Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 19. Walter’s advice

 

The peace did not last long.

At some point, there was a crack in the peace, and the exact cause was unknown.

There were too many things that could be inferred.

– Louis, your godmother asks if you’ve heard anything about the child yet. Shouldn’t you at least show that you’re trying?

Pressure to succeed.

– I heard you couldn’t get your investment back last time. But do you want me to persuade the lender to let me spend a large amount of money again? I can’t do it.

A difficult business.

– I didn’t want to say this, but…… You’re being mean these days. Can’t you please come home? Please understand how I feel about having to say no every time Her Highness comes to the mansion to look for you.

As a result, Louis’ attitude of making the situation worse by going around outside life.

Everything was stirring up cracks.

– Odette, please don’t get annoyed by nothing. Do you think I have no complaints against you? Last time I bought you fur, you didn’t even say thank you.

–  How can I say thank you when I’m not grateful. When did I ask you to buy something like that? When did I need fur. If you have time to buy something like that, why can you go with me to the couple meeting I asked for last time…….

Odette cried every so often. She was easily get annoyed, and she didn’t even smile anymore.

She said she didn’t like it even if Louis bought her something nice because he was sorry.

– Don’t try to appease me with unwanted things. I’m not grateful at all.

 

He tried his best to pay attention to her, but Louis can’t be in a good mood when she shows such an attitude.

Naturally, he became more and more neglectful of his family, and eventually he came to have hallucinations.

– I regret marrying you, it was the worst choice of my life…….

It was a terrible curse.

Especially true that even though he was suffering from this damn hallucination, he was glad that it wasn’t real and that Odette didn’t really cry.

The problem was that after seeing so many hallucinations, now he felt that way even when he saw Odette in real life.

Just today, when he met Odette for the banquet, he almost made a mistake.

– I’m sorry, Count Clovis. You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?

– ……I’ve missed you so much.

– ……?

– Ah N-no…… I made a mistake, please forget it. You look so beautiful today, Your Highness.

He wonder if this is a curse of enchantment?

Otherwise, why does Odette look so pretty when she smiles without knowing anything.

‘I’ve lived like I was crazy for a few days, so maybe it makes sense.’

Blinded by Odette’s hallucinations, he couldn’t go outside.

No, it would be more accurate to say that he didn’t want to pay attention to anything else.

So he didn’t even show his face when his friends came to him with investment proposals.

– Louis, I know what’s with you. Are you sure you won’t meet me?

 

-If you don’t attend this meeting, your position will be weakened! Do you really want to lose what you invested so far?

His friends were people who flocked around under the pretext of investing, looking for alcohol and women, but Louis was using them as great connections anyway.

It gave him a playboy image, but that didn’t matter.

There were always going to be a lot of people around people who liked to drink, and he was just capitalizing on that.

So, rationally, he know that he should smile and hang out with them again.

– Are you going to hang out with them again? I mean, you could just skip out for once.

– If I don’t attend this meeting, all my hard work will be in vain. It won’t be long, so don’t worry.

– …….

In the midst of this reverie, Odette’s melancholic expression remained unchanged.

Upon contemplation, it became evident that the gatherings frequently held had a very little significance, even though they insisted on its ‘necessity’.

She couldn’t let it go, even though she knew, simply because of the possibility of the unknown.

‘Bloody business.’

It was definitely what he wanted to do, but she was tired of thinking about how many times it had made her cry.

It was unclear whether this was annoyance at Odette in the hallucination who was constantly depressed, or annoyance at himself for making her cry like that.

‘Why on earth do I keep seeing this hallucination.’

It’s a curse that even the highest authority on magic in the empire can’t figure out how to solve it.

They had no idea how to break it.

Only the sight of the real Odette eased my irritation.

‘Do I really have to marry the Fourth Princess?’

 

The moment he even thought about it.

Walter brought up that story.

About the thought of a futile thing that is not in the memory.

“A hallucination like that is truly amazing. Does the Count have any clues?”

“……. No”

“That’s a relief. It’s a pretty vicious curse, and in some cases I know they even committed suicide.”

“……!”

Suicide.

Louis eyes shook, but Walter didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s a curse that drives people crazy to death…… I’m glad it doesn’t apply to the Count.”

“That…… Could you tell me more about the curse?”

“You have no idea about it?”

“Maybe there’s something I don’t know.”

It was a lame excuse, even for Louis himself.

Walter’s eyes narrowed, then slowly returned.

