CH 60

Beneath the shade of the maple tree, where unspoken promises lingered in the air, an empty tin can was all that remained.

Odette rushed over to inspect it, scanning her surroundings for any sign of the stray dogs that had been causing trouble. They were nowhere to be found, as she had expected, but the sight still left her feeling a little disheartened. She, wanted or unwanted, blamed Bastian for stirring all this chaos.

Despite her awareness that her resentment was misplaced, Odette’s hatred for Bastian refused to subside.

If only he had arrived home after Count Xanders had left, they never would have crossed paths. Odette despised the thought of making excuses for herself, but her mind wouldn’t let go of the self-justification

Her words, spoken in anger, were carried away on the chilling wind that shook the night forest, as if they were mere leaves scattered in its wake. “Bad man,” she muttered, as if the words themselves held the power to release the frustration building up inside her.

“I will never shed a tear over this marriage,” she vowed to herself, willing her resolve to remain steadfast.

As the previously blurry landscape came back into focus, Odette made her way towards the maple tree that marked the entrance to the path. With gentle hands, she cleared away the dry leaves and discarded acorn shells that had accumulated in the nearby tin can.

With a sigh, Odette rose to her feet and dusted off her hands. “Oh, Puppy,” she called out into the darkness of the path ahead.

As the sound of flapping wings faded away, the forest once again descended into silence, leaving Odette alone with her thoughts.

She called out for the dogs several more times, but received no response. Exhausted, Odette leaned against the trunk of a magnificent tree and contemplated her next move.

She knew she should hurry back, having used the excuse of taking a stroll around the garden for a brief respite. But something within her urged her to wait a little longer, to give the dogs a chance to return. 

Other animals might steal the food if she left it in this condition.

The sound of a nightingale singing appeared out of nowhere. Odette listened to the song while quietly closing her eyes.

Hui-hwi! The clear, haunting melody began like a simple whistle, but as the musician’s skilled fingers danced across the strings, it transformed into a symphony of sound, rich and vibrant with a variety of techniques.

The nightingale was her mother’s favorite bird, and it was easy to see why. Even when she could no longer attend the grand theaters and hear the sweeping orchestras that once filled her life with joy, the sweet songs of the nightingale still brought her comfort and peace.

On the night of the last nightingale’s song, Odette sat by her mother’s bedside, holding her hand as she listened to the haunting melody that filled the room. It was then that her mother whispered a secret wish – that in her next life, she would be reborn as the nightingale, singing with a voice as pure and sweet as the bird that had brought her so much joy.

“But can’t you only sing beautifully when you’re filled with pain and emotion?” Odette asked her mother, watching as she closed the window to shut out the chill of the night air. “You always said that music should come from the heart.”

Her mother helplessly smiled at her daughter’s words “You have such a curious mind, my dear.”

Curious mind…

The mother who regularly polished Odette mumbled some strange words of regret.

“Odette. I love you, my daughter.”

Her mother covered her face with a thin hand after lengthy moments of devoted attention to her.

“Should the time come when I can no longer shield you from harm, my darling, promise me you’ll live as a blissful fool,” She implored, her tear-stained face illuminated by the moonlight. It was a strange and enigmatic request.

“I’m sorry….”

After giving that final word, her mother sighed deeply and drifted off to sleep as if it were carrying the weight of her entire existence. Helen, the unlucky princess, died unexpectedly the following morning.

The act of betrayal was undeniable. For Odette, her mother had been her everything. She taught her every little thing – from speaking, walking, and laughing, to observing, listening, and reflecting. When Odette was no longer able to have a tutor, her mother became her teacher.

Her mother didn’t spare her, not even when her feet hurt from dancing in uncomfortable shoes or when her knuckles swelled from hitting the piano keys when she couldn’t play well.

She continued to learn by reading library books, and when she fell short of her mother’s expectations, she would receive a ruthless spanking. Her mother remained hopeful that one day they would regain their former high status. For that phantom.

As Odette received the heartless master’s final command for her to become a fool, disbelief consumed her. She had always been a dutiful daughter, following her mother’s every instruction, but she refused to comply with this last wish.

