Episode 100. Happiness (1)
Count Clovis Manor.
The young head of the Clovis family had been busy since early in the morning checking a letter that had been delivered.
The letter, sealed with black wax and devoid of any sender’s name, contained only a brief message confirming the success of his plan.
‘Walter Ertmann is dead.’
Although the letter claimed Cedric was containing the spread of this news, death was irreversible.
There were limits to concealing it.
Above all, Blake and Katarina had no intention of letting Cedric keep Walter’s death hidden. As soon as the sun fully rose, Cedric would need to work diligently to prevent Katarina from investigating Walter’s disappearance.
‘And then I can conclude our deal.’
Louis closed his eyes wearily, reflecting on recent events.
Since regaining all his memories, Louis had only one goal, to keep Odette away from Walter. Unless he had no memories of the past, marrying Odette despite knowing everything was nothing more than satisfying his desires while deceiving her with a veil over her eyes.
‘Selfishness…… that’s what I am too.’
Even if it was for Odette’s sake, that desire to undo the past mistakes was undeniable. Walter’s secret was merely the first opportunity for Louis to rationalize his greed.
Louis was well aware of this, but embracing his past memories and living alone made this life overly lonely for him. Knowing that everything he held onto at this point was soon to be swept away like sand, he had no faith in anchoring himself to this fleeting existence.
For someone who has lost everything, a new opportunity might be a blessing, but for someone who has ruined everything, a new chance is just an extension of suffering.
After Odette’s death, Louis finally admitted to himself that he had ruined everything.
The people he’d called friends had spat on him and walked away when he no longer opened his wallet, and the investment he’d made in Odette and Godmother Clovis had already failed as badly as it could have failed.
What began as a desire to prove himself without Clovis’s name ended with he would have been left sitting on the street, a painful truth he could not escape.
Why did he make Odette die in the first place?
Amidst disappointment and loneliness, he longed for his wife. Though their beginning was a contract marriage, she was always the one by his side, the one who kept him from feeling lonely.
‘……Odette.’
With her presence, he felt he could muster the courage to live through this lonely and regrettable life once more.
So Louis was promised two things in exchange for sailing with Blake.
– When Duke Ertmann died, Clovis will take Odette’s place as the head of the Ertmann family. I suppose you have no complaints about that.
– Of course.
– And the second is a troublesome condition. I knew you and Clovis didn’t get along, but isn’t this something you can handle?
– I’m only asking because I don’t want her to know that I’m the one who tied her feet. Will it be difficult?
– It’s not hard, but I don’t want to waste my manpower on this. I’ll do you a favor, but you might want to reconsider this one. I’d rather ask for money, and I’ll give it to you.
In the past, Louis also tried to distance himself from Godmother Clovis. And every time that happened, she came to Odette in tears, and with Odette caught in the middle, she had no choice but to take Louis Grandmother’s side.
Despite her efforts, it was an added bonus that Odette earned the great hatred of Godmother Clovis.
Louis had no intention of repeating the same mistake, and his demands remained unchanged.
‘As soon as I marry Odette, I must go down to Count Clovis’s estate.’
It is obvious that his Grandmother will not be able to come down because she will be stranded, and it would be appropriate to make a new start with Odette. Now that Walter, the biggest obstacle, was gone, everything seemed to be going smoothly with Louis’ plan.
“Master, a guest has come to visit…… What should I do?”
At least, until an unexpected visitor came to him this early in the morning.
* * *
When the butler first told him he had a visitor, Louis wondered if it was one of Cedric’s or Walter’s men.
He had some inkling that trouble might be brewing. Still, even if someone had come seeking revenge, it wasn’t as if the dead could come back to life. It seemed somewhat unnatural for someone to come for retaliation.
Moreover, if the visitor had no prior appointment, the butler would have politely turned them away. The fact that they were allowed to proceed was puzzling.
– As you said, since the guest doesn’t have a prior appointment, I tried to send them away, but I couldn’t dare to dismiss Her Highness…….
And Louis’s heart sank.
He rushed down to the living room without even bothering to change his attire. As his hurried footsteps reached the staircase, he saw a sight he could only recognize from faded memories.
Standing in the living room of Clovis’s mansion…….
“……Odette.”
“I had my doubts, but it seems that you didn’t look any different than I remember, Count Clovis.”
