CH 39

Odette’s coffee did not decrease by one sip. It was just left in place like it was until the abundant bubbles subsided and the steam cooled. The situation with the cake, where the chocolate was melting, was no different. 

After examining the table carefully, Bastian put down the teacup with force. Odette finally looked up after only looking down at nothing but her fingers.

“Eat.”

Bastian gestured lightly at the coffee and cake she hadn’t touched.

“I never thought I would run into you like this. How did you get here?” (Odette)

Struggling, Odette stealthily changed the subject. The afternoon sunlight passing through the leaves shone gently on the face that smiled rather awkwardly.

“I had an appointment nearby. I found you in passing.” (Bastian)

“Ah… yes. I see.”

“And you? I don’t think I’ve been informed that you’ll be coming to Lutz. Am I remembering wrong?” (Bastian)

“No. I didn’t report anything.” (Odette)

“Then why are you here?” (Bastian)

Bastian’s eyes narrowed. It was perplexing, as if she was being reprimanded, but Odette

skillfully hid her emotions.

“I was asked by an interior decorator to pick out some paintings to hang on the wall. Originally, it was supposed to be taken care of next week, but when I heard that you weren’t coming this weekend, I moved the schedule up a bit.” (Odette)

“Is that all?” (Bastian)

After taking a sip of the cold coffee, Bastian asked calmly. Odette’s eyes trembled slightly as she failed to find an appropriate answer.

Time with Franz was easier.

He had a way of speaking that made his opponent very perplexed 

but at least he didn’t make her this uncomfortable. All she had to do was respond appropriately with a smile. It was different from Bastian, who made her feel so helpless just by looking at him.

The longer they spent together, the more Odette found this man difficult and uncomfortable. She felt suffocated and all her nerves were on edge, it was hard to swallow even a sip of water.

“Yes.” (Odette)

Odette eventually chose to lie.

She didn’t want to mention the name of his half-brother, which obviously irritated Bastian.

Perhaps it might unnecessarily lead to the misunderstanding that she had recklessly met someone from his family.

“I had a little time to spare after stopping by the art gallery to buy some paintings. It has been a while since I’ve been out, so it would be a pity to go back home without enjoying it.”

Odette hid her uneasiness and nervousness with a smooth smile. She didn’t like Bastian’s deep blue eyes that seemed to see through her soul, but she endured it silently without avoiding it.

The sound of ice crumbling permeated the tense silence.

Bastian nodded his head as if he was convinced, and moistened his lips with half-melted ice water. 

As the evening sun set, the sunlight reached under the table. The swaying summer light enveloped Odette in a sweet false smile. Like that beautiful bridal veil she wore on the longest day of daylight.

Placing the folded napkin he had wiped his wet hands on the table, Bastian looked at Odette with his arms loosely crossed.

Apparently this woman was determined not to divulge her meeting with Franz. An absurd laugh broke out when he remembered his butler Lovis, who was worried about the madam who would be sadly waiting for her husband.

For the first time, he seriously wondered what was going on in Odette’s head.

What kind of greed did she keep hidden behind the mask of pretending to be alone and sorrowful like a princess of a ruined country? What the hell was she thinking?  What was he to her? Why did she dare to be so insolent and hateful?

But Bastian didn’t ask anything.

If you peel off one layer, there’s another layer. Beyond that one layer, another layer again. Because that woman, who seemed to have hidden herself under a thousand layers of veil, would not give that answer easily. 

“Do you have any other appointments?” 

Bastian checked the watch on his wrist and asked. Odette smiled and shook her head.

“No. We agreed to meet with Hans in the plaza in front of City Hall by six.”

“Any other business?”

“No. I just… I was thinking of going back to Ardennes after taking a short break here.”

“Ah, a break.”

Coffee and cake, and an unread book.

Bastian’s gaze turned back to Odette as it passed the playground he had painstakingly prepared but was unable to enjoy in the end.

“Was it not enough for you to rest and enjoy that vast mansion all to yourself?”

Bastian’s tone was extremely calm even at the moment of sharp mockery.

“My wife is an exceptionally adaptable person. It was just yesterday that she was moving from one cheap rental house to another, but she got bored of living a luxurious life and is acting like this.”

“Are you accusing me now?”

