CH 32

It was in the intermission between the reception and the celebration party that Odette learned what the gossip was that she heard here and there earlier. It was a story that was hard to believe.

“So … you mean that the mansions of the father and son facing each other have the same appearance?”

After pondering for a while Odette asked cautiously. The Countess of Trier nodded her head, her gray eyes twinkling with uncharacteristic mischief.

“Yes. They are like twins. I can’t believe they’re declaring war like this. Indeed, it is a distribution worthy of hearing the voice of a hero.”

Ha.

Odette let out a quiet sigh and blinked wide-eyed. She finally understood why the Klauswitz family had left in a hurry with angry faces.

“It’s ready. Let’s go, madam.”

A maid approached without notice and announced softly.

She pointed to a pretty green silk dress hung on the partition. The ceremony, the reception and the party. It was the last of three dresses prepared according to the order of the ceremony.

“Go quickly.”

The Countess of Trier waved her hand lightly, then sat down in a chair by the window and began to drink the rest of her cocktail.

Adjusting her expression, Odette stood up quietly and followed the maid. The long summer solstice day began to taper off while the skillful maids helped her undress and put on the new dress. A low giggle was heard just as the last button of the dress was fastened.

Odette looked in the mirror without a hint of embarrassment. The maids glanced at her reflection and averted their gazes in surprise.

It was something that happened over and over again throughout the wedding.

“Son? Or daughter? Which one did you bet on?”

Odette asked a question in a voice as soft as the sunset coloring the western sky.

“Betting on the gender of the child you believe will be born this winter.  From what I’ve heard, the prevailing opinion is that it will be a son. Did everyone choose the one with the best chance of winning?”

Odette put on her new shoes and stood in front of the mirror again.  There was still some dressing up to do, but the maids kept looking at her, unwilling to move.

Odette looked down at them, tilting her head.

A woman who succeeded in catching Bastian Klauswitz by using her body and becoming pregnant. When this marriage was announced, such a disgraceful label was placed after Odette’s name.  

The extremely tight wedding date added credence to that speculation.

Thanks to this, Odette had the absurd experience of having her waist monitored by the socialites throughout the empire. Even the Countess of Trier secretly peeked at her with suspicion. She (Countess) said if her wedding dress didn’t fit, she (Odette) could inform her in advance.

It was an insulting rumor, but Odette didn’t care much.  It would be explained by itself after a while anyway. The longer the talk, the hotter the interest. The same was true of the servants’ back stories.

However, under the assumption that the appropriate line was kept.

“I’m sorry if I asked a difficult question. I thought it would be okay to join the conversation as everyone seemed to have no intention of hiding it. It sounds like an interesting conversation.” (Odette)

“That…. It’s not like that….”

“I apologize if I was brief.  But if it’s a conversation that’s hard to share with me, wouldn’t it be better to keep it a secret?  If I can’t hear it, I can assume it’s not there, then I wouldn’t make such a careless mistake. What do you think, head maid?”

Odette’s gaze, passing by the frozen young maids, stopped on the flushed face of the head maid.

There was always trial and error at the beginning of everything.  It was the same between people and people. How far would you go? When would you back down?  Because the appropriate line was different for each person.

The order to maintain an amicable relationship began with the clarification of that point. Odette presented her line first, and now it was the opponent’s turn to answer.

“……  Madame is right.”

The head maid bowed her head.  She looked quite different from when she tried to overpower the restless hostess.

“Thank you for your understanding.  I will try not to make mistakes like this in the future.”

Odette ended the conversation with a kind smile.

She knew full well that she could not change the other person’s mind with just a few words, but the other side of the story was outside Odette’s jurisdiction anyway.  All she wanted was courtesy and superficial respect to avoid unnecessary emotional exhaustion. Thoughts and emotions beyond the proper line were entirely the responsibility of the other person.

Odette raised her gaze again and faced the mirror. There was a moment of suffocating silence, but the maids soon remembered their respective duties.

Hastily arranged the folds and decorations on Odette’s dress, the maids retreated and the partition was put away.

After expressing her appreciation with a silent bow, Odette took quiet steps toward the dressing table where her next order awaited.

While one maid corrected her make-up, another quickly corrected her hair and embellishment.  As she put on the  new jewelry brought by the maid of honor, preparations for the final act of her wedding were complete.

“Thank you, Dora.”

After expressing a brief gratitude, Odette approached the Countess of  Trier, who was sitting on a long chair by the window and watching the situation.

“I am ready now.”

A smile of satisfaction spread across the Countess’s face as she looked up at Odette, who had politely announced her readiness.

“Yes. It really looks like you are.”

***

“The master is over there.”

The butler greeted Odette with great courtesy, announcing Bastian’s location as a matter of course. Odette did not move her steps and looked at the man she now called her husband.

Dressed in a tailored tailcoat, Bastian was having a conversation with someone on a balcony facing the sea. She was relieved to find an appropriate excuse to avoid the position. The guest soon left the balcony.  Alone, Bastian leaned against the railing and took out a cigarette.

