Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 67. A Childhood Dream

 

Louis had an expression that did not suit the cheerful atmosphere of the party.

If Odette had stood a little closer to Louis, there would have been rumors that something had happened between the two.

In simple terms.

‘There was a story behind that face.’

It reminded her of something she’d forgotten about the day of the wedding announcement at the Palace.

– Your Highness, how about reconsidering the marriage? Duke Ertmann is not a good person.

– Wouldn’t it be possible to find another partner right now? for example…… Someone like me?

To be honest, it might have been intended as a joke, but Louis demeanor was serious.

Moreover, since he even shouted at Walter like that, it couldn’t be said to be a joke.

‘It’s really strange.’

It’s true that Odette was willing to marry Louis, but didn’t he the one who drew the line.

If Louis hadn’t cut off the ties after Xavier’s banquet, Odette would never have accepted Walter’s proposal.

She would have been better suited to marry Louis, who would have given her a more comfortable and free life than Walter, who was a famous person.

However, Louis drew a line with Odette, and did not show his face until a long time after the matter had progressed.

‘Of course, Count Clovis said he sent me a letter.’

 

When she asked the other maids and servants, they said they didn’t remember seeing a letter from Clovis.

She wondered if Louis was lying about sending a letter to give her an excuse.

Above all, Odette thought, if Louis had been sincere, he should have shown his face.

‘But once again, Count Clovis disappeared again afterward.’

After the wedding announcement was made at the Imperial Palace, Odette thought that Louis might come visit her at least once.

She had also made a separate request to Emma, just in case Walter interrupted her meeting with Louis.

– Emma, ​​can you help me find the carriage that visits the mansion every day? It’s okay even if it doesn’t come all the way into the mansion.

But during that time, Clovis’s carriage never showed up.

So Odette decided to do whatever was convenient.

‘He must have given up on marrying me now. Perhaps he acted that way because…… he was in urgent need of a marriage partner.’

From Odette’s point of view, there was no reason for Louis to cling to her so desperately other than his need for a suitable marriage partner.

So naturally, when she saw that Louis hadn’t shown up, she assumed he’d found a match.

‘What on earth is Count Clovis thinking?’

At this point, even Odette, who tended to be indifferent to matters unrelated to herself, became curious.

Above all, she sensed a strange sense of déjà vu from Louis.

Of course, she had already rejected Louis, but still, something seemed off.

 

‘And yet, there seems to be something more…….’

A strange feeling.

It felt like Odette had experienced this sensation somewhere before.

But when she tried to recall it now, it didn’t come to mind.

Besides, Odette hadn’t been given enough time to thoroughly think about matters unrelated to her.

When Louis made eye contact from afar, he seemed to frown at first glance, but soon disappeared among the crowd.

Odette almost followed him without realizing it.

“Your Highness, you need to change into your evening attire. Please come this way.”

“…… Ah.”

The maid’s timely words brought Odette back to her senses.

The fortunate thing was that she didn’t have the chance to dwell on Louis’s face afterward.

Just getting dressed, walking around the reception, and talking to other guests took a lot of her physical and mental strength.

Especially when dealing with the enthusiasm of Ellie and Arnold, it demanded more than usual.

“Congratulations, dear! What would you like as a wedding present? There’s an island down south that belongs to my Duchy, shall I give it to you? Or perhaps you prefer cash? Just tell me!”

“Congratulations on your marriage! Huaa, It feels like a dream to me!”

One was energetically listing of Ertmann’s wealth, and the other was sniffling and sobbing, as if she weren’t tired of crying like that yesterday.

Moreover, the person who stood out the most among them made it even more difficult to deal with them.

“Ugh, tsk! What are you doing here, Walter?”

“I’m the groom today.”

 

“Shut up! I can find ten more grooms to change you, what’s so important about you? Go and bring more drinks or something. Just looking at your face makes my stomach burn.”

Arnold barged as soon as Walter appeared.

“Although I did allow the marriage after seeing Odette, but I still oppose it.”

“How come.”

“If you neglect Odette- no, if she falls and hurts her knee, I’ll immediately separate you from her at once!”

“Then I’ll have to carry Odette around all day. Fine by me.”

And despite Arnold’s efforts to coerce him, Walter responded calmly, not changing his facial expression.

“C-Carry her around all day……?”

Thankfully, only Odette, who was next to him, was being defecated on.

Moreover, Ellie, who was next to Odette, scolded Walter in a very different way than Arnold, but the point was the same no matter what she said.

