Chapter 112

Liv’s eyes widened. The frankness of the phrase “our affairs” somehow tickled her ears. Liv ran her tongue across her lips and coughed for no reason.

“Cardinal Calliope and his pilgrimage will be visiting soon. The last thing you need is for strange rumors to start.”

Perhaps the Marquis was displeased with Liv’s narrowly spot on remarks. He furrowed his brows.

“Speak clearly about your means.”

“I heard that you’ll be welcoming the guests that will soon arrive in Buerno, my Lord.”

Liv’s reply led the Marquis’ lips to twist. He looked to be completely annoyed now.

“Who said that? The one who does a background check on me?”

“No, I heard it by chance when I was teaching at the Vendons estate.”

“Aha, the Vendons.”

The Marquis, who said “the Vendons” with an irritated tone, clicked his tongue. Irritation was evident in his furrowed brows. Liv only lowered her gaze as the atmosphere turned cold in an instant. Judging by his reaction, it was unlikely that the Marquis would be hosting the Cardinal and his pilgrims.

However, Millian clearly said that he knew someone in the pilgrimage. Was this also false like the other rumors about the Marquis? But if it was truly false, they wouldn’t have told Baron Vendons to not prepare their accommodations.

Millian’s story, which she had tried so hard to ignore, came back to mind. Lady Malte’s breakup of the century, and the dashing, unmarried Marquis.

Her curiosity swelled up at once.

“I was told that there’s someone on the pilgrimage who knows you.”

The Marquis showed an immediate response at Liv’s words.

“Who that may be?”

Liv could tell instinctively from his response that Millian’s story was true.

Otherwise, the Marquis would have cut her off at once, saying no, instead of asking who.

Ah, he really knows someone.

“I don’t know who exactly…”

There were many nobles in the pilgrimage, and Millian’s imagination was close to a stretch. Nevertheless, Liv felt her heart dropped just from finding out a little possibility. Liv bit her lip hard, feeling her reaction to be strange.

She wanted to act nonchalant, but she felt the muscles of her eyes keep contracting. She couldn’t deny that she was curious about the Marquis and Lady Malte’s relationship if he really knew her.

Feeling bloated as if she had finished the food she didn’t even eat, Liv thought of drinking the wine when the Marquis asked in a cold voice.

“Who do you think it could be, Teacher?”

“Well, maybe Lady Malte…”

She answered whatever came to mind as she was half lost in her thoughts, but then suddenly she heard some noises. Surprised, Liv looked up and saw the Marquis put down his cutlery.

“I was trying to get you to eat because your stamina is so poor.”

Having taken a sip of his wine and wiped his lips, he muttered to himself. The Marquis, who dropped the napkin next to the table, got up gracefully and walked over to Liv.

Liv, looking puzzled, opened her lips to say something. However, she couldn’t say anything.

“Mmph…!”

A hot tongue invaded through her parted lips. It had a strong scent of wine mixed on it. The tongue, which entered deep from the get go, swirled across her mouth in a somewhat rough movement.

It was impossible for her to move away. First, there was the backrest behind her so she couldn’t pull herself back, and her nape was held in place so she couldn’t move her head.

The wet kiss went on for a while. It wasn’t until she was out of breath that the Marquis let go of Liv.

Liv took a breath as soon as his lips left hers and lifted up her fluttering eyelashes. She could see such a subtle arousal in the blue eyes of the man in front of her.

“Why did you suddenly…?”

A sudden kiss at the dining table instead of going on with their conversation. That was really out of the sequence.

As Liv stared at the Marquis with a quizzical look, he pressed on her lower lip with his thumb and said.

“Because you said something cute.”

What does it mean?

She had heard the answer, but she still couldn’t understand. Perhaps he found Liv who stared at him with a blank face to be funny, the Marquis closed his eyes and drew a smile.

“Don’t worry. I have no plan to let in other guests in the place I fooled around with you.”

Hearing that, Liv’s face turned pale, but then soon flushed bright red.

“I-I didn’t ask in that sense…!”