CH 10

“You’re a very special child who has a talent for using that pretty face unworthily.”

A deep wrinkle appeared between Countess of Trier’s eyebrows as she looked over Odette.

Odette’s expressionless face looked like a pale piece of marble. The blue satin dress and the cool brilliance of the diamonds further accentuated her cold impression. It was the wrong look to be a lovely bride. Fortunately, she never looked like a pauper who borrowed clothes and jewelry to the ball…

“Don’t forget that the Dissen’s future depends on the success of this job.”

The Countess of Trier, looking over the banquet hall, gave her harsh advice in a lower voice.

Oppression and coercion. There were even conciliatory threats.

Memories of the days when she had to mobilize less-than-ideal methods to bring Odette came flooding back in the light of the Marble Hall. Seeing that her stubbornness and pride were so great, it must have been the blood of the imperial family.

“Please keep your promise.”

Odette paused and slowly turned her head to look at the Countess of Trier. She was quite bold, but she didn’t come across as too arrogant. It was probably because of the sincerity in her desperate eyes.

What was all that small pension?

She suddenly felt sad, but the Countess of Trier did not show it.

Odette informed her that she would no longer see Bastian Klauswitz. The man had no intention of accepting the marriage proposal and said that his will was no different.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand his feeling.

It would not be easy to be dragged into a strange world one day and insulted. If he could not win the hearts of the people by showing them all the faces he possessed, then it was safe to assume that there was virtually no hope for him.

But the emperor wanted it.

It meant that even if she was used to the fullest and then abandoned, Odette would have to play Bastian Klauswitz’s woman in front of everyone.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

The Countess of Trier gladly agreed.

Even if this marriage didn’t work out, she wouldn’t cut off her pension.

That was all Odette wanted anyway. She said that if the Countess could persuade the emperor and get her a definite answer, she would do the duty given to her.

“The emperor is obviously a ruthless man, but at least he is not despicable. If this marriage proposal has helped Princess Isabelle get her act together and have a safe wedding, he won’t pretend you’re an outcast. Even if winning a lottery ticket is impossible, they may be generous enough to increase the amount of pension. If you’re lucky, you might even get more.”

The Countess of Trier soothed Odette in a more subdued tone.

Although she wielded the pension, which cut off the Dissen’s life, as a weapon, she felt uneasy when she saw the abandoned princess’s daughter being sold for such a pittance.

“Thank you, Countess.”

Odette, who gave a short word of gratitude, faced the unfamiliar world that was unfolding in front of her again.

Ceiling decorated with beautiful frescoes and crystal chandeliers, to the view of the large garden spreading out through the wide open windows. Everything was as her mother had described. 

It was a strange feeling to recall the memory of her mother, who was morbidly buoyant when she told her about the Imperial Palace, but eventually broke down sobbing.

On the night of the ball, when the garden was full of flowers, the girl who fell in a fateful love right here would not have known. That her love would cost her all of herself.

How could she love like that? What was her love that took away everything?

Odette loved her mother dearly, but she never understood her.

She (her mother) shouldn’t have betrayed her country and her family for a man like her father. After all, if she had made the wrong choice, she should have humbly accepted the consequences.

But her mother always followed illusions. For a time, love. And after that love was defeated, an irretrievable past. Like a traveler in the desert, enchanted by a mirage. It was a life with an unquenchable thirst for a lifetime.

Odette slowly closed her eyes, erasing the meaningless memories. And when she opened her eyes again, even her last hesitation had disappeared and her eyes were much firmer.

Life was precious.

Odette, who had been in charge of her household for many years, knew this all too well. She also knew how important money was as its foundation. She was not willing to sell her honor and self-respect to chase money, but that did not mean that honor and self-respect could take precedence over life.

That was the dignity and honor that Odette knew.

A pension was at stake for this marriage, and Odette desperately needed the money.

That alone was enough for her to not be able to turn back.

Having strengthened her resolve, Odette began to move forward on the path she had chosen. It was when she passed over the imperial coat of arms that adorned the center of the hall that her eyes met with the man.

A melody resembling a spring night flowed. The feast of lights illuminating the darkness was enchanting, and the scent of spring flowers was buried in the wind that passed through the garden. It was an evening ball, like the story her mother had told her. However, all of this was just a one-night mirage, and Odette did not believe in illusions.

Bastian came across the wide hall and stopped a small distance away. The man’s attitude towards the chaperone was impeccably polite.

Odette waited for the next turn with elegance.

As expected, the Countess of Trier handed over Odette, and Bastian approached without hesitation and held out his hand.

“Let’s go, Lady Odette.”

