Chapter 26

“You can stop here.”

“Yes. Then, go home safely.”

Listening to the coachman’s kind greetings, Liv carefully got out of the carriage.

Having just returned from a magnificent and huge mansion, she felt for a moment as if she had awoken from a spell.

Liv stared at the black carriage as it disappeared into the darkness, and then stepped forward while pulling on her outer clothes. Walking through the narrow and dirty road, she wondered whether what had just happened was really real.

The white room, the air that smelled like a mix of wine and cigars, the sharp and persistent gaze…

The whole thing played in her head like a midsummer night’s dream. The stronger the horrible smell of the sewer hit the tip of the nose, the more dreamy the memory was perceived. It was literally an unreal feeling.

Liv clutched her clothes even tighter. Then she felt the texture of the thick envelope she kept deep in her arms.

Ah, it wasn’t a dream.

For a few hours of sitting around naked, she was paid an unimaginable amount of money.

It wasn’t like anyone would find out about it, but Liv walked nervously, fearing that the envelope of money would be snatched from her. Fortunately, she arrived home in no time.

“Liv!”

As soon as she opened the door, Coryda welcomed Liv with a beaming face. Coryda stood at the door, apparently nervous about Liv getting home much later than usual.

“Sorry, I’m late, aren’t I? Did you have dinner?”

“I did… How about you?”

Liv only realized that she hadn’t had dinner when she heard Coryda’s question. While she was with the Marquis, her mind was so occupied with nervousness that she couldn’t afford to think about a meal. With the late realization of hunger, her body reacted immediately.

Growl.

The thunderous roar answered instead of Liv. Coryda grumbled, wondering how Baroness Vendons could make her work without giving her time to eat, no matter how much work there was.

“I only delayed my meal to deal with the work quickly.”

“I didn’t know Baroness Vendons was such an ungenerous person.”

“Coryda. You can’t say that. You don’t know how grateful I am to her.”

“Are you going to be this late from now on?”

A faint anxiety flashed through Coryda’s grumpy face. Liv always came home before sunset, so she might have been scared to stay at home alone until late like today.

Liv stroked Coryda’s head with an apologetic face.

“I think yes for the time being.”

She felt sorry for Coryda, but when she felt the heavy weight of the envelope of money, she couldn’t even lie that she would come early.

For just one day, she could stop worrying about a month’s rent and Coryda’s medication. If she continued to do the extra work for one month, she would be able to save enough money for living expenses and have plenty of money left over.

Even if she did the extra work only until Brad’s work ended, she could save enough money for a few months.

“I will make sure you don’t run out of medicine. I will also pay the monthly rent in advance so that Uncle Pommel won’t bother you anymore. So please be patient. Okay?”

“… Yes.”

After hugging Coryda, who looked grumpy, Liv opened the pantry and thought about a late dinner. For the first time in a long while, she felt a faint glimmer of hope.

***

I can’t believe I’m sitting in a coffee house without any pressure like this.

Liv looked down at the cup in front of her and felt astonished with her change. In the past, she would have passed the coffee house without even looking at it. She couldn’t believe that only a few times of doing the extra work had made her feel so relaxed.

It was definitely a pleasure, but it was just a pity that she wasn’t excited at all.

“You look down.”

“Sorry?”

“Did I ask for too much today?”

After listening to Camille, Liv realized she had lost her focus. She quickly shook her head and apologized for her rudeness.

Camille shook his hand casually, but worry was still in his eyes. That was how bad Liv looked to him.

“No, you didn’t. I was thinking about something else. It’s not a big deal.”

It really wasn’t a big deal. It was just that the extra work she had recently started was causing her more fatigue than she expected.

All she did was take off her clothes and sit down for a few hours, like when she modeled nude for Brad, but it was a strange thing why she felt so mentally tired.

The Marquis’ presence alone sharpened her senses, and whenever they had a chance to talk, he trampled her self-esteem casually.

“You say you’re a model, but all you can do is sit still?”

“Do you want me to dance?”

“I didn’t know you were teaching dance to the only child of the Vendons family.”

“… You don’t have to bring it up.”

“You’re a teacher even if you’re naked, but it seems like you don’t take pride in your job.”