Odalisque - Chapter 157

Liv did a great job of swatting away the flies with her innocent face. It was hard for Demus not to be pleased with how well she fulfilled her role while still appearing to his liking.

So he decided to go home with her to Lanxess.

“Isn’t your little sister old enough to be home alone?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Liv complied with Demus’ wishes. As she moved in her beautifully adorned form, she looked like a well-crafted statue.

It would be nice to keep her around for a long time to come.

“How was the opera?”

“It was great.”

In the carriage on the way to the Lanxess manor, Liv answered the question in a low voice. Her expression seemed relatively unenthusiastic for someone who claimed the opera was great.

However, not long after offering her response, Liv appeared to recognize the lack of enthusiasm in her initial reply. She shrugged and proceeded to provide a more detailed assessment.

“But if this is what upper-class theater etiquette looks like, I don’t think I want to see the play in person.”

Demus closed his eyes and flashed a light smile.

“Today was a special case.”

“I’m sure it was. I’m afraid this will ruin my memories of my first opera experience.”

“I didn’t realize you were paying attention to your surroundings so much.”

“I care a lot more than you realize, my Lord.”

Her eyelids blinked slowly as she lowered her gaze.

“For me, every single one of those stares felt like a threat.”

“You sound uncharacteristically vulnerable.”

Upon hearing Demus’ response, Liv’s lips curved upward, forming a somewhat fragile smile.

“Isn’t it okay for me to tell this to you, my Lord?”

Was it the makeup? Liv’s complexion was pale. He knew she was naturally fair-skinned, but it had never been this lifeless.

The pallor of her face made her look even more statuesque. A lifeless statue.

A statue with no free will, just lying there where its owner intended it to be.

“You’re the only one I can lean on, so I guess I can say this much, right?”

No, she was not a statue. She was a living human being. A human with red blood flowing beneath that white skin.

Demus mused. He felt she looked better with a hint of color than pale.

A rosy blush was more flattering on her than smooth, porcelain white cheeks.

“… I guess today’s show was more demanding for you than I thought it would be.”

Demus lifted a hand and wrapped it around Liv’s cheek. He brushed his thumb across her red painted lips, staining his glove with red dye.

“A soak in the hot water will ease your fatigue. Philip will have it ready in a moment, so be patient.”

“Thank you for your generous consideration, my Lord.”

“You shouldn’t be thankful.”

He had only rubbed it on a couple of times, but the color on her lips had faded considerably. That alone made her makeup look much lighter, revealing the Liv Rhodes that Demus knew.

“Do you even know what I’m going to do once you ease your weariness?”

“There’s no way I don’t know.”

Liv let out a low chuckle.

If it were possible to see this little bubble of her laughter, it would probably look like a tiny bud of flower in the spring. A bud quivering with anticipation, poised to unfurl into full bloom.

He had never been aware that she possessed the ability to coax flowers to blossom with her smile.

Although he recognized this sentiment as rather absurd, Demus determined that his evaluation was, in fact, quite unbiased and accurate. Strangely amusing, indeed. At the same time, he realized that someone else might be privy to this knowledge. If anyone were cognizant of this remarkable talent, they would undoubtedly desire to possess it.

Slipping his hand to fiddle with a sparkling earring, Demus muttered to himself.

“We need to go to a hat store soon.”

The jewelry and dress weren’t enough. He needed to dress her up a bit more, to make her more recognizable as his. He wondered if there was a decent hat shop. He also thought he might as well get her a few other things.

No, first, he needed to make her able to deal with the rats on her own when they drew near…

“Do you have anything else scheduled for tomorrow?”

“No, my Lord.”

“That’s good.”

Demus’ mind quickly organized tomorrow’s schedule.

He decided he would start by seeing if there were any women’s guns in the mansion.

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