Odalisque - Chapter 118

Liv, who had been staring at the Marquis, took her hand off the book. Moving slowly, she sat down beside the Marquis and clasped her hands together.

“There was a senior who thought I wouldn’t have made it in if it wasn’t for her donation.”

The term “expensive boarding school” applied only to Liv. She was only able to get in because the school’s main source of funding was a group of very wealthy donors.

“Clemence was a boarding school, and it was impossible not to run into that senior. As a result, we clashed a bit, but I had a lot of good noble friends around me. I never got into any trouble because of their kindness. There was some gossip about me, but nothing serious enough to prevent me from graduating.”

It was a story about her school days that she had never told anyone. After graduation, she thought it was all a meaningless skit and didn’t think to remember it.

“I’d rather not accept half-hearted goodwill.”

“Still, it’s goodwill.”

How powerful was that goodwill inside the school?

Also, how meaningless and powerless was that goodwill outside the school?

“But you’re right, my Lord. Sure, the half-hearted goodwill provided a momentary safeguard, but it didn’t do anything later on. Around the time of my graduation, that senior’s parents deliberately trashed my parents’ handiwork. That really put a dent in our order volume.”

Liv only learned about it long after she graduated. She thought the market had changed over the years, but that wasn’t the case.

She never thought a brief bump in the road would come back to haunt her in that way.

“But still… My parents’ deaths were just an unfortunate accident.”

Soon after her parents’ death, she expected help from her “friends from good families” she had made, or the “high class boys” who had developed a crush on her. Alas, outside of school, her world was different from theirs.

Like her parents, who had a mountain of aristocratic clients, but ended up being little workers living paycheck to paycheck.

“When I worked as a live-in tutor, it was also one of those typical disagreements.”

The uproar at Karyn viscounty, where she worked as a live-in tutor for the first time, was relatively innocuous. It was just the oldest son of that family kept hitting on Liv. And the Viscount couple blamed the young tutor for everything.

As for the case in Lucette county… They blamed their child’s poor academic performance on Liv’s inexperience.

These things were surprisingly common, since not all parents in the world are the same. Liv didn’t think her experience was unique.

Liv finished her story casually, and the Marquis muttered to himself.

“I see you are more popular than I thought.”

“My Lord, it sounds so insincere when it’s you who says that, not anyone else.”

Popular? She had never expected to be labeled as such from the great Marquis Demus Dietrion. She felt like she was being teased when he, with that face of his, mentioned that she was popular.

“It would be better if you’re so intensely gorgeous that no one would dare to touch you.”

Liv, who had been laughing weakly, looked up at that. The Marquis’ long arm, which was rested over the bench’s backrest, reached her so easily.

“But you, Teacher… You’re only attractive enough to touch.”

His fingers, covered in white gloves, stroked Liv’s cheek lightly.

“This usually puts people like you in a pretty tough spot.”

It was a teasing, ticklish touch, like petting an animal he found quite adorable.

Liv, who was giving her cheek to the touch, spoke up in a calm voice.

“You must already know someone like that. Someone who was just attractive enough to touch.”

“Yeah.”

The Marquis replied, in an almost inaudible voice.

“And that person died. In an unfortunate accident.”

Was it his unusually muffled voice? Or was it the quiet surroundings? The Marquis sounded like he was in confession.

“Thanks to it, I learned that I have to be so gorgeous that nobody dares to touch me.”

Who was he talking about?

Liv’s curiosity was piqued, but she didn’t dare ask. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t get any answers even if she did.

The Marquis smirked at Liv, who remained silent. His arrogant face showed the certainty that his judgment was absolutely correct.

Seeing his conviction, Liv suddenly spoke up.

“I am not sure if you are someone nobody would dare to touch, my Lord.”

Liv moved her head slightly to the side. The fingertips that had been stroking her cheek playfully stopped in midair. Liv’s gaze shifted to that hand.

With the Marquis taking off his gloves in bed, Liv now knew what his hands looked like. The real ones, the ones she couldn’t see when he wore his gloves.

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