Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 48



Only Noblemtl

Episode 48. Jealousy for the First Time
2023.07.16.

Of course, Walter also knew that the current royal family was not a very harmonious family.

In fact, it would be more natural to say that there was no one among the high-ranking nobles who did not know him.

But why was Cedric so happy to be going to see his younger sister?

Walter thought of someone Cedric could call his younger sister.

“Isn’t the 3rd princess attending the academy?”

“Even lower.”

“Oh, there was another one.”

Since she did not appear at any official events and there was no way to hear any news, he had forgotten about the 4th princess.

“I heard nothing, but she was attending the academy?”

“She is walking quietly. She hates being noticed.”

By the time Cedric finished speaking, they were halfway down the road.

They saw a girl reading a book under the shade of a tree in the backyard of the building. She said she

hated being noticed, but it was a place where no one would go.

Her silver hair, which hung down to her waist, swayed slightly in the wind, and her lips were slightly pursed, perhaps because she was focused on the bookshelf.

Her face was not particularly pretty, but she had an impression that was enough to make her look pretty.

‘We don’t really look alike.’

If anything, Cedric was a striking beauty.

Her lines were not thick, but her features were sharp and refreshing.

Furthermore, perhaps because of their differences in personality, Cedric and Odette’s auras were so different that unless you put them next to each other and let them know that they were siblings, they didn’t look like siblings at all.

At least, that was until the girl who sensed the presence took her eyes off the bookshelf.

The girl, who raised her head like a wary rabbit, smiled brightly as soon as she found Cedric.

A simple smile that was a mixture of surprise, joy, and goodwill toward Cedric.

“Brother? What are you doing here?”

“I have something to tell you.”

Walter stood far enough away so as not to disturb their meeting, and watched Cedric talk to Odette.

To put it more intuitively, he watched Odette.

Cedric was still as fake as ever, so it wasn’t all that new.

And the girl’s face, which seemed to be quite happy to have a short conversation with Cedric, was a little impressive.

‘I don’t think I know what I’m looking at.’

Her face was filled with affection for Cedric, as if she were a wagging puppy.

Whatever Cedric had done, he had clearly seduced her.

And Walter didn’t bother to hide this suspicion.

“Cedric, what did you do to seduce her that your sister likes you so much? Did you give her money?”

“No, she has a lot of pride. She doesn’t like things I do for her. She welcomes it when I draw a line.”

“But she likes you so much? Why?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

In Walter’s eyes, Cedric was the same type of person he was.

A person who was quick to speak without empathy and who only interacted with others to use them.

If there was a type of person who deserved to be loved, they were definitely the exact opposite.

People who could win the favor of others by putting on a show, but would never receive unconditional love or favor from anyone.

Because of that, he would occasionally feel empty, but it was something Walter was already familiar with.

He had no expectations about that part since his parents abandoned him.

‘They abandoned him because he wasn’t a person worth embracing.’

How could a person who had even abandoned his parents expect the affection of others?

It was especially comforting that there was Cedric, who was in a similar situation, around him.

‘There’s someone like Cedric.’

He thought that the familiar emptiness and emptiness that would come when he forgot about it wasn’t just his.

Cedric was also an unlovable person.

Thinking about it made him feel better. It was a low-level mentality.

But then, Odette appeared in front of Walter.

Odette, who unconditionally gives favor to Cedric, who is an unlovable person, without any particular reason.

‘… What’s so special about him?’

When I asked Cedric, he said that he had never given anything to his sister. He

had never approached her first and treated her affectionately, nor were they close.

At that time, Odette had not claimed to be Cedric’s confidant, so there was even less contact between the siblings.

“I don’t know why. I guess she treats me quite intimately because I’m her family.”

“You’re not the only two siblings, are you?”

“Hmm… The others are a bit fierce.”

Cedric shrugged, thinking that perhaps he had no one else to cling to.

He had already enjoyed Odette’s favor to the fullest, so he hadn’t thought much about the reason.

However, Walter, who was a step away, could clearly see that Cedric’s words were nonsense.

‘If a person can cling to someone who is no different from a stranger, he would have clung to someone else too.’

The favor that Odette showed Cedric wasn’t simply because he was her blood relative.

It was just that kind of person.

Even if he wasn’t someone worth loving, he could still love someone like Cedric or herself.

‘… … Can’t I take that away from you?’

It was the first time he felt jealousy.

