Episode 61. Red Hair
The moment she saw the red hair, only one person came to her mind.
‘Ellie.’
Her heart sank.
There was no way to conceal her emotions. The shock must have shown on her face.
Otherwise, Blake wouldn’t have reacted that way.
“Judging by that expression, I guess you have a good idea of what’s going on, huh?”
“…… I was just surprised when I opened the letter…… the content wasn’t paper.”
Odette struggled to keep a straight face. It was a lame excuse, it wasn’t entirely false.
No, even if it sounds ridiculous, revealing any confusion here would play into Blake’s hands.
She asked as calmly as possible.
“Why are you showing me this? It doesn’t seem like much of a surprise.”
“Don’t set me up like that. I’m only here because I was asked to deliver a letter.”
“But it’s not unrelated to this matter.”
To call her out, setting up a chess game, and delivering a letter at this unusual hour.
Did Blake really not know what was in it?
‘Sending a lock of hair like this is a threat.’
Depending on the situation, there could be a threat to Ellie’s life.
And threats usually come with demands, but there’s nothing written on this envelope.
No wonder. The demands would be communicated through the person who’s deliver the letter.
Odette’s eyes frowned as she suppressed her nervousness and anxiety.
“Tell me what you’re up to, what you want. Don’t tell me nonsense that you have nothing to do with this.”
“Your words are getting harsh, Odette. Arrogant.”
“And why should I be polite to you in this situation?”
An empty envelope slipped from Odette’s fiery hand.
“Regardless of when you received the letter or whether you are involved in this matter, you could have talked to me anytime. And there’s a reason you didn’t. Don’t you think?”
“……What, you could see it that way.”
Blake smirked, his fingertips pointing to the King next to White’s Queen.
“I just thought I’d give you a dose of reality.”
“Reality?”
“Yes. You know, what happened during the three months Cedric was away.”
It wasn’t just about Odette’s marriage that came up.
Blake had carefully laid the groundwork to push Cedric out.
“It all started in the North. The areas that were in a state of calm suddenly faced a counterattack from some unknown force. Next was the West. Large quantities of smuggled goods were uncovered at the Randelux Port. And that’s not all? The Eastern Depot, the Southern Gentil. It’s harder to find regions that have no issues.”
The Empire was a large land mass, incidents and accidents were always bound to occur in various places.
However, the events that had unfolded over the past three months were so peculiarly concentrated that attributing them to mere coincidence seemed overly strange.
Naturally, someone like Odette couldn’t be unaware of these events.
Just then.
“You probably don’t care about these issues. Because these things have nothing to do with you.”
“……So, you want to say that those problems have something to do with me?”
“No, no. I’m saying it has something to do with your dear brother, Cedric. When people have a problem, they always look for someone they know.”
The current Emperor was getting older, suffering from chronic diseases, and most of all, it had been a long time since he had delegated most of the state affairs to Crown Prince Cedric.
Therefore, it will be Cedric who will be responsible for the problems that arise simultaneously.
“Once Cedric returns to the capital, he will quickly find himself wandering around. There is no need to argue. If I’m negligent in even one of those issues, I’m sure I’ll be criticized, so how can I not care?”
“…… So?”
“So, that means you will be left behind.”
Cedric won’t be able to protect you.
Blake’s index finger pointed at Odette.
“Even if people around you are dying, even if you beg for help, he won’t care. But to believe in Ertmann…… There is already evidence of trust before your eyes.”
A severed red hair that appears to belong to Ellie.
“The rope you’ve been holding onto will not protect you. This is reality.”
Blake’s words made Odette bit down on her lip.
“I don’t know…… what the hell you’re talking about. I have nothing to do with Brother Cedric. How many times should I say it?”
“Is that so? I guess you shouldn’t feel too bad about what happened. After all, you’re powerless. Isn’t that right?”
Blake chuckled, then adjusted his posture.
Pulling his upper body a little closer to Odette.
“My request is simple. WMy demand is simple. Whoever you’ve been holding hands with until now, now hold my hand. It won’t change much. We’ll make a deal, and as for that hair…… Nothing would happen.”
It was a long-winded way of saying it, but to summarize, He will spare Ellie’s life if Odette aligns herself with him.
Neither Cedric nor Walter, even Odette herself couldn’t entirely protect herself in this situation.
The problem is, there seems to be no way for Odette to refute his words in this situation.
Anxiety takes over Odette’s mind.
Her hand, placed on her thigh, clenched tightly.
“This doesn’t make sense! After doing such things…… you’re telling me to hold your hand?”
