Contract Marriage Interrupted

Episode 93. Crack (4)

 

When they meet again, Odette is dressed differently than Walter remembers.

Had she removed the shawl from her shoulders? Upon closer inspection, even her neckline seemed a bit altered.

But changing dresses at banquets was a common occurrence, so it wasn’t a noteworthy change.

Walter was distracted by the fact that Odette had spoken to him first.

While waiting, Walter continuously debated within himself.

Should he tell Odette the truth? Or should he remain silent?

Perhaps choosing silence for Odette’s sake was merely an excuse to avoid confronting the situation.

Was leaving himself in Odette’s memory as a bad one really the best way to protect her?

– Walter, I don’t want you to deceive me.

‘If you have secrets, you don’t have to tell me everything. Just don’t lie to me.’ That was Odette’s request.

It must have taken a lot of courage and faith in Walter for Odette to tell him that.

And now, his actions were abandoning all of that.

‘If I don’t mend this now, I may never be able to regain the lost trust.’

Even Russell seemed to sense this, prompting Walter to reflect on his thoughts.

And he thought to himself.

 

‘If Odette comes to me……. I’ll tell her.’

The place where he stood was the secret location Odette had once disclosed to him.

She would come here to catch her breath when the banquet became tiresome.

So, Odette would surely visit this place at least once. The question was whether she would see Walter standing here and turn away, or not.

He didn’t want to risk Odette turning around in front of him, so he stood with his back to the street.

Was he waiting for Odette? Or was he secretly hoping she wouldn’t come?

Neither hope nor despair lost their light in the uncertain wind.

Eventually, Odette sought him out.

Her silvery hair swayed over her shoulders each time she approached. Walter thought he caught a glimpse of Odette smiling brightly.

“What are you doing here? It’s dark. I’ve been looking for you for a while.”

“……I was thinking you might be coming.”

As Walter responded absentmindedly, Odette shrugged as if surprised and gestured for him to follow.

“You could have waited in a brighter place. Come here.”

Odette was affectionate as if there had been no coldness between them.

Walter was led out helplessly by her touch, unable to do anything but follow along in a daze.

“You’re not…… angry with me now?”

 

At that moment, Odette’s expression seemed to change slightly. She looked at Walter with a surprised expression, then quickly erased it and shrugged. Perhaps she hadn’t anticipated such a question.

“……. Well, I suppose I can’t stay angry forever”

“I didn’t intend to deceive you on purpose.”

“…….”

Odette walked in silence. Walter followed behind her and continued speaking.

“I know you wanted me to be honest with you. But this was also a significant issue for me, so I couldn’t easily talk about it.”

“……What were you hiding?”

“That I… I’m planning to die.”

Odette’s steps ahead abruptly halted. By then, they had emerged from the darkness into a garden with occasional signs of human presence.

Odette turned to him with a shocked expression.

“You…… are going to die? Why? Since when?”

“It’s hard to explain in detail. But I’ll tell you that I’ve known about it since before I proposed to you.”

Walter theatrically clenched and unclenched his fist. He had tried to lighten the mood intentionally, but as the conversation progressed, he realized it was only making the dialogue heavier.

 

But at the same time, Walter felt a sense of relief. The constraint that seemed to prevent him from speaking honestly to Odette, which appeared to be a consequence of his dealings with the relic, was not about being unable to tell the truth, but rather unable to confess his love.

Although he couldn’t confess his love, he could at least explain the situation he was in.

‘Do I need to talk about the past?’

Walter knew about the ‘dreams’ Odette often had.

– Sometimes you appear in my dreams. Strangely, in those dreams, you and I aren’t married.

– Could it be…….

– I was married to Count Clovis, and my brother Cedric was somehow…… dead.

Upon hearing this, it was evident. It was a fragment of the past.

Having had similar conversations with Louis, Walter easily deduced that Odette was recovering memories from the past. And as time passed, it seemed this process was accelerating.

‘Considering Louis Clovis’s case, recovering all memories seems to be just a matter of time.’

Of course, he couldn’t be sure if Louis had fully recovered his memories, it was clear that he had regained most of them.

Otherwise, his recent actions and his attachment to Odette wouldn’t make sense.

And if Odette was recovering memories from the past in this manner…….

 

‘…… She might end up going back to Louis Clovis.’

Instead of waiting for that, wouldn’t it be better if he took the lead and explained about the past?

Unless he can keep it a secret forever…….

‘So confusing.’

