Odalisque - Side Story 25

Dimus watched Liv anxiously. Her eyes were fixed on the nude paintings, seemingly oblivious to his tense expression.

“I thought it was strange. You and I… we are so different in many ways. How could we have met, talked, or shared anything? I truly couldn’t understand…”

As if muttering to herself, Liv suddenly turned to Dimus.

“Why did I run away to Adelinde?”

“Run away? That’s not—”

“I heard it from Corida. Sneaking away, disguising my identity, not even packing properly, moving from place to place—that’s running away.”

Dimus had intended to correct her, to say it wasn’t running away. But his voice faltered and his mouth closed.

The truth was, there was nothing wrong with what Liv said. At the time, even Dimus had understood her departure as a “runaway.” Refusing to call it that was just his own stubborn pride. It was his attempt to romanticize the situation, even just a little.

But what would changing a simple word achieve at this point?

Dimus recognized the determined look on Liv’s face. He had faced that expression several times before, each time making the wrong choice. He knew better now—he couldn’t afford another foolish decision.

“Did I really run away from you?”

“Yes.”

So, Dimus could only respond honestly to her question.

“I didn’t respect you at all. I didn’t realize it was love and treated you like a mistress. To you, it must have been nothing short of torment. So you left—you ran away.”

Dimus took a quiet breath, trying to explain as unemotionally as possible.

“I chased after you relentlessly and forcibly brought you back. When force didn’t work, I begged for sympathy. In the end, you couldn’t be cruel, and I thought we’d found our love for each other… But now, here we are.”

Liv listened to him calmly, without a trace of blame or reproach in her expression. The more he spoke, the more vivid those past events became—but only for Dimus. And that made it even harder for him.

It felt just like when Liv couldn’t remember his proposal. Once again, Dimus felt himself sinking into despair.

“Perhaps forgetting everything about me, and everything that happened in Buerno, was an unconscious wish on your part.”

Dimus was not a person who made emotional assumptions or uncertain guesses. But this time, his rising frustration overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t maintain a rational train of thought.

“Maybe you wanted to forget everything tied to this place.”

Before she met Dimus, before she worked as a nude model, before all the bad things in Buerno happened—perhaps some part of her wanted to return to that state.

Liv was a woman who could live receiving love from men much kinder and more gentle than Dimus. Sure, he might have captured her heart with his outer shell for now, but that would age and wither eventually. Even Dimus had to admit that his temperamental, self-centered, and irritable personality made him quite an undesirable partner.

They said that a bride’s emotions could be very fickle before her wedding. What if Liv was feeling that way now?

What if her solitary horseback ride had been because she was unsure about this marriage?

His imagination spun wildly, eventually landing on the horrifying image of Liv running away from the wedding.

Grinding his teeth, Dimus forcibly pulled himself out of the spiraling thoughts.

“Even so, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go.”

If, by some extraordinary leniency, she asked to delay the wedding… as much as he hated it, he’d accept it. But calling it off entirely was impossible. The idea of it would suffocate him with overwhelming anxiety. Clenching his cane tightly, Dimus tried to suppress the unease creeping up on him.

Liv, who had been watching him with a contemplative gaze, let out a soft sigh.

“Thank you for being honest with me.”

She could have easily criticized him or demanded answers for his past wrongs, but she didn’t seem inclined to do so. Her expression merely showed that she was deep in thought.

“I’m quick to let go of things. If something feels beyond my ability to handle, I think it’s more rational to give up. But despite that, I’m still here…”

Liv glanced at the nude paintings on the wall. She recognized herself as the model, yet her gaze was as if she were looking at a stranger.

“Whatever happened here, it’s because I believed I could overcome it.”

Perhaps she could already imagine the circumstances surrounding the creation of those paintings and her own state of mind at the time. After all, it wasn’t hard to deduce one’s own actions.

“There must have been a reason why I decided to marry you. I trust the person I was before losing my memory.”

Liv’s calm words were soon followed by a somewhat melancholy addition.

“However, I think I need some time to accept all of this. I don’t think I can go on any more dates with you for a while.”

“I understand.”

It was enough that she hadn’t said she wanted to leave the mansion or cancel the wedding. Dimus nodded his head emphatically. Seeing him submit so easily, Liv sighed once again. Seeing this man—who seemed to lack nothing—completely humbled like this, she realized that his claim of having “begged for sympathy” hadn’t been an exaggeration.

With a conflicted look, Liv slowly parted her lips.

“I might regain my memory…”

She had intended to offer a clumsy reassurance, that if she remembered their love, they could return to their original state.

But suddenly, something caught Liv’s eye, and she froze in place. Past the covered artworks, in the deepest part of the basement gallery, there was one painting hanging alone. Unlike the others, it was not covered by a sheet.

Anyone could tell that it was the most important piece in the gallery. It hung proudly in the center of the broad wall, with a spotlight seemingly dedicated to it.

Dimus followed Liv’s gaze, curious about her sudden silence.

“Ah, that painting…”

Dimus began to explain, but Liv was already moving toward it. Her steps, at first hesitant, carried her swiftly across the floor until she stood before the painting.

The woman in the painting was smiling happily, her eyes crinkled with joy.

“The self-portrait you painted in my mansion’s studio—where did you hang it?”

The woman who had sat hunched over miserably earlier was now in the center of this grand wall, with a shy but unmistakably joyful smile.

Liv stared at the painting, as if mesmerized. Despite her unskilled hand, the happiness of the woman in the painting overflowed.

Ah, so this was the painting I made at the Pendance mansion.

“Your self-portrait!”

A self-portrait of Liv Rodaise, smiling happily.

…Painted by her own hand.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her head.

“Liv?”

Liv clutched her head, her upper body folding over.

“Ah…!”

“Liv!”

Dimus rushed to her side, supporting her. He seemed to be saying something, but the sharp pain in her head drowned out his voice.

Liv curled in on herself further, as if trying to lessen the pain. But ultimately, she couldn’t stop the overwhelming whiteness from overtaking her vision.

“Liv!”

She thought she heard the distant sound of something shattering.

***

While Liv was unconscious, Thierry returned from her nearby outing. She was shocked at the situation she encountered and did not hold back her rebuke.

“I told you to approach things carefully!”

She seemed to have forgotten she was speaking to Marquis Dietrion, glaring at him fiercely. Unable to watch any longer, Philip stepped in gently.

“Dr. Gertrude, Master is also feeling remorse.”

However, Philip’s gentle intervention only seemed to add fuel to Thierry’s fire.

“What’s the point of regretting things after they’ve gone wrong?”

“He couldn’t have anticipated this outcome.”

“Do you think the marquis is still a cadet at the military academy?”

Philip frowned at Thierry’s words, which referenced the long years they had known Dimus, since his academy days.

“No one can foresee an accident before it happens.”

“You might see the marquis as a child due to your age, Philip, but coddling only leads to bad habits.”

“Why bring my age into this now?”

“Both of you, be quiet.”

The bickering pair fell silent at once. Throughout their argument, Dimus had kept his eyes fixed on Liv. Just as he frowned and prepared to dismiss them both, a faint groan came from the bed where Liv lay.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze toward her simultaneously.