Episode 89. Exposed
Countess Noarch.
Walther had said she was no longer related to Ertmann, but Odette knew that wasn’t the whole truth.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have frowned so hard.
He brushed his face as if tired and spoke up.
“It is true that the Countess of Noarch is my biological mother, but since she has relinquished all parental rights, she is now completely unrelated to me.”
“In that case, have you seen your mother since you were a child?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Do you have any desire to see her again?”
“None whatsoever. Is there a reason we need to continue this Q&A?”
Walter’s last question carried a sharp edge.
It was the first time Odette had ever seen his sharp side.
Momentarily taken aback by his stern warning, Odette hesitated before responding slowly.
“The Countess of Noarch requested that I treat her with respect due to your biological mother.”
“She must have lost her mind in my absence. There’s no need to concern yourself.”
“Naturally, I agree. I returned early today because I felt I had said what needed to be said.”
Walter raised one eyebrow at Odette’s reply.
“You’re braver than I thought you were for speaking up.”
“What’s with that look? You couldn’t just stand by, could you?”
“It means you did a good job.”
With a smirk, Walter lightly pressed his lips against Odette’s forehead.
“You seem to have dealt with whatever bullshit my mother threw at you, you handled it well and returned. I wonder why you still look so upset.”
“…….”
Odette paused for a moment, recalling the moment she left the reception hall.
Up until then, everything had been fine.
From leaving her seat to boarding the carriage.
But on the way back, she suddenly became worried about Walter.
‘Still, she’s Walter’s mother……. I wonder if I’ve been acting too much to suit my own whims.’
If Walter were to demand an apology for such reasons, Odette would readily oblige.
What truly concerned her was the possibility of inadvertently causing Walter any hurt with her actions.
Sometimes there are people like that. When someone they care about gets hurt, they stamp their feet as if they were hurt themselves.
Walter had been away from his mother for so long, he might be sensitive when it comes to Countess Noarch.
Or, he might get angry at her for treating his mother carelessly.
Either way, it seemed to make sense at first.
Because.
‘……I don’t know anything about Walter.’
As the thought settled in, Odette’s mood became strangely uneasy.
Walter had acted as if he knew everything about her.
Whether it was because he was naturally good at it or because he freely shared information about himself, but it worked.
He knew what foods she liked, how much sugar she preferred in her tea, and the gifts he gave her never missed her taste.
There was even a time when she received a necklace that she had admired in her mind but never mentioned aloud because it seemed too extravagant.
– Oh my God. Thank you so much, Walter! But how did you know I liked this? I’ve never mentioned it before.
– …… Just a hunch.
She brush it off with a bit of confusion.
In truth, how Walter knew about Odette’s preferences wasn’t that important of an issue.
What was important was the fact that, conversely, Odette knew nothing about Walter’s tastes.
Walter was not a picky eater, he didn’t talk about his tastes, and he was always in an environment where he was affluent enough to not have to worry about his tastes.
Moreover, he was extremely reluctant to talk about himself.
‘I’ve never even heard him talk about himself…… himself.’
This realization left Odette feeling strange. Coupled with the incident involving Countess Noarch, Odette felt a sense of unease, despite being physically unaffected. It was as if she was experiencing a sensation of queasiness on a smooth, well-paved road.
The name of that queasiness was guilt.
While preparing for the social gathering, Odette had asked Walter a question.
– Come to think of it, you don’t engage in social activities anymore, do you? You used to for a while.
– I did that to meet you. It’s not necessary anymore.
– I’m sure meeting other people would still be enjoyable, aside from me.
– It wouldn’t be enjoyable.
Walter’s response was oddly definitive.
He pulled Odette behind him as she looked in the mirror and murmured against the nape of her neck.
– You are all I need. I don’t need anything else.
Recalling this conversation was an embarrassing memory.
Odette had to make a concerted effort not to interpret Walter’s words too broadly.
The crucial point of their conversation was Walter’s complete lack of social activities.
Cedric was the only person who could be called a friend, but even their relationship wasn’t that close.
Therefore, Odette was the only one who could pay close attention to Walter’s needs.
‘I didn’t know anything.’
She felt remorse for her negligence.
Before questioning whether she truly loved Walter, she should have paid attention to these details.
