Episode 66. Was it my luck?
Moreover, having already stepped into upper-class life once, Ellodie had to endure various humiliations when she occasionally encountered upper-class acquaintances.
Just the other day, she bumped into Léa Denzel in a salon, and she mocked Ellodie, purposely stepping on her shoes.
– Oh my, excuse me. The color was so dull that I thought it was a carpet. Um, it’s not really made of carpet, is it? If so, I might feel sorry.
If she could have slapped Léa in the face for saying that and sarcastically speaking without the slightest bit of regret, Ellodie would have gladly done so.
Ellodie’s patience was already at its limit, and she eventually accepted Blake’s offer.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
At least, until the men sent by Walter burst into the mansion.
But Ellodie hadn’t given up hope yet.
‘But you never know.’
One of the men who had kidnapped Ellie was Blake’s henchman.
He had quickly disappeared as soon as Walter’s people entered the mansion, so he must have informed Blake about the situation.
Perhaps Blake would come to rescue her.
He had said he would protect her.
But what if he didn’t come?
Did that mean she had to die without a fight?
“Damn it! Damn it!’
I don’t want to die like this!
Tears began to roll down Ellodie’s cheeks once more in despair, and her sobbing sounds began to escape.
Only then did Walter seem to notice Ellodie’s presence.
A little puzzled, he spoke.
“I don’t see why you’re crying like this, It’s not like I’ll suddenly feel sympathy for you. Oh, or are you crying because you want to live?”
“Sob, please…… let me go…… I said I’d do whatever you want. It was the Second Prince…….”
“Ah, the Second Prince. Did you really believe that?”
Walter sneered.
“I can assure you. He’s not coming.”
“That’s not possible…….”
“Don’t you get it yet? You’ve been used.”
Despair washed over Ellodie’s face at Walter’s words.
“I- I…….”
“Then why don’t you give up your greed, or at least use your heart.”
If Ellodie had been less greedy, or at least had not accepted Blake’s offer, she would have been able to lead a decent life.
With her abilities and ambitions, she might have become a person of considerable influence in the future.
But Ellodie’s greed blinded her to all those possibilities.
So the result is obvious.
“A letter will be sent to Montoire. Ellodie Montoire was enjoying a promiscuous lifestyle and ran away after falling in love with another man. It seems that she was afraid that she would get involved in immoral affairs and incur her father’s wrath.”
Viscount Montoire had already sent his daughter to the capital in despair.
That’s why Ellodie never returned to her territory.
She knew that if she ever returned, her father would never accept her.
So, if such a message was going out through Walter, Viscount Montoire would simply hope that Elodie would find satisfaction in her runaway life.
He wouldn’t bother pretending to search for her.
“Y-you had this in mind from the beginning…….”
“Of course, don’t worry about Montoire. Unlike you, your father has an honest personality and has never caused any trouble, so there is no need to apply guilt by association.”
If it weren’t for that, the Viscount Montoire might have had to accept benefits for his daughter.
At Walter’s words of peace, Ellodie gnashed her teeth.
“You- you devil! You’re crazy!! The Fourth Princess knows nothing, right? Do you think she’s such a person?”
At the mention of Odette, Walter’s face stiffened.
Seizing the opportunity, Ellodie confronted him.
“You have your heart set on the Fourth Princess, aren’t you? Is that why you’re doing these things? But how does that work for you? No one will ever love a wretch like you! Trying to obtain everything in such a way won’t get you anything! Soon, you’ll end up like me. Thinking you had it all, but you’ll go out miserably!!”
Then Walter chuckled.
He showed no signs of discomfort.
“You speak the truth. I should have been a prophet, perhaps? You seem to have the talent for it.”
“……Wha- what? What do you mean by that?!”
That’s true. What Ellodie did was a curse.
A one-sided curse that says Walter will soon face a miserable end.
But he agreed with that without even a hint of displeasure.
A strange thought suddenly occurred to her, but Ellodie’s question could no longer be asked.
“That’s enough. The business is finished. Russell, let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The men guarding the manor rushed in, and a sack was placed over Ellodie’s head.
Walter’s back was visible through the gap.
That was the last thing Ellodie saw.
* * *
As if last night’s commotion was a lie, everything went smoothly when the sun rose in the morning.
Except for a groggy Odette, who had barely woken up and had to be rushed to the palace.
