Chapter 81

Liv smiled awkwardly at the way the young man expressed his interest without reserve. She thought his crushes would have died down given that she had drawn the line so hard, but apparently not.

“The backyard is more beautiful than expected, isn’t it? Are you enjoying the view? There’s a nice flower bed over there. Have you seen it?”

He pointed to the entrance to the backyard. Following Camille, who casually walked as if to guide her to the flowerbeds, Liv moved slowly. After all, she had to move in the direction Camille said to get outside.

Keeping a good distance, Camille led the conversation with ease.

“Apparently, the gardener at the Vendons estate is very good.”

“I see. You must have been here a lot.”

“I’ve been visiting the Vendons estate quite a bit lately. I’m not the owner, but I know enough to give you a general idea of what’s where.”

He smirked as he acknowledged his connection to Baron Vendons.

“And of course, I’ve also got some interesting stories to tell about while looking at the pretty flower beds.”

“By interesting stories, do you mean the ones you mentioned before?”

From trivial gossip to the backstory of tycoons like the Marquis.

That was what Camille said to Liv one day. Camille nodded quickly, as if remembering what he had said.

“Yes. Oh, by any chance, you don’t find that topic very interesting?”

Normally, it would have been the case. But today, Liv had something she wanted to hear from him, and she decided to listen.

“No, I’m fine with it. Anything that’s out of the common experience is bound to be interesting.”

Camille raised an eyebrow, not expecting Liv to agree so readily.

“You know, you don’t seem to have much interest in the world.”

“As you can see. But I know that there are some things in the world… that you can’t help but care about.”

Had he sensed something in Liv’s words? Camille’s expression changed subtly. He tilted his head slightly, studying Liv’s complexion, then asked in a cheerful voice.

“What do you want to know?”

He was indeed a sharp man.

Although she was concerned that her question might sound weird, Liv asked it straightforwardly.

“Rumors about the Marquis of Dietrion.”

As she had already hinted that she was interested in the Marquis a few times, Camille was not surprised. He just pouted his lips a little and expressed his regret.

“What kind of rumors?”

“Anything. I have no other place to find out about him, so I was wondering if this would be a good opportunity to hear about him. … The gossip circulating in society isn’t verified anyway.”

“Well, that’s true. That is certainly the case with… the rumors regarding the Marquis.”

Rubbing at his jaw, Camille made a distressed sound.

“I’m sure you’re familiar with the Marquis’ reputation for being unkind and cranky to everyone, men and women, young and old alike…”

They reached the flowerbeds in no time as they walked and chatted. The entrance to the backyard was getting closer, and the noise from the mansion was now quite audible.

Camille glanced toward the entrance, where shadows of people were moving in and out.

“Starting with the most mundane, it’s not even clear what country the Marquis of Dietrion is from. Then again, it’s impossible to know if he’s really a marquis.”

Liv’s eyes widened at that.

“But everyone calls him the Marquis.”

“Yes, he’s been the Marquis of Dietrion since the day he appeared. But he couldn’t have been a marquis from the start, could he?”

… Well. That’s true.

Liv agreed, then thought of the Marquis.

Looking at the cold, arrogant man, it never felt out of place for him to be called the Marquis. Even though she knew it was unlikely, she felt like he had been a marquis since he was born. It seemed so natural for him to look down and give instructions to someone.

“Since we have no idea of his House, his past is naturally shrouded in mystery as well. This makes him a perfect target for all sorts of rumors. And his look, you’ve seen him before, right? It’d be weird if the word didn’t get out.”

“Indeed.”

If it were possible to ruin a country with one’s face, the Marquis would have already burned half a continent. If he’d been a little kinder, he’d have turned the country upside down with a crime of passion.

“I don’t know if he knows that by not showing his face in the party hall, he’s actually drawing attention to himself. This has led to a lot of people eager to pry into the Marquis’ business.”

“What’s good about prying his business?”

“Who knows. I guess it depends on what comes up. On the small scale, it can be used for silly love affairs, and on the large scale…”

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