CH 4

****

“It’s been a while, Bastian.”

A woman who passed through the wide hall filled with customers greeted him warmly.

Bastian, who had been conversing with the financiers at the party, slowly turned around to face the woman. Amber brandy swayed gently in a crystal glass she held in one hand.

“How do you feel when you hear the news of your beloved brother’s engagement?”

The woman took a step closer and her eyebrows raised in mischief. It was quite a provocative attitude, but Bastian smiled nonchalantly unconcerned.

Sandrine de LaViere, the only daughter of Duke LaViere, the richest man in Pelia.

Sandrine, who was also Lucas’s cousin, had married Bergro a few years ago and became Countess Lenart. But she still used her maiden name, and most people did not dispute her choice. It was thanks to rumors that the Count Lenart and the Countess, who had been on edge since the beginning of their marriage, were preparing for a divorce. By the next year or so, the prospect was that she would be able to return to being the daughter of the Duke of LaViere.

“I consider it an honor for the family.”

Bastian calmly gave a familiar answer that had already been repeated several times.

“Yes. It is an honor for the Klauswitz family. I don’t know if that has much to do with you.”

Sandrine shrugged her shoulders carefreely and took a step closer.

“We are doing everything we can to hasten our glorious day. I trust you won’t make a foolish mistake in the meantime.”

Sandrine, who covered her mouth with a fan, lowered her voice to a whisper. Contrary to her bold tone, her eyes showed anxiety that she had not yet been able to hide. She seemed anxious about the divorce case, which was not resolved as easily as she thought.

“Of course I will do my best not to betray the trust between us.”

Bastian, watching the murmuring onlookers, lowered his head, bringing his face close to Sandrine’s.

“But don’t be overconfident. LaViere is my best choice for now, but as you know, the market for marriage is very variable, isn’t it?”

“Are you threatening me ?”

“It can’t be. Let me leave it as a friendly encouragement to you, Countess, hoping that you will soon find your freedom.”

Bastian ended the conversation with a soft smile. In the eyes of the onlookers, they seemed to be seen as affectionate lovers. As if to prove it, his stepmother was constantly glancing at him with wary eyes. This was the expected achievement.

She still had a lot to say, but Sandrine backed off without being stubborn. She was a quick-witted and resourceful woman. She was another great asset and Bastian appreciated it.

“I’ve been disrespectful. I’m sorry,” Bastian said, moistening his lips with a sip of brandy and first seeking understanding with an apology. It wasn’t long before the dialogue, which had been interrupted by the uninvited guest, was back on track.

A bond market, a new resort city, and next weekend’s polo game.

Bastian skillfully led the conversation with an appropriate topic. By the time they shook hands and turned away, the small commotion from earlier had already been completely forgotten.

After safely finishing the conversation, Bastian stepped out onto the terrace at the appropriate time. His gaze passed the elaborate garden and the white sandy beach beyond and stopped on the moonlit sea. It was such a beautiful landscape that one might understand his father, who had married the daughter of a moneylender, whom he despised for having this estate.

Bastian, smoking a cigarette, leaned against the banister and breathed in some fresh air. It was the moment when he looked up at the pale moon floating in the night sky that he suddenly remembered that woman.

Tears welled up in her reddened eyes, but the woman did not cry. Her eyes, which were a mixture of rebuke and plea, hostility and fear, shone with a cold and weak light like that moon.

Bastian shook off the ashes of his cigarette, retracing the memories of that night that were much clearer than he thought. At that moment, his eyes were still on the pale moon.

The moment the woman lifted the veil, the air current changed.

Bastian did not know what the glances exchanged by the breathless group meant. He also knew that the reason he still couldn’t leave was because of his last self-respect for not being able to pick up the bet that the grandson of the antique dealer had thrown away. If the beggar Duke were to sell his daughter again, then everyone’s eyes would be turned upside down. Since such a man had a high probability of not being able to discard his habit, the woman’s future was already as good as decided.

“Here you are, Bastian.”

A familiar voice came from behind, permeating through his thoughts. Bastian slowly turned around to face his aunt.

“Why are you looking out there? That place holds nothing but terrible memories.”

As Maria took the cigarette Bastian handed her, wrinkles formed between her brows. Bastian turned his gaze away from the beach leading to the forest and lit the lighter with a light smile. 

Maria Gross looked at the night sea with the lit cigarette in her mouth.

A child fell into the sea after being bitten by a stray dog. It was an accident that happened during a hunting lesson.

As if being sold for her brother’s interest, Maria, who had to marry, was just around the corner, and she was walking on the beach in despair. It was around this time that she found the child covered in blood floating in the sea water.

Recognizing her nephew, Maria, without hesitation, plunged into the winter sea. Fortunately, Bastian remained conscious, and thanks to her, his rescue went smoothly. It wasn’t until after the two of them came out to land together that the teacher appeared.

Why did well-trained horses suddenly run amok? Where did wild dogs appear? Where and what did the teacher do while the child was covered in blood?

Unresolved questions persisted, but no further investigation was conducted. It was an unfortunate accident that occurred in the middle of a hunting lesson, and it ended with the firing of the teacher in charge for negligent supervision.

Looking at the nephew she saved that day, Maria thought that the child should not be left in this house any longer. That was why she decided to contact Bastian’s mother’s family.

It was a week later that Carl Illis took the child away. Maria had never once regretted her choice, although she knew that was exactly the outcome the Klauswitz wanted.

First of all, you have to live to be able to seek revenge.

“To be honest, I don’t really like that snake-like divorcee. She hasn’t even gotten a divorce yet, so she is not even a divorcee, but anyway.”