He wanted to take away the favor that was being given to Cedric.

It was a desire that could not be filled by anyone else. Because they only love people who are lovable.

However, Odette loved Cedric, who was not a lovable person at all.

If she could love someone who was not lovable.

If she could shower Cedric with such affection.

‘Then… … .’

I could love him too.

Of course, he thought it would be impossible, so a desire that he had never had before suddenly rose in his throat.

The slight possibility that he saw for the first time was all the more tempting.

Walter unconsciously avoided Cedric’s gaze and approached Odette, planning a series of steps to seduce her.

However, before he could even reach the end, his mind immediately hit him in the head.

‘You’re out of your mind. What are you taking away from me?’

It was an incredibly petty thought.

It was obvious that Odette would not accept him just because he was kind to Cedric. It meant that the very idea of ​​taking away was an absurd assumption.

He couldn’t believe that he had thought that way even though he knew it.

“Idiot.”

Even though he cursed at himself, Odette’s face, happy to see her brother, would not leave his mind.

No, it became even clearer, and in his imagination, she was now smiling at him.

　
The silver hair that swayed around his waist, the tips of his fingers that turned the pages of the book, the golden eyes that caught the late afternoon sunlight, and the red lips that drew thin arcs… … .

“Damn.”

Walter eventually had trouble sleeping that night.

Fortunately, he was able to quickly forget about Odette.

It was thanks to his distance from Cedric that

he had been able to do so. However, even if he had kept thinking about Odette, nothing would have developed further.

That was because Cedric was so diligent in cleaning up Odette’s surroundings.

“My sister? She’s doing well. But why are you asking? Are you trying to approach her too? Oh, come to think of it, I think we talked about sparring with real swords last time. Should we do it now, Walter?”

“… … I won’t. Calm down.”

“I already wanted to kill a fly,

Xavier or something, next to Odette, so let’s not get carried away. Okay?” Thanks to the fly that appeared at a good time, Regis, and Cedric’s guard became tight, Walter forgot Odette cleanly without even trying.

It wasn’t a particularly strong memory to begin with, so forgetting was easy.

If Odette and Cedric’s relationship continued to be harmonious, the thought suddenly crossed his mind that they might meet again someday at a banquet hall or something.

‘The Fourth Princess doesn’t really do much outside activities.’

That wouldn’t happen.

That’s what he thought back then. Until he witnessed Odette proposing a contract marriage to

Louis at the victory celebration party he attended upon returning to the capital

… Walter snapped out of his thoughts with an unpleasant feeling. What was the point of recalling the fact that his desire for her had been lingering? ‘Odette hates me anyway.

’ In the past, and in the present, she was only for Louis. That fact tormented Walter. When she told Arnold that the cage looked good, she was being completely honest. If she could tie Odette up with something visible like a cage, rather than something as crude as marriage, this lowly heart would feel a little relieved. ‘My grandfather is talking nonsense and it bothers me.’ The Arnold that Walter knew was quite a persistent person.

I told Arnold that I would marry him whether he asked me to or not, but what if Arnold succeeded in dissuading Odette?

‘And then there’s that Cedric guy.’

There was no guarantee that Cedric wouldn’t have said something similar to Odette after sending me the letter.

And Odette really liked my brother, so Cedric’s dissuasion would be much more effective than Arnold’s words.

‘There are obstacles everywhere.’

Walter frowned and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

‘Odette wouldn’t ask to call off the marriage, would she?’

Of course, he had no intention of backing down. Who would want to back down after coming this far?

So no matter what anyone said, nothing would change.

He would just become a little more miserable.

Walter frowned, clutching his cold heart.

‘… … Yes. Nothing would change.’

After all, Odette had never wanted this marriage, or Walter, from the beginning.

* * *

The nightmare came sooner than expected.

On the day of the wedding announcement.

“I saw your grandfather again. He came to see me in person. He told me to reconsider marrying you.”

Damn it.

While Walter swallowed his curses, Odette continued talking.

“And then your brother sent me a letter, and he said the same thing.” She

should have killed Cedric after all.

Walter tried hard to suppress his teeth and opened his mouth.

“… … So? Are you trying to tell me that you want to break off the marriage?”

“No way. All we have to do is get married. I just wanted to tell you why you wanted me as your marriage partner.”

Walter frowned at those words.

Could it be that his grandfather had gone to say something useless… … .

“You chose me because you had no one else to marry?”

… … No.