His demand for her answer and her hands, which had been hesitating for a moment, to move again were practically simultaneous. Slowly unbuttoning, Liv answered.

“Whatever these scars are from, you are alive, my Lord, and everyone looks up to you with envy.”

Finally, all the buttons of his shirt had been unfastened. A muscled body was revealed under then loosely hanging fabric. His flesh was covered in colored scars, testament to the time he’d been through. Aside from a few large scars, he couldn’t remember where he had gotten the minor marks.

Liv touched her fingertips to the scar seen on his abdomen. Her hand was warmer than he had expected.

“So, is there any reason to not think of these scars as medals of victory?”

Demus squinted his eyes as he saw the scar Liv touched. He wasn’t exactly sure, but it was probably a trace of injury from mine shrapnel. He couldn’t remember what kind of battle it was.

At the sight of his scars, images of the unpleasant past began to creep into his mind. Demus frowned and muttered.

“You’re trying hard to please me.”

Liv eventually looked up as she listened to his sarcastic remark. Her face, looking up at him, was too clear from up close. There was no reflection of a cunning scheme nor clever means for profit in her green eyes.

“Do you think I’m lying to please you, my Lord?”

“It’s fine. I don’t feel offended by it.”

As he intentionally showed that he didn’t believe her at all, Liv curled up her lips awkwardly. The slight frown on her forehead seemed to reveal her embarrassment and complicated thoughts.

She didn’t coquettishly praise him, asking him to believe her words. Instead, she moved her hands as if intending to completely remove Demus’ shirt.

Demus compliantly left his clothes to her. Once his upper body was completely exposed, other hidden scars were on full display; arms, chest, shoulder blades, abdomen, everywhere. Scars that looked like worms crawling on the skin were everywhere as far as the eye could see.

Liv’s eyes widened as she faced them. This time, Demus thought he might find some kind of disgust or fear on her face.

Alas, what she uttered was something he didn’t expect at all.

“… Would you hate it if I said I like these scars?”

Her voice was pure, without any tint of anything else. Somehow, it even sounded like she was in awe.

“My Lord, would you be displeased if I told you that I’m relieved your body is not as smooth as sculpture?”

Suddenly, Demus felt that he was speechless in front of her for the first time. As though she had interpreted his silence negatively, Liv, who had been touching the scars, hesitated and slowly withdrew her hand.

She, who seemed to have been engrossed in admiring his body, cleared her throat and looked for a nightgown as if she had finally come to her senses. As Liv scanned the room loudly, Demus watched her for quite a while.

Eventually Liv found a spare nightgown. Demus calmly opened his arms, and Liv carefully put the nightgown on him.

“Teacher, you should never invest in artworks.”

Liv, who was adjusting the belt of the loose gown, looked up at Demus questioningly. Demus took the belt from her hands, threw it roughly onto the floor, and then strode to the bed.

“You have bad eyes. You will lose all of your capital in no time.”

“Your pants…”

“If you take off my pants, I will take it as you have no intention to sleep.”

Liv immediately gave up on taking off Demus’ pants without a word. It seemed like she found it burdensome to stay awake all night while having a sleepover.

Demus was relieved. In this situation, he felt like he would embrace her rougher than usual if they were to do it.

“Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?”

“No, I’m… just having you sleep with me is enough.”

They had fooled around many times, and she had shown every nook and cranny of her body, but she unexpectedly looked shy. Liv barely managed to lie down at the end of the wide bed, pulling up the quilt to her neck with a distracted face. Demus ignored Liv, who was restless, and closed his eyes.