Chapter 7.1
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There was no emotion that could be found in his indifferent eyes. Liv, who looked at him with flustered eyes, stuttered.
“So you, received the painting.”
“The painting can be a proof of conjecture, but it is not a proof of conviction.”
The Marquis’ rebuttal was smooth and nonchalant.
“Any other way to prove your connection?”
“Brad is the witness.”
“How do I know that the two of you are trying to trick me? From what I heard, the model didn’t want to be identified.”
Who in this city would dare to trick the Marquis of Dietrion?
Such words would not persuade the Marquis, however. The Marquis must be pretending not to know that Liv was the model. Perhaps, he was indirectly telling her to give up the painting because he would pretend not to know.
But how could she just let it go? In the situation where the evidence that she was a nude model got hung openly on someone else’s wall.
What if Baroness Vendons visits this place? Or what if anyone else visits and sees the painting?
If there’s a rumor that she was a nude model when she gets fired without receiving a recommendation letter?
“… If you look at my back, you’ll recognize that we are the same person.”
A voice that was no different from whispering came out weakly through the opening lips.
“Would this be enough?”
The Marquis only stared at her without giving any answer. And Liv read the unspoken permission in his silence.
***
Although the curtains were thoroughly closed in each window, it took a lot of courage to take off clothes in the wide and fancy drawing room of someone else’s house.
Liv, glancing at the Marquis who sat on the sofa while propping his chin with a bored look, turned around. The trembling fingers missed the buttons, which were fastened meticulously in the front, several times.
She was able to unlock the buttons properly only after she clenched and relaxed her fists a few times. She could feel the top hanging loose as it was unbuttoned. Since she didn’t wear a lot of clothes, her bare skin was quickly exposed to the air.
It wasn’t cold in the drawing room, but because she felt cool, Liv slightly shrank her shoulders. Since the top was buttoned off, it would flow down if she just let go of her hands.
The good thing was that she wouldn’t have to take off all her clothes. The painting was about her back while sitting, so if she just took off her top and showed her back to him, he would recognize it. Taking a deep breath, Liv carefully pulled her clothes down.
There was no one looking at her from the front, but she was standing there covering her chest with her arms because she felt conscious for no reason. Then, she heard an insensitive voice from behind.
“Posture.”
Is he telling me to strike the same pose as the painting?
Liv, who had hesitated for a while, touched the hair she tied up with her fingertips. When she pulled the hair tie slightly, the rich auburn hair became loose as if it would flutter down her back promptly.
Liv recalled Brad’s request, which remained in her memory. She couldn’t pose exactly the same because she was sitting back then and she was standing this time, but she could say that she did her best.
However, it seemed that it was still lacking in the Marquis’ eyes.
“It’s a different posture from the painting I received.”
“It can’t…”
Liv, who was going to say it can’t be, suddenly stopped talking. As she thought of it, there was indeed a different part from the painting that the Marquis had received.
Her face blushed with shame, but Liv suppressed her emotions by closing her eyes tightly and then opening them. The shame was only a brief, but if she could persuade the Marquis with this, she could endure it as much as needed.
Liv half turned her head and looked back, resting her chin on her shoulder. She wondered if there was a mocking sign in the Marquis’ face, but surprisingly, he was staring at her with an expressionless face. So emotionless that it was hard to believe that the cold eyes were looking at a woman’s naked body.
He was really judging if she was the model in the painting.
When she realized it, the soaring shame subsided, strangely. The shaky green eyes also settled down more stably. Liv confronted the Marquis’ gaze absent-mindedly.
The gaze, which slowly rose along the spine from the slender waistline, reached the smooth shoulders, arms, and messy hair. Then, it slid down along the fingers that dug through the hair to the calm green eyes, straight nose, the closed lips and the chin covered by her shoulder. And then to her eyes again.
When their eyes met, the Marquis’ lips, which had been closed in a straight line, moved slowly.
“You can wear your clothes again.”
She was relieved at those words, so when she lowered her arm, the hair tie ended up getting caught on her finger and flowed down. The wavy hair fluttered down her back. The Marquis, who glanced at the fallen hair tie, raised his body.
“Ring the bell on the table when you’re done dressing. The servant will show you to my office.”