“I don’t get it. I’ve explained this much, and you still don’t see how generous I’m being right now?”
Blake frowned in annoyance and picked up the white queen from the chessboard.
“Odette, why do you seem unable to bring out this queen?”
Because Blake arranged the board beforehand? Or because Odette isn’t very good at chess?
No, that’s just an additional reason.
“It’s because your mind is fixated on things of low value.”
Looking back, all previous pitches began when Odette moved a low-value piece.
As the dying pieces began to come into view, the initial goal of taking out the queen began to take a backseat.
“Now understand? Feelings of resentment towards me, the owner of that hair…… those things are low-value pieces. But your safety, your comfort, your life. Those are pieces of high value.”
In short, Blake is conveying this message.
Don’t get distracted by things of low value and miss out on pieces of high value.
It’s about realizing what is more important.
“If you plan on holding my hand, don’t attend the wedding tomorrow. In return, I will spare the life of the owner of that hair.”
“…… Isn’t just taking your side is enough?”
“Haha, now that you mention it.”
Blake burst into laughter as if he had heard something interesting, but quickly wiped the smile off his face.
All that remained were his cold purple eyes.
“I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but don’t you think it’s too much for a lowly person like you to be Duke Ertmann’s wife? You should know your place.”
What kind of illegitimate child set up to be a duchess.
Blake sneered coldly while muttering that.
“You look good bending over like your mother, Odette.”
“…… Is that why you’re interfering with my marriage?”
“Oh, no, it’s not about that. I just prefer minimizing variables.”
In other words, Blake doesn’t want to leave room for Odette to escape by obtaining the position as Duchess of Ertmann.
“I can arrange a new marriage for you if you wish, so don’t worry too much.”
“Someone related to you by blood, I assume?”
“Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say it’s tied to the Duke of Rodel, but not that closely anyway.”
The Dukes of Rodel were Empress Katarina’s biological family, and Blake’s maternal family.
If Odette were to marry into the Rodel family, it would create a structure where she could not escape from Blake’s grasp.
‘If I take Blake’s hand…… I’ll be stuck marrying someone he arranges.’
Even though she knows it, there’s no way to avoid it.
Especially in a situation like this.
As her thoughts reached her, a deep sense of helplessness and despair began to creep up Odette’s skin.
After hearing everything, Odette realized why Blake had done this.
Indeed, there was no need to state the requirements for blackmail on the envelope containing the hair.
The mere fact that Odette was sitting here was already serving his purpose.
‘It was Blake who sent military supplies to the northern border all this time.’
The strange incidents that erupted during Cedric’s absence.
Of course, Odette didn’t pay much attention to those things, but she understood that they were unnatural.
Most of them were likely influenced by Blake.
‘He deliberately waited for Cedric to leave the capital.’
That way, if something did happen, he wouldn’t be able to respond immediately.
If Cedric were to receive information about the situation later and try to resolve the problems, it would be much more complicated than if he had dealt with them initially when he tried to suppress them.
What Blake was aiming for would have been the result of such a twisted situation gradually damaging Cedric’s reputation and tying him up.
While Cedric is running around trying to solve problems in all directions, Blake would be able to build up his power at a leisurely pace.
‘The problem is that…… the situation didn’t play out the way he wanted.’
The reason was simple.
Odette had been consistently informing Cedric about the situation in the capital.
Thanks to her, Cedric could quickly address various issues using Odette’s ‘abilities’ and the situation did not flow as Blake intended.
Of course, from Blake’s perspective, he would want to get rid of the confidant who relayed the situation.
‘And I’m the one who got caught.’
Odette had said it wasn’t, but that excuse wasn’t going to cut it with Blake.
It was all about keeping her powers hidden.
But now that she’d been caught, the outcome would be the same no matter who she married.
Blake would have tried to sabotage the marriage to get a hold of Odette’s leash, and she would have received similar threats.
‘I knew this would happen, and yet I kept bowing my head.’
Playing the role of a clueless and timid servant, enduring slaps and various humiliations, she had lowered her head and lived.
Because she wanted to escape from the Imperial Palace and this gap somehow.
And now, with that notice in front of her.
‘I never thought they would try to tie me up like this…….’
Odette gritted her teeth in helplessness and anger.
‘……Wait a minute.’
To go this far?
Odette quickly scanned the area in front of her.
A scattering of red hair, a half-empty chessboard.
And Blake looks at Odette’s agony with interest.
When their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Do you have something to ask?”
The moment she saw his demeanor, Odette knew.
‘…… Maybe.’
This situation could be a lie.
