Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 26. Ellodie passion

 

Ellodie couldn’t believe how things had changed overnight.

‘What have I done!’

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t believe it.

Get out of Ertmann right now! So you want me to sleep on the street?

To act like that when she knew she had nowhere to go right now was really too much.

Of course, she almost put Odette in danger, but at least she’s safe now.

‘I already said I didn’t know, but……!’

Walter was usually very kind to Ellodie, so it was a shock to be turned away so coldly.

Her hopes that this would get her back to Ertmann were lost when she realized that Ertmann’s carriage had disappeared.

“Miss Ellodie, what about the carriage?”

“Ah, well, the coachman said there was a problem at home…….”

She could barely keep a straight face as she made my lame excuse.

Fortunately, she was able to spend the night in Grimoire.

The day after she attended Xavier’s banquet, there was a tea party that I had planned to attend with Leah, the niece of the Marquess Grimoire, so she was able to move on naturally.

But that’s not all.

 

Leah kept getting on Ellodie’s nerves by complaining that she didn’t like her, and Ziclin, the Marquess of Grimoire, secretly ignored Ellodie.

“Are you sure you’re close to Duke Ertmann, Lady Ellodie? I noticed today that he hasn’t spoken to you since Her Highness the Fourth Princess arrived…….”

“Leah, please refrain from saying such things as it is rude to Duke Ertmann. If there really was a relationship with Lady Ellodie worth revealing, Duke Ertmann would have mentioned it vaguely.”

“Come to think of it, I’ll be careful, Uncle.”

At first glance, it sounded like Ziclin was admonishing Leah, but from Ellodie’s perspective, who was listening in, it sounded insulting and unbearable.

This is because the phrase ‘If there really was a relationship’ ultimately implied that Ellodie was just giving lip service or, at best, was nothing more than the Duke’s mistress.

‘Damn old man……!’

Even though it makes me grit my teeth to think about it again, I was able to put up with Ziclin’s words.

But the problem started after that.

“This peridot hairpin is pretty! I’ll have to try it for myself. But why do you look at it like that, Lady Ellodie? You didn’t mean to use this, did you? I’m sorry then.”

“……I thought it would go well with the dress that Leah lent me today.”

“Right? The dress is a little simple, so it’s pretty if you put a large jewelry decoration on it. But I’m going to wear it too, so I think you’ll have to use this. I’m sorry. What should I do?”

Leah’s voice, saying so, but it didn’t look at all sorry.

And her dress wasn’t even that modest!

Ellodie, who had spent her time at Ertmann’s and bought all sorts of expensive and colorful dresses with Ertmann’s money, didn’t like the shabby dresses and decorations that were being offered to her.

 

Add to that Leah’s subtle influence, and I was more than irritated.

‘You’re going to decorate yourself, and you’re going to give me this?’

Part of me wanted to bring back some of the pretty dresses from Ertmann.

Of course, since I only bought them a short time ago, I’ve only worn them to the banquet yesterday, and I’ve never even tried them on, so I’m sure that I will not be able to wear them even if I bring them.

At least if that were the case, I wouldn’t have to go through this humiliation.

However, if I said I would go to Ertmann and get a dress, I would have been told to go back to Ertmann, so I couldn’t do that.

In the end, Ellodie had to cry and go to the tea party in an ugly dress.

And there was an unexpected guest at the tea party.

Lizaina Rodel Celestine.

“Your Highness said she couldn’t come, but she took the time to come!”

With her arrival, all the Tea Party talk turned to Lizaina.

And it was inevitable that the hottest topic of conversation at the Tea Party would be Xavier’s banquet.

“So, I hear Lady Ellodie made her debut at Count Xavier’s banquet yesterday?”

“Oh, right. I heard a very interesting story. You have such a strong relationship with His Excellency the Duke of Ertmann.”

“Oh, that’s because my family is Ertmann’s vassal…….”

Even Ellodie didn’t have the guts to say anything now that she had been banished from Ertmann.

 

She tried to slip out with a suitable bluff, but Leah seemed to have been waiting for her, and spoke up excitedly.

“What do you mean, Lady Ellodie, you said you were getting special treatment that was never given to any vassal family?”

“T-hat…….”

“Didn’t you also say that Duke Ertmann picked out your dress yesterday?”

“Yes, I heard that too!”

In an instant, the story was on Ellodie.

But worst of all, Lizaina was there.

Lizaina, who came to the tea party gritting her teeth upon hearing that the plan had failed and that Walter had even attended the banquet with a woman.

