Episode 27. Ertmann is a scary place
After spending half a day at Duke Ertmann’s mansion.
Odette’s impression was this.
‘He’s not Ertmann for nothing.’
Ertmann’s reputation was well known to Odette.
In the first place, what kind of aristocratic family that hated by the Emperor that it could maintain its existence despite having no outside activities for several years?
Unless it’s Ertmann.
Duke Ertmann’s residence had a separate pavilion, but it boasted enough grandeur even without looking around it.
Ellie, who had already toured the palace while waiting for Odette, eagerly describes what she saw.
– The ballroom was amazing, wasn’t it? I don’t know what they used for the ceiling, but it sparkled like gold!
– There’s a Large painting hanging in the hallway, and it’s not like they’re storing treasures like that!
– One room is the size of our living room!
Ellie seemed to really enjoy herself.
In retrospect, she think she was like that when she first came to the palace.
On the other hand, Odette had been born and raised in the palace, so she was a bit numb to the luxuries of the palace.
‘There are plenty of paintings and spacious halls in the palace.’
To tell the truth, when Odette was young, she was caught by the head maid while playing tag with Lizaina in a room filled with various famous paintings, statues, and other works of art.
Unbeknownst to Lizaina, Odette self-reported.
‘I was tired of playing games with her all the time…….’
Lizaina’s main game of hide-and-seek was technically a mockery of her tricks.
If she tried to step out of the role by catching someone else, she would be met with cold criticism and judgment.
And of course, it was always Odette.
So things like luxurious and spacious halls were little more than childhood nostalgia for Odette.
It wasn’t the wealth of Ertmann that made Odette realize how much money he had.
It was the attitude of the servants.
“Would you like to eat in your room? Or do you want me to take you to the dining room?”
“I’d like to eat in the dining room, but more than that, I’d like to meet the owner of the manor.”
“I will convey your request, but His Excellency has plans until the afternoon, so you may have to wait a while. Please finish your meal and let me help you groom so you won’t be bored while you wait.”
The maids, led by Emma, all moved in unison.
As soon as Odette had finished eating, she was dragged around by the maids and given an extensive makeover.
“How do you like this dress?”
“I think you’ll look great in this one!”
“They’re all pretty, but…… can I wear this one, it looks like it needs alterations to fit.”
“Don’t worry about that, we can do it quickly while you’re in the shower!”
I don’t know where they came from, but all the dresses handed out by the maids were in the same condition as they were made.
Unless the dress is custom-made, it is generally sold in slightly larger sizes.
Then, when the person who bought it actually wears it, they tend to adjust it to fit their body.
But these dresses didn’t have any of those adjustments.
They were just bought and unpacked.
‘Did Duke Ertmann buy these dresses for me?’
It’s okay to use jewelry or something like that and return it, but it would be difficult for anyone else to wear the dresses once they were altered to Odette’s measurements.
‘How much I’ve to pay for all this?’
Odette cautiously touched the dress, trying not to show her nervousness.
The dress, which seemed to sparkle like gold dust at first glance, was covered with multiple layers of veils and fabric with lavish use of jewels, creating a subtle yet gorgeous design.
So, to summarize.
‘…… Wouldn’t it be possible to survive if I spent all of my money for maintaining my dignity for half a year?’
This means that it was an incredibly expensive dress.
In the end, Odette chose the simplest one the maids offered.
It was a dress with very little jewelry, just dark navy blue satin and gold thread.
The skirt was not puffed up, but rather fell neatly, so it seemed to require the least amount of work or fabric.
‘I didn’t ask you to buy a dress, so let’s just wear this one…… and pay it back.’
I had enough money saved up to pay him back.
And as for the other dress…… I can close my eyes and pretend not to notice.
With that thought, Odette finished picking out her dresses and took a bath while they were being altered.
It was only one person taking a bath, but there were three people attached.
One person added hot water from time to time to keep the water temperature from dropping, another massaged her hands and feet, and the remaining one took care of Odette’s bath.
“What kind of bath bomb do you like, Your Highness?”
“I like something fresh, so I’ll go with…… lime basil.”
“Very well, then I’ll match the other bath products with the same scent.”
I didn’t say much, but it wasn’t my skill to move well.
Thanks to this, Odette’s complexion was slightly boring.
‘I thought I was confident that I wouldn’t be surprised by something like this no matter where I went…….’
Now that she understand. That was just her pride.
After she got out of the bath, she still felt a little nervous.
She doesn’t know what she have done, but the dress was perfectly fitted and comfortable as if it had been custom made, and the maids were busy putting those ornaments over Odette.
