Odalisque - Chapter 86

Lie.

Liv, panting, looked up at the Marquis. His face was cold and indifferent, but his actions—groping her chest hard enough to leave marks, and the erection that refused to leave her—contradicted his words.

Was he losing interest? On the contrary, it seemed like he was getting rather excited.

Liv reached out as she looked at him. She brushed her thumb over his lower lip, which bore signs of their recent kissing, and his lips parted slightly, revealing his red tongue, which licked her finger.

“You call me ‘Teacher’ too, Marquis.”

“So that’s why you lost interest?”

“I think I might now.”

The Marquis smiled at Liv’s defiant response. As her finger traced the curve of his lips, he murmured in a cold tone, “The title ‘Marquis’ I hold has no value. But ‘Teacher’ isn’t the same, is it?”

“You’ve never told me what value your ‘Marquis’ holds, so I wouldn’t know.”

A drop of water from his wet platinum-blond hair fell onto Liv’s face.

“Even if I asked you again, I doubt you’d answer.”

“I didn’t realize changing what you call me required such a complicated process.”

The Marquis muttered mockingly before kissing her again without hesitation. The heat that had seemed to cool was beginning to flare up again.

His hands, which had been gripping her buttocks tightly, moved to push Liv’s limp thighs upward.

“This is an effort to understand my place. You have no need for meaningless affections.”

Mentioning “affection” was partly defiance and partly resignation. It was a spontaneous choice of words, but once spoken, their meaning became starkly clear, and she flushed with embarrassment.

Right after she spoke, Liv instinctively watched the Marquis’s reaction. He couldn’t possibly misunderstand her intentions.

Thankfully, there was no disdain or disgust on his face. Instead, he raised an eyebrow as if he’d heard something amusing.

“I think even you, Teacher, could harbor a love that knows its place.”

It almost sounded like permission to have feelings for him. Liv was about to ask for clarification, but the Marquis moved.

His body settled between her widely spread legs, already feeling too heavy to bear. His cock, now hard again, rubbed against her inner walls as it pulled halfway out.

The sensitive area was sore, throbbing from stimulation. Yet a subtle pleasure arose. Liv bit her lip, trying to swallow the moan rising in her throat, and asked in a thin voice,

“…Do you want my heart too?”

“If I only wanted your body, would it have to be you, Teacher?”

The Marquis muttered in a puzzled tone, pulling his hips further back. Now, only the thick head of his cock rested at her entrance, with the rest completely withdrawn. As the enormous shaft left her, an emptiness settled in her belly.

In the Marquis’s eyes, as he looked down at Liv from this distance, there was a mix of faint lust and the arrogance that seemed inherent to his nature.

“If that’s the case, how are you different from a courtesan, Teacher? Is that how you want to lower your value?”

Liv let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

Did he truly not know? Ever since Adolf had first brought her the contraceptives, she had been no different from a courtesan.

“Then does treating me like this raise my value, Marquis?”

“It’s certain that no one else gets treated like you by me.”

“So I should be content with that?”

“It seems more than enough—what more could you possibly want?”

He thrust his hips harshly, as if displeased by the direction of their conversation. He seemed to think Liv’s complaints were meaningless, unworthy of discussion.

The deep, forceful thrust left Liv breathless for a moment. She inhaled sharply, only to have her breath cut off again as his slick tongue forced its way between her parted lips. The kiss soon broke apart.

As Liv surrendered herself to the whirlwind of pleasure sweeping over her, she wrapped her arms around the Marquis’s neck and whispered as he desired.

“…Hah, Dimus.”

“Ha.”

With a short laugh, the man’s grip on Liv’s wrist tightened roughly. His bright blue eyes gleamed with a dangerous, sinister light.

“Much better.”

She dared to call his name, and he said it was better. He had no idea what hopes and desires his words ignited in Liv. Despite her earlier comment about “knowing her place,” he paid no mind.

And so Liv felt a bit weary.

It seemed that the storm she’d faced was too powerful for her shallow roots to endure.

How strange. She had decided to accept whatever he gave her and even acknowledged her desire for him…

Wasn’t bending like a flexible reed supposed to help one survive even the fiercest storm? But the more Liv bent, the more she felt herself breaking.

It felt like she was a stone, cracked and worn down by rushing water.

Even her complicated thoughts soon blurred as the pleasure overwhelmed her. She had no time to continue thinking amidst the intense sensations.

Or perhaps it was resignation.

***

It had been a long time since Liv went out to Buerno. She went because of a promise Corida had made with Million to attend a festival by the lake.

Naturally, Liv accompanied Corida as her guardian. Though Thierry had already said it was fine for Corida to go out, Liv still felt anxious about letting her leave like this. Whether Corida knew her sister’s worries or not, her face was filled with excitement as she leaned against the window throughout the ride.

“Wait a moment, Corida.”