Odette took a deep breath and began to approach him slowly. Playing the perfect couple was the most important clause in this contract. She still wasn’t sure what it  was, but at least it seemed that she shouldn’t show the appearance of hesitating and avoiding her husband.

“Am I interfering with your alone time?”

Stopping in front of the balcony, Odette first asked a polite question.

Bastian slowly turned around and pointed to the seat next to him with the cigarette between his fingers.  It wasn’t a very gentlemanly manner, but Odette obediently complied with the request.

“It was a very long day.”

Uncomfortable with Bastian’s silence, Odette spoke first. It was late at night, and the lingering shadows left by the setting sun was dyeing the horizon red.

After giving her an unreadable look for a while, Bastian offered her a pack of cigarettes without any response. Odette shook her head slightly to convey her refusal, then turned and leaned against the railing.  As the warmth of the sun-kissed marble spread down her  back, the fatigue that she had forgotten came flooding in.

“Do you like it?”

Bastian finally spoke his first words after the bluish darkness fell over their heads as they stood side by side.

“What are you talking about?”

Odette asked back after much thought. Bastian was a man of few words, but his expression and eyes were also extremely restrained. It was an aspect that made his conversation partners quite annoyed.

“I meant if you like the house you’re going to be living in for the next two years.” (Bastian)

Brushing off the ashes and moving the cigarette to his other hand, Bastian pulled Odette by her waist to his chest with his free hand. 

“Smile, Odette.”

Bastian’s low voice was cold as he commanded the startled Odette, making her forget his gentle touch for a moment.

“I would like you to show me the results of the money I spent on you. Is that an unreasonable request?”  (Bastian)

Bastian pointed to the banquet hall across the balcony with a wink.

Odette let out a small sigh as she saw the scene. The guests who had come to watch the newlyweds were blatantly glancing at this place. This was the moment Odette came to realize once again what the contract signed by her own hand meant.

“I’m sorry, Captain. It’s my first time…”

“Bastian.” (Bastian)

A voice resembling the sea breeze cut off Odette’s words.

“……  I’m sorry, Bastian.”

Realizing the significance of the name, Odette calmly corrected her mistake.

“I know I’m not quite there yet, but I am still doing my best. I will try not to disappoint you.”

Stopping her efforts to push away her husband’s hand, Odette smiled awkwardly.

Bastian glanced at her red lipstick-covered lips, raised his gaze again to meet Odette’s eyes. Unlike her stiff body, her eyes were quite resolute.

“By the way….  Bastian.”

Odette pronounced the name clearly, like a child practicing a new word.

“Are you going to stay in this mansion forever?”

Whenever she questioned, the corners of her eyes gently folded. It seemed to be her unconscious habit.

“Now that my base has moved here, that will be the case. For the time being, though, you will be staying here alone.” (Bastian)

“Could you please explain more simply?”

“I still have a lot of work to be done in Lutz, so I will only visit Ardennes on weekends for a month or two.” (Bastian)

“So you mean we just need to spend the weekends together until your work is done?”

“Exactly.” (Bastian)

Odette smiled brightly as he nodded. It was a completely different expression from when she reluctantly raised the corners of her stiff lips.

“There are still many unfinished parts of the house, but there will be no problems with staying here. It would look more natural if the hostess stayed here to supervise the finishing work. If, of course, I’m assuming you will do well on your part.” (Bastian)

“I’ll make sure there’s nothing for you to worry about. Please let me know if there are any other caveats.”

Odette gave the definite answer without hesitation. Her unprecedentedly positive attitude made Bastian laugh.

“As long as you don’t do anything that raises suspicion, do whatever you wish. I don’t think it’ll possibly happen, but don’t bring your family into my house. The same goes for my family.” (Bastian)

“If it’s your family……  Do you mean your original family?”

Odette cautiously pointed to the mansion on the other side of the bay with a wary gaze.  Bastian nodded his head calmly. It was an expression that didn’t look like he had just declared war that turned the world upside down.

“Are you really okay with this mansion, just like that one?” (Bastian)

“Yes, but isn’t this a bit funny?”

Surprisingly, Bastian gave a completely different answer than she expected.

“One must be destroyed.” (Bastian)

After adding a brief comment, Bastian stopped smoking and tossed the cigarette into the astray.

Music could be heard coming from the hall. It was time for the party to begin.

“Hey, Bastian. Could you answer one more question?”

Odette hurriedly asked. Bastian signified his permission with a jerk of his chin.

“After two smooth years without any problems… What will be the reason for our divorce then?”

The question was asked with sincere concern, but Bastian laughed as if he had heard a silly joke.

“What do you like?”

“That …  I’ll think about it a little bit. Thanks to you, I think I will be able to spend two leisurely years in a  place where it’s easy to think.”

Not wanting to look like an idiot, Odette hurriedly concluded the conversation. Bastian nodded his head with a small smile on his face, leading Odette as if exercising his natural right.

Although his strong arm around her waist was very uncomfortable, Odette accepted her wifely duties without showing any sign of unpleasantness.

As the darkness fell, the two moved without hesitation into the brighter lights of the mansion.