Episode 60. Will you regret it?
Katarina’s face hardened at Odette’s nonchalant question.
“……Are you confronting me now?”
“I just asked because you said I should bow. Isn’t that still acceptable?”
“How dare you……!”
Katarina gritted her teeth, but Odette remained calm.
She knew she couldn’t do anything about it.
Could she slap the face of the soon-to-be new bride right now?
There was no way she could harm Odette, who was carrying Ertmann in the first place.
The only thing that would happen would be social retribution.
‘I’m not particularly afraid of that.’
The Marchioness Patrice had already stomped on Odette, so even if Katarina tried to set the stage again, other noble ladies would not step forward.
If things didn’t go according to Katarina’s plan, not only would she be pretending to be Ertmann, but she would also be setting a precedent that could be used against her if she messed up.
‘Things are different now.’
Back when there was no backing for Odette in the Imperial court, when the slightest retaliation could be devastating.
Katarina could no longer touch Odette.
She knows it, and that’s why she can’t bring herself to raise her hand in anger.
Seeing this, Odette slowly lowered her gaze.
“Again, I have never held a grudge against Her Majesty the Empress. Because I understand you.”
“…… What?”
“Your Majesty the Empress took me to the Marchioness Patrice’s tea party. Aren’t you afraid that if I became a duchess, I would threaten your influence?”
So, she probably wanted to take the first step before Odette became a duchess.
“I’m sure you’re telling me this now because you want to be prepared for the future, Your Majesty. And I completely understand.”
But Katarina had to know one thing.
“So, there’s no need to worry. I don’t particularly care about social life.”
“…… You don’t particularly care?”
Katarina looked like she was wondering if Odette had lost her mind.
Understandably, most noble ladies used to build their own power based on their influence in the social world.
And Odette was in a prime position to do just that.
But to claim she didn’t particularly care?
It would be something Katarina couldn’t possibly understand.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Nothing. As you know, I have rarely been in social circles until now. As a result, I don’t feel the need to do it in the future.”
Even though things ended up like this, Odette never wanted a high position.
With a somewhat refreshing or lively response, Odet set down her teacup.
Clack.
Following the neat sound, Odette smiled.
“So, please bless the marriage with a peaceful heart.”
She advised against unnecessary schemes.
Katarina’s face flushed red with a sense of humiliation at Odette’s concluding words.
“They say that position makes a person, and you are exactly like that. I knew you were going to marry Duke Ertmann, but I didn’t expect you to change so quickly. You should be ashamed of yourself!”
It was a worthy shout that would have made others reflect upon themselves if they had heard it.
But Odette only laughed lightly.
“Haha, Your Majesty, you always have amusing words.”
The only thing that had changed was the environment.
An environment whether she had to conceal herself or not.
It was amusing how just revealing a little bit could cause such a reaction.
“Even salmon that live in freshwater drink salty water when they go to the ocean, so why wouldn’t people be the same?”
Odette replied and left her seat.
It was a pleasant surprise.
.
.
.
‘And ever since then, Empress Katarina has treated me as if I didn’t exist.’
She didn’t seem to trust Odette’s statement that she had no desire for a social life.
But that was also what Odette had in mind.
‘Empress Katarina has lived her entire life as a high-ranking noble.’
Regardless of one’s admiration for her, no one can deny that she is good at controlling the social world.
A social godmother who is revered and envied by all.
That’s how she was perceived by her social circle.
But it’s all just something that happens within the well of social circles.
And Katarina was a person who was immersed in that well.
That’s why she can’t think outside the social circle.
In fact, Odette had never been greedy for social circles.
‘I wonder if she’d be shocked to know that my original goal was to marry a man from a moderately respectable family.’
Of course, that goal had been discarded long ago…….. I was willing to go out into social circles if necessary.
So, what she had told Katarina was half truth and half lie.
The reason for such a lie was simple.
‘Because I needed to turn the tables, at least once.’
If Odette continued to display a meek attitude, Katarina would definitely look for the next opportunity.
If it was just Odette herself, she wouldn’t mind so much, but she couldn’t let any harm reach Ertmann.
As it turned out, it seemed like the strategically applied shock treatment had worked successfully.
Odette walked through the corridor lost in thought with a lantern in her hands.
‘At least half of it was sincere, so I don’t have to feel bad.’
While staying at Duke Ertmann’s residence, Odette spent a lot of time with Arnold.