Liv got off the carriage first upon arriving at the meeting spot. She wanted to see if Million had arrived yet. Since it was a festival, the place was crowded, and just sitting in the carriage would likely make it impossible to find each other.

Carriages lined up along one side, all belonging to those visiting the lakeside. Liv looked around for the Pendence family’s carriage.

It wasn’t long before Liv felt the stares of those bustling around her.

“That woman…”

“The Marquis’s…”

“The opera…”

Amid the scattered murmurs, familiar words stood out. Once she became aware of them, the voices only seemed to get louder in her ears.

“They say she’s a tutor.”

“Apparently she had a man she was seeing.”

“A tutor causing rumors wherever she goes—her behavior is utterly indecent.”

Although no one explicitly named her, it was clear who they were talking about. Liv blinked a couple of times, her expression calm as she resumed scanning the carriages. Fortunately, she soon found the Pendence crest. She quickly approached the carriage.

However, no one was there.

Liv looked at the empty carriage in confusion, but then the servant sitting on the coachman’s seat climbed down and approached her.

“Miss Million isn’t feeling well today, so she had to cancel her plans.”

Million had exchanged letters with Corida as recently as yesterday.

…But it was possible that she had suddenly fallen ill this morning. Even someone as healthy as Million could have an off day. She had canceled lessons before due to being sick.

Liv forced a smile and nodded. “Is she very sick? I’m worried since she couldn’t make it.”

“Yes, it seems she won’t be able to go out for a while.”

That wasn’t a judgment a mere servant could make. But Liv sensed there was no point in pointing that out here.

“I hope Million gets well soon.”

“Thank you. Also, the Baroness wishes to see you soon.”

It seemed the servant’s real reason for coming here was not to convey news of Million but to deliver the Baron’s wife’s message.

Liv nodded calmly. Baroness Pendence had probably heard the rumors about her and the Marquis, and they would need to talk eventually.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

How would she tell Corida about the sudden cancellation?

Liv watched the Pendence family’s carriage leave, feeling somewhat at a loss. Should she take Corida to enjoy the festival anyway?

Corida had been looking forward to this outing, so if Liv suggested they tour the festival together, she would probably be happy. But…

“Why must it be the Marquis…”

With people whispering like this, how could she take Corida around? She couldn’t let her sister get caught up in these rumors. Especially in a place like this, with so many people gossiping. Liv turned back toward the black carriage where Corida waited.

“Um…”

Just as she was about to leave, someone approached her. It was a young boy selling newspapers.

“Someone told me to give this to you.”

The boy handed Liv a neatly folded piece of paper. Without waiting for a reply, he left immediately after delivering the note.

Watching the boy rush off, Liv opened the paper, puzzled. The message was brief:

‘White four-horse carriage.’

Liv stared blankly at the note, then slowly looked up. Amid the many carriages, a white four-horse carriage stood out. Red curtains were drawn across its windows, obscuring the interior.

Someone inside that carriage was calling for her.

The first person Liv thought of was the Marquis. He often came to see her in his carriage. No one else would call for her in this manner.

However, the Marquis always used a black carriage, not a flashy, luxurious white one like this.

It wasn’t a good idea to respond to an unknown summons. But ignoring it was difficult given the obvious wealth behind this carriage.

They didn’t seem like someone she could dismiss easily.

After hesitating, Liv approached the white carriage. She saw the footman standing beside the carriage reporting something to the inside.

Liv cautiously moved closer. The curtains rustled, and the window opened slightly.

“You may join me.”

A clear female voice called from inside the carriage. Liv still couldn’t identify the speaker. She licked her lips nervously as she looked at the slightly open window.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The footman standing by the carriage scowled at Liv’s question.

“How dare you ask the lady’s identity!”

“Easy, Paul. We don’t want her running off in fear.”

“But, my lady…”

The lady let out a small laugh. As she moved the curtain aside further, Liv finally saw her face. A beautiful woman with luscious blonde hair stared straight at her.

“The Malte family does not condemn ignorance. I’ll forgive you.”

The woman had honey-gold hair. Liv instantly realized who she was.

Luzia Malte. She was the young lady of the Malte family, currently on a pilgrimage with the soon-to-be visiting Cardinal.

“How much longer are you going to keep the lady waiting?”

The footman urged Liv harshly. Liv blinked and regained her composure, realizing who she was dealing with. But that didn’t mean she planned to get into the carriage.

“I have someone waiting for me. If you plan to go elsewhere…”

“So it’s not ignorance but insolence. Is this how he’s trained you?”

Luzia’s voice, which had been clear, now carried a hint of annoyance. Her eyes, once feigning benevolence, scanned Liv coldly.

“The time of Malte is not so cheap that it can be given freely to just anyone.”

Liv swallowed dryly. Luzia seemed satisfied with the frightened look on her face and moved away from the window, a smirk of satisfaction on her lips.

Soon, with a click, the carriage door opened.