Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 41. The Hotel Owner

 

It was very unfortunate for Arnold, who was about to lose the honor he had built up all his life in an instant, but his argument was objectively very valid.

Because Walter Ertmann was originally a person who had absolutely no interest in women.

“Think about it. Wasn’t it only a day or two ago that I was trying to get him to mate, Walter, just to get him to stay home?”

Arnold was not just a knight.

He was an experienced (ex-)householder of the family who knew the physiology of nobles well.

That’s why he was able to react so quickly when Luther’s affair broke, and why he was able to keep Ertmann alive after all these years of being unable socializing under the Emperor’s pressure.

And after experiencing the pain of having his son erased from the family register with his own hands, Arnold immediately tried to find a fiancée for Walter.

– That’s it. It’s not a childish prank.

Despite Walter’s opposition, it fell through.

From that time on, Arnold quietly brought up the topic of marriage to Walter whenever he had time, but Walter kept making excuses and getting out of it.

– I’m soon to be appointed as a knight and must go to the battlefield. What happens to my fiancée who has to wait?

– Wouldn’t a lady from the capital be unfamiliar with the Duchy of Ertmann’s rules? I don’t like it.

– A lady from the capital will have a hard time in the Duchy of Ertmann, and I don’t want to give her a hard time.

Eventually, it even reached the point of asking about his ideal type.

 

– Ideal type? She should be younger than me but more experienced and skilled than me. Naturally, she should be superior to me in terms of status and culture. Bold and straightforward, someone who can speak her mind confidently, yet pure and shy. It would be great if she is cold and indifferent but kind, affectionate, and warm-hearted.

– …… Just live your life alone, you fool.

– As you wish.

Arnold raised both his hands and surrender.

“If it’s because he’d rather be seeing women, I’ll understand. Have you ever heard of him seeing any women?”

“Not really.”

“Exactly! Even if it’s not women, it would be nice if he at least met some men, Isn’t he too reclusive!”

Whether it was a friendship or a romantic relationship, Walter had none of it.

It would be understandable if there were some lacking aspect, but Walter chose not to associate voluntarily with anyone.

‘No, he has some lacking aspects…….’

That damn personality.

His grandson, who was already lacking in charisma, became even more heartless after his father, Luther ran away.

Although it looks fine on the outside, everything has become mechanical.

But how can he blame Walter?

His father had an affair and ran away, and his mother divorced his father shortly thereafter, saying she was sick of Ertmann, and moved back to her parents home and hasn’t even spoken to him since then.

Of course, even before that Walter had been particularly cold and harsh enough to make people go away like a prickly. It’s just that it got a bit worse than before.

“The reason I left him alone until now is because he might get away with it, and partly because I pity the woman who should marry him. Of course I feel sorry for Walter too but what sin is the girl made to marry such a heartless man?”

“……You’re being oddly objective, there are plenty of women here who wanted to be Ertmann’s hostess with open arms.”

“Yeah. It would be better for that reason.”

Anyone who married Walter with the goal of becoming Ertmann’s hostess from the beginning would be able to live with moderate satisfaction no matter who Walter is.

Moreover, Walter already has no interest in family, so there is no need to make his relationship with his wife worse by forcing her to marry.

For those reasons, Arnold has been ignoring Walter all this time.

But the result was that he was tricked by the Emperor into marrying the 4th Princess!

“This is absolutely unacceptable! I must go to the capital immediately. I’ll tell the Emperor that we can no longer tolerate this injustice!”

“wouldn’t it be better to inquire a bit more before making a decision? There might be some circumstances, we never know.”

“If there were, they would have contacted me! If you fuss over it unnecessarily, things might turn out badly for both of us, so get ready immediately!”

.

.

.

 

So currently.

Arnold was in the capital, dressed in full attire.

The tremendous drive and execution that had made him a white knight was still intact after all these years.

– Walter, that bastard will definitely try to stop me, so I should go straight to the Imperial Palace without stopping by the Duke’s residence. Accommodation and food will be provided at the Wellington Hotel for the time being.

And just like Yannick earlier, there was nothing that could stop Arnold from making his decision.

Perhaps, if Arnold had been five years younger, he would have shaken off the annoying Yannick with one hand and gone straight to the Imperial Palace.

But age has a way of making a man mellow.

In the end, he couldn’t ignore Yannick, who was begging and clinging to him, and thanks to that, he was given a brief period of five minutes to ponder.

Arnold walked into the hall with a sour expression on his face.

His mind was filled with thoughts about the 4th Princess who was scheduled to marry Walter.

‘It’s obvious. I’m sure the Emperor is forcing her to marry him, and I’m sure the princess will definitely have a high opinion of herself.’

