Episode 77. Strange Dreams
There was no need to look far to find the cause of the strangeness.
Because her husband, Walter, who fell asleep while holding Odette, was the cause.
Odette blinked her eyes and looked at Walter, who was sleeping, holding her breath so as not to wake him.
As she observed him up close while he slept, she noticed something, Walter had longer eyelashes than she had thought.
Perhaps that’s why he looked much gentler when asleep with his eyes closed than when awake.
‘Or maybe…… It’s because he doesn’t scowl.’
Most of the time, Odette remembered, Walter was mostly seen with a slightly furrowed brow.
At first she thought it was because he was in a bad mood, but then she realized it wasn’t.
‘It was hard to tell the difference because Walter’s way of speaking is very easy to misunderstand.’
No, she still can’t be sure she can distinguish them well.
But on their third day of marriage, when she couldn’t wait any longer and knocked on Russell’s door, she saw Walter grabbing Russell’s collar, and Odette realized something.
‘Walter has never been angry with me.’
He may have furrowed his brow and said many things that could be taken as grumpy, but that was actually quite pleasant for her.
That…… he’s getting angry.
It’s a little unfortunate for Russell, but thanks to him Odette gained enlightenment.
And she found it a bit puzzling.
‘So why does Walter always furrow his brow?’
It’s not like he’s in a bad mood, or that he doesn’t like Odette.
After all, Walter slept with Odette in his arms every day since their marriage.
It was as if he feared she would disappear like a snowman that would melt away when he woke up.
As a result, Odette was often caught trying to sneak out in the morning because she wasn’t used to being cuddled.
It wasn’t that she was planning something mischievous, but when she heard his voice calling out “Odette” from behind, her heart would inevitably skip a beat.
And she would find herself drawn back into Walter’s embrace without fail.
‘There’s no way he would do that to someone he dislikes.’
And Odette, she didn’t particularly dislike it either.
Somehow, the warmth of someone beside her every morning as she opened her eyes made her toes curl and the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly.
Sometimes, when she heard stories from those who had experienced severe loneliness when they didn’t have a lover and had grown accustomed to being cuddled in someone’s arms, she used to find it merely puzzling.
‘Now, I think I understand why.’
Even though the words that came out of his mouth were so mean, Walter’s embrace was really warm.
And it wasn’t just when they were cuddling in bed.
When Walter went out, he always visited Odette and did things that could be seen as light expressions of affection.
Such as gentle hugs, kisses on her forehead, nose, and cheeks.
And then he would ask her.
“What were you doing while I was away?”
When Odette heard that question, she nodded inwardly and was impressed.
‘Walter is really good at acting.’
It’s not uncommon for newlyweds to ask how each other is doing when they meet again.
In that sense, Walter was a wonderful actor who really paid attention to every detail.
Odette reflected on her own complacency.
And, as someone who was assigned the role of a harmonious newlywed couple, she diligently shared her daily life routine.
After repeating this a few times, Odette realized something.
Walter paid more attention to Odette’s stories than she had initially thought..
Once, something like this happened.
“I did some flower arranging today. I heard there was a new variety of rose on the market, so I asked Phillip to get it for me. But it was a pity that I could only get one or two stems because they were so popular. It looks like the Monchette flower must be made from a lot of money.”
“…… the top Monchette roses, you said?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
Walter shook his head, saying it was nothing.
The next day, a bunch of the top Monchette roses were dropped off at Odette’s doorstep.
A bounty of roses that even Ertmann’s butler could only manage to get one or two of.
Odette couldn’t close her mouth in astonishment.
“W-Where did you get all of these?”
“Don’t worry, I got them through legal channels. If you need more, let me know.”
“But where exactly did you get them?”
“You said you couldn’t get roses from the store, so I just went to a place that grows these roses.”
Walter picked up a rose from the pile, a rose with a beautiful marbling of pink and white, and pointed to the leaves.
The leaves had a sharp shape that made it strange to call them rose leaves.
“Do you recognize this? It’s the leaves in the Dracis family’s crest.”
“Yes, but…… the Dracis varietal roses don’t look like this.”
“That’s right. They crossbred that variety with other roses to create a new one.”
As a result, the shape of the roses, the form of the petals, and even the colors were all different from the Dracis’s variety.
However, they didn’t lose the unique shape of the leaves.
“More than anything, Monchette Top is created in Dracis for money laundering. It’s obvious where it originated.”
With a cynical remark, Valter set the roses down on the table.
