Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 75. The Truth (5)

 

Bring him back from the dead and grant him my wish, only to have him disappear after a certain amount of time.

On second thought, it was a very reasonable deal.

‘It starts with the fact that the way to use it is something that pierces my heart.’

Those guys should have already died at that moment, so even if they die a year later, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Walter was similarly unmoved by the fact that he would soon be erased from existence even if he went back in time.

After all, there was only one thing he wanted.

To see Odette again.

And.

‘To make sure she doesn’t die.’

If Odette was truly born with misfortune, and now that he had taken that misfortune into his own hands, he would do whatever it took to prevent the tragedy that would befall Odette.

He will prevent her marriage with Louis, prevent Cedric from dying, and give Odette enough wealth to last her entire life.

As for Cedric’s death, it wasn’t particularly challenging to prepare for.

‘I’ve been chasing that bastard’s death all along.’

There were several ways to prepare for it.

And there was one very simple way to accomplish all of them at once.

 

Marrying Walter himself.

‘No matter how much I think about it, there is no marriage partner that can replace Louis Clovis.’

There weren’t many high-ranking noble families capable of handling a marriage with the Princess in the first place.

Clovis was about the right level for accepting Odette.

‘With that status, they wouldn’t hesitate to pressure someone even as high as the Princess.’

The few that remained were either married or just chaff that did not deserve anything in Walter’s eyes.

If they seemed decent, they were either from families with no money or had troublesome families. In cases where there was wealth or a lack of problematic family ties, the potential groom was often lacking in other aspects.

‘Not getting married until now is a flaw in itself.’

Odette didn’t choose Louis as a marriage partner without reason.

Rather than pushing Odette to those mediocre individuals, Walter believed he was a better option.

Apart from his feelings for Odette, it was a conclusion reached purely through rational and logical judgment, with no personal bias involved.

‘Especially not Louis Clovis, not him.’

As someone who witnessed both Odette’s marriage and death, it was clear that Odette would not have died even if she had not married Louis.

No, at least if she hadn’t harbored feelings for Louis…….

– I have no luck, Duke. Maybe I was born with misfortune.

– ……Why would you think that?

– Because the love I had once in my life was ruined like this.

 

At that time, Odette did not directly say who she loved.

She just said.

– In a situation like this, even love feels burdensome.

He could only hear her muttering to himself.

Perhaps Walter could have asked Odette directly who she loves.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it then.

Walter and Odette were not particularly close, and considering that she rejected Walter’s proposal because of love, there was hardly anyone else she could talk about.

‘It’s probably Louis Clovis.’

However, he didn’t want to hear the conclusion that had come up in his mind from Odette’s own lips.

So, he remained silent, and only one proposition lingered in Walter’s mind.

Odette loved Louis.

‘It’s not surprising since she can love someone even if they’re not particularly worthy of love.’

How she picked such a worthless person to love.

His judgment was profoundly distorted, especially when he recalled Louis’s face for the last time.

– Walter Ertmann, you were just such a bastard. Such a shameless man who covets someone else’s wife. Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to come all the way here to grab my neck, right?

– No matter how much you resist, Odette is my wife. That won’t change.

 

Despite his sarcasm, Louis seemed half out of his mind.

His expression was quite different from the one he had drunkenly muttered about how he didn’t like noble people like his wife and what the hell made them think he was so good that he could look down on her.

It gave off a feeling as if he were looking into a mirror.

It couldn’t be confirmed whether he had actually seen a mirror, it was certain that Walter was probably making a similar expression.

Louis Clovis, who had driven Odette to death, was terribly shocked by Odette’s death.

Even as he was imprisoned in Duke Ertmann’s residence and living as a decommissioned person, news of him was occasionally heard.

Russell, who only reacted to news about Odette, often brought updates about Clovis for that reason.

– It is said that Count Clovis is grieving the loss of his wife, Your Excellency. He has completely cut off external activities.

– No one believes that these days. He’s not grieving the loss of his wife, he’s grieving the loss of a business he was investing in. What a guy……

– No, I’m sure. There are many stories about how he had a loud argument with his grandmother over the death of Countess Clovis. In fact, the servants claimed that the Countess never leaves her room all day.

Hearing Russell’s words ignited a rage in Walter like pouring fuel into a burning oil barrel, and his determination strengthened.

After Odette’s death, he had often found himself easily disturbed by the smallest things.

