Episode 47. A worthy person
Arnold looked at his grandson with new interest.
He was still the same handsome young man who had always resembled his father, but there was something different about Walter compared to the one Arnold had seen all along.
The inhumanity and cheapness were still there, but he hadn’t gotten this far.
Although he did not like Arnold’s nagging, he didn’t completely ignore his grandfather’s criticisms.
It was more a sign of respect for someone who had long upheld the honor of the family rather than a natural reverence for an elder.
‘But now…… It seems like something is broken.’
Seeing Walter calmly replying about the cage being fine, Arnold wanted to ask if he was being sincere.
Even if he was, the original Walter wouldn’t have said it out loud.
His grandson was the kind of guy who reluctantly nodded to his grandfather’s nagging, even though he showed that he was annoyed by Arnold.
If that’s the case, then who on earth is this person sitting in front of him, filled with strange arrogance.
‘It’s not like a battlefield change people in just a day or two…….’
How can it feel so different?
If this change had been made due to interest in the Fourth Princess Odette, Arnold would have been very happy.
Anyway, wouldn’t it mean that there’s at least one side where he can show some humanity?
‘But what if it wasn’t?’
It was hard for Arnold whether to take this disparity positively or negatively.
If he had a little more time, Arnold might have thought deeply about this change, unfortunately, this crazy guy in front of him didn’t give him time.
“Anyway, grandfather, please take your hand off and hand over the elder’s seal. I’ll say it again, I’m getting married because I want to, and there’s absolutely no involvement with the Emperor’s scheme.”
Arnold’s rationality, disturbed by the cold and impudent tone that fled from his ears.
“Who are you to order me to hand over my elder’s seal to you?! ……I’ll say it again, I’m against this marriage. The Fourth Princess is too good for you!”
“I don’t particularly disagree, but how can you prioritize a woman you’ve only seen once over your own grandson, especially when you’re Ertmann?”
“What kind of a man is it to ruin an innocent young woman’s life for your sake?”
He wouldn’t have objected so much if Odette hadn’t been so manipulative, or if it had been the other way around.
In the former case, just being in the imperial palace would be enough to shorten her lifespan, so he would want to take her out. So she should be able to manage well even in Ertmann.
But Odette was neither the former nor the latter.
Although she had a good mind, she was kind and moral, and even in situations where she could have taken control, she did not do so.
‘If I hadn’t seen that tea party chairman, I would have been more suspicious.’
Perhaps she’s deliberately disguising herself to deceive me.
But how could Odette, who had just left the Marchioness Patrice’s tea party, know that Arnold would be there at just the right time?
‘It’s in her nature.’
Arnold recalled Odette’s face as she taught him various ways to enjoy tea, even though she knew that he had purposely brewed the tea to be bitter.
– It’s okay to drink it this way, right? This is my favorite method too.
Her face, smiling without a trace of wrinkles, was filled with simple joy.
She was a kind and gentle girl.
Too good to be stuck in Duke Ertmann’s castle waiting for a husband who would never come.
I don’t know what made Walter want to marry Odette so badly.
‘A people’s hearts can change at any moment.’
The scars left by Luther were too deep to decide everything based on Walter’s positive attitude alone.
– My wife is a good person. I know that, and that’s why I’ve been so proactive in our marriage. But people’s hearts aren’t always the same, Father.
No one is ever the same.
And for Arnold, that regret was enough once.
He gritted his teeth, holding back the throbbing pain in his temples.
“…… Anyway, I’m against it. You need to find a girl who’s more suited to you.”
“Who’s more suited to me?”
“Someone who can live without you.”
A woman who is greedy, has many things she wants to do, strong self-esteem and pride. So the luxury she enjoys right now is more precious and valuable than her husband’s love or peace at home.
Even if Walter doesn’t live with his wife after marriage, she’s the kind of woman who could live relatively happily, enjoying the afterglow of Ertmann.
That was the ideal granddaughter-in-law that Arnold thought of.
Of course, there was no way it would reach Walter’s ears.
“You’re strange, Grandfather. I never said I was going to neglect my family, but from the way you talk, you seem to think I’m the worst husband in the world.”
“Are you asking because you honestly don’t know that? If you’ve ever been stuck at home, I wouldn’t be like this! I’m not giving you the Elder Seal of Approval for this marriage!”
The seal of eldership was the only right that Ertmann’s elders could exercise.
So, of course, the head of the Ertmann family had to get an elder’s seal to get married.
It was a sign of agreement to accept the new mistress of Ertman as a member of the family.
