Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 18. Excessive greed causes anger

 

“Are you close to Duke Ertmann?”

Odette turned at the question from her side.

The common room in the back of the ballroom. As soon as they were alone, Ellodie blurted out the question.

‘Did you ask on purpose because of the rumors?’

Odette was taken aback for a moment, but for the moment, she saw no malice in Ellodie’s question.

The reason Elodie was following her around in the first place was because she was grateful for her help.

Odette’s discomfort with Ellodie was personal and one-sided.

‘Let’s not show it for no reason. She may be clumsy, but she may be a good person.’

So she replied kindly.

“Not really. I happen to be involved in rumors, but I don’t have any friendship to show off.”

“I see! I’ve heard that rumor before, but somehow it doesn’t seem likely.”

“……What do you mean?”

When Odette questioned her doubtful feelings, Ellodie chattered while fixing her makeup.

“I’m staying at Duke Ertmann’s residence, you know? So some of the things I heard come naturally to me.”

“So you’ve been listening to my stories?”

 

It was already a famous story that Walter announced that he had one of the Princesses in mind.

So it wasn’t surprising to hear such a comment.

Odette asked, expecting to hear something along those lines, but the answer was unexpected.

“Yes. I heard the Duke said that Your Highness the Fourth Princess is very arrogant?”

“……What did you say?”

“I didn’t hear it directly, but I heard people close to me talking about it, so I may have misheard it. But the atmosphere was like that? It’s funny because it’s not that expensive, but it’s so expensive.”

Odette forgot to adjust her dress and looked at Ellodie’s direction.

It was a shocking action, but Ellodie only hummed as she looked at herself in the mirror and did not seem to care about Odette at all.

As if to insist that she wasn’t trying to slander Odette.

‘……She’s changed her tone a bit.’

It’s not an overt ridicule, but it’s a voice that seems to be subtly criticizing and giggling.

“So when I first met Your Highness, I had no idea that you would be the 4th Princess! There’s no way the duke would be with someone he doesn’t like, right?”

“……I suppose so.”

“Or…… Well, I don’t think he’s been able to express his dislike, but don’t let that bother you too much. It’s not like you’re going to see each other often anyway, right?”

Elodie looked Odette up and down, feigning a smile.

‘Stupid.’

I can’t believe she’s mocking me so openly.

 

In every way, she’s much better than this idiot taking over those Duchess Ertmann positions.

If it’s not enough, wouldn’t the man also be taken away?

Ellodie closed the pouch she was holding, thinking it was her victory.

In the meantime, Odette still seemed unable to escape the shock.

‘Do you want me to scratch something like this?’

Ellodie chuckled to herself, then sidled up to Odette and tried to offer some comforting words.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness, I’m sure the Duke doesn’t think too badly of you…….”

But when the confusion cleared and Odette’s first words came out, Elodie felt a shock as if she had been beaten in the head.

“What a relief.”

“……What?”

“I’m so glad Duke Ertmann might not like me!”

Odette was visibly flushed with relief.

“Y- you’re glad he doesn’t like you?”

“Of course. I’m not really close to the Duke of Ertmann, but I don’t know how much trouble has come since the rumors have been going around lately. I intentionally made it a bit expensive, but I’m glad it worked out well.”

“N-no…… Still, Duke Ertmann.”

“So what?”

“Don’t you want to get acquainted?”

“Like Lady Ellodie said, we won’t see each other often anyway, so what does it matter? It’s just burdensome.”

This isn’t it.

 

A rare look of embarrassment crossed Ellodie’s face.

She’d expected Odette to be hurt and sulking, but instead, she’d gotten the impression that she was glad she’d poked Odette in the wrong place.

Ellodie doesn’t know if Odette’s attitude is really sincere or not, but what is certain was the fact that the initiative of the conversation was handed over to Odette at this moment.

And she even warmed up to Ellodie with a social senior attitude.

“Lady Ellodie, there’s one thing I realized since I entered the social world a little earlier than you.”

Excessive greed causes anger.

“Don’t get too carried away with your dreams, or you’ll find reality even colder when you wake up.”

Odette smiled brightly as she said that.

Elodie was speechless in front of her.

It was a complete victory for Odette.

* * *

 

Of course, she didn’t say that because she really thought Odette was lucky.

‘This kind of provocation is getting a bit childish.’

It’s just that Ellodie’s provocations, which she considered to be quite advanced, seemed to Odette to be low-minded.

Of course, Ellodie’s performance was excellent.

Even Odette had to be a little more careful to distinguish whether this was socialite rudeness or malice.

But once she got the hang of it, she was in the zone.