“Listen carefully, Your Excellency. If Her HIghness Odette can’t wear an off-shoulder top at the next banquet because of the Duke, I will take her on a month-long trip. Do you understand?”

In particular, it seems that the final change in the design of the wedding reception costume was turning on Ellie’s red light.

Ellie got a little tipsy and gave a long speech about how Odette’s shoulder-baring dress made her stand out.

Odette was surprised once by the fact that Ellie valued her shoulder line so much. More surprisingly, Walter, who would have normally found it bothersome, nodded in agreement with the story.

 

“What I’m trying to say, Your Highness. It’s not just about her shoulders, it’s about the fairness of her skin and how well-defined her collarbone is!”

“It certainly does.”

“Yes, it does! Thin necklaces, layered pearl necklaces, they all complement well. Last time, she wore a bolero and hung a necklace over it, enhancing the elegance even more–“

“S-stop! Ellie, please stop! Seriously, Walter, what are you agreeing about!”

And Odette was on the verge of losing her mind from the endless praise in front of her.

In the end, Odette was finally able to regain her senses after sending the heavily drunk Ellie back to her family, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, around that time, the banquet was coming to an end.

“Odette, we should probably get going. They’ll be waiting for us at the mansion.”

“Oh, right…….”

Odette walked along with Walter’s escort and looked around the banquet hall without thinking.

Somehow, she had a feeling she was missing something.

‘Hmm…….’

Odette tried to think a little more, but she was so tired that her thoughts did not flow smoothly.

Moreover, there were too many possibilities to consider, adding to the confusion.

She almost missed attending the wedding last night due to Blake’s interference, and she even caught a glimpse of Louis a little while ago.

After everything she’d been through, it wouldn’t be strange to feel uneasy about anything.

‘Perhaps it’s just my imagination.’

Odette thought as she climbed into the carriage.

Truly, it had been a tumultuous wedding in many ways.

* * *

 

By the time they returned to Ertmann after the wedding, the sun was already tilting toward the western horizon.

Perhaps that was why Odette was a little surprised by the fact that the road to Duke Ertmann’s residence, which she was now quite familiar with, felt a bit quiet.

She stared out the car window and muttered to herself.

“……I guess Ertmann truly feels like my home.”

“Hasn’t it always been your home?”

“Yes, but until now, I always felt more like being a guest.”

The first reason she started feeling this way was due to Russell’s words when he opened the carriage door.

– Please step out, Madam. Congratulations on your wedding.

Of course, Russell was just using a customary title

– Madam.

It was a strange title for Odette, who had always been addressed as Your Highness.

It felt like she had truly shed the shackles of her former identity as the Princess.

Now, when she went outside, she would be called Duchess Ertmann, not Your Highness the Fourth Princess.

It was a natural change, of course, but the sensation was unfamiliar.

Odette smiled and fixed her gaze on the sunset through the carriage window.

It passed over her yellow golden eyes, sparkling like the sunbeams of the evening sun.

“I mean, Walter. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always dreamed of a very ordinary life. Life in the palace was honestly difficult.”

“……Like what?”

“Because there was no one I could trust. For example, Ellie was a maid I met when I was ten, but it took me ten years to truly trust her.”

It wasn’t that Ellie wasn’t trustworthy.

 

It’s just that Odette was afraid to give her heart to anyone.

“When I was younger, I stayed in the Empress’s Palace. She would constantly change the people who were taking care of me. If it seems like I might get attached to someone, they will be replaced. It could be as short as a month or as long as half a year. Whenever it felt like a bond might form, a new person would come in.”

Odette knew the reason behind why Empress Katarina did this.

She was wary of Odette getting too deeply involved with anyone in the Palace.

Young children like Odette could easily evoke sympathy, and sympathy could quickly transform into favor.

She didn’t want Odette to get too close to anyone at the Palace and give her the opportunity to build power.

‘I was really just a child back then.’

Katarina was so wise that she did not give even such a young child a chance.

“Well, not much changed even after I left the Palace. All of my maids are either the Empress’s people or people who have been demoted. Or they were young ladies from noble families not influential enough to be a threat.”

Ellie was the last of the former, and Odette’s nanny, Viscountess Inaia, was demoted.

Maybe that’s why, everyone left as soon as the situation got better, except for Ellie.

So before Odette could trust anyone, she was afraid to give them her affection, and so her dreams were set in stone.

To leave the Palace and live a normal life.

“If you want to believe it, then believe it, and if you want to like it, then like it.. That’s how I wanted to live.”