CH 27

“If I wanted to, you might not leave this palace alive tonight. It’s not that difficult to find the body of a hero who turned out to be no different from a trash in an alley of a brothel tomorrow morning at dawn. Of course, it’s unfair and cruel, but what can I do? Power is what it is.”

After breaking the long silence, the Emperor shrugged and smiled. As if he didn’t just threaten the man’s life as though it was a light joke, but Bastian understood.

The quiet life that now caught the emperor’s eyes was by no means a lie.

“Perhaps I could show mercy by honoring your achievements so far. I don’t think it would be a bad idea to compromise to the extent of crushing that smooth face of yours that is making fun of the imperial family and society. What do you think?”

The emperor looked at Bastian’s face with the look of a surgeon preparing for an operation.

“I suppose if you don’t like the idea, I’ll give the last option for the hero…”

The emperor turned around and opened the window. The wind that passed through the garden facing the Prater River was thick with the scent of roses and moisture.

Bastian patiently waited for the words that would lead to humility. This was the Emperor’s true order. It was to be the one word that would determine his future.

“Let’s get married right away.”

The emperor ordered, gently opening his eyes. Bastian’s eyes, which had always been bold, shook for the first time.

“I want Odette to be your wife, but if you can’t marry the daughter of Duke Dissen, choose one of the brides from your inventory. Even if you were to run away with Count Lenard’s wife (Sandrine), I’ll understand.”

The emperor waved his hand as if he was okay even with that.

“Whoever the bride, you just need to get married before the summer festival starts. For 2 years. To make sure Isabelle will stay married to Belov until she gives birth to her first child. I won’t get involved in anything else after that. It’s best to have a happy family, but if that’s not the case, you can divorce.”

“But Your Majesty, the day you spoke of is less than two months away.”

“Of course, time will be tight, but wouldn’t it be easier than dying or having your face hacked up?”

Leaving Bastian in a distant mood at the window, the emperor turned around with light steps as if nothing had happened.

“Marry now and show the world the most perfect couple. So that if the Crown Prince of Belov finds out about the affair between you and Isabelle, he will not feel threatened, and will laugh at it as nothing more than a fuss. If you do this, I will compensate you well enough.”

Reclining deep in the sofa, the Emperor now wore the face of a competent negotiator.

“Why do you look like that? Didn’t you say with your own mouth that you would follow my commands?

Do you dare to deceive the emperor?”

“No, Your Majesty. But this…”

“As promised, after marrying for two years, I will give you what you want. If you ask for a title, I’ll give it to you, and if there are other interests you desire, I’ll give them to you. Whatever is within the lines that do not harm the laws and order of the Empire is fine. I swear that this is a promise in the name and honor of the emperor.” 

The wind picked up the scent of roses. Bastian stood with his back to the wind and looked at the emperor.

“This is my order. Now let’s show who Bastian Klauswitz is.”

***

A light dawn broke as Bastian left the emperor’s private residence.

He stood still for a moment, looking at the still blue dawn sky.

He felt like he was having a strange dream. When he opened his eyes, he could see a familiar bed and ceiling, and it seemed that today, not so different from yesterday, would begin. But even at the moment of such fleeting thoughts, Bastian knew. That today would never be the same as yesterday.

Clenching his teeth, he spat out a snide remark and walked along the road leading to the back gate of the imperial palace with wider strides. The scent of roses mixed with the mist of dawn rising from the Prater River was as thick as his role.

“Master! Are you all right?”

When he came out of the back door, Hans, an attendant who had been hanging around the car parked next to the fence, came running.

Bastian swept his disheveled hair and took the lead, smiling without much ado. Hurrying after him, Hans opened the back seat door.

Taking off his jacket, Bastian leaned deep into the back seat and closed his eyes. As his forgotten exhaustion came back, he let out a bitter laugh.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry. Let’s go.”

Tossing the tie over his jacket, Bastian gave an order in a weary voice. Soon after, the engine started, and the car began to move.

Bastian woke up just as the car happened to pass in front of the Reinfeld Hotel. On a Wednesday when the flowers bloomed, it was the place where he met the gift given by the emperor. 

That woman would be the most suitable.

Bastian slowly wiped his face, thinking of the answer for this dilemma, which was no different from the one the emperor had decided.

The emperor’s anger was justified. So was his order.

Apart from feeling unjust, Bastian understood and respected the emperor’s decision as ruler of the empire. If he could get the interest he wanted in return for mortgaging two years of his life, it was a deal that would not be lost on him.

Although there were problems with the LaViere family involved, that much time was needed anyway for Sandrine’s divorce proceedings to be over and for a suitable time for her to remarry.

At present, the most reasonable way to proceed with the marriage with Odette was to use the intermission to make a large profit, and then to proceed with the marriage with Sandrine with a fair share of each other’s divorce experience.

The problem was Odette.

All in all, the fact that she was the best choice made Bastian hesitate.

