Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 39. There was something

 

Nothing special happened.

A tea party held by Marchioness Patrice in a rented hall of the Wellington Hotel.

Odette, who attended the tea party by Katarina’s offer, realized something as soon as she set foot in the hall.

‘……I must have made a mistake.’

She said.

The tea party that Odette had in mind was a gathering of ladies of her age and ladies of Katarina’s age.

Marchioness Patrice was well known for her frequent parties of this nature.

Even Ellie’s first reaction to the news was.

– A tea party held by Marchioness Patrice? Then, many young ladies will also attend. It would be easy to get there.

– I guess so? If the age groups are diverse, there will be less of a fuss……. Because the atmosphere is relatively finite.

The young ladies do not come forward easily because there are noble ladies, and the noble ladies cannot show fault to the young ladies, so they take care of themselves, creating a warm atmosphere.

– It would be nice if there’s a good young lady who smiles moderately and becomes friends with a nice girl. I think it’ll be okay.

– I think so. It would be nice if I could meet a good young lady. I didn’t often meet people my age.

– Your Highness, please don’t forget about me because you’ve met someone new!

At the end, Ellie’s cute complaints made us laugh.

 

As such, Odette had also attended the tea party without much tension.

The problem is, the tea party wasn’t what she expected.

‘…… They are all noble women who are about my mother’s age.’

There were three or four ladies at each table, all of whom were naturally conservative for their age and probably had a child or two.

There were two things that noble ladies of this age had in common.

‘They don’t like illegitimate children.’

And a dislike of scandal-mongers.

By some coincidence, Odette was both of these things.

Fantastic.

Odette thought about the plan for a moment as she watched Katarina calmly going inside.

‘No, let’s not be too pessimistic.’

Could it be that Katarina really wanted to win my favor and brought me here to introduce me to noble ladies?

Especially at this age, noblewomen were as sensitive class as they were conservative.

It meant that they would not easily ignore Odette, who was a Princess and would soon become Duchess of Ertmann.

So maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed…….

“My dear Empress, thank you for taking some time to come. Is the person next to you an attendant?”

“Haha, that can’t be possible. I’m sure you’ll be called rude, Marchioness. She’s the 4th Princess.”

“Ah…… the ‘famous’ Fourth Princess. Let me show you to your seat, this way.”

 

The Marchioness Patrice did not greet Odette or introduce herself.

She simply brushed past her as if she wasn’t interested and showed her to her seat.

The fact that she mocking her by giving Odette a quick up-and-down glance.

‘It’s funny that you even asked me if I was an attendant in the first place.’

There’s no way the attendant would dress so extravagantly, and if it’s the silver-haired woman that Katarina is accompanying, the range that can be inferred is narrowed down to one.

So, Marchioness Patrice was simply ignoring Odette.

‘And when she did something like this to me, a guest brought by the Empress, she must have had her consent.’

I hoped not, but unfortunately it seemed wrong to have a peaceful tea party today.

Odette fixed her eyes on the dishes being set in front of her.

Beside her, a line of ladies greeted each other.

Not a single one of them approached Odette.

‘Yes, it’s easier for me this way.’

Her intentions were clear.

She was going to be invisible.

And if Odette somehow tries to get involved in the conversation, she will be scolded and admonished for being rude.

‘Even if I were to be included, I would only be involved in difficult conversations.’

 

Simply put, it means that she had to discourage herself in advance to prevent her from being active in social circles.

If she were to misbehave here, there would be a story going around that the 4th Princess became arrogant after becoming involved with Duke Ertmann and looked down on older ladies.

Sure enough, whispers could be heard everywhere.

“That woman…….”

“She doesn’t even say hello first. Even if she’s a Princess, she’s so young she should know how to bow first.”

These whispers were heard not only by Odette, but by Katarina as well.

She covered her mouth with her fan and smiled in satisfaction.

‘It was worth bringing you here.’

There is still no change in her thought that she should treat Odette well.

However, she also needs to be wary of Odette becoming overly arrogant, relying only on her status as Duchess of Ertmann.

Katarina deliberately brought Odette to a place where only noble women her mother’s age were present, intending to kill her spirit and soften her up.

It was the ‘stick and carrot’ tactic. 

Means complement punishment to encourage desired behavior.

‘What can she do if she doesn’t even have much social experience?’

The tea party hadn’t even started yet, but it didn’t seem to take long for the plan to take hold, with comments being made about Odette’s stiff demeanor.

It would be hard to argue with a socialite like that.

While Katarina was smiling in satisfaction, the tea party began with Marchioness Patrice, who had finished serving the guests, sitting down.

