Episode 96. Fragments (1)
Walter and Lizaina’s scandal spread through social circles as soon as the sun rose in the morning, just like his other scandals.
No, it was even faster than before. If back then, it was only spread from mouth to mouth, this time the gossip poured out rapidly, as if someone had been waiting for this to happen.
And the gossip didn’t just mention the scandal.
“…So, there’s news that the Crown Prince was very upset, that there was a meeting held, and that there were several sightings of him and Duke Ertmann arguing. Is this true, Your Highness?”
“…Possibly. My brother was rather displeased at my marriage to Walter.”
Odette nodded tiredly at Anne-Sophie’s question.
She also heard the story that Cedric was angry. The day after the scandal spread, she had received a letter from Cedric demanding that she come to the palace immediately.
The letter was affectionate as usual, but the words were chilling.
[It seems to me that only one of two things will bring me peace of mind: erasing your husband from the world, or no longer calling him your husband. I know that you have placed a great deal of trust in him, but I believe that this incident has proven to you that he is not deserving of it. I suggest you find a more worthy use of your time and trust.]
It was also a very clear indication that Cedric’s trust in Walter’s humanity was at an all-time low.
Odette replied thoughtfully.
[I know how you feel about my husband, and I know that you must be very upset about the situation, but I believe in him, and I don’t think that it’s misplaced.]
I wrote that response for two reasons.
One, because I knew that this scandal was fabricated by Lizaina.
Shortly after leaving the ballroom that day, Walter explained the scandal to Odette.
“The Third Empress was… impersonating you. She must have used drugs or magic to cloud my judgment, for as soon as I removed this necklace, she reverted to her true form.”
With that, Walter held out the necklace in his hand.
To anyone else, it would have been an ordinary necklace, but Odette, who was skilled with magic, could sense the magical schematics engraved on it and the faint traces of magic that remained. She wasn’t skilled in this sort of thing, so she’d have to take it to Anne-Sophie for an appraisal, but she was certain it was a magic tool.
“I thought it was you so I stayed, and when I showed any signs of realizing it, the Third Princess would hug me. I found out who it was shortly after and immediately separated from her. That’s all.”
“…I see.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“I want to believe, but… I don’t know where to start and where to stop believing what you say.”
Their relationship was a tower built on a lie from the start.
So once it started to unravel, there was no turning back.
“I used to think you were someone I could trust, but now I’m not sure I know you. Is the person I know you to be even real?”
Walter looked shocked at Odette’s words. No, or so it seemed at first. He wasn’t a man of many facial expressions.
“…I have always been sincere to you.”
“But not truthful, because you’re still hiding something from me.”
Walter’s face twisted into a pained shape at Odette’s words.
“If you know that, why can’t you just bury it?”
“I’d love to, but… do you think you could?”
You’re being so sweet to me, yet you’re out there making secrets.
You say you can give me anything, but you won’t tell me one thing.
The world sees this and the first thing that comes to mind is the possibility of an affair.
Even if it was just a ruse on Lizaina’s part, there was a real scandal this time.
Ellie was even more upset, as she had always suspected that Walter was seeing someone behind her back.
-Even if the Duke claims he’s innocent, I don’t think we should give him another chance! Nothing good has ever come of being involved with a man with so many secrets!
At this point, with so much hiding going on, it was clear that things would not end well.
“…I didn’t break my contract with you, I can be honest about that to anyone.”
“But you still can’t tell me what you’re hiding, can you?”
Walter nodded at Odette’s words, and after a moment of thought, Odette said she understood.
“Okay. I won’t ask any more questions, and I’ll believe that you’re not cheating. That you’re the real person I know you to be.”
“…!”
A flush of color rose to Walter’s face at Odette’s words.
He subconsciously reacted to what it meant to be trusted by her.
However, his face stiffened again at her next words.
“But I will remain as distant from you as ever.”
“Didn’t you say you trust… me?”
“I do. But without a basis for that trust now, my faith will only be shaken if I stay close to you.”