The forced smile disappeared from Odette’s lips. Staring at the improved face, Bastian nodded.

“If you are not so stupid that you cannot hear the words, why do you keep repeating the same mistakes?”

“Is just one outing such a big fault that you must insult me like this? You broke your promise first, so I just adjusted my schedule accordingly.”

“Do you think we are on equal footing?”

Bastian let out a soft sigh and furrowed his brows.

“I hired you for a fair price. It means I am your master until the day the contract expires.”

“…”

“If you think you have the rights of a wife just because you’re acting as a wife, you’re sorely mistaken. If you are a servant, act like one. If you keep this in mind, you’ll have a not so bad two years…what do you think?”

“….”

“Answer me, Odette.”

Bastian scolded Odette in a tone that felt all the more ruthless because of the lack of emotion.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Odette spoke after a long time after being stubbornly silent.

The irreverent emotion in her strong reddened eyes was clear to read, but Bastian had no intention of continuing the conversation any longer.

“Very well. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Bastian stood up without hesitation and approached Odette.

“I will see you off to where your car is waiting.” (Bastian)

“Is it an unbecoming servant-like answer if I say that I can go anywhere by myself?” 

Staring at Bastian, Odette asked a bold question. Despite the hurt look on her face, she sure didn’t want to lose a word.

“I’m glad you can make that level of judgment.” (Bastian)

Bastian held out his hand with a wry smile.

“Thank you for your compliment.” (Odette)

Odette said with an overly polite and a more provocative greeting, holding his offered hand as if to patronize him.

Bastian took the cold hand, wrapped in a lace glove, in a strong grip. He could feel Odette’s trembling through their clasped hands.

It was an irritating yet sweet sensation.

***

Dinner, later than usual, finally ended late at night.

Odette stood up from the table, leaving the half eaten plate behind. She knew that at times like this, she needed to take care of herself and cheer up, but it seemed like it would be too much to do so.

Odette walked down the silent hallway at a slower pace than usual. She felt like she was a buoy floating alone in the open sea. Then again, it was only a short wander. It was nothing more than an idle thought that would disappear when the sun rose.

“Today I will do it alone.”

Odette excused the maids who had followed her and crossed the threshold of the bedroom with weary steps. She could feel the stinging glares of the maids who were frantic to find fault with, but she didn’t have the energy left to care about it.

Tired to the point of wanting to throw herself into bed right away, but Odette steadfastly went to the bathroom to bathe. She put on a clean nightgown and carefully combed her hair.

By the time she stood up with a ribbon tied at the end of her braided hair, she felt much better.

Staring at the passageway of the couple’s bedroom, Odette suddenly felt empty and let out a deep sigh.

She was so miserable and upset, but she didn’t want to blame Bastian. She didn’t come into this marriage without this level of resolution. Of course, the reality was harsher than she had vaguely guessed, but the fact that this marriage was the best that Odette could choose did not change.

So I have to make it work.

Controlling her weakening mind, Odette approached the table piled with mail.

Going to bed in such a mood would have made it difficult for her to fall asleep easily. It was better to hold on to the odds and ends than to be depressed over the inevitable.

Odette rolled up the sleeves of her nightgown and diligently read the letters and wrote a reply. Among them was a letter from her father. It was a letter filled with anger and swearing at the daughter who married a lowly man and disgraced the family.

Concluding that it was fortunate that he had recovered his strength, Odette threw the shredded letter into the trash. It was soon followed by a letter from Sandrine, who had sent a gushing list of the furniture and jewelry she liked and the plants and flowers she wanted planted in the garden.

Odette memorized a few items worth considering and wrote them down in her notebook. The name and contact information of the merchant who handled the finest Pelia-made ornaments written on the note Franz had given her was also added below it.

Unable to find anything else to focus on, Odette lay down on the bed resignedly. The slow, gentle sound of the waves carried through the soft night breeze.

Odette closed her eyes, erasing the ugly man’s face that had never left her mind. She suddenly felt like an old woman who had lived too long, but she didn’t keep it in her heart.

Odette drifted off to sleep under the moonlight caressing her slightly curled back. The sound of the waves, her only support, stayed by her lonely bed until dawn broke.

It’s good. Everything is fine.

The self reminder, like a gentle, comforting song,  gave sweet consolation.