CH 40

The car headed deeper and deeper into the mountain.

Odette looked at the scenery outside the car window with anxious eyes. The road through the dense coniferous forest gave off a gloomy feeling as there was no light even in broad daylight. The wind that blew through the tall trees that seemed to pierce the sky was cool, quite different from the scorching heat of the hot sun below the mountain.

“Are you sure we’re on the right path?”

Odette’s cautious question seeped into the dense silence. It was the first words she had spoken since leaving Ardennes.

Tilting the tip of his chin, Bastian focused only on driving as he had always done. Odette didn’t show it, though she was displeased with his insincere attitude, as if chasing away an annoying fly.

Let’s not get caught up in it.

Reminding herself once again, Odette looked out the passenger window like before.

There was a villa in a place like this?

She was still dubious, but decided not to ask any more questions. It was pointless to talk to him anyway.

The weekend, when she had  to endure the man she didn’t want to see, had come without fail. If there was a small consolation, it was that they had to visit the villa in the neighboring city at the invitation of the Demels.

Thanks to that, they would not have to spend much time alone together, so she thought she could make it work. If that man was cooperative, she certainly would be.

It would have been nice if a servant had gone with her instead.

Odette let out a quiet sigh as she folded the book she hadn’t read properly.

Bastian said he would drive himself. He said the Demel’s family would have enough manpower, so there’s no need for servants. As a result, the maid and the servant, who had finished preparing for departure, stayed back.

A man who had lived a more aristocratic life than any other aristocrat, and in some respects had been surprisingly unpretentious and pragmatic. Some ridiculed it as evidence of lowly bloodline, but Odette thought it was a quality worthy of high praise. Although she didn’t feel that way about him right now.

As the car pulled out of the dark coniferous forest, Odette let out a low exclamation.

“Oh…”

Bastian glanced toward his wife, who had hastily rolled down the car window. Odette was staring at the Demel family’s villa as if possessed. It was a place famous for its spectacular view, so the guests who were invited to this place for the first time usually showed the same reaction as Odette.

Bastian slowed down a bit as he drove down the driveway leading to the villa.

Beyond the rows of birch trees, the silvery surface of the water could be seen. It was a lake, the villa’s greatest pride, created by melting glaciers.The peaks of the tall mountains surrounding it were covered in white with annual snow that did not melt even in midsummer.

Perhaps because of the clean air, the colors of things here seemed exceptionally deep and vivid. The sky was high and blue, and the greenery was fresh, and so was the bright smile on the cold woman’s face.

Odette’s protest had been absurd and Bastian laughed as it ended because of only one beautiful scenery.

She was a woman who sometimes smiled with incredible innocence. Like a child with eyes sparkling with curiosity, eager to know and marvel at all things in the world. As usual, it was only a fleeting light that disappeared the moment her eyes met his…

Odette, who was looking at Bastian with eyes like a startled rabbit, hurriedly avoided her gaze. In the meantime, the car arrived in front of the villa where the Demel family servants were waiting.

“Today, please act your part.”

Before getting out of the car, Bastian reminded her of the role of wife, as if admonishing an immature child.

“Yes. I will do my best to be a heartless winner. Before that, I have a question for you. Bastian.”

Even at the moment of her pointed rejoinder, Odette maintained pretentious courtesy.

“Tell me.”

“Does the advice to win by any means still hold true even when the opponent is you?”

Odette raised her claws again to no avail.

“I think you must answer since I’m not allowed to do the thinking.”

Staring blankly at her clumsy abomination, Bastian laughed at her with the face of a generous husband.

“Let’s try to win sometimes. It will be fun.”

Bastian replied arrogantly and got out of the driver’s seat. It was then that the Marquis and Marchioness of Demel appeared.

Bastian let out a light sigh and opened the passenger’s door with a polite gesture. The perceptive Odette cooperatively took his proffered hand.

“You both look really good today. Newlyweds, after all!”

Admiral Demel’s exuberant laugh echoed through the sweet summer air as he watched them.

After quickly exchanging glances, Odette and Bastian smiled affectionately. 

The newlyweds who had just been married for a month. It was a sight that perfectly suited the roles of the bride and groom drunk in dreamy love.

***

The young Count was the last guest to arrive at the villa. The only family accompanying him was the young daughter, who had been held in the arms of her nanny.

Odette was introduced to him by  Marchioness Demel. It was after Bastian went hunting with the other guests.

