Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 82. Your Wife

 

Even before turning his head to look, Walter recognized the voice’s owner.

There was no way he wouldn’t recognize Odette’s voice, and the only person who would call him like that was Odette.

Nevertheless, Walter couldn’t help but be surprised.

The reason was simple.

“…… Didn’t you say you were going to talk to Cedric?”

Odette should be in the midst of her quarrel with her brother right now.

Cedric was not the kind of man to end a conversation easily, especially not with Odette.

He’d sent the army to bring Odette back to him so she could divorce Walter.

And since Odette is the type of person who will say anything positive about Cedric, he knew the conversation would be long.

Cedric would somehow drag the conversation on to keep Odette tied to the palace.

But.

“I’ve had enough with my brother. It’s just a visit on my way back to say we’ll meet again next time.”

With Odette’s assurance that there were no issues, Walter raised one eyebrow.

“I doubt he’d let you go so easily.”

“Cedric is a good person. Whatever you might imagine, it won’t happen.”

 

“Maybe for you, but not for me. He might have gone further than you think.”

Once again, Odette’s defense of Cedric twisted Walter’s judgment.

But this time, it was more of an unease than jealousy.

And Walter was someone who could endure jealousy but couldn’t endure unease.

After hesitating a bit, he spoke up.

“……What did Cedric say to you? Did he say anything unnecessary…….?”

“He didn’t say much. He said it was no big deal to send troops to Duke Ertmann’s house for insulting the royal family, and that it was a measure taken because of your consistent disregard for my brother’s letters.”

He roughly understood that it was a story born out of ignoring the advice to wait instead of getting married.

The ‘smiling face’ painting was somewhat fitting as a final warning.

It just wasn’t a final warning for Odette.

– Walter Ertmann, I was planning to show you a warning that if he does something like this again, he won’t stop at the level of temporarily controlling the mansion.

Above all, there were other reasons for sending the troops like that.

“He also told me to divorce you, that he would find me a new man, and that I would live in the Palace separately.”

Walter’s jaw tightened at Odette’s words.

The moment the word ‘divorce’ came up, there was no way to hide the anxious feeling that rose inside him.

“……Is that so?”

 

“Yes, he said he told you too. You seemed quite unenthusiastic when he informed you by letter, but it seems you were worried about various things.”

Odette laughed a little, thinking that her brother was a kind-hearted man, even though he didn’t seem to be.

But Walter couldn’t bring himself to laugh along with her.

Anxiety surged up his spine. He wanted to urge Odette to continue speaking, yet at the same time, he felt an impulse to never hear what she had to say next.

But anxiety never left him alone. Walter lightly clenched his dry fist, then asked.

“So, what did you say in response?”

“I said no. I’m already married.”

Her casual attitude brought a sense of relief washing over Walter’s entire body for a moment.

Little did Odette realize that he was so amused by her response.

For once, his relief was unmistakable, and Odette gave him a worried look.

“Walter, were you actually worried about that?”

“……No, I wasn’t.”

“Don’t lie. Even if I grew up as a naive girl who couldn’t read the room, I would have noticed.”

As Odette spoke bluntly, she raised her hand to Walter’s cheek.

The sensation of her bare hand, wrapped in gloves, gently touching his face, provided more comfort than he had felt a moment ago.

It was oddly familiar.

‘No, come to think of it, it’s always been like this.’

 

Whenever Walter stood face to face with Odette, he felt like his rationality was paralyzed.

When he thought rationally, he shouldn’t have let her near him.

He was supposed to leave Odette with a happy life and depart.

Even at this moment, Walter’s rationality was shouting like this.

He should do as Cedric said, let her stay in the palace, and disappear himself until Cedric could find her a new husband.

It’s what’s best for her, and it’s the right choice.

So Walter clearly knew what the most rational and reasonable decision was.

But he was too selfish, and too snobbish to choose that.

A weak human who couldn’t resist the temptation in front of him despite knowing what he should do for the person he loved.

Walter himself knows this, but how can he resist it?

This kindness and affection he had never experienced in any time of his life.

This brief opportunity to hold the person he loved in his arms…….

“Walter, I really came because I was worried about you. Everything I said about not being rude to Cedric was all because I was worried about you. I was afraid of what might happen if you got angry with Cedric.”

“……then you can rescue me when that happens”

“I’ll try, but I’m not a big deal to Cedric. I don’t know how much he’ll listen to my requests.”