The man’s voice sounded as if exercising his natural right overwhelmed the commotion around him. Odette, who raised her slightly lowered eyes, conveyed her permission by offering her hand. The moment Bastian wrapped his hand around hers, the door to the great banquet hall opened wide.

It was the emperor’s position.

***

“Please calm down.”

Valerie sighed deeply and lowered her voice to a whisper. Isabelle, who was tipping her glass in disappointment, slowly lifted her head to look at her sister.

“I don’t need your advice.”

“I’m sorry. How long are you going to tarnish the honor of the imperial family because of a man who has no interest in you?”

“Do you think you are qualified to give such a sermon when it’s been you, who had been chasing after Duke Herhardt a while ago?”

“He is Herhardt. You don’t believe that the grandson of a lowly antique dealer is the same as the greatest aristocrat in the empire, right?”

“Don’t speak carelessly about Bastian!”

Isabelle’s excited shout broke the tranquility of the terrace. The guests, startled by the commotion, all turned their attention to the two princesses.

“Calm down. Have you already forgotten mother’s request to show a sense of responsibility worthy of an imperial princess?”

Valerie looked around and her cheeks burned with shame. But Isabelle was still struggling in her pathetic feelings of unrequited love.

“Those two are having a good time while sister hides here and sheds tears.”

Valerie sighed, raising her voice on purpose, and pointed proudly through the terrace window. Isabelle’s face immediately contorted with unbearable pain.

Captain Klauswitz and Duke Dissen’s daughter, who had been walking around the banquet hall without leaving each other’s side for a moment, were now engaged in a private conversation. The two, with their tall stature and gorgeous looks, stand out like disparate beings in the crowd. It was hard to deny that they were a perfect pair, at least in terms of appearance.

“Bastian is just following the emperor’s orders.”

Emptying her cup in one gulp, Isabelle tried to deny the reality in front of her. It was at that moment, of all moments, that the unbelievable happened.

When the daughter of the Duke of Dissen whispered something, Bastian tilted his head and lowered his gaze. How friendly the eyes and smiles exchanged were. It was as if they were lovers who had begun to fall in love.

“Just because sister believes that, it doesn’t change the reality.”

Valerie taunted Isabelle in a very nasty way.

“Captain Klauswitz fell in love with the lady of the Dissen. No wonder. What kind of man would refuse such a beauty?”

“You know nothing. Bastian isn’t a vain man.”

Isabelle opened her tightly closed eyes and shook her head resolutely.

It had been 6 years. Ever since the day she fell in love at first sight, she had only looked at Bastian. How could she not have known the man she had loved with all her heart during those long years? 

It was never a vain delusion alone.

No matter what anyone said, Isabelle knew. How honorable a man Bastian Klauswitz was and how loyal a soldier he was.

How deep and sad was the love that she couldn’t help but convey because of that?

“At least you seem to know better than your sister.”

Valerie laughed lightly and stood up from her seat.

When the uninvited guest who gave her cheeky advice left, Isabelle was finally able to be alone again. The sound of her filling her empty glass penetrated the air of a sad spring night.

How could he have paid for his devotion to the empire with such a poor woman? It was unjust, but that foolishly loyal man seemed to have accepted even that.

Perhaps he had in mind the rumors spreading in the social world. Using that woman as a shield to protect the princess’s honor.

Yes, he did.

Tears welled up in Isabelle’s eyes, who had finally found the answer.

A hero of low bloodline and an abandoned Princess’s daughter.

It was a scandal that was sure to attract public attention. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the main characters of this social season were already occupied by those two. It was enough shade to cover Isabelle’s name.

But what was the meaning of the glory obtained at the cost of your sacrifice?

Tears kept falling, racing in a torrent of sorrow, wet Isabelle’s red cheeks. A sweet waltz melody now began to be heard through the open window. Among the guests who made their way to the center of the banquet hall in pairs was Bastian, who was holding the woman’s hand.

Isabelle poured another glass of wine, gritting her teeth. Her eyes were blurred by her tears, and the overflowing alcohol soaked her hands, but she had no energy left to worry about such things.

It seemed that she knew for the first time the intentions of her mother, who had allowed her to attend the ball. She must have hoped that Isabelle would be hurt in the most miserable way. So that she could no longer hold on to this love.

Isabelle raised her unfocused eyes and looked at her cousin, who had taken Bastian’s side that should have been hers. The woman who was said to be a puppet of the imperial family for money was abominably calm and confident, and she was most beautiful.

The waltz of the spring night began at the same time that the sense of shame that this fact gave her led to a sad weeping.