She didn’t want to follow the pointless ambitions that had plagued her mother her entire life. She simply didn’t want to abandon the life she had so far devoted to it. After all, she wasn’t her mother; her mother had eventually given up and fled.

Yet, now her life was the same now since, as the man claimed, she sold her life for money.

‘One day, I’ll be living in my own home and leading the life I want to lead.’

The notion of glory that didn’t truly belong to her was of no interest to Odette, regardless of the location. What truly captured her imagination was the possibility of finding a place where she could shed her false identity and be truly herself. As she contemplated the end of her marriage, Odette couldn’t help but dream of a future where she could make that a reality.

Her closed eyes slowly opened to the sound of the nightingale’s incessant cries. As she listened to the bird’s melodious song, a thought crossed her mind – what if her mother had returned as a bird and sang to her about leaving without being taught? The idea brought a bittersweet feeling.

Odette adjusted her stance and took a breath while checking the clock.

She had no regrets, so perhaps her mother was correct. She had to make the most of the decision she had already made.

She refused to follow her mother’s sad life, which she blamed on being imprisoned in the past. Never, never, never.

“Puppy.” Odette let out one final call for the stray dogs, but as she turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of a pup emerging from the nearby bushes. Though she searched for the mother dog, who had always followed her child, she was nowhere to be seen.

As Odette approached the lone pup, “What are you doing here all alone? Where’s your mother?” But the frightened pup just whimpered and darted off into the pathless woods without even glancing at the food she had brought.

Odette did not move, so the dog returned and growled. It appeared to be beckoning her to follow him.

Odette stared blankly into the pitch-black trees. Once more, the puppy began to run in its direction.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The night was drawing to a close, yet Odette had not returned.

Bastian grew anxious as he lit his third cigarette and rose from his seat. Even though, Odette had said she was going for a leisurely walk in the garden, even Lovis had witnessed her departure.

Bastian’s patience wore thin as the hours passed and Odette failed to return. He couldn’t fathom why she would storm out of the mansion in anger, putting herself in potential danger.

Her behavior was out of character for the responsible and level-headed Odette. What’s worse, she knew the consequences of defying their agreement, making her actions all the more reckless and worrisome to Bastian.

Bastian glanced at his watch once more before making his way to the window that overlooked the garden. As he drew back the curtains, he was met with the sight of a gentle rain shower that had crept up on him unnoticed, painting the glass pane with droplets.

Stepping out onto the balcony, he felt the cool breeze that carried the scent of the rain on his skin. Bastian sighed in resignation and hastily started getting ready to depart.

All he did was cover up his clothing with a raincoat. There was no time to be concerned about anything else.

As he descended to the first-floor hall, Lovis met him with an anxious expression. “I’ll mobilize the servants to search for madam.” 

“No. One is sufficient.”  Without pausing, Bastian shook his head. A rapid and discrete solution was required in order to prevent the spread of unneeded misinformation. Little disputes and resolutions. So that it might represent a typical couple’s day to day activities.

“Stop worrying, Lovis. Odette may be somewhere I already know.” Bastian quickly departed the estate after deceiving the butler with a cunning tale.

Odette would have hidden farther away if she had remained in the garden, where he would have seen her long ago. She was probably in the woods because the beach that he had often observed through the window was deserted.

Bastian’s mind raced as he swiftly made his way towards his destination. His footsteps pounded against the forest floor, quickening with every passing moment. The rain pelted down around him, a familiar and unwelcome sensation. 

It had been years since he had wandered through the Ardene forests on a night like this, but the memories flooded back to him in a rush, overpowering and vivid.

–

With a jolt, Bastian realized he was no longer in his cozy bed, but in the midst of a vast forest, dressed only in his pajamas and barefoot. As he tried to make sense of what had happened, his mind slowly cleared and a sense of calm overtook him.

“I sleepwalk,” Bastian murmured to himself, as he embraced the cold, rainy darkness of the forest.