However, even then, Odette couldn’t shake off the shock.
‘How on earth did you recognize this?’
Dracis is no fool.
When they laundered their new variety of roses and put them on the market, they were confident that no one would recognize them.
Even though the leaves of the Dracis’s variety of roses had sharp-edged leaves, most people didn’t pay attention to that detail.
As it turned out, even Odette, who was knowledgeable about symbols of various families, didn’t think twice when she saw the roses.
‘Besides, how did you find out that Monchette flower had such a relationship with Dracis?’
If such information had been easily obtained, Dracis’s City’s gates would have been flooded by now.
How could Walter know all of this, it was an organization set up by Dracis City to launder money, security must have been thoroughly managed.
Odette was a little surprised, but she made good use of the roses she received.
Of course, she didn’t forget to thank Walter.
‘I thought you were just hearing it with one ear and letting it go, but you remember things like this.’
After that, Odette began to be more diligent in her daily reports.
“There are so many rooms in Ertmann’s mansion, Walter. gave me the keys, but there were too many keys, so I gave up. Instead, I explored the locked rooms with Emma, and we even searched for hidden devices. And we’ve found all sorts of weird stuff, you know?”
“There’s nothing I don’t know, at least in this mansion.”
Apparently, when you take over as head of the family, you’re supposed to know everything about the mansion.
Odette thought of the many rooms that had been sealed shut and wondered whether the day would come when she would surpass Walter’s knowledge.
She quickly gave up.
“If I don’t know something, I’ll have to ask you. This may be off-topic, but I’m getting a headache just thinking about taking over for Ertmann.”
Fortunately, Odette had learned various subjects such as accounting and economics through her education in the palace, so she was relatively quick on her feet.
But even without that, Odette didn’t like it, and she was experiencing the same dizziness she’d felt when she first learned accounting.
In other words, it tasted like death.
“I’m sure I’ll manage it quickly. I’m already getting used to the books.”
“Is that so.”
Walter listened quietly to her words, then suddenly spoke up.
“Then you’ll be fine even without me.”
“I suppose so, that’s what I’m here for.”
There was only one reason why Odette was going through such hardship.
As the lady of the house, she sometimes had to take on the responsibilities of the head of the family. And when the head of the family is away, the mistress becomes the head of the house.
Of course, Arnold could take on the role of acting head of the household, but that didn’t remove her influence.
That’s why Odette has been working so hard to take over.
She thought that another duty she had in this contract marriage was to fill Walter’s absence in an excellent manner when he was away due to business at the estate.
So it didn’t take her long to nod in agreement when he said.
“I’ll try to make everything work without you.”
“…… I’ll do my best too.”
“What?”
“To make sure everything works without me.”
It was a strange statement, to say the least, but Odette didn’t give it much thought.
Perhaps he meant to offer help in adapting to her role as the lady of the house, she thought casually
Her thoughts were interrupted because Walter kissed her right after that.
And from that day on, strange things began to happen.
The dreams that had troubled Odette for a while resurfaced.
They were incredibly miserable yet briefly accompanied by a sense of happiness.
Dreams where she couldn’t remember anything.
These dreams vanished without a trace around the time Odette left for the palace days before the wedding.
Returning to Ertman, Odette didn’t dream again, just as it had been helpful to spend time with Walter.
However, just yesterday, she had another dream.
Though she couldn’t remember anything, it was easy to recognize that it was the same dream that had troubled her before.
It’s not often that she feels so helpless and unhappy.
And this time, for some reason, it wasn’t forgotten.
Odette found herself facing the familiar face once again in her dream.
– I hope you are happy, Duke Ertmann.
Odette in the dream said so and handed over him a necklace.
– I don’t know whether you might need it one day, but…… It will help you someday.
– What is it for?
– I can’t say what it’s for. You’ll find out naturally if you ever need it, so I suggest you keep it with you at all times.
It was a brief dream, but Odette had a hunch.
‘That’s… the pendant containing my magic.’
Odette’s ability was the power to give life, but as a side effect, she could also change the shape of objects.
The pendant Odette had borrowed from Anne Sophie was a magical item that was created based on Odette’s abilities.
So if she carried it with her, when the time came, the pendant’s magic would automatically take on the form she needed at the moment.
However, that would automatically reveal Odette’s powers, which she had hidden her entire life.
Odette couldn’t help but question.
‘In my dream, I don’t even seem that close to Walter.’
What could it mean?