So, it wouldn’t hurt to prevent any potential trouble in advance, Odette insisted, saying she had to be cautious of Cedric.

It was only then that Walter realized Odette didn’t understand Cedric’s sincerity.

 

And it became clear to me that Odette was not trying to get back at Cedric, but rather was trying to get down in front of him for Walter’s sake.

She was genuinely worried about him.

“That’s why…… I told him about it, but I was worried that I might have upset him, so I came quickly.”

Walter couldn’t help but chuckle at his wife’s eager explanation.

“What are you so worried about?”

“I don’t know, but you sounded angry.”

“Do you have to worry about my mood too?”

“Of course……. I’m your wife.”

It’s only natural to want you to be happy, Odette said, and stroked Walter’s cheek.

It was an extremely unfamiliar yet familiar feeling to see golden eyes that looked as if they would taste sweet when touched, looking at him with concern.

A sensation that somehow reminded him of the past.

The reason was simple.

In the past, even when Odette called Walter ‘Duke Ertmann’, she often looked at him like this.

– I want you to be happy, Duke Ertmann.

Even when she said this.

Was that look in her eyes some kind of sign of affection?

Why do all the people who say they want you to be happy have that look in their eyes?

‘……As if I’m something.’

 

He wonder if it’s because she keep looking at him like that that he can’t let go of his greed.

Walter inwardly clicked his tongue and turned his head.

“Odette, no matter how you think about it, I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“What about Brother Cedric? Still, it was your fault. I heard you ignored several letters? Please don’t do that next time. Do you know how surprised I was because it was an insult to the royal family?”

“I’ll be careful from now on, so please stop bringing up that man. If you keep bringing it up, I might actually want to have another private meeting with him.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you had something to talk about with Cedric’s brother?”

“That’s a lie, I just didn’t have an excuse to wait for you.”

“Wh-What?”

Odette’s eyes widened in betrayal, but Walter only smiled faintly and kissed her forehead.

“Let’s just go back.”

To our home.

* * *

 

Later at night.

“As ordered, the withdrawal has been completed, Your Highness. We’ve confirmed there are no abnormalities in the vicinity, and the entire unit has returned to the palace.”

“You’ve worked late, Arnold. Thank you for your efforts.”

Arnold lightly shook his head in response to Cedric’s mild praise.

“It’s only natural to fulfill Your Highness’s orders. But I must admit, I was a bit surprised.”

“Why?”

“Well, until you gave the order, you didn’t mention detaining Duke Ertmann. So I thought it was unusual to let him go without any incident.”

“Ah, yes. Originally, I intended to capture him.”

Cedric chuckled as if he found the story amusing, and removed his glasses.

The glasses, which he often only wore at night when reviewing documents, and the straight silver hair that covered his forehead, gave him a softer appearance.

Cedric at times like this seemed more like a good-natured desk boy rather than a cynical prince who strictly differentiates between public and private affairs.

Despite the fact that beneath it all, there was a cold-blooded person who didn’t hesitate to use the term “capture” even to his one and only close friend, but whatever.

The quill twirled in Cedric’s right hand as he leaned back with his hand loosely supporting his head.

“Anyway, detaining Walter wouldn’t have made Arnold stay quiet. It would have just been for show. Whether we detain Walter or not isn’t such an important issue.”

“Then……?”

“Detaining Walter would have made divorcing Odette easier. That’s the important thing. I hurried back because of that.”

Cedric clicked his tongue, and Arnold scratched the back of his head as if he didn’t quite understand.

“Actually, Your Highness, I don’t quite understand why you seem to dislike Duke Ertmann so much. It doesn’t seem like he’s persecuting Her Royal Highness the Princess.”

The Odette Arnold had seen today seemed to be doing quite well.

In fact, she seemed to have gained weight and had a glow to her skin that was much more vibrant than when she was at the Palace.

‘When she was in the Palace… honestly, she didn’t leave much of an impression.’

Cedric didn’t bother adding much to his statement, but Odette wasn’t immediately likable.

She seemed too plain to be a Princess, and her hunched figure wasn’t exactly pleasant to look at.

But the Odette in Ertmann was a perfect fit for the role of a well-bred lady.

So, wouldn’t it be strange not to be surprised?

“Why isn’t the Duke of Ertmann an option, Your Majesty?”