Maria looked with complicated eyes at the only Klauswitz she loved.

“But I can’t deny the fact that she is a bride with what you need most. If you married a LaViere, you would be the greatest threat to your father.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Mrs. Gross.”

Bastian nodded his head with a mischievous smile. It was a look that made the opponent defenseless. 

“That doesn’t mean you have to disregard other options. Always be prepared, just in case.”

After extinguishing her half-smoked cigarette, Maria began listing the names of the ladies, one by one, who might be of help to Bastian. The family’s reputation and wealth, even the amount of the expected dowry. It was a very sincere and persistent investigation.

When Maria Gross finished her work and left, the silence on the terrace deepened.

Bastian smoked another cigarette and returned to the banquet hall. As he approached the center of the hall decorated with splendid chandeliers, he saw the protagonist of the day. Surrounded by the guests who had gathered to congratulate him, Franz smiled as if he had the whole world.

Bastian, who had been silently watching him, took a more leisurely step again. On his face, he had the smile of a friendly brother.

***

“Calm down, honey. It’s only a picture.”

A softly commanding voice penetrated the heavy silence.

After she let out a deep sigh, the empress looked at her husband with eyes filled with lingering anger. A crumpled sheet of paper was left on the table between the two of them. It was a photo clipped from a newspaper containing an article about the hero of the Battle of Trosa, Captain Klauswitz.

“A child about to be married was peeping at another man’s picture every night. Do you really think this is no big deal?”

“As you said, Isabelle will get married soon. Whatever her feelings for Bastian Klauswitz, that fact will not change.”

“Helen also had a betrothed. Love blinded her and finally broke up her planned marriage.”

The empress’ sharp voice trembled with anxiety bordering on fear.

Helen.

The emperor’s expression grew noticeably colder as he silently repeated his sister’s name. Only then did the empress realize her own mistake.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult the imperial family. I just…”

“I know, honey.”

The emperor soothed his frightened wife with a slow nod of his head.

It was the nanny who found the photo Isabelle had hidden. She found that very picture in a drawer of the dresser when she opened it because she was suspicious of the tears the Princess shed every night while looking into the small picture frame.

The nanny, who came to the imperial couple with a picture of Bastian  Klauswitz, asked what they would do if something like Helen’s case happened, and the nanny, like the empress, expressed concern. 

He assured that such a thing would never happen, but in fact the emperor knew better. That Isabelle, foolishly in love, bore a striking resemblance to her aunt Helen. Of course, Bastian Klauswitz was a great man who could hardly be compared to the Duke of Dissen, but there was no big difference in that he could never be the princess’ mate.

“Speaking of Helen, are you really going to leave Odette alone?” (*Odette is Princess Helen’s daughter and the Emperor’s niece.)

The empress, who was watching him closely, mentioned another unpleasant name. The Emperor frowned at her, revealing his disapproval, but she did not back down easily.

“Duke Dissen is causing all sorts of trouble.”

“That man’s always been that way, so it’s no surprise.”

“I heard that these days, he snoops even on the gambling table in the back alley. What if something happens to Odette? I hate Duke Dissen too, but I don’t want Helen to see her beloved daughter unhappy.”

A light of deep sadness appeared in the empress’ eyes.

If the wise and charitable empress beloved of the empire had only one shortcoming, it was that she was too weak-minded. It was entirely due to the empress’ sympathy that the Duke of Dissen was still wasting the imperial pension.

“Wouldn’t it be better to find a suitable marriage partner and send her away?”

“What kind of family would want a wife like that?”

The emperor shook his head skeptically.

Helen’s funeral was the last day he saw the child, so five years had already passed.

Rumors had it that she was living in poverty and misery, but the Emperor paid no more attention to it. The only reason he took care of them was because of Helene, and without his sister, the Dissen was nothing more than an object of hatred and disillusionment.

“What about Captain Klauswitz?”

The empress, who had been quiet for a quite sometime, whispered a name that the Emperor hadn’t thought of.

“Klauswitz? You mean that Bastian Klauswitz?”

The emperor recoiled in bewilderment and pointed to the crumpled photograph.

“That’s right. Although he has a low status, he is a perfect match for Odette. Besides, he is also a hero who made a major contribution. If that’s enough, then I think he’s qualified to win a royal wife.”

“No one in the world would consider such a marriage a reward for a hero. It’s a punishment.”

The emperor laughed in amazement.

No matter how lowly his bloodline was, Bastian Klauswitz was the son of one of the greatest wealth in the empire, and he was also an honorable soldier. The heir apparent would be his half-brother with an aristocratic mother, but he was already a man with more than enough to make that fact a disadvantage.

“Why would a man who could get a wife of a lower aristocrat marry the daughter of the Duke of Dissen?”

“Even though they are in a downfall now, the Dissen is a prestigious family with a long history. Besides, Odette is also a member of the imperial family. It’s not a bloodline comparable to that of the lower nobility.”

“But darling.”

“And it will do good for Isabelle as well. When Captain Klauswitz becomes the husband of her cousin, wouldn’t she have no choice but to give up on her love for him?” (*Isabelle and Odette are cousins)

The Empress expressed her opinion in an urgent tone. When his daughter’s name was played, there was an agitation in the emperor’s eyes, which had always been so hard-line.

“Please protect Isabelle.”

Noticing the subtle change, the Empress wrapped her husband’s hand pleadingly.

“You’re the emperor. You have the power to move at least one officer as you please. Don’t you agree?”

The empress’ eyes glistened coldly, filled with tears from a  selfish motherhood.

Instead of answering, the emperor let out a long sigh.

The opinion that she was an overly weak-minded woman was inevitably going to have to be corrected.