It felt like she had lost control of the situation.
Furthermore, what she had said to Countess Noarch weighed heavily on her mind.
“I told…… the Countess Noarch to come to Ertmann if she wanted to claim your motherhood.”
“Publicly?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, she might not come. It’s better to postpone it than risk being embarrassed by a rejection.”
“No, I think she’ll come.”
Walter looked puzzled by Odette’s strange confidence.
But there was no other way to explain it. It was literally just Odette’s conviction.
“…… So, I wanted to apologize to you. I feel like I caused unnecessary trouble.”
“It’s okay. There probably won’t even be a chance to meet in person. Is that all?”
It would have been better if it had been like that.
If Countess Noarch became a topic of discussion, there was nothing they could do about the fatigue it brought, but it wasn’t Odette’s fault.
Walter hugged her and patted her on the back, telling her not to worry about it, and she looked up at him quietly.
He looked loose, as if his earlier resolve had been a lie.
The relaxed look that Odette was known for.
‘Wouldn’t it be okay to talk about it now?’
Odette opened her mouth with a sudden thought.
“……It’s not the whole story.”
“What else?”
“I remember hearing stories about you when I was younger.”
“About me? From Cedric?”
“No, the maids were talking about your parents.”
Though Odette’s expression was vague, Walter wasn’t someone who could not understand what was being said.
His face stiffened, but Odette continued.
“I don’t remember much, but…… everyone said they felt sorry for you.”
“……And? Did you pity me too?”
Walter’s question was subtly sharp, but not veiled.
Odette squeezed his hand tightly.
“I used to think that if I met you back then, I would really want to hug you.”
As a child, she knew just how light the word ‘pity’ was.
“I never wanted to use words like ‘pity’ or ‘sympathy’. It might sound childish, but you were in worse shape than I was. Who would pity whom?”
“Then why did you want to hug me? You didn’t even pity me.”
“Because I thought if I hugged you, you would hug me back.”
At the time, she was too young to understand why she wanted to hug him.
But now that she think about it.
She just wanted to hug someone in a similar situation to comfort them, and perhaps to receive comfort in return.
Walter chuckled softly at Odette’s words.
“Your intuition seems to be quite reliable. Isn’t that exactly what happened in the end?”
“Yes, I thought so too.”
Until she realized that she didn’t know anything about him.
So Odette couldn’t smile. Nor did she dare to stay in Walter’s arms.
Odette pushed him away and stood facing him.
“You have given me many things. But among all those things, I think you’re the best.”
“Haven’t I been the worst at times?”
“I’ll say you’re the best among the worst.”
In a way, Walter was also Odette’s misery.
His appearance distorted all her plans, and much of what happened was because of him.
Yet Odette found everything about Walter, their relationship, and what he gave her to be good.
His stability was comforting, his warmth soothing, and his low voice resonating in her ears was pleasing.
Even if she were given any jewel, it wouldn’t compare to him.
She could live without jewels, but now, Odette felt that she would never be able to go back to the way she was before she fell asleep with Walter.
‘That’s why I couldn’t tell him.’
She was afraid that if she told him, it would ruin their relationship.
When Odette realized that she didn’t know anything about Walter, she was more horrified than anything else that she wasn’t the least bit surprised by him.
On some level, she was aware of it.
She just didn’t think it was that important, so she turned a blind eye.
‘……Or maybe because I didn’t want to break what we have now.’
Whatever the reason, it is a cowardly thing to do.
Now that she realized it, Odette couldn’t keep quiet for long.
If she really cared about Walter, she had to say it.
Now she was the one who could and should hug him.
After some hesitation, Odette opened her mouth.
“Walter, the contract we wrote. I was looking over it again the other day, and there’s a clause I don’t understand.”
“…… What is it?”
“The clause about suicide.”
That clause only states that it was the suicide of “Walter Ertmann”.
Walter was a man of action.
He didn’t just leave a clause for death or disappearance, he also left a clause for suicide.
In the case of suicide rather than accidental death, variables such as falsification of the will may occur, so that part was deliberately confirmed in advance in the contract.
He hadn’t expected Odette to scrutinize it so closely.
“Are you…… planning to die?”
ahhhhhhhhhhh