“Count Xanders. A relative of my family, and also a distinguished scholar studying botany at the University of Lutz. And this is Mrs. Klauswitz. She is the wife of Captain Klauswitz, my husband’s favorite subordinate and naval hero. She’s his new bride, whom he married last month.”

Marchioness Demel skillfully introduced the two of them.

“Maximin von Xanders. Congratulations on your marriage, Mrs. Klauswitz.”

Count Xanders greeted Odette with a gentle smile. He was a very intelligent and warm-hearted man who looked like a scholar even if she hadn’t been told beforehand.

“Odette Klauswitz. Thank you, Count.”

It was a name she was not accustomed to hearing, but Odette delivered an impeccably smooth greeting.

“Come this way, Maximin,” said Marchioness Demel, leading Count Xanders to the tea table set under the pergola. He was in a seat facing Odette. He focused on tea time only after the nanny had entered the mansion holding his sleeping daughter. He was a kind father who cared very much for his child.

The conversation at the tea table resumed naturally after a moment of interruption.

The main character of the topic was Count Xanders, the last guest to appear at the social gathering after a long absence.

Odette sipped fragrant tea and listened to the friendly conversation. Count Xanders had just returned home last month after spending some time in another country for a research he had undertaken. She finally understood why she had never come across his name in the capital’s society before.

“Even after returning to Berg, he rarely showed his face at social gatherings, so everyone was worried that he might have a terrible illness.”

When Marchioness Demel scolded him, Count Xanders shook his head with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“I was prioritizing spending time with my young daughter, whom I’ve been away from for a while. Young children grow up really fast, you know. It’s a time that will never come again, and every day is precious and worthwhile.”

Count Xanders had a tone that resembled the sunlight of a summer afternoon. It was a voice that made people feel comfortable. His eyes, expressions, and small movements were the same.

“The Count is so kind and sweet.”

“Yes. That’s what I want to say to my husband, who doesn’t even know the age of his child properly.”

“Shouldn’t we gather all the men who went out hunting and have Count Xanders give them a lecture?”

As praise poured in from all over, Count Xanders’ ears turned faintly red. A quiet smile spread across Odette’s lips when she happened to see it. The man, a botanist, had an aura similar to the discipline he studied.

“But isn’t Countess Xanders with you?”

Curious about his wife, Odette asked, lowering her voice. The lieutenant colonel’s wife, who was sitting next to her, slapped her with a startled look on her face.

“Be careful not to mention that name. Countess Xanders died during childbirth. Because of his wife’s death, Maximin suffered a lot for a while. Because he really cared for and loved his wife. It is fortunate that he is still gaining strength to live by seeing his daughter who resembles her wife.”

“Ah. I see…”

A look of bewilderment appeared on Odette’s face when she heard about the unexpected tragedy. It was then that the group returned from hunting. Their mighty footsteps broke the tranquility of the summer afternoon.

Bastian was the last to join the tea time. As he took off his hunting hat, his disheveled hair cascaded down over his forehead. His sweat-soaked platinum hair was a bit darker than usual.

Bastian approached with a smooth smile on his face and naturally took Odette’s hand in his.

The smell of animal blood and gunpowder was a bit strong, but Odette accepted his ostentatious affection without showing anything.

“Yes! Captain Klauswitz and Count Xanders have never met before, have they?”

Marchioness Demel, the seasoned hostess, stepped forward to introduce her two guests.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Bastian Klauswitz.”

After the hostess’ introduction, Bastian offered his hand for a handshake first. It was against the etiquette for the lower class to go first, but Count Xanders didn’t mind. He seemed to be of the kind that was not bound by pretensions.

“Nice to meet you, Captain Klauswitz, it’s an honor to meet the hero you see in the newspapers.”

Bastian and Count Xanders shook hands in a friendly atmosphere. Odette stared blankly at the two men, who bore no resemblance, even looked like different species.

If she were to get married someday, she wanted to be the wife of a man as warm as the sun. To be a couple who live in a peaceful atmosphere  like a calm water flowing, living together, sharing friendship, and becoming a comfortable home for each other. In the end, though, she became the fake wife of the man at the opposite end of her wish.

Odette averted her gaze, seized by a slightly strange feeling. The sun was slowly setting beneath the snow-covered mountains.

Odette suddenly realized at that moment that she had come a long way.