“Everyone, I hope we don’t embarrass Lady Montoire too much. The Duke Ertmann I know is a very sweet man, and I’m sure he’d be kind to a ‘no relation’ lady.”

“Y- you’re right.”

“But…… There are some young ladies who are so blinded by ‘unrelated’ kindnesses that they end up dreaming nonsense. Isn’t that right, Lady Montoire?”

Lizaina attacked Ellodie in this way throughout the tea party.

Toward the end, the harassment reached a climax when a servant carrying a tray of cold drinks and tea food spilled the tray on Ellodie’s dress.

“What the……!”

“Oh my God, my dress, you should have been more careful, Lady Elodie, do something about this!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

The servant bowed and apologized, but the people were already paying no attention to her.

 

“The dress Lady Ellodie wearing is Lady Leah dress?”

“I heard Duke Ertmann bought you so many dresses, why didn’t you wear your own……?”

Everyone was gossiping about Ellodie, who had been humiliated, and Leah was whining as if the dress Ellodie’s wear was her favorite.

In the midst of it all, she could not help but realize.

‘That maid, she did it on purpose……!’

A little while ago, the maid brought by Lizaina running somewhere after hearing an order from her.

She didn’t think anything of it, but she didn’t realize it was preparation for this!

Thanks to this, Elodie had to leave the place in a mess.

She was even asked to pay Leah for her dress.

“Since you ruined mine, I’d like to have one of Lady Ellodie’s dresses, and since you owe me, you won’t say no, will you?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

It was just that all of Ellodie’s dresses were the latest fashions and expensive.

‘I have to hand over my expensive dress just because you ruined it……!’

Although she felt like her stomach was boiling, Ellodie couldn’t refuse the request because she wanted to be more indebted to Grimoire.

So she ended up heading to Ertmann to pick up the dress.

‘I’d rather end up like this and wish the Duke well while I’m gone. Since my close associates and servants seemed to secretly like me, wouldn’t something be possible if I could make public opinion feel sorry for me?’

 

Of course, that man, Russell Huntley, looked at Ellodie like he dislike her whenever he saw her.

Elodie could tell that the others clearly liked her.

‘Yeah, I can’t be pushed back like this.’

In any case, it would be a good idea to take advantage of the fact that Montoire is Ertmann’s vassal and try to cling to him.

In fact, now that she had made her debut, Ellodie could enjoy a modest social life, if she could only be a little less greedy.

It’s not like she doesn’t have a lot of money, so she could ask the family to rent her a small mansion in the capital for a season, and mingle with people on the same level as the Viscount of Montoire, and she wouldn’t have any problems.

But Ellodie has already tasted the sweetness of Ertmann’s halo.

The seeds of greed are not easily uprooted.

While Ellodie was making foolish plans, the carriage arrived at Duke Ertmann’s residence.

She stepped out of the carriage and walked along the path to the pavilion where she was staying.

Ertmann’s gardens were beautiful even today, and the lavishly landscaped grounds stirred Ellodie’s vanity.

‘This is the mansion I’m supposed to be living in…….’

As she gritted her teeth at the insult, she heard the sound of chatting in the distance.

She turned her head in the direction of the sound and saw a familiar scene.

A tea table had been set outdoors for Ellodie to enjoy the landscaping of the garden during her stay at Ertmann.

The chairs and other decorative items were still there.

 

Even the flowers in Ellodie’s vase hadn’t wilted.

Everything was the same.

“Your Highness, this Eclair is so delicious!”

“Mmm, yes they are. Should I ask for a recipe before I go back?”

Only, except for those who use it.

There was now another person sitting in the place where Ellodie once enjoyed tea time.

A woman with long silver hair and an air of nobility about her.

‘The Fourth Princess……!’

Yesterday, she was carried out by Duke Ertmann, and now she’s in his mansion?

“Well, Your Highness, why don’t you ask for the recipe, and why don’t you go to the greenhouse, I hear it’s so pretty.”

“I’m sorry about last night, but I don’t want to bother the Duke too much.”

“Oh, well, the butler said he’d show us around, and he said there’s nothing off limits, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

From the sounds of it, Odette had actually spent the night here.

What’s more, the conversation Odette was having with a woman who appeared to be one of her attendants was disturbing.

The overbearing butler told her that there was no place she couldn’t go!

‘I’m pretty sure he told me I couldn’t go into the greenhouse……!’

I couldn’t, The Fourth Princess can?

Ellodie’s stomach boiled at the blatant discrimination.

But the dress was what she had come for, so she tried her best to pretend she hadn’t seen it.

“…… huh?”

If only she hadn’t realized that Odette’s dress was the same one she’d bought.