Besides, she’s a member of the Imperial family, so there’s no reason for her to have feelings for Ertmann.

If she were to become the mistress of Ertman, or worse, Walter’s wife, it would undoubtedly sow the seeds of various conflicts.

‘So there’s nothing more to see.’

The marriage must be annulled, even if Walter wanted it.

Arnold made a firm determination again and thought about what he would say when he met the Emperor.

A cello melody played softly in the hallway lined with several huge banquet halls, which was helpful for contemplation.

‘First of all, I guess I’ll have to try my luck like this.’

Ignoring Ertmann is unacceptable.

“Disrespecting Ertmann is unacceptable!”

……Hmm?

Arnold looked up in surprise.

He had heard a voice from somewhere that seemed to read his mind.

It wasn’t long before Arnold realized the source of the sound.

The door to one of the banquet halls was slightly open, and sound was coming from there.

And when he opened the door a little further, he saw…….

A tea party in full swing. A young lady stood out amongst the older ladies.

But what was most impressive was what the young lady said.

“Any insult towards Ertmann will be regarded as an insult towards me. If anyone has something to say, feel free to speak.”

Arnold’s eyes sparkled.

* * *

 

The tea party venue was a complete disaster.

“How the…….”

“I never thought it would cause such a commotion…….”

Each of the ladies in the room made no attempt to hide their discomfort, which was clearly visible on their faces.

That’s how uncomfortable the situation was.

In fact, they deserved it.

Haha, most people came to have tea, but they would not have expected such a confrontation.

‘In other words, it means they knew I’d go in moderately.’

Odette scanned the table with a cold eye.

A moment ago, when these words came out of someone’s mouth.

– Your Highness, it might be good for you to be careful too. People’s affairs are unpredictable, you know?

Odette felt a surprising coldness in her head.

It was a somewhat unfamiliar feeling.

‘I’m used to being attacked.’

This time, someone else related to her was being attacked.

Which…… It felt even worse than the attack on herself.

‘Duke Ertmann might be impulsive and violent.’

Isn’t that just a bunch of gossip based on mere speculation?

She wanted to ask them, how well do you know Duke Ertmann, to make such a statement?

‘Obviously Duke Ertmann is arrogant and self-indulgent.’

However, that did not mean that it was okay to be criticized for the speculations of people who had never even spoken to each other.

So, Odette sharply put down her teacup and stood up.

– I don’t see any point in staying here any longer, and I don’t want to be in the same room with people who make assumptions about others they don’t even know.

 

It was a clear and direct confrontation.

It caused a lot of commotion in the tea room.

There were definitely some glares at Odette for not bowing down and causing a scene.

She knew that she had to pay attention to those looks in order not to be a blemish on Ertmann, but she didn’t want to do that right now.

Marchioness Patrice stood up with a stiff expression on her face.

“Her Highness the Fourth Princess. I don’t know what kind of rudeness this is. Do you know that Your Highness is causing trouble right now?”

“There is no such thing as too little learning to act without knowing. Also, fighting against injustice is not considered rude.”

Odette’s words angered the ladies who had spoken.

“Injustice, how can you say that? We were only speaking out of concern for Your Highness!”

“Your Highness, the Fourth Princess, has a hard time listening to the advice of others.”

“Of course it’s hard for me to take advice from people I don’t even know out of concern for me.”

Above all.

“Even more so if it is a slander against no one else but Duke Ertmann.”

When Odette shot back sharply, the other noble ladies, who had not expected her to come out so decisively, were taken aback.

They reflexively looked at Katarina as if looking for a rope, and Katarina also had no intention of letting Odette run wild like this.

 

“Odette, you have taken a leap of faith. Even if the ladies’ advice was excessive, it is something that can be resolved in a good way. Do you really need to disgrace your superiors like this to be satisfied?”

“If it had been advice, I would have done the same. But this was clearly an insult to Ertmann. And I cannot accept disrespecting Ertmann.”

If someone else had said it, it might have been said that it was excessive, but it was Odette who said this and no one else.

Duke Ertmann’s implicit fiancée, and a woman who will become Duchess Ertmann in the near future.

“It’s not polite to those who will become new family members to remain silent about something like this. I will take any insult to Ertman as an insult to me. If anyone wants to do it, you can do it.”

“Odette, you’re-!”

The moment when Katarina finally raises her sharp voice.

A shadow suddenly appeared behind Odette.

“This is an interesting sight. Are there any young ladies with this spirit in the world these days?”

Seeing the old man laughing, Odette forgot how surprised she was and asked back in a daze.

“……Who are you? This is a private place.”

“Me?”

Arnold’s mouth curled up in a deliberate smirk.

“I’m the owner of this hotel.”