Episode 38. Everything will be fine
Odette’s body stiffened reflexively. Lizaina, who always seemed to interrupt whenever anything to do with Walter was involved.
‘Of course I knew you wouldn’t stay still.’
But she didn’t expect to see her so soon.
Was she going to scream and slap her like last time?
No, this is the corridor of the main palace, so there are a lot of people coming and going, so she won’t be that evil.
Several situations quickly flashed through Odette’s mind.
But Lizaina’s behavior was unexpected.
“Why are you so surprised? As if you’ve seen someone you can’t see.”
Her demeanor was calmer and more relaxed than Odette had expected.
Of course, her sarcasm was still there.
This was a very good level, so Odette blinked with a bit of surprise.
“…… I thought you’d be upset, sister.”
“Ah, really? So you have a conscience too? and you’re sorry for stealing someone else’s man?”
“…….”
And the assessment of Lizaina’s condition was slightly revised.
It didn’t seem as calm as she thought.
“It looks like you are coming to meet His Majesty the Emperor. Now that things have come to this, it won’t be difficult to get married. Congratulations on your wedding in advance?”
“…… Yes, thank you.”
As Odette bowed her head, Lizaina smirked.
“They say a daughter follows her mother, isn’t that true? You, who stole someone else’s man and married him, or your mother, who’s flirting with my father…….”
Lizaina deliberately brought up Odette’s mother and made a sarcastic comment, then lowered her voice and sneered.
“But you know, Odette. That marriage isn’t everything, right? There are many husbands who cheat on their wives while being nice to them.”
“……!”
“You may have been lucky enough to intercept it now, but…… You have to take a long-term view of people’s work. No one knows the future. Isn’t it?”
It was obvious why Lizaina was saying this.
The intention is to discourage Odette and make her live in anxiety.
There’s just one thing Lizaina didn’t know.
‘We have a contract.’
That Odette and Walter were not in a normal marriage, but in a contractual relationship that bound them to each other in a terrible way.
A relationship in which the moment they have an affair, the affair partner’s will be beheaded.
So there’s no way Lizaina’s manipulation of Odette’s insecurities would have worked.
And.
‘If I just persevere as usual, it will end without much fuss, but…….’
The day she went to Duke Ertmann’s to sign the contract.
Walter made one request of her.
– The contract is done, so from now on Ertmann will treat you as a hostess. So, do yourself a favor.
– ……?
– Don’t worry about anything else.
– …… yes?
– And don’t get hit, you don’t have to endure it. It’s important, so take note of it. You have Ertmann.
Walter’s words were somewhat rambling, but Odette quickly understood.
‘Well, it would be disgraceful to a duchess to get humiliated outside.’
Up until now, she had been in a position where she didn’t mind being slapped, but not anymore.
She didn’t want to hurt Walter, no matter what happened to herself.
It was the least she could do as Duchess of Ertmann.
‘So, there’s no need to endure it anymore.’
Odette smiled faintly and nodded.
“You’re right, I think people’s work needs to be looked at for a long time. Who would have thought I’d be the Duchess of Ertmann?”
“Wha- what?”
Lizaina’s face distorted at the unexpected counterattack.
However, once Odette’s mouth was opened, she did not know how to close it.
“And thank you very much for worrying about my marriage, which I suppose is a valid concern for an ‘older sister’ to have, but I don’t think it’s a concern I need to have, because I’ve never stolen someone else’s man.”
Let me interpret it.
‘I can see you freaking out about losing your man. Mind your own business. I’m going to get married and have a good life.’
Fair enough.
And there was no way Lizaina, who was used to socializing, wouldn’t get the message.
As Lizaina’s face flushed with insult, Odette struck.
“They say a daughter takes after her mother, but you should be careful too.”
There was no need to say more.
She never stole someone else’s man, but that was a phrase Lizaina had always used to criticize Odette’s nameless mother.
‘You should have thought backwards when you said that.’
If you think about it backwards, don’t you know that it could mean that Empress Katarina lost her man to Odette’s mother.
Or maybe she did, but she didn’t think it mattered.
As far as Lizaina was concerned, Odette was a worm that couldn’t squirm when stepped on, nothing more, nothing less.
‘You’re right about one thing.’
We don’t know what the future holds.
‘Lizaina, when did you think you’d ever hear that from…… a worm?’
It was somehow a relief and a funny feeling.
If you’re feeling like this, I feel like you could at least get a nice slap on the cheek.
Sure enough, Lizaina raised her hand.
“Don’t be so presumptuous!”
But the hand did not strike Odette’s cheek.
“Lizaina! What are you doing!”
“M- Mother? Uncle…….”
From the other side of the corridor, Katarina and Duke Rodel were walking.
