Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 80. The Sphere

 

A familiar name and suspicion flashed through Odette’s mind.

And that suspicion turned into certainty when she saw the knight blocking the entrance.

Because that knight and Odette were acquaintances!

“Sir Arnold!”

“Ah, it’s been a while, Princess! That dress suits you very well.”

“Thank you…… No, never mind that- why are you here? and brother Cedric’s knight-?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m here to fulfill an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

Arnold spoke with his usual cheerful and affable demeanor.

Unlike Odette, who was lost in thought, he was obviously glad to be back in the capital after so long.

“I don’t know the details, but Prince Cedric has ordered the control of the Ertmann estate as punishment for an insult to the royal family. If there’s no opposition to the forthcoming decree, there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Odette’s jaw dropped open at the words that came out from his grinning face.

If there’s no opposition to the decree, there shouldn’t be any trouble.

Doesn’t that mean there would be trouble if there was opposition!

‘What on earth are you planning to do?’

Is Brother Cedric really that angry?

 

“Y- you mean, insulting the royal family?”

“Indeed. His Majesty has warned several times, but it seems to have been ignored.”

Arnold added with a smile on his face that the punishment for the crime would soon be carried out.

“Oh, and one more thing His Majesty added.”

“And what is it this time?”

“Nothing much.”

With those words, Arnold put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out quickly.

Even Odette flinched momentarily at the sudden movement.

She blinked her eyes blankly as she looked at the item being presented.

“…… A transit pass?”

It was a pass from the Crown Prince’s Palace.

Arnold smirked at Odette’s stunned expression.

“He said he would like to have a cup of tea together as a brother and sister.”

Above Arnold’s face, the image of the ‘smiling face’ from the letter passed by.

And what Cedric wanted to convey.

– Come to the imperial palace with a smile and say nice things, Odette.

Cold sweat ran down Odette’s spine.

It was a tension that rarely she’d felt in her simple life.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at the Crown Prince’s palace.

The rose petals that had been decorated in a vase fell down.

It was the mischievous play of a gloved hand.

“Walter, tell me.”

And that hand’s owner is Cedric. Spoke with a ruthless voice as he ripped off the rose petal.

“We were never particularly close, but I thought we understood each other pretty well.”

Though they had never explicitly stated it, they were kindred spirits.

A relationship where they didn’t like each other for that reason, and where they were bonded by a certain kindred spirit. That was the relationship between Cedric and Walter.

If you can call them friends, you can call them friends, and if you can call them colleagues, you can call them colleagues.

“There were times when I felt inclined to use the phrase, ‘fond regards’ in my communications to you, especially on days when the sun was shining, rainbows graced the sky, clouds formed beautiful shapes, and the temperature and humidity were in perfect harmony.”

“I suppose you’ll write an obituary when I die.”

“Indeed. I would, at least, if you hadn’t repeatedly ignored my warnings and married Odette.”

Bang!

Cedric’s hand slammed against the table in anger.

The face of the young man with silver hair a little bluer than Odette’s was as cold as the north wind in midwinter.

Just looking at him like this, it seemed hard to believe that he was a person who always smiled, but it was also a very familiar face to Walter.

Although no one else knew, Walter knew very well that this was his real face that Cedric was showing right now.

“I clearly told you. I was going to come within a month, and I told you not to marry within that time. Do whatever you want after I arrive. You’ll remember that I sent those warnings not just once, but several times.”

There was a hint of menace in his frigid tone.

But Walter, who was sitting across from him, casually replied with one leg crossed over the other.

“Yeah, you did.”

“But you completely ignored that and got married. Thanks to you, I couldn’t even attend my own sister’s wedding. Do you think that’s acceptable?”

“Fortunately, the Third Princess is still unmarried, so next time you’ll be sure to attend, and it will be a perfect opportunity to show off the Imperial Family’s closeness.”

“Give me Odette, you bastard.”

“No.”

Walter answered simply and put the teacup down on the table.

He looked as if he was extremely annoyed by this confrontation.

“I rushed here because of urgent business to discuss, and all you do is ask me to give you someone else’s wife…… I suppose the Crown Prince’s duties are quite leisurely these days.”

“Leisurely? You think so, you bastard. Do you have any idea how I felt when I heard that the man who wouldn’t even touch my well-raised little sister was now taking her away the moment I was not there?!”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have a little sister. Have you already forgotten that I was nearly sent to the border because I failed to catch her in time?”

“No, of course I remember.”

“Then why?”

“You don’t seem to know anything, Walter. In any case, royal marriages are held in the Imperial Palace. Whether you’re a Duke or a Prince, you have to come to the capital to get married. It would have taken several months just to get married in the first place.”