However…
“Then we’ll marry without the elder’s seal.”
“What?”
“I’ve already received the Imperial proposal, I’ve replied to it, and…… I’ve even talked to His Majesty by returning one of the eastern estates and taking Odette with me.”
Fortunately, His Majesty graciously agreed to transfer Odette to the Duke of Ertmann’s residence before marriage, and Walter nodded lightly.
This was enough to send a shiver down Arnold’s spine, but what Walter said next made him lose his dignity and his mouth drop open.
“We will officially announce our marriage at the Imperial Palace banquet the day after tomorrow, and the ceremony will take place within a week.”
“N- no, what is…… Is that realistically possible? The ceremony hall, formal attire, and so much more to prepare…….”
“Haha, Grandpa. Do you think I’d get married without any preparations?”
Walter’s index finger flicked the teacup.
“I’ve been preparing since I returned to the capital. If I feel like it, I can hold the ceremony right away. I didn’t originally plan on making it such a grand affair in the first place.”
“Wh- what? since you returned to the capital?”
Doesn’t that mean he’s been out of his mind since he returned?
This string of shocking news made Arnold wonder if he had lived too long.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, Walter stood up from his seat.
“If grandpa is completely against it, I will remove one chair from the ceremony hall. Even so, there wouldn’t be enough space, but it’s a good thing. Thank you for the tea.”
I enjoyed the tea.
With a smile and a firm bow, Walter closed the door behind him.
Even though he had made all sorts of uncomfortable remarks, his farewell was infinitely polite.
Feeling dizzy, with nothing to hold onto, Arnold lay down on the sofa, holding the back of his neck.
“That asshole…….”
Muttering curses weakly against Walter, the only clear question in Arnold’s mind was.
‘Walter was originally a man who had no intention of getting married.’
Why the hell is he so crazy about marrying Odette?
* * *
“Your Excellency, are you sure you’re okay…… with leaving your grandfather like that?”
“If you’re worried, go check on him yourself, Russell.”
As Walter strode down the corridor, Russell quickly followed and scratched his head.
“No, that’s not it. Isn’t it a bad thing to get married without an elder’s seal? It might lead to unnecessary gossip…….”
“You’re too busy to be bothered by people protesting that they don’t want to live long. Seems like you have too little work to do.”
“No, of course not. I’m just worried about that! If an unrecognized mistress enters Ertmann Castle without the elder’s approval, there might be rumors or if ignored…….”
“She’ll die.”
“…… Yes.”
Come to think of it, Russell’s master was that kind of person.
And there’s no way Ertmann’s servants wouldn’t know that.
If there is someone who doesn’t know, as Walter said, their head will fall off…… There is no need to worry about that part.
Seeing Russell’s worried expression, Walter sighed lightly.
“Grandfather wouldn’t stand for that in the first place. It seems like he likes Odette even more than me. He wouldn’t just let her be subjected to rumors because of him.”
Arnold was a compassionate man, so even if he didn’t take action himself, anything that threatened Odette would be dealt with by Arnold.
For Arnold to come out like that now was no different from a protest against Walter.
“It seems like your Grandfather really likes Princess Odette. It’s not easy to win his favor, but she’s remarkable.”
“Odette is someone worthy of that.”
Walter replied with a casual air and entered his office.
Undoing his cuff buttons, loosening his tie, and messing up his neat appearance, a series of actions indicated fatigue.
But at the end, the same thoughts always remain.
‘Odette.’
It was a bit surprising that Arnold openly opposed Odette.
But Walter didn’t question it.
Odette was someone worth loving.
In the past and now, she was like that.
It’s no wonder even if ‘that’ Cedric treasured her.
So, Walter’s love for her was as natural as winter turning to spring.
It was a natural story and intense that no one could dare to doubt it.
* * *
Walter remembered the first time he met Odette.
The victory celebration was definitely the first time he ‘recognized’ a person named Odette.
However, upon reflection, the connection with her existed even before that.
It was during his time at the Belfort Academy just before coming of age.
“Ah, Walter. Wait a minute. Let’s go this way.”
“……Why do we have to go back when there’s a road nearby?”
Walter raised one eyebrow to show that he was not pleased with Cedric’s suggestion.
However, Cedric, a young man with bluish silver hair, just smiled and turned around.
“I need to meet my little sister.”
Cedric spoke in a light and refreshing manner, and then walked away as if he had no intention of waiting for an answer.
Walter weighed the quick path ahead of him and the long path recommended by this annoying guy and walked towards Cedric.
There was no need to think for long.
It was his first time seeing Cedric make such an expression.
