Chapter 82

Camille trailed off for a moment, then muttered to himself.

“It can be used for political purposes.”

He soon shrugged and continued in a lighter tone.

“The Marquis is, however, notoriously difficult to get along with, so I know no one has succeeded yet. Well, how do I put this? He’s now an expensive statue that everyone tacitly agrees not to touch. The kind of expensive statue that only a few tycoons could afford to have in their home.”

“I don’t think it looks good to treat a person like a statue.”

“I’m sure the Marquis himself thinks of other humans less than statues.”

“It could be that he’s just… shy.”

She was the one who said it, but it was just utterly ridiculous. Nevertheless, Liv cautiously sided with the Marquis. Maybe it was because of the secret connection between them. She didn’t want to hear any slander about the Marquis.

Camille laughed and shook his head, perhaps he thought that she said that because she really didn’t know anything,

“From what I’ve heard, he has a major mental illness and hates to be touched. It’s hard to sustain a conversation with him, let alone a handshake. I’ve never even heard of any aristocrat who has shared a meal with him. So when rumors circulated that the Vendons was close to the Marquis, I was very surprised.”

Camille’s gaze drifted toward the mansion. Staring at the mansion with narrowed eyes, he tilted his head and said.

“But from what I can see, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

His voice was gravely serious. Immediately after speaking, Camille grinned and added in a mischievous voice to Liv.

“It’s a secret that I said this.”

“Sure.”

The fact that the Marquis had a rather stiff demeanor was something Liv had often felt in the early days of her acquaintance with him. However, he was no longer overly cranky in front of Liv. Camille mentioned that the Marquis hated to come into contact with others, but… Hadn’t Liv already locked lips with the Marquis?

So she thought it was safe to say that mental illness was a stretch, and that he was just a sensitive person. If he were truly morbid, doing such a thing, using his tongue, would be…

Her thoughts continued, and Liv quickly looked away. When the memories of that day came flooding back, she deliberately took the time for a closer look at each flower in the flowerbed.

The illuminated flower beds had a mystical feel to them. No wonder Camille mentioned this place. Perhaps if the topic had been a little more romantic, it could have created a more compelling atmosphere.

As Liv was still gazing stubbornly at the flowerbed, Camille suddenly spoke up again.

“Oh, I’ve heard that one before.”

Under Liv’s questioning gaze, Camille said in a nonchalant tone.

“Since it was impossible to find any trace of him in social circles, he may have been a military officer. But I couldn’t find it, at least as far as I know. Though, military records above a certain level are inherently off-limits.”

A military officer.

In retrospect, she did hear something similar from Millian. Millian had said there were rumors that the Marquis had been an officer and was therefore good at killing.

The image of the robber getting shot and falling to the ground suddenly flashed through Liv’s mind. And the Marquis’ voice as he told her it was him who shot that robber.

When she recalled how he handled a shotgun on the hunting ground, it was clear he was no stranger to firearms.

“Sometimes some killing is necessary, Teacher.”

Maybe the Marquis really was a former military officer. An officer with a lot of field experience, perhaps.

“It’s said that it was his time in the military that caused him to become mentally ill, and I think that’s pretty convincing.”

“It is not reasonable to assume someone is mentally ill based on mere speculation. Health issues are too serious to discuss lightly.”

“That’s also true.”

Although she dismissed Camille’s words as a stretch with her own mouth, Liv couldn’t help but keep them in the back of her mind. All the more so because there was a certain amount of overlap between what she had seen and heard. Liv’s mind wandered.

If he was a military officer, what country’s army did he serve in? Given his arrogant demeanor, I doubt he was in a low position.

If so, would he have led his own unit? What did he look like in his uniform? He would surely look amazing.

If he was a high ranking officer, he would be very popular, so why is he single? How did he end up in such a remote city?

While people with healthy limbs could attempt to be an average soldier, military officers were a different story. To become an officer, one must graduate from a military academy, which itself requires a large amount of sponsorship to attend.