It wasn’t until the drawing-room door was closed and she was left alone that Liv realized she wasn’t breathing properly. The air on the bare skin was no longer cool.
***
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There was no emotion that could be found in his indifferent eyes. Liv, who looked at him with flustered eyes, stuttered.
“So you, received the painting.”
“The painting can be a proof of conjecture, but it is not a proof of conviction.”
The Marquis’ rebuttal was smooth and nonchalant.
“Any other way to prove your connection?”
“Brad is the witness.”
“How do I know that the two of you are trying to trick me? From what I heard, the model didn’t want to be identified.”
Who in this city would dare to trick the Marquis of Dietrion?
Such words would not persuade the Marquis, however. The Marquis must be pretending not to know that Liv was the model. Perhaps, he was indirectly telling her to give up the painting because he would pretend not to know.
But how could she just let it go? In the situation where the evidence that she was a nude model got hung openly on someone else’s wall.
What if Baroness Vendons visits this place? Or what if anyone else visits and sees the painting?
If there’s a rumor that she was a nude model when she gets fired without receiving a recommendation letter?
“… If you look at my back, you’ll recognize that we are the same person.”
A voice that was no different from whispering came out weakly through the opening lips.
“Would this be enough?”
The Marquis only stared at her without giving any answer. And Liv read the unspoken permission in his silence.
***
Although the curtains were thoroughly closed in each window, it took a lot of courage to take off clothes in the wide and fancy drawing room of someone else’s house.
Liv, glancing at the Marquis who sat on the sofa while propping his chin with a bored look, turned around. The trembling fingers missed the buttons, which were fastened meticulously in the front, several times.
She was able to unlock the buttons properly only after she clenched and relaxed her fists a few times. She could feel the top hanging loose as it was unbuttoned. Since she didn’t wear a lot of clothes, her bare skin was quickly exposed to the air.
It wasn’t cold in the drawing room, but because she felt cool, Liv slightly shrank her shoulders. Since the top was buttoned off, it would flow down if she just let go of her hands.
The good thing was that she wouldn’t have to take off all her clothes. The painting was about her back while sitting, so if she just took off her top and showed her back to him, he would recognize it. Taking a deep breath, Liv carefully pulled her clothes down.
There was no one looking at her from the front, but she was standing there covering her chest with her arms because she felt conscious for no reason. Then, she heard an insensitive voice from behind.
“Posture.”
Is he telling me to strike the same pose as the painting?
Liv, who had hesitated for a while, touched the hair she tied up with her fingertips. When she pulled the hair tie slightly, the rich auburn hair became loose as if it would flutter down her back promptly.
Liv recalled Brad’s request, which remained in her memory. She couldn’t pose exactly the same because she was sitting back then and she was standing this time, but she could say that she did her best.
However, it seemed that it was still lacking in the Marquis’ eyes.
“It’s a different posture from the painting I received.”
“It can’t…”
Liv, who was going to say it can’t be, suddenly stopped talking. As she thought of it, there was indeed a different part from the painting that the Marquis had received.
Her face blushed with shame, but Liv suppressed her emotions by closing her eyes tightly and then opening them. The shame was only a brief, but if she could persuade the Marquis with this, she could endure it as much as needed.
Liv half turned her head and looked back, resting her chin on her shoulder. She wondered if there was a mocking sign in the Marquis’ face, but surprisingly, he was staring at her with an expressionless face. So emotionless that it was hard to believe that the cold eyes were looking at a woman’s naked body.
He was really judging if she was the model in the painting.
When she realized it, the soaring shame subsided, strangely. The shaky green eyes also settled down more stably. Liv confronted the Marquis’ gaze absent-mindedly.
The gaze, which slowly rose along the spine from the slender waistline, reached the smooth shoulders, arms, and messy hair. Then, it slid down along the fingers that dug through the hair to the calm green eyes, straight nose, the closed lips and the chin covered by her shoulder. And then to her eyes again.
When their eyes met, the Marquis’ lips, which had been closed in a straight line, moved slowly.
“You can wear your clothes again.”
She was relieved at those words, so when she lowered her arm, the hair tie ended up getting caught on her finger and flowed down. The wavy hair fluttered down her back. The Marquis, who glanced at the fallen hair tie, raised his body.
“Ring the bell on the table when you’re done dressing. The servant will show you to my office.”