If it had been any other situation, Lizaina probably wouldn’t have been embarrassed, but because she was standing in the middle of the corridor, it would have been able to clearly see that she had raised her hand a little while ago.
“You’re out of your mind! You’re going to slap your sister in the middle of an aisle where other people are passing by?”
“B-but, Mom. She’s upsetting me and insulting about my mother!”
“…… What?”
Duke Rodel beside her frowned, and Odette bowed her head.
“I apologize for the offense, Your Highness. But when my sister congratulated me on my marriage, referring to my mother, I was just saying the same words of blessing…… I think there must have been a misunderstanding.”
With just a few words from Odette, Katharina realized what had happened.
Even so, Lizaina was grinding her teeth, so it seemed like she was scratching with Odette as usual.
‘What a fool!’
The problem is that Odette is now in a position where she cannot be messed with.
After the scandal, it was almost tacitly assumed that Odette would become Duchess of Ertmann.
So, if Katarina had not appeared at the right time and Odette had been slapped, they might have gotten into trouble with Ertmann.
Without even knowing it, Lizaina gritted her teeth.
“What a misunderstanding! you shameless-……!”
“Shut up, Lizaina!”
“Mother!”
Lizaina pleaded in a tone of innocence, but Katarina was firm.
“Shut up, I’ve raised you and you have no shame to make a fuss every time!”
Odette should have been put aside before things got like this.
None of this would have happened if Lizaina had taken the chance and made Walter hers in the first place.
However, she hated seeing her daughter whining because she was being unfairly treated, she couldn’t do even a single thing properly and was barely doing anything to save her pride.
‘Blake is just like me, and he’s barely good at his job.’
Who the hell does she think she is if she can’t help her brother and keeps getting in his way?
“Rizaina, you’re on probation for the time being. If you leave your room without permission, you will be punished severely. And Odette?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You must be very surprised. I apologize for her behavior. And congratulations on your marriage.”
“We haven’t even announced our marriage yet, thank you.”
“That’s what I should do as the imperial hostess, Then wouldn’t I be able to call myself your mother?”
Strictly speaking, the Empress could not pretend to be a hostess, but the position of Empress is currently vacant.
So naturally, a fox reigns as King in a mountain without tigers.
Katarina turned her back on Lizaina and approached Odette, smiling softly.
“Don’t worry too much, I’ll make sure the marriage ceremony goes off without a hitch. It’s always bothered me that I couldn’t pay close attention to you because I lived in a different palace, but I’m glad I can do something for you.”
“…… It’s an honor to me.”
It was Katarina’s decision to have Odette stay in a different palace.
She had purposely placed her in a remote palace and used it as an excuse to stay out of her life.
Katarina, who had always looked coldly at Odette, as if she were trash on the side of the road, became an even more affectionate mother when Odette was nominated as Duchess of Ertmann.
“That’s right, there’s a tea party being held by Marchioness Patrice soon. Would you like to come along? Since this is a place where only noble ladies come, it would be appropriate to introduce you formally. I know you won’t be able to afford such occasions once you’re married, but I want to do everything I can for you before then.”
Katarina’s voice overlapped in her memory with Katarina’s sweet voice.
– It’s horrible that I’m supposed to be in charge for an illegitimate child of the Imperial family!
– Madam, why can’t you see that the child is innocent? I know, and that’s why I’m putting up with that disgusting illegitimate child. If it weren’t for that, I would have thrown her out of my sight……….
It wasn’t something she said to Odette’s face.
However, Katarina probably didn’t know that there was a small presence listening to it.
‘It would be easier to bear if she hadn’t changed her demeanor like the Emperor.’
Her stomach churned at the sudden favor.
Odette wanted to ask Walter.
‘Walter, is this one of the things I don’t have to endure?’
But even she knew that there was no need to hear an answer.
What Walter clearly meant was, ‘As Ertmann’s hostess, don’t do anything that will damage your reputation.’
And what Katarina did was not something that could damage her pride, but rather something that could build up her status as Duchess of Ertmann.
‘If I had anything worth offering to Walter, it would have been okay to refuse.’
Odette has yet to find out why Walter wanted to marry her.
So there would be a need to prove its usefulness in this way.
“Thank you for your concern……. Your Majesty.”
Odette smiled brightly and nodded without showing any signs of it.
‘I guess it’ll be okay.’
If Katarina could be so favorable, it was unlikely she’d be in trouble.
Above all, it seems unlikely that other people, like Katarina, would want to be at odds with Odette, who was selected as Duchess of Ertmann.
‘Let’s make some connections.’
…… Everything’s gonna be alright.
With such a carefree decision, the schedule for Odette’s next social gathering was set.
