easy enough to discover with a little investigation, and as for matters concerning the Marquis… Well, even without me, someone else would be looking into him. It’s not something that needs to be openly discussed, but it’s also nothing to hide.”

Liv’s jaw dropped at Camille’s shamelessness. Was it really something to be so proud of—prying into others’ affairs?

“Even so, you shouldn’t be telling me this…”

“I’ve already told you. I’m interested in you, Teacher, and it’s unrelated to my work.”

Camille seemed relieved now that he had laid everything bare, and he regained his usual easygoing smile.

“I felt that, without saying anything, the distance between us would never close. And I no longer wanted to be treated as a suspicious person by you.”

“Don’t you think that hearing this makes me want to distance myself even more?”

“I may regret it a bit, now that you mention it… But there’s nothing I can do. It’s better than lying, isn’t it?”

Liv was at a loss for words. If he had simply said he wanted to sleep with her, it might have sounded more convincing. But what he said now felt different from that kind of intent.

Not that it was romantic, either. It was more bewildering than anything. After all, they had only spoken a few times in passing, and seen each other just a handful of times. Moreover, Camille’s strange advances had not begun recently.

“I really don’t understand. Teacher Marcel, you showed interest in me from the first day we met. Are you saying it was entirely without ulterior motives?”

“Ah…”

This time, it was Camille’s turn to be at a loss for words. Scratching his forehead awkwardly, he answered with a resigned voice.

“Alright, I’ll confess. At that time, I thought you might have some connection to the Marquis.”

“With the Marquis?”

“More precisely, I wasn’t certain whether Marquis Dietrion’s visit to the Pendence estate was really due to his relationship with the Baron and Baroness. So I wanted to observe everyone present when the Marquis visited this residence.”

Liv recalled her first encounter with the Marquis—an unexpected meeting caused by a servant’s mistake.

Come to think of it, the buyer of the nude painting she had worked on at the time had been the Marquis. There had already been a point of connection between her and the Marquis, even before she knew it. Of course, the Marquis wouldn’t have known that Liv was the model for the nude painting…

‘He wouldn’t have known, right?’

It must have been after he received the nude painting with her profile that he recognized her. He had acknowledged her in the chapel because he recognized the side view depicted in the painting. Otherwise, would a man of such stature have even noticed her?

“That’s a ridiculous assumption.”

“Well, there were hardly any clues to begin with. Especially since your movements, Teacher Rodaise, oddly overlapped with the Marquis’s, I found it curious.”

Liv thought of the small chapel she used to attend. She hadn’t known it then, but she now realized that the Marquis had appeared there to see her.

“So, has your suspicion been resolved?”

“The Marquis’s visit to the Baron’s residence was indeed due to an art transaction. He’s such a particular person that he feels compelled to have whatever catches his eye. Usually, he purchases artwork through the Royven museum director, but the piece the Baron bought came from a different channel.”

Camille’s close relationship with Baron Pendence had all been an effort to investigate the Marquis. It had been a complete misjudgment.

“And you think there’s no connection between me and the Marquis?”

“If you’re teasing me, I’ll admit it’s quite embarrassing. I’ve already figured out that he has a near-obsessive aversion to women.”

“Obsessive aversion…”

Mulling over Camille’s words, Liv lowered her gaze. It seemed that she and Camille were talking about two different people. The greater this disparity became, the more Liv strangely felt how close she was to the Marquis.

Though the Marquis had shown no consideration for her during their first time in bed, and his cynical way of speaking often grated on her nerves.

Nevertheless, Liv was quite close to him. Sharing intimate kisses, lying in his bed, and receiving his help—their relationship was known only to themselves and the Marquis’s close aides.

It wasn’t so bad, she thought. Being this clandestinely close to him was surprisingly bearable.

‘At this level.’

It was surprising that, even though she could never proudly display their relationship to anyone, she still felt pleased. She even felt a secret sense of superiority. Camille, who was diligently digging into things, didn’t know the Marquis in the way she did.

Unaware of Liv’s thoughts, Camille muttered to himself, “The Marquis seems to have an abnormal fixation with nude paintings.”

Hearing the mention of nude paintings, Liv involuntarily stiffened.

Camille, perhaps misinterpreting her reaction, quickly added, “This isn’t some baseless rumor; I got the information from the Royven museum director.”

“Ah, I see.”

Liv nodded awkwardly, fidgeting with her teacup. Her reflection appeared on the surface of the untouched tea.

Not just an art collector, but someone with an unusual fascination for nude paintings. Was that why he bought Brad’s painting…?

As she thought that, an entirely new question arose—one she had never considered before.

‘Brad said all the other nude paintings had been sold, too. So, the buyer of those nude paintings…’

Come to think of it, Brad was an artist who hadn’t even made his debut, so it would have been difficult for him to find buyers. He didn’t exclusively paint nudes, yet Liv had never heard of him selling other types of paintings. Was there really anyone in Buerno, besides the Marquis, who would buy Brad’s nude paintings?

‘If all the other nude paintings in which I was the model are in the Marquis’s possession…’

If he had known about her from the start?

Even though it seemed impossible, the strange thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

‘Even if he had other paintings, they all showed my back, so he couldn’t have recognized me.’

Moreover, her hair color wasn’t particularly unique, so it would have been impossible to identify her based on that alone.

“In any case, I feel like I’m only losing points the more we talk… Still, I was honest with you, so I hope you’ll take that into consideration.”

Liv gave a cursory nod to Camille, who was speaking as if he were being overly dramatic. She took a sip of her now-cold tea. Even with Camille sitting there trying to improve their relationship, Liv’s mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of the Marquis.

***

After the unexpected conversation with Camille, Liv left the Pendence estate feeling dazed, as if in a trance.

Camille, the youngest of the Eleonore family, had been hiding his identity.

It had all happened within just a few months. Prominent individuals, whom she had never thought would be entangled in her previously ordinary life, had suddenly appeared.

Liv wasn’t particularly curious about what kind of political motivations led these distinguished noblemen to move in secrecy. She knew well enough that someone as powerless as herself was better off staying uninvolved. So she resolved not to let Camille discover her secret meetings with the Marquis.

Not just Camille—no one should know.

The fact that she was in the Marquis’s bed and receiving his attention could cause an uproar. Even just having her name mentioned alongside his could throw her life into disarray. Not only for herself, but also for Corida’s sake, she needed to maintain a quiet, peaceful life.

“Miss Liv?”

Lost in thought, Liv suddenly looked up. Across from her, a man in a dark brown cloak greeted her warmly. Liv recognized him easily.

“Oh, Betryl.”

He was Betryl, who had volunteered at the small chapel Liv used to attend. It had been a long time since she had last seen him, as she had stopped visiting the chapel after moving.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here! Come to think of it, didn’t you say you worked for the Pendence estate?”

Betryl, offering a handshake, glanced in the direction Liv had just come from.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s been a long time, Betryl.”

“Indeed! Why haven’t you been to the chapel lately? Surely you haven’t moved to another one, have you?”

“Ah… I had to move unexpectedly, and now the chapel is too far away.”

Even though it had been a sudden move, perhaps she should have stopped by the chapel at least once to explain.

Back then, she hadn’t had the time to think about it, and afterward, life had been so hectic that she hadn’t thought about her old neighborhood or the people she used to know.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Liv gave Betryl an awkward smile. Her former neighbor, Rita, must have felt similarly abandoned when Liv and Corida suddenly moved away.