Picking up a woman the world had abandoned was something he didn’t like. It seemed that it would be better to choose the next best thing than to dwell on this discomfort for two years. Fathers who were ready to trade their daughters for money were all over society. It was clear that whoever he chose could not be worse than Duke Dissen.

While Bastian was contemplating the number of possible cases, the car pulled into a street in sight of the townhouse. The morning was just dawning, but the wind blowing through the open car window was not so cold.

The weather was a reminder of the summer in Berg that would soon be upon them.

***

“Are you all right?”

Anxiously pacing in front of the mansion, Lovis also greeted Bastian with the same question. He looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

“I will contact Admiral Demel on your behalf, so take the day off today…”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

Bastian calmly shook his head and entered the foyer.

“I’m going to rest my eyes for a while. Have some hot coffee ready in an hour or so. Skip breakfast. That will be enough.”

Calming the restless old butler, Bastian crossed the hall with wide strides. It was just after stepping on the first step of the stairs that Lovis delivered the unexpected news.

“Oh. We had a visitor last night.”

“A visitor?”

Bastian asked slowly, turning his body halfway. Lovis hurriedly approached and handed over a visiting card and a note from the inside pocket of his uniform. 

Odette Theresia Marie-Laurie Charlotte von Dissen.

Bastian’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight of the lengthy name.

“I responded as the master ordered.”

Be thoroughly silent about tonight’s affairs.

Bastian finally remembered the instructions he had given him before entering the palace.

“She said she had a personal question, so I answered it.”

“What was it?”

Bastian asked, unfolding the note under the visiting card.

“She asked if Duke Dissen had visited our residence yesterday, and I told her he visited uninvited once recently, but not yesterday.”

“I see.”

Bastian let out a short sigh mixed with laughter.

{I heard belatedly that my father had committed great disrespect to Captain Klauswitz.

I sincerely apologize.

You will never again be in trouble with my father.

I’m truly sorry.}

Some of the lines were crooked, as if they were written in haste, but Odette’s handwriting was as neat as her character.

“If I have made any mistakes…”

“No. Rest, Lovis.”

Shaking his head lightly, Bastian strode up the stairs toward the bedroom.

Throwing the visit card and note of the uninvited guest on the table, Bastian headed to the bathroom first. When he came out of the shower, the whole bedroom was bathed in bright sunlight.

He adjusted his loose gown and opened the cigar box on the table.

With the arrival of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, festivals to celebrate summer began throughout Berg.

On the day set by the emperor, he would get married. That was a confirmed fact.

Bastian cut off the tip of his cigar, accepting the inevitable.

And two years later, that marriage would end.

It was the same.

Mrs. Klauswitz, who would fill the void in between, stayed quietly like the plants in that garden, and when the time came, she would disappear with a large sum of money.

It was that simple.

Bastian was well aware that there were many women willing to volunteer for the conditions and pay.

Just Odette.

Returning to the starting point, the unwelcome face scratched his nerves like a sharp blade. Even including today, the remaining period was only a month and a half. There was no room for worry. In order to hold a wedding ceremony with a minimal formality, a bride had to be decided within three days at the latest.

With a lit cigar in his mouth, Bastian picked up Odette’s note again.

He didn’t quite understand what the hell was the point of making such an apology by randomly visiting him. 

Duke Dissen was a man who would live and die that way for the rest of his life, and that was beyond the woman’s jurisdiction. In that case, it would have been better to shamelessly turn away. Much better than leaving promises she couldn’t keep.

Erasing the memories of the father and daughter like a dirty stain, Bastian brought the cigar between his fingers back to his lips.

He inhaled deeply until his cheeks flushed, and the smoke he exhaled scattered white like a thought.

***

Lady Odette.

It was towards the end of lunch when he remembered the woman’s name, the worst and the best.

“I have an urgent letter for you, Captain.”

Bastian, who had been taking a short nap on a bunk in the break room, was awakened by the call of a duty officer who had come on an errand.

It was a letter from Lovis. It seemed to be a reply to his instructions to bring Lady Odette to the mansion.

After the officer saluted politely and retreated, Bastian opened the letter he took out of the roughly torn envelope. The prediction that it would be about delivering the appointment time was completely wrong. The note Lovis had written with great effort contained news as sudden and startling as an order from the emperor.

{Lady Odette is in a situation where she can’t accept the invitation (*to come to the mansion to talk about the wedding). I have found out that Duke Dissen had a fall down the stairs last night and suffered serious injuries, including a cracked head and a broken spine. He is currently unconscious and taken to Lutz Municipal Hospital for treatment. Even if he’s lucky enough to wake up, the prevailing negative outlook is that he will have to live the rest of his life as a paraplegic.}

After reading the note carefully once again, Bastian crumpled it into the pocket of his uniform and lay down on the bed again and closed his eyes.

It had been a long, trying day indeed.