Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

Episode 56. Suspicious Ellie
2023.08.13.

It may seem a bit out of the blue, but it was a pretty reasonable idea.

Sleeping in was a privilege that only the powerful hostess, who didn’t have to worry about anyone’s feelings, could enjoy.

‘… … It was in the book Ellie was reading.’

The book Ellie had recently become obsessed with, .

Odette hadn’t read the book herself, but because Ellie often talked about it, Odette knew the contents.

The book was literally the story of an ‘abandoned’ countess.

The book begins with the strange daily life of a truly abandoned countess, who had been living in solitude without ever seeing her husband because he disappeared right after she got married.

However, before she had even turned ten pages, the countess’s daily life completely changed when her husband, who had gone missing, suddenly returned.

The nights with her husband, and the days without him.

And one of those changed daily lives was sleeping in.

‘There was a story that the countess slept late, unlike before, and no one said anything.’

The servants could not dare to disturb the countess’s sleep, who was loved by the count.

In other words, sleeping late was something that only an authoritative hostess could do!

‘I have to stay at Ertmann from now on, so it’s important to take the initiative.’

Of course, Ertmann’s servants, including Emma, ​​were very kind and affectionate.

However, Odette did not want to rule out the possibility that there might be some.

So she talked to Walter about the possibility of territoriality even in the carriage she was riding in.

-You said you didn’t have to worry about the servants, but it’s not that easy. It’s also important how great the person you serve is.

However, Walter looked as if he didn’t understand Odette’s distress at all.

-They only work for Ertmann, so is that important?

-Of course. If the master I have to serve was not very respectable, would I feel like serving him with all my heart?

-You are not an unrespectable master. Also, if anyone treats you lightly, I swear that I will punish them severely on Ertmann’s coat of arms.

– I appreciate that you say that, but I don’t want to go that far.

It’s hard to change public opinion among the servants once it’s formed, unless I replace all of them.

– Most of you probably know that I’m an illegitimate princess. I don’t want to be looked down on because of that. I don’t want to be a burden to you either.

So I’ll do my best, Odette clenched her fists.

– I’ll show you the dignity befitting a princess!

Looking back, I think it was just a pointless taunt I created to ride the wave.

Now that I’ve said that, I can’t say anything to Walter even if I really feel threatened.

‘That’s why I have to sleep in!’

Odette made a firm resolution.

I’m going to seize the initiative!

* * *

To cut to the chase, I failed.

Both sleeping in and seizing the initiative.

‘I forgot that I’ve never left the palace… … .’

Odette, who had never changed her sleeping place in her entire life, had trouble sleeping at Ertmann.

Of course, she had slept outside once, but that was because she had been drugged, so let’s leave that aside.

In the end, Odette stayed up all night and came out before the dawn had even cleared. She

was tired of rolling around in bed endlessly.

‘The sun will rise soon, so I should read a book.’

Since she had no chance of taking the initiative by sleeping in late, she was planning to become a diligent and educated hostess.

And that brought about an unexpected result.

“Hmm? Odette, you’re up already?”

“… … Marquis de Fuarte?”

Likewise, she ran into Arnold, who had woken up early in the morning.

Arnold, who had been going out in light training clothes, perhaps thinking of going to the training ground, clicked his tongue at Odette’s pale face.

“You look awful. Why don’t you sleep any more?”

“I can’t sleep. Why are you up so early, Marquis?”

“I usually wake up at this hour. I’ve been a knight for a long time, so I’m used to it. Besides, I’ve gotten older and I can’t sleep in the morning, so… …”

Then Arnold glanced at Odette strangely and asked,

“Is that, Walter, still asleep?”

“Well, I’m sure Walter is in his room. Should I go and check if you want?”

“Oh, no. Don’t know, that’s enough! I’ll go and see.”

It was not an illusion that Arnold’s expression, as he turned around after saying that, seemed strangely relieved.

Arnold had worried that Walter and Odette might already be sharing a room.

If Odette had told him that she was sharing a room with Walter, he would have immediately broken the leg of his shameless and unscrupulous grandson.

‘Hmm, hmm! But you seem to know how to keep the line.’

Arnold headed to the training ground with a much relieved heart, thinking that it was fortunate that he had been quite worried after hearing Müller’s story yesterday.

And after that, Arnold and Odette continued to meet every morning.

It was because Odette had been losing sleep at night and taking a nap due to exhaustion, and they kept meeting every morning.

Except for the fact that Odette was a little tired, it was a good thing in the end.