“So?”

“Then they could have killed their spouses and everything would have been resolved peacefully, just like now.”

Cedric pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

It was a certificate of temporary knighthood with the name ‘Samuel Marvo’ written under the authority of the Crown Prince.

Now, once the Emperor’s approval was obtained, the word ‘temporary’ would be removed from the document.

It will become a real title award certificate.

Walter’s gaze cooled as he scanned the paper.

“Looks like everything went as planned, right?”

“Oh, indeed. Thanks to someone who was very cooperative in keeping up the communication.”

The name written on the temporary nobility grant certificate, ‘Samuel Marbo’.

He was the leader of the western barons and, originally, supposed to be the husband of Odette according to the marriage proposal initiated by the Emperor.

And the fact that he was awarded the title means one thing.

That Count Marvo is dead.

Cedric tapped the temporary title certificate with his index finger and continued speaking.

“The title will be inherited as His Majesty sees fit. Samuel Marvo has been engaged for a long time, so the wedding will likely take place within this year.”

“What else do you have in mind?”

“Do you really need to ask? Of course there is. What kind of loyalty do you expect from a man who even killed his own father because he wanted a title?”

Cedric’s lips might have been smirking, but the cynical atmosphere made it clear that no one would interpret it as a jest.

“Once a traitor, always a traitor. He’s not someone to be kept around for long. Nevertheless, for now, things will remain quiet.”

“Why? Did he give them a good share of the spoils?”

“Samuel Marvo, the leader of the western barons, or should I say, the former baron now. Anyway, now that he’s gone, do you think the other barons will stay quiet? Those rats were just basking in their father’s glory, facing those wolves won’t be easy.”

This was in reference to Samuel Marvo, but it also meant that the Western Barons had lost their center of gravity.

A group that has lost its center of gravity naturally fights for the next center of gravity, or disintegrates into a bunch of old pitches.

They would no longer be able to stick together as they had before, nor would they be able to harbor foolish ideas.

As a result, the Emperor could sit back on his throne and get the painting he wanted without having Odette to be married.

From Cedric’s perspective, it was one more thing to earn points from the Emperor.

Cedric muttered to himself as he reminisced about the past.

“It was strange from the moment I received your first letter.”

Walter Ertmann, what good could this guy possibly do?

He’s the type who won’t budge unless there’s something in it for him. Yet, out of the blue, he joins hands with Samuel Marvo and proposes a plan to kill Count Marvo?

It seemed suspicious, but there was no reason to refuse.

Above all, Walter and Cedric were a tacit alliance.

They trusted each other not to do anything that would harm the other.

“So I accepted it for the time being and see how things went, but…… stealing my sister while I’m gone? I told you so many times to wait!”

“If I had waited, it would be obvious that you would have interfered with the marriage. I’m not a man to wait. Besides, Odette agreed to it.”

“You must have tricked her- of course you did! That’s why I never introduced you to Odette, and yet you took advantage of my absence to approach her……!”

“…… You knew this would happen?”

Walter’s brow furrowed in disbelief, but Cedric could only make a face as if he were asking the obvious.

“Are you telling me that you don’t realize that I’ve known the way you’ve looked at Odette since we were in Belfort?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t care about her back then.”

“What? You didn’t care? not even in Odette? You?”

“You crazy…….”

In Walter’s opinion, Cedric was not normal.

Well, come to think of it, Cedric was never quite normal to begin with.

However, he seemed to have really lost his mind when he heard that Odette had gotten married while he was away, and that she had married Walter.

‘I expected it, but this is quite something.’

He barely managed to send Arnold away, and now Cedric has appeared.

Walter pushed himself to his feet with a grunt.

“Looks like there’s nothing more to discuss. I’ll go. Just don’t call me for such things again.”

“You’re leaving? Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

“There’s nothing here. You’ve seen my face enough, haven’t you?”

Walter retorted sarcastically and turned to leave, but Cedric chuckled with his index finger resting on the table.

“Stay a little longer, at least to see Odette’s face one last time.”

“…… What?”

“I sent Arnold to Ertmann. Oh, don’t worry about others. Just get Odette back and they’ll be gone in a heartbeat.”

Walter’s face darkened at those words.

“…… You’re bringing Odette back? What’s the reason?”

“Why do you think? Do you seriously believe I’d leave Odette with a conniving person like you indefinitely? Find a new bride within three months or prepare for a divorce. Now that I think about it, it’s about time she arrived…….”

Walter’s taut nerves finally snapped.

Crash!

With a loud noise, the table rolled over, and Walter’s hand clutched Cedric’s throat.

“……Cedric’s brother? Walter?”

Odette entered the chaotic room.