Chapter 4 – Part 4

“With whom?”
 
The question arose out of pure curiosity. Instead of answering, Marcus stared blankly at her, his eyes shrouded in unusually deep shadows in the dimly lit space.
 
‘Did I go too far, or did it seem like an appropriate act? ’
 
Without altering the weight of the latter, she made no attempt to correct anything. There were many eyes around, and it was a question that any lover would ask.
 
“My companion is different every time.”
 
Contrary to the tangled thoughts running through her head, Marcus answered nonchalantly. He picked up his slender water bottle and filled Liese’s empty glass.
 
It was a bit disconcerting—not the behavior of a man who had spent his life being served—but it was clear that he was playing the part.
 
“I’ve been here on business a few times since I returned to Bachmann. Before that, I was always in the capital or abroad, so I didn’t visit often.”
 
“I see.”
 
“What about you?”
 
He grinned mischievously. Liese laughed along with him. This time, she could tell he was joking.
 
“You know.”
 
“…….”
 
“You’re my first.”
 
The corners of her mouth tilted upward, and she blurted out. They locked eyes for a moment, then she picked up the glass of water he poured for her. She pressed her lips to the rim of the glass and took three or four slow sips.
 
The refreshing feeling as it went down her throat was pleasant. The water, infused with sliced lemons and herbs, also refreshed her mouth.
 
“The water is fragrant.”
 
Liese murmured, biting her lips, which were pleasantly wet. She was about to take a few more sips when she noticed an eerie silence and raised her gaze. She stopped when she saw Marcus, who was no longer smiling, staring back at her through the dark, shadowy walls.
 
“…Is there something on my face?”
 
“No.”
 
Marcus replied casually. The conversation ended there.
 
Doesn’t he know it’s rude to stare at people like that, but it’s pointless because he doesn’t care.
 
The awkward silence stretched on for a long time. The piano playing in the hall barely filled the void. Liese was too busy fumbling with her gaze, unable to meet the Duke’s eyes or avoid them.
 
The next dish arrived just in time to distract her. Liese hovered her fork over a fistful of clams, which tasted every bit as good as they looked. She was almost sorry she was the only one eating it, and she could see her family’s faces in her head.
 
She was about to say it out loud, but hesitated. The man in front of her had a history of making sarcastic comments about her family. Unsure of what to say, she couldn’t get him to continue the conversation, so she spoke up.
 
“I always think of my family when I eat good food, and how I wish I could have had them with me, and the Duke… don’t you?”
 
Marcus gave her an odd look.
 
“You don’t think of your family?”
 
“Ah… yes.”
 
“They’re long dead.”
 
“What?”
 
“My parents are long dead. I’m an only son, so my only blood relation is my aunt, the Marquise of Whitlock.”
 
Liese’s face turned to ice as she dipped the tip of her fork into a plump clam.
 
“You didn’t know? I thought you lived in the countryside, but you’ve been too shielded from the world.”
 
In contrast to her perplexity, Marcus’s expression was bland. He merely glanced at his halting cutlery as if to say, ‘Finish your meal.’
 
Liese brought her fork to her mouth. It was a fine dish, tenderized with butter and nameless spices, but it didn’t chew well.
 
Even in a walled city with little interaction with the outside world, news trickles in, albeit a bit late. However, her life has always been hard due to the dire financial situation, so it’s hard to pay attention to events in the outside world.
 
Was it a long-ago change of heart?
 
While he was in and out of the Duke’s residence, he never thought about his parents. People who are probably distant nobles like Marcus. Looking at the duke, who inherited the title at a young age, it was clear that some kind of problem had arisen in their lives.
 
His father may have been killed in battle, as they had been for generations, but what about his mother’s side of the family? Was it a publicized accident?
 
For the first time, her curiosity about Marcus arose—not about his tastes or personal preferences, but about the dreadful family history. Of course, it was strange for her to be curious about his tastes, but regardless… She felt uneasy.
 
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, she wonders if she should ask or apologize. Should she change the subject by asking a small question, like how the food is, by the way?
 
What made her uncomfortable was the Duke’s impassive gaze. It was as if his eyes, devoid of any emotion, were piercing into her mind and scanning her thoughts. From her immediate worries to the nagging thoughts in her mind.
 
Liese gently set down the cutlery in her hand.
 
“I didn’t know. If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”
 
“You should ask why they died while you’re at it.”
 
He really didn’t care; why would he say something like that…. Liese shook her head.
 
“I don’t want to pry unless you tell me first. My parents died in an accident, too.”
 
“I see. I mentioned it before. It’s not a sad story for me, so you don’t have to pretend to empathize.”
 
To her dismay, Marcus simply dismissed it.
 
“It doesn’t have to be serious, so pick up your fork and eat.”
 
His commanding tone followed. Whether it was due to his long military service or his lifetime of commanding others, the Duke’s commanding tone came naturally to him.
 
Blinking, Liese took a small bite of the salad on the side of her temple, no longer able to taste the flavor of what had been an excellent meal.
 
She had lost her parents in an unfortunate accident when she was still young enough to understand the world, and it had taken her many years to heal, even in a shallow way, from the shattered heart.
 
The wounds she never fully recovered from haunt her to this day. Even in the midst of her daily routine, the shock of that day would come back to her and she would suddenly sink.
 
She wondered what his parents had been like for him and if there was someone to fill the void like her grandfather did.
 
“Marcus?”
 
A voice from behind her broke her reverie. It was a voice she didn’t recognize.
 
Marcus’ expression didn’t change as he shifted his gaze from Liese to him. Liese pressed her lips against her napkin and turned away.
 
The man who had just entered the restaurant, dressed in a suit, was Eric, the Duke’s friend from earlier.
 
“Good to see you. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
 
Eric smiled broadly. At his side was an elegantly dressed woman, eyeing Liese with interest. She exuded a sophisticated charm.
 
“We have less than an hour until the soiree, do you realize?”
 
Marcus said it nonchalantly, not even bothering to rise from his seat. Eric shrugged once.
 
“Did you see me arriving late for our appointment?”
 
“And you’ve been eating like a pig in a poke all this time?”
 
“We already ate at La Perla before we got here. We just stopped in for a drink before going to the party, didn’t we, Claudia?”
 
The woman didn’t take her eyes off Liese.
 
“Yes.”
 
Turning her head a beat late, Claudia said it with a deliberate note of regret.
 
“That’s a bit much, Marcus, by the way. Aside from your uneducated manner, you don’t even get up and say hello?”
 
“I’ve had enough of your pretense.”
 
“Oh, don’t think Eric and I are doing this because we like each other.”
 
Claudia exaggerated her arm-in-arm pose with Eric. Her gaze snapped back to Liese.
 
“You didn’t even introduce me to the lady sitting in front of you.”
 
“Stop standing there like an idiot and go get a drink.”
 
Marcus’s annoyance was blatant. Claudia didn’t look too offended, as if she were used to the cold shoulder.
 
“No matter how much you present yourself as a partner for show, it’s too much.”
 
Liese blinked her round eyes, seeing that the woman knew what was going on between them.
 
Eric had seen her dressed as a maid, so he must know she had worked for the Duke.
 
If he knew that she was from a viscount’s family and that she’d agreed to become his partner under false pretenses, he might even know about the deal she’d struck to receive a sum of money a commoner could only dream of.
 
Funnily enough, she’d rather they didn’t know that part. At least not the details of faking a smile and getting paid a bunch of money whenever Marcus called.
 
In any case, Liese pushed her chair slowly away from the ungracious duke and stood up.
 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lieselotte Brennan.”
 
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Claudia Fitzgold.”