The only thing that worried Odette was that Blake might interfere again.
‘I hope your plans to blackmail me have been thwarted, and he’ll leave me alone.’
It was unlikely that Blake would back down.
This was the fact that Blake had revealed some of his cards to deceive Odette made it especially worrisome.
‘Now that we know who was supplying military goods in the north, it shouldn’t be difficult to cut off that connection.’
So were the bootleggers, and other local problems.
If Odette relayed this information to Cedric, Cedric would likely discuss it with Duke Pavel and find a solution.
Fortunately, from that point on Odette didn’t need to worry about it.
The problem was that since Blake had lost his hand, he would try to take Odette again somehow.
The most powerful method was to disrupt the wedding.
‘You never know how he’s going to stab you in the back…….’
Odette made her way back to the Palace, still a little nervous despite her visions.
However, as if to laugh at Odette, the wedding proceeded without any problems.
Odette expected to be questioned about her sudden leaving in the middle of the night.
“I anticipated it, but you’re here. Chief maid, we’re running out of time, so get her dressed at once.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
That was all Katarina said when she saw Odette return.
‘Come to think of it, Blake must have informed the Empress.’
If Odette didn’t show up for the wedding, Katarina would be the one most directly responsible.
So there’s no way Blake didn’t tell Katarina about this ruse.
Katarina must have known that Blake was preparing to stab Odette in the back from the moment she first set foot in the palace.
‘For some reason, I thought it was strange that you kept quiet after being treated like that by me.’
I wondered if she’d decided it would be a bad idea to mess with the future Duchess of Ertmann.
But that wasn’t the case.
‘She had something up her sleeve, so she left me alone.’
So you’re leaving me alone now because you have something up your mind?
Odette tensed her nerves again.
In any other situation, she would have been very nervous, but today she needed to be even more nervous because she wasn’t feeling well.
‘I pushed myself too hard yesterday and didn’t sleep well, so I’m tired.’
In fact, Odette had been struggling to keep her eyes open for most of the time.
She felt like she could fall asleep with a snap.
All the more reason to stay awake!
“Your Highness, you have really fair skin. I’m sure you’ll look good in white.”
“I’ve attended many weddings, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful dress!”
So Odette kept her nerves on edge even when the maids made such remarks.
“Wh-what? Do you think I’m going to say congratulations on your marriage? Where else did you go during the night, and didn’t come back?”
Odette didn’t let her guard down when she saw Lizaina after she finished getting dressed and she scowled at her.
Oh well, at least that conversation convinced her that Lizaina didn’t know anything.
Even when she made eye contact with Blake, who hadn’t shown up until much later, or when Empress Katarina clicked her tongue.
“-With this, I announce that Walter Ertmann and Odette Benoit Celestine have become husband and wife.”
Until the moment the wedding was announced and completed……!
Clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause erupted, and Walter tapped Odette, who was standing there dazed.
“Odette?”
“……Was it my luck?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I thought there would be more. I thought Blake was going to try to sabotage the marriage somehow…….”
Odette muttered, and Walter sighed.
“So that’s what it was. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Why?”
“Because the stage has already collapsed?”
Odette was about to ask what he meant by the stage collapsing.
Walter’s hand gently lifted the cotton cloth covering Odette’s face.
“I think we should do what the guests are waiting the most.”
The kiss of oath that usually marks the end of a wedding.
Odette blushed slightly, looked away and muttered.
“I think we should exclude Ellie from those guests.”
“Don’t worry. My grandfather should be excluded too.”
And so the two of them did exactly what everyone, except for Ellie and Arnold, had been eagerly waiting for.
Unlike the depth or persistence that Walter usually exhibited.
But wasn’t overly affectionate or formal.
She could feel it the moment their lips touched.
‘…… He was nervous too.’
Of course, the reason seemed quite different from the reason Odette was nervous.
Maybe the important thing called marriage itself makes him nervous.
But somehow, the thought of not being alone made Odette happy.
So, she leaned in and whispered to her husband.
“Please continue to look after me, Walter.”
“Of course.”
Walter smiled gently, and Odette Odette nodded in satisfaction and turned around.
And that moment.
“……!”
Odette’s eyes met someone among the wedding guests who was staring at her persistently.
None other than Louis Clovis.
