Odalisque - Side Story 3

“No special reports from the inside either.”

Naturally, Dimus had hurriedly planted someone inside the event as well. It was to receive immediate reports if any issues arose. Judging from the lack of reports, it seemed the event was proceeding without incident. However, no news wasn’t exactly comforting.

“I should have instructed them to report periodically, even if there were no issues.”

Lately, it seemed that Dimus found himself regretting things more often than before.

He took out a cigar, lighting it to suppress his growing frustration. Outside the carriage, Roman watched him and spoke in a low voice.

“It’s not a long event. There’s no need to worry…”

“You call wasting half a day ‘not long’?”

“It’s only half a day… Yes, very long indeed.”

Roman, who had responded reflexively, quickly corrected himself. Dimus shot him a cold look, inhaling deeply on his cigar before turning his head away.

Charles and Adolf had also grown insolent lately, and now even Roman. Once, Philip had been the only one to talk back, but now it seemed everyone had grown rather cheeky. In the past, Dimus wouldn’t have tolerated even the slightest lapse in discipline, but these days he couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters. He was more interested in just getting through this tedious time.

After checking his pocket watch, Dimus leaned back. The carriage was soon filled with thick cigar smoke. Just as he was taking another drag, the entrance to the event building opened, and someone stepped out. It was the person Dimus had planted just the previous evening.

Dimus narrowed his eyes.

It wasn’t yet time for the reading session to end. The fact that they had left the building meant there was a problem.

Almost as if he had been waiting for this moment, Dimus threw his cigar to the ground, the polished toe of his shoe crushing the end of the red cigar.

***

Liv had heard enough from Charles and Adolf about how the rumors surrounding her had changed in Buerno.

Indeed, she could feel a slight difference in the way people looked at her when she went out with Dimus. However, the truth was, facing many people alone still made her anxious.

When Dimus offered to arrange a private meeting with Milion instead, she had to admit she was tempted. As Dimus pointed out, there really wasn’t a need for her to attend such an event alone. Even if Milion had extended the invitation, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to refuse, considering her past dismissal under poor circumstances.

Despite this, Liv decided to attend, and moreover, to do so without Dimus. It was because she realized that she couldn’t always live in the shadows of Dimus. Now that she had returned to Buerno with him and had resolved to stay by his side for the rest of her life, she needed to grow stronger.

Dimus was a man who attracted attention even without his secretive past. A single outing with him was enough to stir all of Buerno. If she intended to stay by his side, Liv needed to grow accustomed to the public’s gaze and become resilient in the face of it.

Besides, this time, she had every right to hold her head high. She was his lover—not a mistress, but an equal standing partner.

To Liv, this was a determined decision.

“Teacher!”

To her relief, Milion greeted her warmly, just as she always had. The familiarity of Milion’s behavior helped put Liv at ease.

Milion, acting quite maturely, introduced Liv to the other guests. Outwardly, everyone was very polite to Liv, regardless of their true feelings. They all smiled warmly, whatever they might actually be thinking.

The mood was further enhanced when Baroness Pendance briefly appeared before the event began, publicly apologizing for “unilaterally dismissing her without verifying the truth.”

It was as if Baroness Pendance wanted to prove that this event was indeed Milion’s pure invitation. After offering her apology, she left the venue. After she departed, several unfamiliar guests stepped forward, each apologizing for their own “misunderstandings.”

From what Liv could gather, it seemed that the nude painting displayed on the street had been dismissed as a forgery. Technically, it wasn’t entirely false, since the painting had used her as a model, but it wasn’t something Liv felt compelled to correct. She simply accepted their apologies, doing her best to mask her embarrassment.

Overall, the atmosphere was pleasant. Even after the reading session featuring the special guest author began, the mood remained amicable. Although Liv hadn’t read the guest author’s book, Milion whispered explanations, making it easy to follow the story.

The problem arose just as the reading session was nearing its end.

“Oh, you mean whether the characters were inspired by real people?”

