Odalisque - Side Story 26

A faint groan escaped, and her eyelids fluttered. Then slowly, her eyes opened.

“Liv.”

Dimus placed his hand over the back of Liv’s. Her delicate fingers twitched slightly within his large palm.

Liv’s green eyes, now fully open, stared blankly at the ceiling before turning to look at Dimus. The meeting of their eyes and their interlocking fingers happened almost simultaneously.

“Ah…”

Liv let out a sigh, almost like a soft gasp.

Dimus, unable to blink, simply stared at her. He could see the familiar affection of his lover in her gaze.

“Dimus.”

The one calling his name now was his lover, soon to be his wife—the very “Liv Rodaise” who shared all his memories.

“Ha…”

Overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling, Dimus couldn’t speak for a while. Sensing his emotions, Liv offered a faint smile.

“You must have been really startled.”

“It wasn’t just that…”

He wanted to say that it wasn’t such a simple matter, that he had been terrified of losing everything they had built. Words rose up to his throat, clamoring to come out.

But Dimus pressed it all down, burying his fears deep within. Instead, he finally spoke the words he had meant to say after she had woken from her fall.

“…Never ride alone again.”

“But… I was practicing so I could ride with you.”

“Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you myself. Never again.”

Dimus paused after that.

He had intended to tell her not to ride at all—that she didn’t need to bother with horseback riding. But now, what he truly wanted to say had changed entirely. Dimus’s eyes narrowed as he spoke with a restrained voice.

“Never forget me again.”

At some point in the past, she may have hated him. She may have despised and loathed him.

But it wasn’t just bad memories that existed between them. There were precious moments too—small, ordinary times and unforgettable events filled with shared memories.

Not knowing how to express this emotion, Dimus simply gripped Liv’s hand tightly. She looked at him quietly and smiled awkwardly.

“You must have been really scared.”

Ah, so that’s what it was—fear. Finally, the tangled emotion had a name, but it wasn’t a comforting realization. With a bitter expression, Dimus asked in a low voice.

“Do you remember what happened while your memory was gone?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Liv replied readily, letting out a small groan as she shifted her body. With Dimus’s help, she sat up and leaned against the headboard, speaking again.

“I remember everything you did for me.”

“…Did I do the right thing this time?” he asked cautiously, like a child seeking approval from a teacher.

Liv hesitated for a moment, then said with a gentle smile, “I believe that every part of our journey led us to this moment. That’s why I’m happy you were honest about our story in the end.”

Fidgeting with the soft blanket, Liv thought back to the days when she had lost her memory.

It still felt surreal—as if she were reading someone else’s story. However, she remembered Dimus’s actions and emotions vividly. When she hadn’t remembered, she hadn’t understood, but now it was as clear as if she were looking at the palm of her hand.

“Some memories are painful to recall, it’s true. But…”

Now that she had regained her memory, Liv understood why Dimus had lied about their first meeting. It was a past that was better left unknown.

But without that past, would they be here now, facing each other like this?

“The scars may not disappear, but after enough time passes, we’ll be able to look at them and laugh, calling them the medals of our love—the evidence of our devotion.”

Not all moments could be beautiful and filled with joy. Liv smiled calmly.

“Where there was once a wound, new skin has grown.”

Dimus listened to her words, nodding as he muttered dryly, “Yes, I was trash.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Liv frowned and scolded him, then suddenly added in a serious tone, “But you were… a bit like that.”

“Yes.”

Half-joking, Liv’s words were met with a serious agreement from Dimus, devoid of any humor.

“If your pain ever resurfaces, I’ll apologize as many times as it takes, like it’s the first time.”

Just constantly, whenever, as long as you need it.

“So you have to give me the chance to apologize for the rest of our lives.”

Hearing him practically force his lifelong apologies upon her, Liv looked a bit taken aback. But she soon shrugged, accepting the reality with a calm demeanor.

“I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll just have to let you—it’s like saving a life.”

“It’s a good thing you’re such a compassionate person.”