The tea table was set by the neat hands of the servants, and conversations were exchanged amicably while drinking tea.

Just when the atmosphere had warmed up, someone spoke.

“By the way, I hear the Countess of Mura is filing for divorce this time?”

“Oh, I heard about it, too. Her husband had an affair with her sister.”

“How can she even think of taking her husband away from her when they share blood…….”

As the words began to pour out one by one, Marchioness Patrice clicked her tongue as if she felt sorry.

“There are some thick skinned people in the world, and I don’t think it’s a word that should be carried around with a straight face in social circles.”

She turned her head to look at the one who had been silent the entire time.

“Isn’t that right, Your Highness the Fourth Princess?”

* * *

 

What was about to come has come now.

‘It actually feels a little late.’

When Marchioness Patrice’s eyes turned to her, Odette put down her teacup without any sign of embarrassment.

She could already feel the atmosphere becoming slightly sharper than a little while ago.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to socializing.

‘I was so caught off guard…….’

This was thanks to her specialization in detecting such atmospheres.

The good news is that most of the people here are older and gentle ladies.

She’s not used to talking back, and more than anything, young ladies who are full of energy tend to attack her rather bluntly without hesitation.

‘Just like Ellodie or Lizaina.’

However, the noble ladies knew that if they did so, disaster could come to them as well.

So they’d turn it around and say something like this.

No matter what happens, there’s no need to be offended.

‘It’s Countess Mura.’

In fact, her divorce wasn’t even a hot topic.

This kind of political problem was so common in social circles that it was at the level of getting kicked in the foot.

However, they want to bring up this issue and frame Odette as ‘the woman who stole her sister’s man.’

‘It’s a structure that makes Lizaina the victim while making me the perpetrator.’

It was the best defense she could use at a time when Lizaina’s reputation had already been lost due to Odette and Walter’s scandal.

And if Odette agrees with Marchioness Patrice’s words here, she will not be able to get rid of that composition in the future.

‘But if I get angry and think you’re sniping at me, I’ll only make myself look ridiculous.’

It’s like putting Odette in a position she can’t escape from.

But.

‘Why are you bringing up story of the Countess Mura’

 

Unfortunately.

Odette chuckled to herself, then opened her mouth.

“If it’s about Count Mura…… it seems a little different from what I know.”

“…… What do you mean?”

“As far as I know…… Count Mura’s original fiancée was not the older sister, but the younger sister.”

At Odette’s words, the others’ expressions became subtle.

“Did something like that happen?”

“I haven’t heard anything about it, Count Mura’s marriage wasn’t that famous…….”

“Ah, come to think of it, I think I heard that you and your sister had a bit of trouble over the affair, though I can’t be sure…….”

“Then if that’s true, doesn’t that mean that your sister stole your sister’s fiancé?”

As each person added a word, the tea table immediately started buzzing.

And this was not the scene that Marchioness Patrice wanted.

“This is the first I’ve heard of it, Your Highness the Fourth Princess, can you take responsibility for your words?”

“Of course, since my nanny, Viscountess Inaia, was also the godmother of Countess Mura’s sister.”

Of course, Viscountess Inaia was not specifically talking about Countess Murat.

She had just overheard a troubled conversation with another maid.

 

– I’m worried. There is nothing good about sisters fighting over a man…… If it were that family, they would definitely cover up this matter and the older sister would get married.

– But I heard it was her younger sister who got engaged?

– Yes. I heard that her and him were lovers for a long time. but…… It has been a long time since her older sister got married, but she says she has not been able to find a suitable marriage partner. I can’t intervene in things like this, so I can only watch.

And soon, news of Count Mura’s marriage came, Odette naturally learned the whole story.

However, other people who do not know much about this matter are naturally bound to be unaware of this background.

“Viscountess Inaia hasn’t said anything out of respect for Countess Mura’s honor, but…… I spoke out because I couldn’t stand to watch the real innocent victims become bad named.”

Moreover, Odette was not often involved in social circles, so even if this matter became a problem, it could be dismissed as a beginner’s mistake.

“I think it’s a matter of congratulations that Count Mura has now found the ‘right partner’ love can overcome such hardships.”

Odette continued speaking in a longing voice, as if she was truly jealous.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been in that kind of love lately…… seems so romantic, Isn’t that right?”

And a slight blush at the end.

To summarize what Odette was saying means.

‘No matter what the relationship between Lizaina and Walter is, I’m the one getting married. And since we love each other, don’t talk about it anymore.’

As soon as she finished speaking, the tea table became quiet.

Odette had won the argument.