It wasn’t until the drawing-room door was closed and she was left alone that Liv realized she wasn’t breathing properly. The air on the bare skin was no longer cool.
***
There was no emotion that could be found in his indifferent eyes. Liv, who looked at him with flustered eyes, stuttered.So you, received the painting.The painting can be a proof of conjecture, but it is not a proof of conviction.The Marquis' rebuttal was smooth and nonchalant.Any other way to prove your connection?Brad is the witness.How do I know that the two of you are trying to trick me? From what I heard, the model didn't want to be identified.Who in this city would dare to trick the Marquis of Dietrion?Such words would not persuade the Marquis, however. The Marquis must be pretending not to know that Liv was the model. Perhaps, he was indirectly telling her to give up the painting because he would pretend not to know.But how could she just let it go? In the situation where the evidence that she was a nude model got hung openly on someone else's wall.What if Baroness Vendons visits this place? Or what if anyone else visits and sees the painting?If there's a rumor that she was a nude model when she gets fired without receiving a recommendation letter? If you look at my back, you'll recognize that we are the same person.A voice that was no different from whispering came out weakly through the opening lips.Would this be enough?The Marquis only stared at her without giving any answer. And Liv read the unspoken permission in his silence.***Although the curtains were thoroughly closed in each window, it took a lot of courage to take off clothes in the wide and fancy drawing room of someone else's house.Liv, glancing at the Marquis who sat on the sofa while propping his chin with a bored look, turned around. The trembling fingers missed the buttons, which were fastened meticulously in the front, several times.She was able to unlock the buttons properly only after she clenched and relaxed her fists a few times. She could feel the top hanging loose as it was unbuttoned. Since she didn't wear a lot of clothes, her bare skin was quickly exposed to the air.It wasn't cold in the drawing room, but because she felt cool, Liv slightly shrank her shoulders. Since the top was buttoned off, it would flow down if she just let go of her hands.The good thing was that she wouldn't have to take off all her clothes. The painting was about her back while sitting, so if she just took off her top and showed her back to him, he would recognize it. Taking a deep breath, Liv carefully pulled her clothes down.There was no one looking at her from the front, but she was standing there covering her chest with her arms because she felt conscious for no reason. Then, she heard an insensitive voice from behind.Posture.Is he telling me to strike the same pose as the painting?Liv, who had hesitated for a while, touched the hair she tied up with her fingertips. When she pulled the hair tie slightly, the rich auburn hair became loose as if it would flutter down her back promptly.Liv recalled Brad's request, which remained in her memory. She couldn't pose exactly the same because she was sitting back then and she was standing this time, but she could say that she did her best.However, it seemed that it was still lacking in the Marquis' eyes.It's a different posture from the painting I received.It can'tLiv, who was going to say it can't be, suddenly stopped talking. As she thought of it, there was indeed a different part from the painting that the Marquis had received.Her face blushed with shame, but Liv suppressed her emotions by closing her eyes tightly and then opening them. The shame was only a brief, but if she could persuade the Marquis with this, she could endure it as much as needed.Liv half turned her head and looked back, resting her chin on her shoulder. She wondered if there was a mocking sign in the Marquis' face, but surprisingly, he was staring at her with an expressionless face. So emotionless that it was hard to believe that the cold eyes were looking at a woman's naked body.He was really judging if she was the model in the painting.When she realized it, the soaring shame subsided, strangely. The shaky green eyes also settled down more stably. Liv confronted the Marquis' gaze absent-mindedly.The gaze, which slowly rose along the spine from the slender waistline, reached the smooth shoulders, arms, and messy hair. Then, it slid down along the fingers that dug through the hair to the calm green eyes, straight nose, the closed lips and the chin covered by her shoulder. And then to her eyes again.When their eyes met, the Marquis' lips, which had been closed in a straight line, moved slowly.You can wear your clothes again.She was relieved at those words, so when she lowered her arm, the hair tie ended up getting caught on her finger and flowed down. The wavy hair fluttered down her back. The Marquis, who glanced at the fallen hair tie, raised his body.Ring the bell on the table when you're done dressing. The servant will show you to my office.It wasn't until the drawing-room door was closed and she was left alone that Liv realized she wasn't breathing properly. The air on the bare skin was no longer cool.***