Finally, a faint smile appeared on Dimus’s face. At the same time, their intertwined fingers shifted, his large hand gently rubbing Liv’s slender wrist. His thumb pressed down on the vein inside her wrist, the touch deliberate.

But the atmosphere, which had started to grow heavy, was suddenly interrupted by an indifferent voice.

“If you’ve finished your emotional reunion, may I conduct my examination now?”

Thierry, who had been forgotten for some time, stood with her arms crossed, looking at Dimus and Liv with a bored expression. Next to her, Philip chuckled awkwardly.

“Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Gertrude.”

“I only have to do this occasionally, but you, Philip, have to deal with this kind of environment every day. You deserve more sympathy than I do.”

“Haha.”

The two of them, as if their earlier argument had been a lie, encouraged each other. Liv, embarrassed by their teasing tone, averted her gaze. Only Dimus seemed oblivious, staring at them arrogantly as if he didn’t understand what the problem was.

“Tsk, how clueless.”

“Marquis, you haven’t forgotten that she’s still a patient, right?”

At those words, Dimus reluctantly stood up. But even then, he moved slowly, making it clear that he didn’t want to leave. Liv, blushing, hung her head low, and Philip sighed, mixing a chuckle into it.

It was a typical day at the Langess mansion.

***

After losing her memory, Liv had been staying in a separate room from Dimus, but now she had decided to return to sharing the bedroom with him.

Moving rooms within the mansion wasn’t a hassle—after all, she was just returning to her original bedroom. However, it was only right to let Corida, who had shared the room to care for her, know about the change.

“Sorry, Corida. You’ve taken such good care of me all this time… but he can’t sleep without me.”

Corida snorted at Liv’s excuse. “Really, it’s just too much. Too dramatic.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to recover quickly. Thank you.”

“Alright, alright. Just go move your stuff.”

There wasn’t much to move, but Liv still looked around the room. It had been her living space for a while, so she wanted to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Will your arm heal before the wedding?”

“Yes, they say it’s healing quickly, so it should be fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Exactly. It means we’ll have a fun story to tell for the rest of our lives.”

As Liv and Corida chatted, a large shadow suddenly appeared in the doorway. It was Dimus, unable to wait any longer and having followed them.

“What do I need to move?”

“There’s no need for help. I’m just changing where I sleep, so there’s nothing heavy to move.”

There really wasn’t anything to move. When Liv held out her empty hands to prove her point, Dimus frowned, denying her words.

“There’s something important that needs to be moved.”

“What?”

“You.”

“Ugh!”

Corida let out an exaggerated groan upon hearing that, rubbing her arms dramatically.

“Wow, seriously. No one will ever believe this.”

Liv, looking embarrassed, cleared her throat as if to regain her composure.

“Ahem. Not in front of Corida… No, I’m not letting you carry me!”

“Why not?”

Dimus, who had been about to pick her up as if it were the most natural thing in the world, frowned at her words, tilting his head in genuine confusion.

Seeing his earnest expression, Liv said with an exasperated look, “Because my legs aren’t injured!”

“But I promised I’d personally escort you wherever you go.”

“That wasn’t a promise; it was a unilateral declaration. And even if it was, no one actually expects you to follow through, Dimus!”

Not wanting to continue their overly affectionate display in front of Corida, Liv hurriedly dashed out of the room. Dimus looked displeased as he watched her run off.

“Tsk.”

Dimus clicked his tongue and turned as if to follow her. But then, unexpectedly, he stopped and looked back at Corida. Corida, who had been trying to calm her churning stomach, noticed his gaze and looked at him curiously.

Corida had seen Dimus without Liv a few times before. So, the sudden transformation—the cold, aloof expression—didn’t scare her. It was just that…

“As you can see, we’re very happy. So, it would be best to tear up that useless train ticket.”

With that command disguised as a suggestion, Dimus left the bedroom.

Left behind in a daze, Corida finally snapped out of it and pouted in annoyance. Mumbling under her breath, she pulled out the train ticket she had hidden deep in a drawer and thought to herself:

It’s a relief I can finally tear this up, but still… my sister is waaay too good for him.

<The End>