Chapter 6.2

Looking at her with a frown, he turned around as if he didn’t want to talk more. Looking at the Marquis’ back, Liv suddenly recalled what happened four days ago.

Nude painting, Brad, servant, address.

“No way…!”

The soft hair on the back of her neck rose. When she jumped up late and ran out of the chapel, the Marquis was already on the carriage. The Marquis on a black four-wheeler carriage seemed to spot Liv chasing him out of the window, but that was all.

Liv looked at the carriage, which just left, blowing dust.

No way. I’m sure I must be wrong.

Liv took out the crumpled paper in her pocket. When she checked the address, her throat shriveled as if she had swallowed a whole hot charcoal. She moved her steps in a hurry.

***

This is a nightmare. A very colorful, vivid, but terrible nightmare.

Thinking so, Liv turned her anxious gaze around. Everywhere she could see was full of items that looked luxurious. Paintings were hung on the walls, and there were also sculptures at every interval.

The exterior looked normal, but the interior was literally a small art museum. Even Liv, who had no particular knowledge of art works, found it to be unusual, so the owner must be a collector. He would not be an ordinary wealthy man if he had the ability to collect enough works to fill a space of this size.

“I’m sorry, but my master is busy with other things, so you can tell me your business.”

The building owner did not come out, bringing shame to her, who sat alone in the large and fancy drawing room and waited. Instead, a middle-aged man, presumably an employee, came in and stood close to Liv.

Liv, who took a glance at the clothes of the employee who stood stiffly, lowered her gaze. She became disheartened for no reason when she saw her skirt, which was all dirty with dust and stains.

Liv, who took a small deep breath, calmly opened her mouth.

“First, I would like to apologize. I think he might be very upset because I came too late. I couldn’t come right away because I had a situation.”

“I’m sorry, miss. I don’t know the situation. I’m just delivering the message.”

“Then first of all, please deliver it like this. I’m very sorry.”

Maybe because Liv sounded so desperate, the employee nodded and replied, “Okay.” After taking a deep breath once again, Liv exhaled and slowly spoke.

“I’m here to tell the owner of this building that it’s difficult to sell the painting that he bought four days ago. I came because he said he wanted to hear the reason why it couldn’t be sold directly from the model. There was an element in that painting that was not agreed upon, so I couldn’t help but to do this disrespect.”

“Oh, I see.”

“About the price of the painting… It will be difficult to return the full amount right now, but I will try my best so that he does not suffer any loss at all. So…”

The more she continued, the lower her head went. While she was struggling to continue, a cold voice suddenly intervened.

“How are you going to do that?”

The employee immediately bowed his head and stepped away.

Maybe it was because it was a scene that she had imagined many times throughout the entire trip. It was more bearable than she thought to really face the Marquis of Dietrion, who stared at her coldly.

Of course, it didn’t mean that she had the nerve to deal with him leisurely. It just meant that at least she didn’t become a mouse in front of the cat like she did in the previous meeting.

Liv, who stood up awkwardly, said urgently.

“If-if you’ll give me time, I and Brad—”

“The painter brought the painting.”

The Marquis said cynically even before Liv had finished.

“The deal is over.”

The color completely disappeared from Liv’s face, which was already pale.

Brad, this human really!

“That painting was a breach of contract.”

“The dispute between the model and the painter is not a matter for the buyer to be considerate.”

He wasn’t wrong. Even more if he had already received the painting. However, since the painting was in the Marquis’s hand, Liv couldn’t walk away like this.

As long as the Marquis was close enough to go in and out of the Vendons barony, and the Marquis knew that Liv was the home tutor of that Vendons barony.

“Weren’t you indicating that you would be considerate when you said that you would hear the reason for the refusal from the model directly?”

“I was. And it wasn’t the model, but the artist who came on that day.”

You even handed over the painting on that very day? Brad, this bad guy!

“Even if I were to consider the situation now…”

The Marquis, who slowly walked into the drawing room, creased his forehead and continued.

“I wanted to talk to the model, and the person I decided to protect the identity is also the model, so by what right do you ask this request, Teacher?”