So, until there was a basis for trust, Odette wouldn’t be close to Walter.
If he wasn’t going to tell her anything, she was going to find out for herself.
‘Once I find out, maybe I can ask him about the past.’
If he really did kill me. About whether what Louis said was true.
‘I don’t trust everything Louis says, but at least I’m sure it’s not just simple dreams, but memories from the past.
Thanks to this, Odette was certain that what Walter was hiding wasn’t an affair, as Ellie had suspected.
Before, Odette might not have been able to completely dismiss the possibility, but the closer she got to the truth, the more certain she became.
‘What he’s hiding must be about the past.’
If so, it would be natural to look for things connected to his past.
That was the second reason Odette decided to stay at the Ertmann residence.
She still hadn’t gotten a proper answer from Walter.
From that day on, Odette kept her distance from Walter, just as she had said.
It wasn’t just an uncomfortable undercurrent in the air, as there had been before the banquet.
This distance was mutually agreed upon.
Even waking up alone had become quite familiar now. Every morning, when she woke up and felt the bleak air, she would vaguely think:
‘If Walter didn’t want me, I would have always lived like this.’
She tried sleeping late, deliberately eating breakfast in bed, and other lazy behaviors that made her feel like a beloved hostess, but the dullness didn’t go away.
In the midst of her superficial behavior, she was reminded of how much Walter meant to her and then think.
Whatever the truth is, I just want to be like before.
Was it the beliefs that kept me from doing that…? Or was it a gut feeling that told me I shouldn’t?
‘Maybe if I had that dream one more time, I’d know… something.’
It’s funny to be wishing for the dream once dismissed as a nightmare.
Anyway, the dream didn’t come for a while, and Odette decided to do the first thing she could.
And that’s why she went to Anne-Sophie again.
“The Crown Prince, I thought he was quite a gentle person… but he’s harsher than I expected, arguing in public.”
“Well, he wouldn’t be crown prince if he were too gentle.”
Speaking as someone who had seen Walter and Cedric go at it, Odette thought Cedric was holding his tongue fairly well.
Hopefully it wouldn’t go any further than that, but that was out of her hands.
“Anyway, Anne-Sophie. Are you done with the analysis?”
“Oh, yes. I’m almost done restoring the formula, so we’ll see.”
Anne-Sophie’s knowledge of spells was as vast as her mentor, Zantipe’s.
Especially since making magic tools was her specialty.
And the analysis was over quickly.
“This is a necklace with a perception enchantment. It’s a one-time use, and it only works on one person.”
“Perception magic?”
“It’s a spell that makes the wearer look like a preset image of themselves. It’s a little unusual for a shape-shifting spell.”
“Why?”
“Well, if you want to change your appearance, you’d have to cast a spell that works on everyone, right? There’s not much point in fooling just one person.”
So, in general, shape-shifting necklaces were usually enchanted to target the wearer.
However, this necklace was unusual because it could only change the perceived appearance for one person other than the wearer.
Anne-Sophie shook her head in confusion, but it gave Odette a clear answer.
‘So it was Lizaina’s plan.’
From Lizaina’s point of view, she didn’t really need magic to change her appearance.
All she wanted was for others to see her and Walter together.
“But that’s why it’s such a strong spell, I don’t think a normal mind would have even realized it was there.”
The fact that Walter was able to recognize the presence of magic was extremely unusual.
It was unclear how far Lizaina would have gone to deceive him otherwise…
‘Did Lizaina do this alone?’
Lizaina stopped paying attention to Walter after Odette and Walter’s marriage was announced.
She knew that public opinion would not be favorable to her if she continued.
But now that she was married, she was actually trying to make a move on him?
This was not the behavior of the prideful Lizaina.
Then there was only one conclusion.
She was after something.
Odette pondered for a moment.
After fumbling with something and bumping her side against the corner of the desk, Anne-Sophie burst out in tears while handing something over.
“Your Highness, this is what you asked for the other day.”
“Last time…”
“Information on the holy relic.”
{Special thanks for Divine senpai for helping this chapter!}
