Odalisque - Chapter 191

Considering that Demus had let him get away with it when he was digging into his background, his order now was alarmingly aggressive. Regardless, Demus dismissed his subordinate’s concerns.

“Right now.”

Demus ordered coldly, not even looking at his subordinate. Eleanor? What the hell did that have to do with him?

Gritting his teeth, Demus stared into the distance.

How dare you.

***

The line at the ticket office was much longer than she expected.

Liv bit her lip nervously as she watched the long, winding line and glanced around. Amidst the crowds and noise, she spotted a few police officers wandering around. Liv’s shoulders slumped involuntarily at the sight of them.

She wondered if the Marquis had realized they were gone and reported them to the police. He could make up any crime he wanted. If he had done so, Liv might be caught at the ticket gates.

With her reputation as his mistress, if she were to be taken in by the police, everyone would assume she had been abandoned by the Marquis… In the end, she would never be viewed well again.

Her anxiety increased as she considered the new possibilities.

Watching the unending line of fire in front of them, Liv scanned the officers’ movements. So far, they didn’t seem to be looking for anyone. They were just there to secure the crowded train station.

Meanwhile, a fight had broken out up front. There was a clash between a few people who were angry at the slow process. Liv could see the officers approaching the fighters with a look of annoyance on their faces.

“Oh fuck, I’m going to miss my train at this rate!”

Shouts of protest erupted from the crowd, adding to the already chaotic scene in front of the ticket office.

Liv wondered if she should find another way out now.

She glanced around anxiously. A carriage ride would take them to a small village near Buerno.

But it wasn’t far, and if they were pursued, they’d be caught quickly. It was close enough that they would never be able to escape if the police officers of Buerno came upon them.

As she pondered, holding tightly to Coryda’s hand, someone tapped Liv on the shoulder. It was a light tap, but it was enough to startle her.

“Miss Rhodes, it’s me.”

“… Mr. Marcel.”

“First, let’s go this way.”

Camille led Liv toward the waiting room.

“I’m a little late since I tried to get here as quietly as possible after the prayers. Have you managed to get your tickets yet?”

“No, as you can see…”

Liv trailed off with an awkward look on her face. As if Camille had expected it, he handed her two train tickets from his pocket.

“I got them beforehand, just in case. I picked the destination at random, but if you’re in a hurry, you might want to use these.”

“Thank you so much!”

Liv thanked him, her face lighting up as she looked at the two tickets with departure times not far off. Camille smiled awkwardly at her.

“I’ll confess up front that I had a little bit of an impure desire to know where you were going.”

“Oh…”

Seeing the look on Liv’s face, Camille pushed his hat down unnecessarily.

“Well, you should get in there. By the looks of it, the train should be on the platform.”

“Thank you so much for your help.”

“When you get to a safe place and have a moment to spare, please send me a letter. My address hasn’t changed.”

Hesitantly, Liv nodded. She didn’t really think she’d be able to send a letter, but Camille had helped her so much that she couldn’t say no right to his face.

“I hope our paths cross again.”

Liv turned around, leaving Camille’s last words behind her. She held up the train ticket she’d gotten from Camille, and the station attendant absentmindedly checked it. Clearly exhausted from the rush of passengers, the attendant roughly checked the time and destination, then cut off the end of the tickets.

“Go to platform 3.”

After receiving her ticket back from the attendant, Liv glanced back one last time. Camille was still standing there, staring at her. Just as she was about to wave at him, she saw a couple of men approach him from behind. They were plainly dressed, but there was something familiar about them.

Liv, with a changed complexion, spun around.

“Coryda, let’s hurry.”

Liv hurried to the platform with a pale, frightened look on her face.

She only hoped she was mistaken in thinking that the men approaching Camille were similar to the Marquis’ men who guarded her home.

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