Odalisque - Chapter 83

“Gloves…”

The gloves Dimus wore today were the ones Liv had cautiously gifted him a few days ago. Compared to the gloves Dimus usually wore, they weren’t of particularly high quality, but surprisingly, they fit well and felt comfortable. More importantly, Liv knew his hand size precisely, and imagining the time she spent carefully picking something suitable for him made him feel content.

That alone was reason enough for Dimus to wear these gloves.

“I didn’t expect you’d wear them.”

“Didn’t you give them to me to wear?”

“Of course, but you must have much better gloves, Marquis.”

Liv eyed the gloves with a peculiar look, genuinely curious.

“Knowing that, why did you give me gloves as a gift?”

“…For my own satisfaction.”

It was indeed an unusual answer, one he hadn’t considered before.

“Just like you did, Marquis, I did the same.”

Liv added this with a nonchalant tone, smiling at Dimus before casually looking away.

Perhaps because the thought of actually stepping forward in public as the Marquis’s partner weighed heavily on her, Liv’s shoulders were visibly tense. The dress design, which left her neck fully exposed, made her dryly swallow, a movement clearly visible. Liv, with her anxious face, glanced towards the theater and slightly tilted her head.

“…There aren’t many people here?”

“That’s because the opera has already started. Didn’t you check the showtime?”

Seeing her wide eyes, he didn’t need her answer to know.

“Did you think we’d be swept along by the crowd trying to enter as the opera began?”

Liv blinked rapidly and then slowly shook her head. “You probably dislike crowded places, Marquis.”

“Right. Now that your curiosity is satisfied, let’s actually head in.”

Liv carefully started walking. A few people who lingered in front of the quiet theater building were startled to see Dimus, whispering amongst themselves.

Their attention soon shifted to Liv, who stood beside Dimus. They were too intimidated to approach and stood at a distance, sneaking glances like startled rabbits.

Ignoring their stares, Dimus glanced sideways. He wondered if Liv would walk with her head down, but she faced forward quite confidently. Although she couldn’t fully hide her nervousness, considering the pressure she must have felt, her demeanor was commendable.

As he expected, Liv would conduct herself properly in any setting.

Dimus looked away, satisfied.

The opera was probably splendid.

Although he watched it live, he made this evaluation because he hadn’t focused on the performance at all. Sitting right beside him was a partner far more interesting than the opera itself.

The darkened audience. Many in the audience peeked at their box seat through opera glasses. Whether Liv noticed the many glittering lenses in the darkness, Dimus couldn’t tell. She simply kept her eyes fixed on the dazzling stage.

Her elegant profile as she gazed at the stage was a side of her he hadn’t seen before. Dimus watched her, unbothered and fascinated. Occasionally, he would touch the nape of Liv’s neck. Each time, Liv would flinch slightly but remain obedient.

Perhaps, throughout their ride home tonight, opera attendees would be too busy gossiping about “how deeply Marquis Dietrion was infatuated with the woman he accompanied tonight” to discuss the plot of the performance. And just how surprising a figure that woman was.

In a small rural town like Buerno, news like this spread quickly. Naturally, Luzia would hear of it as well.

Dimus didn’t encounter Luzia. According to Charles’s report, she had indeed come to the opera house but hesitated to appear after seeing Dimus openly standing with Liv by his side.

It made sense since Luzia didn’t know Liv’s identity. Besides, with Luzia’s pride, she wouldn’t want to appear as though she was clinging to Dimus while he had another woman by his side.

She might feel even more humiliated once she learned who Liv was.

Unaware of any of this, Liv fulfilled her role of shooing away nuisances perfectly. Appearing exactly as he liked, she had played her part flawlessly, leaving Dimus satisfied.

So he decided to take her back to Langess with him without hesitation.

“Your sister is old enough to manage alone, isn’t she?”

Liv, after a moment’s hesitation, quietly agreed to Dimus’s suggestion. Watching Liv move gracefully, all dressed up, she looked like a finely crafted statue.

He thought it would be wonderful to keep her close for a long time, just like this.

“How was the opera?”

“It was magnificent.”

Inside the carriage heading to Langess Estate, Dimus casually asked, and Liv replied in an even tone. However, her expression was quite indifferent for someone who said it was magnificent.

Liv, realizing her response had been rather dry, shrugged her shoulders and added a bit more insight.

“However, if this is what high society etiquette looks like, I don’t feel the need to watch an opera in person.”

Dimus’s eyes softened into a faint smile. “Today was a special case.”

“I suppose so. It’s just unfortunate that my first memory of attending an opera will be tarnished.”

“I didn’t think you’d be so concerned about others’ gazes.”

“I’m much more affected by it than you think, Marquis.”

Liv’s lowered eyelids blinked slowly.

“For me, each of those gazes is a threat.”

“That’s a rather weak thing to say for someone like you.”

At Dimus’s response, Liv lifted the corners of her mouth in a faint smile, though it seemed tired.

“Can’t I say that to you, Marquis?”

Perhaps due to her makeup, Liv looked exceptionally pale. Dimus had always known her skin was fair, but now it seemed almost devoid of life.

That bloodless face made her look even more like a statue—an inanimate sculpture.

A statue placed precisely where its owner intended, with no will of its own.

“You’re the only one I can lean on, so can’t I say at least this much?”

No, she wasn’t a statue. She was a living human being, with red blood flowing beneath that pale skin.

Dimus thought that perhaps a hint of color suited her better than paleness.

The flush that spread across her skin like flower petals looked better than her porcelain-like white cheeks.

“It seems today’s performance was more burdensome for you than I thought.”

Dimus raised his hand to cup Liv’s cheek. He brushed her painted lips with his thumb, and a red tint stained his glove.

“A hot bath will help relieve your fatigue. I’ll have Philip prepare it quickly, so bear with it a bit longer.”

“Thank you for your generous care.”

“You shouldn’t thank me.”

With just a couple of swipes, her lip color had faded significantly. It made her makeup appear much lighter, revealing the Liv Rodaise he knew.

“Once you’ve rested, who knows what I’ll do.”

“As if I wouldn’t know.”

Liv let out a soft laugh.

If that small laughter could be seen, it might look like a tiny bud just sprouting in spring. A bud about to bloom beautifully.

He never knew she could bloom flowers with her lips.

Even as he found his sentiment absurd, Dimus concluded that his evaluation was quite objective and accurate. Amusingly so. At the same time, he wondered if anyone else knew about this talent of Liv’s. If they did, surely no one could resist coveting her.

Dimus’s hand slipped to fiddle with her glittering earring as he murmured to himself, “We should visit a millinery soon.”

Jewelry and dresses alone weren’t enough. He needed to adorn her more, to make it obvious she was his. Where was a good millinery? Perhaps there were a few other things he could buy for her.

No, first, he needed to make sure that, when the vermin approached, she could fend for herself…

“Do you have plans for tomorrow?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Good.”

Dimus quickly finalized his plans for tomorrow in his head.

First, he needed to check if there were any women’s guns in the mansion.