“……It shouldn’t be difficult. But I don’t know much, either. All I can tell you is that the culprit…… is a figure common in the hallucination, and the more you tangle with them, the faster the curse seems to accelerate.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yes. It’s the experience of someone I know.”

“And what happened to him……?”

“Killed himself.”

 

The moment he said those words, Walter’s eyes seemed strangely cold.

Maybe it was an illusion because the smile that Louis was barely able to maintain had reached its limit.

Meanwhile, a familiar face approached from the crowd.

“Count Clovis.”

Ellodie approaches ahead, followed by Odette, who smiles brightly at Louis.

The sight of Odette walking gracefully with her silver hair flowing down and her golden eyes shining with joy was just as beautiful as the moment I first reunited with her today.

But before she had a chance to bask in it, Walter’s voice pierced her ears.

“So, if you get cursed, I recommend avoiding it as much as possible.”

With those words, the conversation ended.

Leaving behind Louis who was cold and sinking in confusion.

* * *

 

‘I wonder if Count Clovis…… is in a bad mood?’

Odette looked back and forth between Louis and Walter, and she wondered to herself.

Their expressions had changed since she left the lounge with Elodie.

Louis who always smiled, and Walter was the one who was such expressionless that it seemed like he was frowning.

‘But now Duke Ertmann is smiling.’

On the other hand, Louis lost his smile and looked like he was lost in thought.

What on earth did they talk about in the meantime?

However, It was even more puzzling that there was no chill in the air between them, or it did not look as if they had an argument.

Odette cautiously approached Louis and whispered.

“Count Clovis, is something bothering you?”

“……No, rather than that.”

And the words stopped. It was because Louis and Odette’s eyes met.

Louis looked confused, but when he made eye contact with Odette, he quickly looked away.

A very different reaction from the first time she came to this banquet hall.

Suddenly, Odette realized exactly what had changed in Louis demeanor.

‘…… You seem to be uncomfortable with me.’

Would it be more accurate to say that something like this is shocking?

It’s not like he’s been gone that long, what on earth has happened in the meantime…….

‘……Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, a realization flashed through Odette’s mind.

In the meantime, there was only one person who could do ‘something’ to Louis.

The one who was talking to him.

‘Duke Ertmann!’

This realization seemed even more plausible since it had just come after hearing from Ellodie that Walter hated her.

And it was actually close to the truth.

It was true that Louis began to feel uncomfortable with Odette because of what Walter said.

Odette didn’t know that Walter would try to put a wedge between her and Louis, so Odette felt quite betrayed.

 

‘What a dirty trick……!’

Now that she think about it, Walter had tried to put a wedge on Odette, by telling her that she shouldn’t be with Count Clovis.

She should have realized that he could do the same to Louis.

She ended up overlooking it.

Odette glared at Walter with a sense of betrayal and anger.

Of course, Walter just smiled at her in a leisurely manner.

Although she was upset by that sight, Odette quickly sorted out her priorities.

‘Let’s leave Duke Ertmann aside for now and quickly explain this before we get into more trouble.’

Like it or not, Louis help was needed at today’s banquet.

And given her future plans for marriage, she had to make him her top priority.

With that conclusion, Odette approached Louis.

Clang.

A clear sound echoed in the banquet hall.

It was the chime of the ballroom’s first dance, reminder to choose a dance partner.

‘Good thing.’

Let’s ask for a dance and resolve the misunderstanding naturally.

Odette beamed and moved toward Louis.

But there was someone else who took the first step.

“Count Clovis.”

“……!”

When she turned her head at the familiar voice, she saw Ellodie smiling lovingly.

And the person Ellodie approached and presented her dance card was Louis, Count Clovis.

“Would you give me the honor of having my first dance with you?”

* * *

 

‘What kind of situation is this?’

The first dance at the ball naturally starts with a quadrille.

Odette thought idly as she took steps in the hall of the ballroom, where the accompanist’s quadrille played softly.

Even as the performance was already halfway through, Odette’s soul that had left home seemed to have no sign of returning.

The reason could be found with a slight glance.

Ellodie and Louis are holding hands and dancing affectionately.

‘……They look good together.’

As soon as she could look away, Odette’s toes landed on the feet of the person she was dancing with.

“Where are you looking?”

And then the familiar bass voice came out as a warning.

“…… My mistake.”

“Your eyes are too busy, so your feet are resting.”

“Pardon me, I didn’t mean to be distracted. It’s very narrow-minded of me not to think about it that much.”

At those words, a soft laugh came from Walter, the person who was dancing with Odette in her arms.

“Do you realize that now, my Princess, you’re not very bright minded.”