During the tea time that followed the elegant reading, someone asked the author a question. On the surface, it seemed a simple enough query.

However, the author, who had maintained a calm demeanor throughout, visibly stiffened at the question.

“Well…”

The author’s hesitation made her appear awkward, and the young lady who asked the question grew visibly uncomfortable. As the previously pleasant atmosphere took on an awkward silence, the author spoke in a rather curt manner.

“I can’t lie to my dear readers, so I’ll be honest: yes, the protagonists are always based on real individuals. There’s someone who has been a particularly significant inspiration to me. I’m sure everyone here knows of her.”

At that moment, Liv instinctively knew what the author was going to say next.

“Lady Luzia Malte.”

The author’s gaze fell on Liv, who was seated in the front. Though the author wore a subtle smile, Liv felt a faint hostility in her eyes.

“Please don’t be offended. You are… the Marquis’… uh, I’m not quite sure what to call you.”

The author smiled as she openly singled out Liv. In an instant, all eyes turned to her. Finding herself the sudden center of attention, Liv calmly parted her lips.

“Liv Rodaise.”

“Ah, Miss Rodaise. Yes. I never imagined I’d meet you here. What a surprise.”

The author laughed cheerfully, but her underlying emotions were evident—she wasn’t pleased. Liv was certain that most of the other guests picked up on it too.

Even after Luzia Malte had been forced into a convent, the author still spoke of her as “my muse.” It was clear that Luzia was someone incredibly important or special to her.

If that was the case, it was easy to understand why the author held such animosity toward Liv. After all, it was Liv who had been at the center of the dispute between Dimus and Luzia.

Liv licked her lips briefly before answering calmly. “I didn’t expect you to know me.”

She suspected that the author had known her name from the very beginning.

Upon hearing Liv’s response, the author smiled, her voice intentionally softening. “Well, you’ve been making quite a stir lately.”

No matter what relationship the author had with Luzia or how she felt toward Liv because of it, Liv had no interest in it.

Just because the people of Buerno were now smiling in her presence didn’t mean she believed everyone in the world held a favorable opinion of her. No matter how much Dimus spread the story, Liv didn’t expect everyone to accept it. Naturally, there would be people like this author who viewed her with disdain.

Liv didn’t need everyone to like her.

But by the same token, she had no reason to tolerate the hostility directed at her.

After testing the waters, the author watched Liv’s reaction, while Liv responded with a composed smile.

“As you said, Lady Malte certainly faced her share of disgrace recently.”

The author’s lips tightened slightly. She shrugged and answered nonchalantly, “Well, the media always shows just one side of the story, you know? Every narrative has its characters and flow of events. They just presented the most sensational side of things this time.”

“You seem to distrust the media quite a bit.”

“Writing as I do, I hear a lot from those around me. You need to listen from all angles if you want to write properly.”

The author smiled meaningfully, glancing at the other guests. “Besides, nothing is more fascinating than a scandal.”

It was clear she was referring to the rumors about Dimus and a “mistress.” It seemed she had heard her share of gossip somewhere.

As Liv watched her with indifferent eyes, someone suddenly raised their hand and spoke up, “Author.”

The one who spoke, with a slightly tense smile and a firm voice, was Milion. Perhaps because it was her reading session, she seemed particularly determined to lighten the tense atmosphere in the room.

“It seems there are other guests who also have questions.”

Hearing Milion’s words, the author sighed softly and turned her attention away. At the same time, another young lady quickly interjected with a question.

Seeing this, Milion subtly leaned toward Liv.

“Teacher, this is…”

“It’s fine, Milion.”

How could Milion possibly be at fault? How important could it be to verify every personal connection of an invited author? If Dimus was right, this reading session was likely hastily organized, and there probably wasn’t enough time to verify the author’s relationship with Luzia.

Even if they had known, they might not have considered it an issue. After all, the reading session itself wasn’t important—what mattered more was finding an excuse to meet Liv again.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

Who could have expected that the author would reveal such personal resentment in a setting like this?