Thanks to this, Arnold and Odette had more time to spend in the mornings together, and Arnold really liked that time.

Thanks to that, Arnold eventually gave up before five days had even passed.

“If you like it, then there’s nothing I can do. Get married!”

In addition, it was also thanks to Walter and Odette who had been constantly adding firewood to make their relationship seem hot.

“But if you guys start to feel distant, I’ll file for divorce right away! Just know that.”

“I feel so secure because I have you, Grandfather. Thank you.”

“Ahem, ahem! Why are you doing this? If Walter gets upset, tell me, my dear!”

Let’s be honest.

In fact, the firewood and all, the title ‘my dear’ played a big role.

Odette had been saying this to him while drinking tea.

– If Walter and I get married, the Marquis and I will be family. Then… … Then can I call you Grandfather? Of course, if you want, you can call me your granddaughter-in-law.

Arnold’s eyes sparkled as brightly as ever at the title “Grandfather” that Odette called him.

“Grandfather, Grandfather!!”

　
Of course, Walter had called him the same, but how could that rascally grandson call him the same as Odette?

Aside from the fact that he was not happy about Walter and Odette’s marriage, the presence of the granddaughter-in-law that he had been longing for was still resonating with Arnold’s heart.

Arnold tried not to show it and asked carefully.

– So, can I call you… … honey?

– Of course, Grandfather.

Arnold was taken aback by that clear answer.

The power of “honey” was truly great.

Thanks to that, Walter, who had not expected it to be resolved so quickly, was a little bewildered.

However, Walter had no intention of missing the opportunity that came to him for such a mere reason, so he began to speed up his wedding preparations before Arnold’s mind changed.

The wedding was really just around the corner, and everything seemed to be going well.

The side effect of this method came from an unexpected person.

* * *

“What the heck, really! What are you going to do if you can’t even wear a wedding dress!”

Odette was rarely avoiding eye contact.

The reason was simple.

Ellie, who had come to see Odette for the first time in a while, was trying on a dress, and her shoulder, where Walter’s engravings were still visible, was completely exposed.

And immediately after that, Ellie couldn’t help but be angry.

“Your Majesty, you have no conscience! How could you think of scarring this skin?”

“… … That’s right.”

In fact, it was Odette who first suggested this method, but Ellie’s fury was a little scary to Odette.

She decided to turn her gaze away from her guilt and shift the responsibility to Walter.

“For the time being, no matter what the Duke does, you can’t ignore it! The wedding dress is designed with a low shoulder.”

“… … Yes, that’s right.”

I forgot about that. I forgot, and was so focused on persuading Sir Arnold… … .

“I knew this would happen! I shouldn’t have let the Duke and His Highness get together! I should have protected His Highness somehow!”

“… … I’m sorry.”

“Your Highness shouldn’t feel sorry! If you set your mind to hunting, anyone will fall into a trap. But you need to be careful.”

The world is dangerous these days, so Ellie said that she needed to be even more careful, and she began covering up the scar on Odette’s shoulder with various cosmetics.

“If you do this much, it won’t be noticeable. You have to go to the palace tomorrow, so be careful. What if you get involved in something dangerous?”

“How could something like that happen in the palace? And I’m not a powerless princess like before.”

“If there is no power, there is no need to be checked. Your Highness knows best that the palace is not a place where you can be completely safe.”

“That is true, but… … .”

As Ellie said, the palace was not a completely safe place, so most of the routes Odette took were on roads where many people passed by.

And she had the ability to protect herself.

Ellie was one of the few who knew that, so she was curious why she emphasized safety so much.

Fortunately, her doubts were quickly resolved.

“It’s because of something that happened to me recently. When I tried to help someone who asked for directions, they tried to grab me. Fortunately, I was able to escape, but it made me realize once again how dangerous the world has become.”

“… … That happened? Are you okay, Ellie?”

“I was a little surprised, but I’m okay. Maybe it was a missionary group or something? I happened to go on a road where many commoners passed by, so they must have mistaken me for a rich commoner.”

As Ellie said, these types of crimes mostly target rich commoners.

If it was discovered that you had carelessly messed with a noble, you would be punished just as much as you would have messed with a commoner.

Besides, nobles are the privileged class, so they just don’t bother to mess with them.

“Just be careful from now on and don’t go down that road.”

“Still… … Should I give you some security? I could just ask Walter.”

“Oh, no! It’s really fine! Really! I, I’m more comfortable going alone!”

When Walter’s story came up, Ellie was startled, stammered violently, and waved her hands.

“… … Really? I understand.”

A little, to the point of being suspicious.