Chapter 22.1

Chapter 22.1

Her body felt stiff and her head hurt. Lia touched her sore forehead as she got out of the car and tilted her head to the side. Had she hit her head all over the place while she was asleep? There was a small bump on her forehead and her lips were swollen for some reason.
Claude got out of the car a while after Lia and frowned as he looked up at the house. “So, this is where you will be staying?” he asked.
Inside the house, the movers were busy bringing in the boxes. Pepe rolled up her sleeves and was loudly giving orders to them.
“Yes. Your father has many concerns. It seems living in the dorms is not possible.”
“Hmmm… If it’s you, you could have taken the largest room, so what’s the issue?”
“I am shy, my Lord.”
“You?” Claude snorted in disbelief and continued to speak as he walked into the house. “You were completely fine talking to a man you never met before. I assume foreigners are an exception?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Rather than answering, Claude wandered around the house in a contemplative manner. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he climbed the stairs with his long legs. Seeing Claude walk around the house as if it was his own, Lia followed behind him.
“Why didn’t you move into the Marquis’s townhouse,” he asked bluntly.
“It is too big there. It’s too much for me to live by myself.”
“Are you sure you’re not up to something?”
“No, nothing of the sort.” Why did he keep trying to pick a fight today? Lia reacted unhappily and walked past him to open the door of the room that she had chosen for herself. On two sides of the diamond-shaped room, in the corner, were two walls with large windows with an unobstructed view of the city, which looked just like a painting.
She walked over to them and looked down at the Leon River which separated the poor streets of Louvre and Ataer, and her eyes softened. “This is my room. Maybe it is because we are on high ground, but I chose it for the view of the city. Cosoar was just forests and trees.”
“You may find it beautiful now. But it will be loud at night. I don’t understand what the Marquis was thinking, having you stay in a place like this.”
Claude clicked his tongue in disapproval and left the room, mumbling to himself.
“Are you leaving now?” Lia asked Claude’s retreating back as he walked out of the room. This situation felt like déjà vu.
Claude turned around and shoved his hand in his pocket, tilting his head. “Don’t eat too many sweet foods. Make sure to eat proper meals.” Otherwise, your whole body will become sweet, he said to himself as he turned around once again to go downstairs. Just like when he’d gone upstairs, he briefly looked around, and then hopped into the car that was waiting for him.
Before Lia had even gotten a chance to see him off, Claude had disappeared. Not even formalities had been exchanged, like ‘stay well’ or ‘let’s see each other again. Laughing at the absurdity, she looked out of the second-floor window and watched the car drive away.
Claude fell asleep in the car as they drove towards the capital and didn’t cause any more trouble. He did notice the dangerous piece of metal that was rattling around though. It was an unstable piece of equipment that could fall on his face and cause injuries if he fell asleep carelessly.
Lia stood in front of the mirror, observing the small scratch on the corner of her mouth. There was also a red bruise that had formed on her forehead, “Ugh! I look disgraceful,” she said to the mirror and then sighed deeply.
The fact that she had slept so deeply, even after hitting her head, was so ridiculous that she let out a dry laugh. After giving her forehead one last rub, she headed over to her wooden wardrobe and opened it.
Inside, she saw that Pepe had neatly arranged the lady’s clothes on hangers. However, the thought of wearing them felt sinful and her heart started beating rapidly, “Well… I cannot go to Louvre looking like this.”
She would have to overcome the discomfort, rather than have rumors about her reach the Marchioness’s ears. Besides, Louvre was her hometown. It was where even fear felt familiar. The way she drew a line, between a place like that, and the world she lived in now, disappointed even herself.
“What if I changed too much and they don’t recognize me?” Lia lifted her head back up to look at herself in the mirror. She was no longer a child. She grabbed her wig tightly with her hands.