After finishing the long dressing up, she finally got out of the dressing room and sat down at the well-set tea table. Ellie, who was receiving high-quality service from the servant and was enjoying a leisurely vacation, greeted her.
“Oh, your highness! It suits you so well! For some reason, the servants here were so excited about you, so it’s really good work!”
And only then did Odette regain her sense of reality.
“……Ellie.”
“What?”
“I think Ertmann’s…… is a scary place.”
The point was that it deceived people and made them lose their minds.
If you come to your senses, you will soon find yourself being treated with the utmost care and enjoying luxurious things.
The scary thing was that you could get used to these things without realizing it.
Odette spoke in all seriousness, but Ellie and Emma, who stood next to her, only laughed as if they found her reaction amusing.
“Haha, your Highness, you are very funny.”
“Your Highness is a bit like that. She can tell a good joke when you don’t look like it.”
…… she meant it.
Odette looked sharply at the two smiling people, but her displeasure quickly melted away in the face of the sweet tea food.
She thought as she munched on the sweet eclair.
‘It’s a really nice place.’
In truth, Odette would have been grateful even if Walter had told her to leave as soon as she opened her eyes.
However, given such extreme treatment, Odette doesn’t know how much she could ever repay.
You can pay for a dress and be done with it, but you can’t buy the heart and effort of a servant who cares.
Also, although Odette did not realize it, the kindness of the servant slightly softened her feelings for Walter.
‘I don’t know what Duke Ertmann wants from me, but I don’t think he wants to treat me badly…….’
The attitude of the servant is directly related to the attitude of the owner.
If Walter had looked down on Odette or thought she was unimportant, there would have been no reason for the servant to go to such lengths.
In fact, it was like that even without going into the attitude of the servants.
If Walter had only intended to use Odette appropriately, he wouldn’t have had to go through the trouble of taking her home.
‘I need to listen carefully to what Duke Ertmann really wants.’
At first, she thought he was planning to use her, so she didn’t even bother to ask.
However, since Odette received such great help and knew that Walter’s treatment was not as bad as she thought, she thought it would be okay to lower her guard to some extent.
Odette was just about to lift her teacup when an unexpected figure entered the room.
An unexpected figure appeared.
“I see you here again, Your Highness the Fourth Princess.”
“…… Lady Ellodie?”
Odette’s gaze slowly raise.
It was definitely Ellodie in front of her.
Although she was dressed much more shabbily compared to yesterday, she still had her distinctive smile, so it was not difficult to recognize her.
Odette haven’t heard anything about Ellodie’s outcast, she just knew that she was still in Ertmann.
So she wasn’t too surprised by her appearance, but…….
“I didn’t expect you to speak to me first, I didn’t think you were so dull-headed as to forget what happened only a day ago.”
“I’m so sorry about yesterday, I was just think if I was interrupting your conversation, only if I had known that was the case, I would have gone straight to help you.”
“You made eye contact with me, and you didn’t realize it.”
“Yes. There was a distance, and I could only see a little bit. Still, I should have paid more attention. I’m really sorry. It’s presumptuous to ask for forgiveness, but…… I felt so uncomfortable that I really wanted to apologize.”
“…….”
Ellodie was on the defensive from the start.
It was the perfect way to say that Odette went too far to make the point if Odette was going to punch her in the face.
‘What a blatant trick.’
But there’s no denying it’s effective.
“…… It was the situation, I can’t blame you, so you can stop asking for forgiveness.”
Ellodie’s face brightened at Odette’s words. She realized that her trick had worked.
But Odette wasn’t about to take it lying down.
“But apart from that, it’s still a little hard for me to look at you, I can’t stop thinking about that time, so if you’ll excuse me, me and my friend would like to talk a little longer.”
“Ah…… Then, of course, I’d be happy to step aside if that’s what you want. It’s not that difficult because you understand me generously. By the way…….”
Ellodie nodded softly, then trailed off slightly.
Then he lowered his voice and muttered.
“I didn’t know that Your Highness was the kind of person who covets other people’s things.”
“……!”
It was barely audible to Emma or other maids at a distance, and was barely loud enough to be heard by Odette and Ellie sitting at the tea table.
Ellie flushed in anger and frowned.
“What kind of rude behavior is that? Have you forgotten that this is Your Highness the Imperial Lady?!”
“Oh, no way. But it’s not enough for you to use the space I created while I’m away…… She’s even wearing my dress.”
Ellodie smiled grimly as she narrowed her eyebrows slightly.
“Did I…… envy you that much, Your Highness.”
It was a mocking smile.