The fact that the world continued to function as if nothing had happened when the person most important to him had disappeared was a constant source of boiling frustration.

 

But this was different.

It disgusted him to see the one who’s responsible for Odette’s death wallow in grief that makes Walter just wanted to kill him right away.

‘Do I have the right to……?’

After all, he was the one Odette chose, the one she loved.

‘Unlike me, who is nothing…….’

When the thought touched him, it made everything seem like nothing.

Instead of getting angry, he clenched his teeth and turned away.

– I have no regrets after death. If I had done something while I was alive, things would have been different.

He wasn’t sure if he was referring to Louis foolish behavior or Walter himself.

Maybe it didn’t matter, because they were both foolish.

Luckily, Walter had a second chance.

A second chance to save Odette, a second chance to undo his regrets.

The timing and the situation were perfect in every way.

Except for one thing.

‘If it’s the time for me  to disappear then, that’s a problem.’

Under Imperial law, when a married man dies, his spouse inherits all his property.

Of course, when Walter dies, all of the family property he owned as the head of the Ertmann family and the rights he could exercise as the head of the family will all go to Arnold.

 

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Transferring a few family-name properties into his name wasn’t a difficult task.

Moreover, even if he didn’t do that, Walter already had more than enough property in his possession.

If he wanted to pass it on to Odette, he was free to do so.

However, only when Walter ‘died’.

According to imperial law, when a spouse is missing, they aren’t considered dead, so they can’t inherit the estate.

At the very least, a spouse had to be missing for at least 20 years before he or she could be recognized as effectively dead and remarry.

‘20 years is too long.’

Of course, there should be a label recognizing her as Ertmann’s hostess.

But in a situation where Ertmann’s lead, Walter, is not there to act as a protective shield, it could actually be dangerous.

Without Walter, Ertman would be seen as an easy target for vultures in the social circles.

Even if Arnold continues to stand as the head of the family, he’s long since retired from socializing.

It would be Odette who would take the brunt of the attack.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

And once again, the solution was not hard for Walter to come up with.

If preventing the missing status was impossible after a certain period, and if being in a missing status was the problem, the solution is simple.

‘I just have to die before then.’

 

It would be easy to stamp Walter Ertmann dead before he disappeared.

That’s why Walter deliberately went around the masquerade ballroom without hiding his identity, and ran the bootlegging business, which was no different from a hornet’s nest.

In the past, Cedric died while invading this wasp nest, so he killed two birds with one stone by saving Cedric’s life and hastening his own death.

‘Of course, Louis Clovis heard this news and attracted attention.’

It was already known that Louis was involved in bootlegging.

He didn’t seem to be as deeply involved now as he had been in the past, but that didn’t change the fact that he was, and it was only a matter of time before he took Walter’s bait.

‘I didn’t originally plan to rush this, but…….’

The fact that Louis found more memories and faster than expected, he had no choice but to act quickly.

‘Because Odette is in love with Louis Clovis.’

He had to stop Louis from approaching Odette for no reason.

If Louis memories were unclear, it could have been prevented.

‘Because as Ellodie Montoir words, it seemed like he had almost completely recovered him memories.’

Walter clicked his tongue inwardly.

In the literature, it was written that when a sacred object was used, people around it were also affected, but perhaps that influence was an element created to disturb the user.

These are probably the warnings that the ‘man’ who made the deal said.

 

By now, Walter had to admit that dealing with misfortune or whatever it was had become quite annoying.

‘Every time I try to do something, something gets in my way.’

As a result, it took him a long time to marry Odette.

Moreover, unlike in the past, Odette was now perceived as a troublesome and presumptuous person.

‘How many times have I been called a bad person just today?’

Walter chuckled as he recalled Odette’s face, which had glared at him despite her tears.

Then he poked his wife in the cheek in her sleep.

“Umh…….”

Odette uttering a soft murmur in her sleep, her brow furrowed slightly in annoyance.

It’s like telling him not to do something like this, only making him want to do it more.

Walther poked her a few more times, the corners of his mouth curling into a grimace, before he realized she was really going to wake up and stopped.

‘My wife… Wife.’

It’s an unfamiliar pronunciation. Especially since it refers to Odette.

Walter pondered the pronunciation for a long time and looked at Odette.

‘Now that we’re married, there shouldn’t be any more distractions.’

He spoke as if unaware of the looming presence of a massive tidal wave, just about to crash over him.