At some point, Ellodie’s malice became blatant.

‘She’s probably clumsy, but there’s no way she’s a good person.’

However, if Ellodie really has that kind of relationship with Walter, it’s understandable why she’d want to set me up.

That’s one of the reasons why Odette didn’t try to make a big deal out of it.

And she half meant it.

‘I hope Duke Ertmann really hates me.’

Then she’d have a clearer idea of what to do without worrying about anything else.

Odette thought for a moment about the possibility that Ellodie’s words were true, then shook it off.

It didn’t seem like there was much nutritional value in pondering it now.

“Let’s get back, I think we’ve wasted too much time.”

“……. Yes”

Ellodie smiled weakly, then pushed past Odette to take the lead.

As she stomped away, Ellodie’s insides seethed with anger.

‘It’s not a big deal…… How dare you advise me?’

You’re the Princess, and you have Count Clovis by your side, right?

‘I wasn’t going to scratch you with the Duke. You should have picked Count Clovis.’

Looking at her attitude, she thought she would look after me if she felt sorry for her, but she seemed to be holding her head high as if she were a Princess despite being an illegitimate child.

Gritted sound came from Ellodie’s teeth as she ran ahead, but she quickly changed her expression.

‘It’s better. Because there’s something the Duke told me to do.’

Give it a try this time.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, where Odette and Ellodie left off.

‘Is this just a coincidence?’

Or, is it because he know something?

Louis Clovis, the only successor to the current Clovis, was rarely loss of smiling.

It meant that Louis was very agitated at the moment, considering that he always stuck to smiling even when he was cursed and slapped in the face.

The reason was of course.

Because of what Walter had said.

“To think that I remember marrying someone I had no connection to…… is a very strange thing indeed.”

He couldn’t help but notice a slight tremor at the end of my voice, even though he was trying to keep a smile on his lips.

This was because he had a strong thought in his mind that this black-haired man standing across from me might have something to do with the ‘curse’ he was experiencing recently.

 

A few days after arriving at Belfort Academy.

Louis still hadn’t recovered from the curse.

No, it had only gotten worse since meeting Odette.

He couldn’t get her out of his head.

In reality, and metaphorically.

‘This is like someone who’s been through a heartbreak.’

It even occurred to him like this, so is there a need to explain it?

It wouldn’t be strange to say that he lived with the hallucinations of Odette, who became his wife.

Especially since the background of his hallucinations was 90% the Clovis Mansion.

– Louis, why don’t you put a vase here? I think some white roses would look nice.

– Why did you drink so much? I’m not nagging you…… It’s just that I’m worried about your health.

– ……I don’t have anything to say to you, just go away.

The hallucinations were overly specific for mere delusions.

And they weren’t exactly optimistic.

‘Yet…… It was strangely sweet.’

Although fragmented, Louis admitted that his marriage to Odette in hallucinations was not as bad as it was.

In the early days of marriage, he was not that close or affectionate with Odette.

Should he say that it was more like a casual acquaintance.

It was more like a marriage of convenience.

 

But there was a strange bond between them that only a married couple can have.

– I’ll talk to the godmother. Since she quite likes me, if I ask her nicely, she’ll listen to me.

– I don’t mean to put pressure on you…… I’m sorry.

– Don’t be sorry. Now that I’m your wife, I have to do this. We are partners who will have to live together from now on, well…… I mean companions, and if I don’t help you, who will?

Odette was a devoted supporter of Louis.

It’s because she didn’t feel any material desire or ambition in herself.

Odette spent time taking care of Louis’ grandmother, Madam Clovis, and taking care of the Clovis mansion’s affairs.

Helping Louis was part of that routine.

– I wanted to live in peace since I was young. It would be great to have a peaceful and leisurely life even if it is a little boring, and it seems to me that you, my husband, need to be a little happier in order to do that. That’s reason enough for me to help you.

– You helped me get out of the palace, so you don’t have to feel indebted to me. In return, you can try to keep my peace, and that’s all I ask.

In all honesty, Odette was the ideal wife, to Louis contrary preconceptions.

She didn’t care much what he did outside, and she didn’t try to restrain him.

She only seemed interested in keeping the place where she belonged peaceful and beautiful, like tending a flower garden.

Perhaps that was the image of serenity that Odette often spoke of.

– The godmother is very nice to me. You don’t have to be concerned about me.

Whenever Louis, who had neglected the home because of his outside life, showed signs of worry, Odette would smile and say so.

This would make Louis feel both frustrated and relieved. At least while Odette laughed, she could be free from a cramped family.

But Louis at the time did not know that it was the freedom to sacrifice Odette.