Walter frowned and rubbed his forehead, feeling a little dizzy.

He thought he saw a familiar face through his blurred vision.

Something seemed wrong…….

“……Your hair, was it always…… this color?”

The tips of Odette’s hair momentarily appeared to be a different color than silver.

“W-What are you talking about? Maybe you can’t see well because it’s dark?”

“That could be, but…… something seems strange.”

In the midst of the dim light and hazy thoughts, Walter narrowed his eyes, trying to think clearly.

“……!”

Odette suddenly jumped into Walter’s arms.

A strange scent lingered, and Walter’s hands, momentarily surprised, embraced Odette.

However, it wasn’t to reciprocate Odette’s embrace.

At the moment Odette leaped into Walter’s arms, there was a sense of unease even in Walter’s blurred cognition.

 

It was at that moment that Odette’s hair looked pink instead of silver.

Walter grabbed her and threw her down. Her face now entirely Odette’s, as if the earlier sight of pink hair had been a lie.

“……Odette, do you remember? Our promise.”

“If it’s a promise…….”

“You said you wouldn’t care who I met after I got married.”

“Oh, that promise? Of course, I remember.”

As Odette’s face reddened and she nodded, a hint of mockery passed over Walter’s expression.

“What promise.”

In an instant, the woman sensed that something was wrong from the sudden change in his tone and demeanor.

“W-Walter? Why are you-“

“Just shut up, will you?”

Walter fought the urge to lash out immediately, fearing he might lose control if he kept speaking.

Coldly muttering, Walter’s hand moved towards the woman. More precisely, towards her neck.

Snap!

The necklace around her neck was ripped off by his ruthless grip, and the vivid image of Odette before him was abruptly erased as if washed away.

“…… Ha.”

He knew it would be like this.

A smirk crept onto Walter’s lips as he surveyed his opponent.

“Is this what you want to do to your sister’s husband?”

Standing in front of him was none other than Lizaina.

* * *

 

At that moment, Odette was completely unaware of the situation outside, lost in confusion.

Her sudden encounter with Louis.

And his words.

“Do you remember me now?”

Odette understood now what Louis had been doing and what his words were referring to.

It was just too hard to believe.

Odette took a step back, confused.

“I- I don’t…… I don’t know you.”

“You know me, Odette. You know me.”

But Louis stepped closer to her as much as she stepped back even more.

Her breath caught in her throat, unable to deny his words.

The way he called out to her, the way their eyes locked.

‘So it wasn’t just a dream?’

Then what the hell is happening to her?

No, what the hell was ‘happening’ to them?

As if attempting to dispel her doubts, Louis continued to speak relentlessly.

“Odette, I understand that you’re confused. You might want to push me away…… but please, listen to me. It wasn’t a dream. We were married. You remember, don’t you?”

 

Louis continued to speak about their married life, mentioning things Odette liked and the issues they faced together.

If what Odette had seen was not just a simple dream, then Louis would certainly know details that he couldn’t otherwise.

“……There’s no way. Even if that were true, it doesn’t matter.”

In the end, she couldn’t deny his words, the truth.

That the nightmare she’d been having was probably real.

But that doesn’t change anything.

“I married the Duke of Ertmann, and I am no longer…… I’m not your wife anymore. Why are you coming to me now? If our married life really happened, it would be a tragedy for me…….”

Her emotions surged suddenly, surprising even herself.

Odette had been able to separate herself from her dreams precisely because they were just dreams.

There had been no intention of dwelling on unreal fantasies and feeling depressed.

But now that she realized it might be real, all those buried emotions and tragedies surged up, constricting her throat.

 

“Choosing you brought me unbearable suffering. I told you, I regret marrying you. It was the worst decision of my life…….”

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Odette. I was foolish…… I didn’t mean to treat you like that. I’m really sorry.”

Louis’ face was contorted with genuine regret. He instinctively reached out towards Odette, only to be harshly rebuffed.

“If you’re truly sorry, then leave me alone. I’ll never choose you again, not now and not in the future.”

With those words, Odette attempted to leave. But after a moment of silence, Louis grasped her and spoke with a tone that indicated he hadn’t said everything.

“I’m sorry, Odette. But I can’t let it be that way.”

“……What?”

“I promise not to repeat the same mistake. For your sake.”

“What nonsense is this? Let go of me!”

When Odette forcefully pushed his hand away, Louis released her obediently.

But as she walked away, his voice followed her.

“Walter Ertmann, he’s the one who killed you.”