Odette, feeling a sense of recognition, glanced around the living room before turning her gaze towards Louis at the end.
It was clearly a face that recognized Louis accurately. Odette’s expression showed no confusion.
Therefore, Louis was convinced.
“You…… must have regained all your memories, too.”
“Yes. I’m not sure what triggered it, but now I definitely remember everything. You and I were married. It wasn’t a dream.”
At the calmness of Odette’s tone, hope gradually rose on Louis’s face.
Just the fact that she had recovered all her memories and had come back to find herself gave him a glimmer of hope. Perhaps there was hope that they could start over again, that Odette would choose him again.
“Thanks to you, I now have some idea of the situation. Walter used the relic to turn back time, and we got caught up in it.”
“……Do you trust my words?”
“There was enough information in Belfort. Thanks to that, my confusion has cleared up. I want to express my gratitude.”
Odette trusted Louis’s words. Therefore, she must have known by now that Walter had been deceiving her. Her return was proof of that.
Louis’s hope gradually turned into certainty.
But just as it took on a solid form, his hope shattered into pieces at Odette’s next words.
“But I didn’t come here today to express gratitude.”
“……Then?”
“Perhaps you’ve already heard, but Walter is dead. Likely the work of the Second Prince or the Empress.”
Louis’s heart sank at Odette’s nonchalant tone.
He knew he had to pretend, but a shiver of unease ran up his spine.
Louis tried to act as if he knew nothing, but Odette was quicker.
“I know you were involved in that matter.”
“……I don’t know what you’re talking about. How could I have anything to do with Duke Ertmann?”
“You send Lizaina to Walter, and invent a scandal to sow discord between Cedric and Walter. To discredit him by framing him for Walter’s death. That was your plan. I know.”
It was remarkably accurate.
Louis’s role here involved obtaining magical tools to fabricate scandals and conducting underground work to spread rumors. Naturally, it was impossible to completely cover their tracks. Therefore, individuals like Walter or Cedric, with good intelligence, might have been well aware of this.
‘Walter Ertmann, I thought he wouldn’t tell Odette if it was his personality.’
Could it be that he opened his mouth cowardly?
As if reading the momentary question, Odette continued calmly.
“It doesn’t matter how I found out. So if you want to deny it, you can. Because I didn’t come to you for a confession.”
“……Yes?”
“I want to save Walter.”
Odette slowly approached and stood before Louis. For the first time in a long while, Louis met Odette’s eyes up close.
Her clear golden eyes captured his gaze. There was a vitality in Odette’s gaze that Louis hadn’t been able to discern for quite some time.
At the mention of Walter being the cause of this change, Louis furrowed his brow.
“You regained your memories and you still trust Walter Ertmann? He deceived you. He knew everything and still manipulated you. He was responsible for your death-“
“I asked for it.”
Louis’s face crumpled. He’d doubted his ears.
“……What?”
“I asked him to let go of my hand, because I want to die.”
Odette averted her gaze. She seemed to exhale softly. Remembering the moment she chose death was not an easy task for her, but Odette had to convey it to Louis.
“I couldn’t stand to be around you anymore, and of course I don’t intend to go back. Walter caught me, but…… he just wasn’t good enough to turn away my only request.”
“…… No, that can’t be true. He’s the one who killed you. If it weren’t for Walter Ertmann-!”
“I killed myself, Louis.”
Amidst the confusion, a sharp voice followed.
“I’m the one who decided on death, whatever the circumstances. I was the one who ended my life. So if you want to blame someone, blame me. Because I’m the one who killed your wife. So please, leave Walter alone. He had nothing to do with it…….”
If Louis felt the slightest bit sorry for Odette, if he felt the slightest bit sorry for his dead wife.
“Please let Walter live. I need your help.”
* * *
It felt like a long dream.
Walter’s eyes rolled slowly under his eyelids as he thought about it.
Despite feeling that the emotion called love seemed incompatible with his lifetime, he had loved someone and even embraced the person he loved in exchange for bearing that misery. Now, the feeling that once felt like a part of his shadow was indeed love, but within it, he found happiness to be as unfamiliar as burying his face in a pile of snow.
Somewhere in the middle of the euphoria, Walter realized.
Even though he had passionately loved someone, he had never imagined being loved in return.
That’s why this scene is so strange.
“…… -ter! Walter! Are you awake?”
It was Odette looking down at him with worried eyes.
