Odalisque - Chapter 76

Almost simultaneously, Dimus’s question and Liv’s briefly hesitant hand resumed its movement. Undoing each button methodically, Liv responded in a steady voice.

“No matter what caused these scars, Marquis, you are alive, and everyone looks up to you with admiration.”

Finally, all the buttons of his shirt were undone. Through the loosened fabric, his muscular body was revealed. His skin, marked with discolored scars, testified to the time he had endured. Except for a few large scars, he couldn’t remember where most of the smaller ones had come from.

Liv brought her fingertips to the scar on his abdomen. Her hand was warmer than he had expected.

“So why shouldn’t I consider these scars a medal of victory?”

Dimus squinted at the scar Liv was touching. Though he wasn’t entirely sure, he thought it might have been from shrapnel during a mine explosion. He couldn’t recall which battle it was from.

As soon as he looked at his scars, unpleasant remnants of the past began creeping into his mind. With a furrowed brow, Dimus murmured, “You’re trying very hard to please me.”

At his cynical words, Liv finally raised her head. Her face, looking up at him from close by, was innocent. In her green eyes, there was no hint of deceit or sly motives.

“Do you think I’m lying just to flatter you, Marquis?”

“It’s fine. Because it doesn’t feel bad.”

Dimus deliberately showed that he didn’t entirely believe her, causing Liv to awkwardly force a smile. Her slightly furrowed brow seemed to reveal her unease and complex emotions.

She didn’t grovel, begging him to believe her. Instead, she moved her hands, apparently intending to fully remove Dimus’s shirt.

Dimus let her do as she wished. Once his upper body was fully exposed, all the hidden scars were laid bare. On his arms, chest, shoulder blades, and abdomen—everywhere her eyes landed were scars, like bugs crawling across his skin.

Upon seeing them, Liv’s eyes widened. This time, Dimus thought, perhaps he would finally see disgust or fear on her face.

However, her words were completely unexpected.

“…If I said I liked these scars, would that displease you?”

Her voice was pure, almost filled with admiration.

“If I said I felt relieved that your body isn’t as flawless as a statue’s, would you be offended?”

For the first time in front of her, Dimus found himself at a loss for words. Perhaps taking his silence as a negative response, Liv, who had been touching his scars, hesitated and withdrew her hand.

A moment ago, she seemed lost in admiration, but now she appeared to come to her senses, clearing her throat and searching for his robe. Dimus watched her in silence for a while as she looked around the room rather theatrically.

Finally, Liv found a spare robe. When Dimus extended his arms willingly, she cautiously draped it over his shoulders.

“Teacher, you should never invest in fine art.”

As Liv was adjusting the robe’s loose belt, she looked up at Dimus in puzzlement. Dimus took the belt from her hand and carelessly tossed it to the floor before striding toward the bed.

“Your taste is terrible—you’d lose your entire fortune in an instant.”

“What about your trousers…?”

“If you take off my trousers, I’ll take it as a sign you don’t intend to sleep tonight.”

Without a word of protest, Liv gave up on removing his trousers. It seemed she wasn’t comfortable enough to stay up all night while spending the night away from home.

Which was fortunate. If things continued as they were, he felt he would embrace her much more roughly than usual.

“Do you need me to sing a lullaby for you?”

“No, just… having you nearby is enough.”

She had already laid herself bare, literally and figuratively, yet she now acted as if she was embarrassed again. Lying down on the edge of the wide bed, Liv pulled the blanket up as far as it would go, her face unsure what to do. Ignoring her restlessness, Dimus closed his eyes.

With her scent and breath so close, a familiar lust began to stir. But he had no desire to indulge it tonight. His entire body was on edge, sensing danger.

The survival instinct, which overpowered his desire, swept over him violently. Though his rational mind knew there was nothing in this place that could threaten him, his instincts, honed by years of survival, continued to warn him.

Strangely enough, he didn’t want to touch her tonight. It felt as though she were the source of the danger signals he was sensing.

***

When Liv awoke in the morning, she was alone in the wide bed.

She had expected to be too nervous to sleep properly, but once she lay down, she fell into a deep sleep, oblivious to when her companion had left.

Liv stared somewhat gloomily at the side of the bed, long cold from Dimus’s departure. There was barely any sign that anyone had ever occupied that space.

After all, this was the Langess mansion, so she had hoped they might share breakfast together, but all she heard was that the Marquis had left early in the morning.

In the end, using Corida’s worry as an excuse, she refused Philip’s invitation to have breakfast before heading home, which she had done just moments ago.

And upon opening the door, she was greeted by an unexpected guest.

“Teacher!”

“Sister!”

Sitting beside Corida with a teacup in hand was Million. As Liv stood frozen at the entrance in surprise, the two girls rushed over, each grabbing one of her arms and seating her at the dining table. Then, like police officers about to interrogate a suspect, they solemnly took their seats across from her.

There was no opportunity to ask why Million was here or how she had become so close with Corida.

“Teacheeer, I’ve heard such a strange rumor!”

Propping her face up with both hands like a flower, Million narrowed her eyes at Liv from across the table. Corida, sitting beside her, followed suit, narrowing her eyes and speaking in a sly voice.

“Sister, Million told me something strange.”

When had they even started calling each other by their first names?

Speechless, Liv looked back and forth between Million and Corida before letting out a sigh of resignation. No matter how much she wanted to ignore it, it was impossible not to understand what the two girls were hinting at. Pretending not to know would be futile.

With an air of composure, Liv turned her gaze to Million. As urgent as their inquiry seemed, certain matters needed to be addressed first.

“Million, I’ve told you that visiting someone’s home without prior permission is impolite.”

No matter how diligently she tried to teach her, it was pointless if Million didn’t apply it to her daily life.

Seeing Liv’s expression, as if she were about to bring out an etiquette manual right then and there, Million looked rather aggrieved.

“That’s true, but waiting for that would take too long!”

“What could be so urgent that you couldn’t even wait to send a messenger?”

“What could be more urgent than this?”

“What could be more urgent than discovering that my lessons on manners have had no effect?”

At this, Million slapped her chest and stomped her feet in her seat.

“Teacher! Are you serious? It’s about the Marquis of Dietrion!”

Though she had suspected it, Liv now knew for sure: rumors had spread like wildfire overnight. She dreaded to think just how exaggerated those rumors might have become.

When Liv hesitated, Million’s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward.

“Is it true?”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard…”

“That the Marquis of Dietrion has fallen into a great love story!”

Could she even hope to correct such a ridiculous claim? Feeling a growing sense of despair, Liv answered calmly, “I owe the Marquis a great deal.”

“Aaaah, he really is in love with you?!”

“Million, it’s not love—it’s a debt.”

Fortunately, Million didn’t seem jealous of Liv’s involvement with the Marquis. Instead, she was busy screaming in excitement, as if a storybook romance had come to life before her eyes.

Liv tried her best to temper Million’s rose-colored imagination with realistic details, but Million paid her no mind.

And Million wasn’t the only one excited.

“Sister, are you really involved with such an incredible person?”

“It’s complicated, Corida. It’s not like…”

“Aaah! What are we going to do?!”

“Sister, you’re amazing! How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?”

“Well, actually…”

“We should hire an author right away! We need to turn this into a novel!”

“How romantic!”

“…Please, both of you, give me a moment to explain.”