Even if she didn’t take the initiative, it was thanks to Arnold sneakily coming to ask if she wanted to have tea.
During the time spent like that, talk about the Duchy of Ertmann was bound to come up.
– There’s an evergreen forest in the north, which is very beautiful in winter. When I was younger, my wife and I used to go hunting in the woods with one bow each.
– With your wife?
– Yes! It’s a very fun memory. Do you know how to ride a horse?
– I’ve learned some basics of riding as part of etiquette.
– Well then, you should come with us sometime in winter. One time I got lost in the forest, and Duke Ertmann just got upset and said…….
Arnold’s laughter echoed joyfully as he shared stories about nearly losing both himself and his wife during their winter hunts.
In fact, his anecdotes about hunting with his wife in the winter are hilarious.
‘Maybe I’ll ask Walter to go hunting with me in the winter.’
Of course, unlike Arnold’s wife, she couldn’t handle a bow, but she could ride a horse, and if she practiced diligently since they were married, she might be able to convince him to join her.
‘After all, it’s common to spend the winter at the manor.’
If Odette asked Walter, he would probably choose a horse even though he said it was dangerous.
Maybe by then she’ll know what Walter is hiding.
And maybe they’d be more used to being a couple than they were now.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, a ticklish feeling welled up inside her chest, she smiled to herself as she entered the Palace.
Now that she’d taken a walk as an excuse for not being able to sleep, she was really going to try to get some sleep again.
But then.
“What are you so excited about that you’re barging in?”
The joyful mood shattered the moment Odette saw a figure sitting in the hall of the Empress’s Palace.
“…… Brother Blake.”
“Hello, Odette.”
In the dim light of a single lantern, Blake, who was sitting on a single sofa, smiling at Odette as he waved.
And he gestured with his chin at the chessboard in front of him.
“Why don’t you sit down for a minute, since you’re not supposed to be alone.”
Odette’s eyes narrowed.
Blake was the only person in the Palace who hadn’t changed his demeanor toward Odette.
He was still suspicious and hostile at the same time.
Yet, he was inviting her to join him at this early morning hour?
There was nothing to think about. Odette turned her head away.
“I’m sorry, but I’m tired, so I’m going to go back inside.”
“Just a minute.”
“…….”
“Will you regret it?”
A creepily thin smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Blake was certainly a mysterious man, but what made him so ominous was that his predictions were spot on.
This was especially true in the fact that the notice did not discriminate between allies.
From experience, there was no good reason to ignore such warnings.
“…… If you’re going to say that am I Cedric’s brother’s spy, I have nothing more to say.”
“Yeah, in life, you come across all sorts of unexpected encounters.”
It was a clear message not to lie about things he already knew.
Blake chuckled and then lightly tapped the table where the chessboard was set.
“But today, I’m not here to discuss that. Sit. Playing chess alone is boring.”
As he said, there was a chessboard in front of Blake.
The pieces, which were chaotically intertwined with white and black, seemed to be in the midst of a melee, but there was just one characteristic.
“I was trying to figure out a strategy to win without using this white queen here. If you were playing as black, how would you bring out this queen?”
The queen was the most valuable chess piece.
The side that lost its queen first often determined the outcome of the game, it was necessary to take out the queen if one wanted to win.
‘I don’t know what you’re up to, but…….’
Odette sat down across from Blake, on the side with black’s pieces, and began moving the pieces one by one.
The black pawn captures the white knight, and then the white rook captures the black pawn.
The basic principles for winning chess are simple.
‘Capture a high-value piece with a low-value piece.’
No matter what strategy was used, the basic principles that applied on the chessboard were the same.
No one would willingly sacrifice their queen to a pawn.
The fight that started between pieces of such low value began to gradually spread.
By the time Odette realized it, most of the high-value pieces, both black and white, had made their way down removed from the board.
However, the white queen remained in the same place.
Only then did Odette realize that she had fallen for Blake’s trick.
“…… It seems like this game was set up to turn out this way from the beginning.”
“When you touch a board someone else has set, you should expect to lose.”
It was a neat affirmation.
“Then may I ask now why you made me play?”
“Oh, sure. You will have to pay the price for dealing with me.”
Blake smirked as he reached into his pocket and handed Odet a letter.
“Open it.”
“What’s this……?”
With a sense of unease, Odette opened the envelope.
Something fell out with a soft thud.
It was a haphazardly piece of red hair.
