Episode 56. Suspicious Ellie
Although it may seem somewhat out of the blue, this was a fairly reasonable idea.
Oversleeping was a privilege only enjoyed by a prestigious hostess who did not have to worry about anyone else.
‘……It was in the book Ellie was reading.’
A book that Ellie has recently fallen in love with, <The Bedroom Affairs of the Abandoned Countess.>
Odette hadn’t read the book herself, but Ellie had talked about it often enough that Odette had a vague idea of what it was about.
The book was about a Countess who was literally ‘abandoned’.
The book begins with the miserable daily life of a Countess who was literally abandoned, working alone without ever seeing her husband’s face because her husband disappeared right after she got married.
However, the Countess’s daily life changes completely when her missing husband suddenly returns, before the book even turns a dozen pages.
Nights with her husband, and days without him.
One of the changes in her altered daily life was none other than oversleeping.
‘There was a story that, unlike before, the Countess overslept and no one said anything.’
The servants did not dare to disturb the sleep of the countess, who was loved by the count.
In other words, oversleeping is something that only an authoritative hostess can do!
‘Now that I have to live in Ertmann, so it’s important that we get our act together.’
Of course, Emma and her fellow Ertmann servants were very kind and friendly.
But Odette didn’t want to completely rule out the possibility of hidden motives.
So she talked to Walter about the possibility that there might be eavesdropping, even inside the upcoming carriage ride.
– You said I don’t need to worry about the servants, but it’s not that simple. It’s important to know how remarkable the person who serves you is.
But Walter doesn’t seem to understand Odette’s concerns.
– They only work for Ertmann, and does that matter?
– Yes. If the person they have to serve isn’t deserving of respect, would they feel the same dedication to serve them?
– You are not a less than honorable master. Also, if anyone treats you disrespectfully, I swear on Ertmann’s honor to take strict action against them.
– I appreciate you saying that, but I’d rather not go that far.
It’s hard to change public opinion among servants once it’s formed, unless you’re going to wipe them all out.
– Most of them probably know that I’m the illegitimate princess. I don’t want to be underestimated because of that. I don’t want to be a burden to you either. So, I’ll do my best
Odette said, clenching her fists.
– I’ll show the dignity of being a Princess!
In retrospect, Odette thinks it was a pointless act created to take advantage of the atmosphere.
Now that she’d said it, she wouldn’t be able to tell Walter if she really got in trouble.
‘That’s why I must sleep in!’
Odette vowed to herself.
‘I will succeed in capturing the steamer!’
* * *
In conclusion, she failed.
Both, no oversleep, and no steamroller.
‘I forgot I’ve never been out of the palace…….’
Odette, who had never experienced a change in her sleeping environment, ended up struggling to sleep in Ertmann.
Of course, there was that one time she tried to sleep outside, but that was more of being drugged and passing out, so it didn’t count.
Eventually, Odette stayed awake through the night, and came out before the dawn broke.
She was tired of lying in bed indefinitely.
‘The sun will be up soon, so I should read a book.’
Since her plan to oversleep had failed. So, Odette decided to try her best to be a diligent and knowledgeable hostess.
Surprisingly, it yielded unexpected results.
“Hmm? Odette, are you up already?”
“…… Marquess Puart?”
She ran into Arnold, who was also up early in the morning.
He was dressed in light training clothes, as if he was going to go to a training center, and he clicked his tongue when he saw Odette’s sullen face.
“It seems like you’re not fully awake. Don’t you want to sleep a bit more?”
“I can’t sleep. Marquess Puart, you’re up so early. Did you always wake up at this time?”
“I’ve always woken up at this time. After years of being a knight, it became a habit. Besides, as I get older, I seem to lose my morning sleep. By the way……..”
Arnold looked at Odette curiously, and then asked.
“Walter, is that guy still asleep?”
“I don’t know, Walter should be in his room. I can go check on him if you want.”
“N- no. It’s okay if you don’t know! Don’t bother, I’ll go.”
It was no mistake that Arnold looked strangely relieved as he turned around after saying that.
Arnold was worried that Walter and Odette might already be sharing the same room.
If he had heard from Odette that she was sharing a room with Walter, he would immediately break the legs of his shameless and conscienceless grandson.
‘Hmmm, good, good! It seems he knows his boundaries.’
He was quite worried after hearing Müller’s story yesterday, but he thought it was a good thing, and Arnold headed to the training center with a much relieved heart.
After that, Arnold and Odette continued to meet every morning.
Unintentionally, they kept running into each other in the mornings because Odette kept staying up late, unable to overcome her fatigue, Odette struggled with insomnia, and she end up took afternoon naps.
Aside from the fact that Odette got a little tired, it turned out to be a good thing overall.
