Chapter 109

Regardless, Liv was quite close to that person. She had shared intimate kisses with him, gotten on his bed, and accepted his help. Only them and the Marquis’ subordinates knew about their relationship.

Even so, she didn’t think it was bad. This secretive intimacy with him was more tolerable than she thought it would be.

This much is okay.

She was shocked to find that she felt good about it, even though she couldn’t show it off to anyone. She also felt a sneaky sense of superiority. Even Camille, who had been eagerly prying around, didn’t know the Marquis that Liv knew.

Having no idea of what was going in Liv’s head, Camille muttered to himself.

“The Marquis seems to have an abnormal sexual preference since he has a morbid fondness for nude paintings.”

Liv’s expression hardened at the mention of nude paintings. As though he  had interpreted that reaction in his own way, Camille quickly added.

“This is not a false rumor, it’s factual information I got from the director of the Royven Gallery.”

“Oh, I see.”

Liv nodded awkwardly and fiddled with her teacup for no reason. Liv’s face was reflected on the tea she hadn’t sipped at all.

So, apparently, he wasn’t just an art collector, but had an unusual hobby of collecting artworks of nudes. So, he bought Brad’s…

Liv, having thought that far, suddenly wondered a question that had never crossed her mind before.

Brad said his other nude paintings are all sold. Then, the one who bought all of those is…

Thinking about it, Brad was a painter who hadn’t even debuted, so the route for him to sell his works would have been tricky. Brad didn’t only draw nude paintings, and she had never heard of him selling his other paintings. In this Buerno City, except the Marquis of Dietrion, who would buy Brad’s nude paintings?

… If all the other paintings I’ve modeled for are with the Marquis…

What if he had known her from way back?

She knew it was a ridiculous imagination, but this imagination didn’t leave her mind.

Even if he has the other paintings, there’s no way he would recognize me because they’re all my back view.

Besides, her hair color wasn’t unique, so it would not have been possible to identify the model.

“Anyway, the more I talk to you, the more I feel like I’m losing my brownie points… But I’ve been honest with you, so please take that into account.”

Camille whined, and Liv gave him a curt nod before taking a sip of the cold tea. While Camille in front of her was eager to smooth things over, Liv had her mind busy about the Marquis.

***

Liv, distracted by the unexpected conversation with Camille, left the Vendons estate looking like she was possessed by something.

She couldn’t believe that Camille was the youngest child of the Eleanor family who had been hiding his identity.

It all happened in the span of just a few months. Her normal life was entangled with some extraordinary people she thought she’d never have to deal with.

Liv was not particularly curious about the political agendas of these great noblemen. She knew that it was best for a powerless commoner like herself to stay out of such matters. Thus, she had to keep Camille in the dark about the secret affair between her and the Marquis.

No, not only Camille, but anyone.

It was obvious how massive the impact of getting into the Marquis’ bed and having his attention would cause. The mere mention of her name alongside the Marquis would disrupt her life. It was a problem for her, but for Coryda’s sake, she had to keep her life quiet and peaceful.

“Miss Liv?”

Liv, who had been walking in deep thought, looked up. Across from her, a man in a dark brown cloak greeted her with a welcoming smile. Liv immediately recognized him.

“Oh, Bethel.”

He was Bethel, a volunteer at the small chapel Liv used to attend. They hadn’t seen each other since she stopped visiting the chapel, so it had been quite a while.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here! That reminds me, did you say you work for the Vendons barony?”

Bethel coolly offered his hand and looked in the direction Liv had just come from.

“Yes, you’re right. It’s been a long time, Bethel.”

“It really has! Why haven’t you been to the chapel since then? You didn’t move to another chapel, did you?”

“Ah… I had to move suddenly, and the distance to the chapel became too far.”

Liv wondered if she should have stopped by the chapel and told him about it no matter how rushed the move was.

At the time, she didn’t have time to think about anything else, and later, in the hustle and bustle of life, she didn’t think about the people she knew in her old neighborhood.

Feeling a little guilty, Liv smiled awkwardly. Rita, her neighbor, would probably feel sad about Liv and Coryda’s sudden move.