Chapter 101

They walked down the hallway and out the building. After only a few steps, the entrance to a lush arboretum came into view.

“I don’t know if you remember, but I’ve mentioned before that we have a greenhouse in the Arboretum.”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“This is a great place to explore while you wait for Miss Coryda and Adolf’s book discussion, and there’s even a place to relax in the greenhouse.”

Liv glanced around the arboretum. Generally, Coryda spent about an hour in the study. That meant she had to wait for at least an hour doing something else. Usually she’d prepare for Millian’s class while she waited, but today she’d forgotten her materials.

Since there was nothing else to do at the mansion, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a walk, as Philip had suggested.

“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”

Leaving behind Philip, who told her to take her time, Liv strode into the arboretum.

She could feel the cool, crisp air filling the space. Unlike many contrived, manicured gardens, the arboretum at Verworth Manor seemed to be quite uncontrolled. Surprisingly, though, it didn’t feel messy. She even heard the occasional chirping of unidentifiable birds.

The greenhouse Philip mentioned was not far away. Made of opaque glass, the greenhouse looked like a hemisphere from the outside, looking mysteriously all by itself. The surface of the glasshouse glittered and shone in the sunlight that fell through the leaves.

“Wow…”

She couldn’t believe such a greenhouse was made of glass. It was surely no ordinary technique. There was a reason Philip was so eager to show it off.

Liv’s jaw dropped in amazement, and she rushed over to the greenhouse. The glass of the greenhouse was cloudy and opaque, so she couldn’t get a true view of the landscape inside. However, she could make out the jagged lines of green shadows. They stood like a fence or a curtain, blocking the interior.

She carefully pushed the doorknob and the greenhouse door opened soundlessly.

The first thing that caught her eye were the colorful flowers. Just as she took a look at all the flowers that filled the greenhouse, she could smell their sweet, fragrant scent.

Wide-eyed, Liv looked around as she made her way inside the greenhouse. There were flowers, large and small, as far as the eye could see.

There were not only flowers, but also a small waterfall-like fountain carved out of the stone. The sound of trickling water blended with the scent of the flowers, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Walking slowly along the path that led inward, Liv found herself mesmerized by the flowers.

A splashing and tapping sound came from somewhere. Liv looked around for the elusive source of the sound and soon found a new fountain. A horizontal bamboo pole caught the water falling from above, tilting to the other side like a seesaw before returning to its original position.

However, what caught her attention was the golden kingfisher resting on top of where the water was falling.

Golden color?

Liv didn’t know much about birds, but she knew that no other bird had such vivid golden feathers. Unable to hide her surprise, Liv stared at the kingfisher.

The kingfisher was staring down as if it was ready to dive to the water’s surface at any moment. Its long beak looked like it would open at any moment, and its neatly folded wings looked like they were about to flap.

The kingfisher didn’t move, though, no matter how long she waited.

“That’s taxidermy.”

Hearing a voice behind her, Liv spun around quickly. It was the Marquis with his cane in hand. From where he was standing, he must have been inside the greenhouse.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were here…”

Liv trailed off, stepping back slightly. The Marquis turned his head toward the kingfisher, seemingly unconcerned.

“When it was crafted, the feathers were dyed with a dye mixed with golden dust.”

Golden dust? No wonder the color was too vivid.

Liv’s mouth dropped open at the way the Marquis had so casually left such an useless luxury in the greenhouse.

While she was staring at the kingfisher in disbelief, the Marquis walked slowly to her side. The two of them drew closer despite Liv’s initial attempts to keep her distance.

As the massive figure stood closer, she couldn’t help but become conscious of him.

Moreover, he was a man she had slept with.

Liv quietly dropped her gaze. Only the sound of trickling water echoed between them as she closed her mouth.

This was the first time she faced the Marquis since the day they’d had sex. The reason for this was that Coryda’s treatment had begun, and she hadn’t been called in to do extra work, even after several treatments. Liv’s extra work had been so irregular that if the Marquis didn’t call her, she’d have no choice but to wait.

Was the sex not to his liking?

Or did he lose interest because they had sex already?

The idea had crossed her mind. However, Liv vaguely suspected it wasn’t the case. If the Marquis was truly losing interest, he wouldn’t be so generous with Coryda’s treatment.

And Liv confirmed her guess with the behavior the Marquis was showing her now.