It gave Arnold and Odette more time together in the mornings, which Arnold quite liked.
Perhaps thanks to that, Arnold eventually raised the white flag before even five days had passed.
“Well, if you like it, I guess I can’t help it. Go ahead and get married!”
In addition, it was also thanks to Walter and Odette constantly adding firewood to make their relationship seem hot.
“But if things between you two seem troublesome, I’ll immediately push for a divorce! Keep that in mind.”
“It’s really reassuring to have you around, Grandpa. Thank you.”
“Hmph, well! Don’t make a big deal out of it. If Walter upsets you, just let me know, kiddo!”
Let’s be honest.
It was actually warming up, and that “kiddo” title had a lot to do with it.
Odette had subtly mentioned this while drinking tea.
– If Walter and I get married, the Marquis and I will now be family. Then…… can I call you grandfather? Of course, if you like, you can call me granddaughter.
At the call of ‘Grandpa’ that came from Odette, Arnold’s eyes sparkled like never before.
‘Grandpa, she called me Grandpa!!’
Of course, Walter also used the same title for Arnold, but it wasn’t the same as being called by this determined and thoughtful granddaughter.
Aside from the fact that Walter and Odette’s marriage was not desirable, the prospect of a granddaughter-in-law that he had been looking forward to for so long was touching Arnold’s heart deeply.
Arnold asked cautiously, not trying to show it.
– Well, then, can I call you…… kiddo?
– Of course, Grandpa.
With that clear response, Arnold surrendered.
The power of ‘kiddo’ was truly great.
Thanks to it, Walter, who hadn’t expected things to unfold so quickly, was a little stunned.
However, despite this unexpected turn, Walter didn’t miss the opportunity that had presented itself, so he began to prepare for the wedding before Arnold changed his mind.
The wedding was just around the corner, and everything seemed to be going well.
A side effect of this method came from an unexpected person.
* * *
“What is this, really! you’re not going to be able to wear your wedding dress!”
Odette was unusually avoiding eye contact.
The reason was simple.
While trying on dresses with Ellie, who had come to see her after a long time, it was glaringly evident that Walter’s recent markings were still vividly present on her shoulders.
Immediately afterward, Ellie was furious.
“The Duke has no conscience! How can he even think of leaving marks on this skin?”
“…… I know.”
It was actually Odette who had first suggested the idea, but Ellie’s pacing was more than a little frightening to Odette.
She decided to look away from her guilt and slide the responsibility onto Walter.
“For a while, no matter what the Duke does, you can’t let it slide! The wedding dress is designed to show off your shoulders.”
“…… Uhm, Yes.”
She forgot that. Forgot about this, and too busy trying to convince Sir Arnold…….
“I knew it! I shouldn’t have left you with the Duke! I should have protected you somehow!”
“…… I’m sorry.”
“Your Highness, there’s nothing to apologize for! Anyone can fall into a trap if they purposefully drive prey into it. But we need to be careful.”
The world is a nasty place these days, so we need to be extra careful, Ellie said, and began to carefully cover the mark on Odette’s shoulder with various cosmetics.
“This should cover it well enough. You have to be careful, especially since you’ll be going to the palace tomorrow. We can’t afford to get involved in unnecessary trouble.”
“In the palace? What kind of trouble could happen there, really? Besides, I’m not a powerless princess like before.”
“Having no influence means you won’t be a target for restraint. But you know better than anyone that the palace isn’t a completely safe place.”
“That’s true, but……”
Despite what Ellie said, the palace was not entirely safe, so Odette usually chose paths with more people around.
Moreover, she had the ability to protect herself.
Ellie was one of the few people who knew that, so it was strange that they emphasized safety so much.
Fortunately, the question was quickly resolved.
“It’s because of something that happened to me recently. Someone asked me for directions, and I tried to help them, and they tried to grab me. Fortunately, I managed to get away, but it made me realize how dangerous the world has become.”
“…… That happened to you? Are you okay, Ellie?”
“A little freaked out, but I’m fine. It was probably a cult or something. They must have mistaken me for a wealthy commoner or something, because I was walking down a street with a lot of commoners.”
As Ellie explains, these types of crimes mainly occur against wealthy commoners.
If it were revealed that they had recklessly interfered with a noble, the consequences would be severe compared to meddling with commoners.
Moreover, nobles belonged to the privileged class, so there was no real need to target them.
“You should just avoid that path from now on.”
“But…… should I ask for some security? I can ask Walter.”
“N-no! It’s really okay! I prefer going alone!”
At the mention of Walter, Ellie stuttered and waved her hands nervously.
“…… Really? Alright, then.”
It sounded a bit suspicious, as if something was amiss.