Bastian already knew that while he was asleep, he occasionally prowled the night like a ghost. He had long ago reached the point when he could no longer continue to live in denial and conceal his condition.

That explained it. Before going to sleep, he began to tie rope around his wrists. Hence, nobody would learn. The only thing would be to wake up chained and alone.

Bastian had become an expert at concealing his weakness, and he knew that if he woke up early enough and erased all traces, he could keep it hidden. Despite moving to the Illis’s residence, the nights of wandering continued to haunt him, but he was able to keep them under wraps. However, one fateful weekend morning, after several months of living with his grandfather, Bastian slipped up and revealed his vulnerability. His carelessness had led him to oversleep.

Curiosity had seized his grandfather, compelling him to open the locked door and peer inside. What he discovered was his grandson sprawled on the bedroom floor, as if he had been tamed like an animal on a leash. Bastian jolted awake at the sound of his grandfather’s piercing screams.

“Who did this to you? Who made you like this? Tell me now!” His grandfather’s anger was palpable as he quickly untied the rope and interrogated Bastian, 

“Sir, I did.”  Little Bastian replied in a collected manner. His fight while restrained by his rope had left him with wounds that were oozing with blood, but the discomfort was not severe enough to warrant concern.

That fateful morning, the world seemed to crumble as his grandfather wept uncontrollably, shattering the silence around them. With a pang of regret, Bastian wished he hadn’t slept in and made matters worse by uttering something he shouldn’t have.

Determined to find a cure for Bastian’s sleepwalking, his grandfather scoured the vast empire for a solution. With unwavering commitment, Bastian underwent the treatment, silently enduring the process. The passing of time brought with it the sweet relief of a complete cure, as well as the fading of scars on his wrists.

–

Bastian came to a halt at the end of the path that connected the dense forest to the sandy beach, rain pelting his face and chilling him to the bone. As he wiped the droplets from his skin, he felt the memories of the past fading into nothingness, leaving behind only one constant thought: Odette.

The elusive and vexing woman had disappeared without a trace, even after he had combed the trails that wound through the forest.

Bastian drew in a deep breath, his heart pounding with determination as he lengthened his strides. He knew that Odette was somewhere within the sprawling grounds of the grand mansion, even if she had lost her way. The chances of a catastrophic accident were low, but still, he couldn’t shake the intense emotions that consumed him.

The memory of the unpleasant dinner table argument lingered, and despite his knowledge of her  innocence, he couldn’t stop the hurtful words that had slipped from his tongue. 

Bastian became dejected as he realized that this kind of conflict was all too often. Yet he didn’t let it break him; he used his fortitude and fortitude to confront it. He set out to locate the starting place with fresh vigor.

Although there were still traces of winter in the air, the setting sun shed a warm glow over the early spring evening. And it was at this precise time that the unlucky woman took off her veil.

He felt a sense of regret as he realized he should have taken the chance that fateful night. In the stillness of the night, the burden of his inaction weighed heavily on him. He might have been nothing more than a fleeting memory or a one-night stand if he had just seized the chance. Even if destiny reunited them as husband and wife, their relationship would never be the same as it may have been.

The emperor’s decree held immense weight, but even its power could not compel him to cross paths again with the woman who peddled her flesh in the shadowy corners of the gambling den. He had brought her into his world, against his better judgment, and it was a mistake that could not be undone. But if this was to be the end, then it should be concluded with precision, according to plan.

Bastian’s mind sliced through the haze of uncertainty with a resolute decision, much like the young boy of his past who bound his own wrists to shield himself from the tumultuous nights.

He noticed the presence of people on the road going to the cliff overlooking the sea about the time he understood that more searches would be required.

With cautious steps, Bastian drew closer to the towering tree that stood sentinel at the edge of the cliff. A heavy exhale escaped his lips as he spotted a figure beneath its gnarled roots, lost in deep contemplation.

“Odette,” 

He breathed, the sound barely audible above the rustling leaves.

At the sound of her name, the woman caked in mud slowly turned her head towards him. And in that moment, Bastian knew that it was his wife, Odette.