Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 65



Only Noblemtl

Episode 65. The Painting Walter Wanted
2023.09.14.

When making his second deal with Elodie.

Walter deliberately told Elodie clearly what he was after.

– Seduce Louis Clovis into marriage.

– Marriage is a fragile institution. It has too many holes to completely tie up one person.

– And unfortunately, I have no intention of leaving even a single possibility open.

At first glance, it seems like he gave Elodie the order to ‘make Louis marry,’ but the core of this conversation was somewhere else.

He told her that Walter wanted Odette and that was why he ordered her to marry in order to keep Louis in check.

At first glance, it seemed like there was not much difference from the initial demands, but he naturally leaked other information.

And he even blatantly revealed the changed positions and made a coercive proposal.

Frightened and blinded by vanity, Elodie forgot that this was a bait that was deliberately put out and immediately took it.

– So, does the 4th princess know that Your Majesty is this kind of person? That you are the kind of person who does these things behind the scenes… … .

She knew that you cared about Odette, so she tried to threaten Odette.

Of course, Walter cut it off like a knife, and Elodie acted as if she had calmed down a bit, and the deal ended.

However, Walter knew very well that Elodie would not really settle for the reality that was handed to him.

Because Elodie was a woman who had tried to approach Walter several times in the past that no longer exists.

A woman who was the embodiment of vanity and greed.

“That’s what I liked. If you don’t have desire, you won’t move at all, but a person who is full of desire can’t control themselves even for a moment.”

And since the desire is clear, it’s easy to read their actions.

That’s why Walter gave Elodie very good things from the beginning.

Ertmann’s halo, and the luxurious and extravagant things that he gained.

And perhaps even the faint hope that she could become Duchess Ertmann and enjoy all these things for the rest of her life.

After blinding her with those sweet things, Walter took them all away in an instant.

Instead, he offered her a compensation that was much less than what he had initially given her.

If he had just taken everything away and kicked her out, she would have been able to give up her greed, even if it was difficult.

Walter acted as if he had shown her a little tolerance, preventing Elodie from giving up her slim hope.

Naturally, he had expected that Elodie would not be satisfied with this compensation.

“Considering your obsession and desires, I thought you would definitely find your next target.”

Someone who could threaten or threaten Walter using the cards he had in his hands.

And the candidate for that was obvious.

“Louis Clovis. He is the only one who should be sought after.”

In other words, Walter had not even expected that Elodie would faithfully follow his orders and seduce Louis.

Of course, this was not the result that Walter had aimed for.

He wanted Elodie to go to Louis and tell him what she had been ordered to do.

Then Louis would foolishly realize that Walter had tried to separate him and Odette.

‘Louis Clovis joined hands with Elodie Montoire and tried to attack me from behind.’

That was the picture Walter had wanted.

The problem was that Louis had regained his memories much faster than Walter had expected, and had started to create variables.

Instead of going around the social circles like he had done before, he had met with scholars and researched his condition.

And finally, to some extent, he seemed to have come close to the truth, that is, to his ‘past memories.’

‘I was really surprised when I met you at the palace.’

Louis’ past images overlapped for a moment.

However, after watching him for a while, it seemed that Louis had not yet completely regained his memories.

In many ways, it was fortunate.

If Louis had regained all his memories, Walter would have sought a way to kill him as quickly as possible.

However, it was too early to feel relieved.

Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t take long for

Louis to regain all his memories. So Walter kept a close watch on Odette, and quietly followed Louis’s footsteps behind her.

Of course, the reason he frequented the masquerade ball was also an extension of that, and Elodie was also showing signs of doing something foolish, such as making slush funds, just as Walter had expected.

In short, everything seemed to be going smoothly at first glance.

At least until this incident happened today.

“I set the stage for Louis to get Clovis involved, and then he suddenly joined hands with Blake.”

Even without asking, it was obvious that Elodie had not taken the initiative.

Not only would Elodie not have thought of bringing Blake in, but there was no way for her to meet Blake.

If that were the case, the circumstances could be narrowed down to one.

Louis refused to cooperate with Elodie, and Blake, who had sensed it, approached Elodie.

However, Walter wanted to know something else.

“Elodie Montoire.”

“Yes, ugh, yes… …”

“Tell me everything about the condition of Louis Clovis you met, and what he said to you. That’s the only reason I’m keeping you alive right now.”

About whether Louis had really regained all of his memories.

* * *

Step, step.

The black shoes walked around the room where only two people were present.

Since one of the two was tied to the chair, not just his feet, but his entire body, the owner of the shoes was clear.

Walter Ertmann.

After hearing everything about Louis’ condition from Elodie, he was muttering to himself and pacing around the room.

“This is really too much. You asked if I could endure it, but it seems like you’ve put in all sorts of obstacles… … If you’re going to grant my wish, I can go a little easier.”

He’s really picky, even though he’s giving his heart.

Walter muttered something incomprehensible to himself and frowned.

And Elodie, tied to the chair, was watching the whole scene, trembling.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

He came in as if he was going to cut off my head at any moment, but he didn’t say anything to me and just mumbled incomprehensible things.

Because of that, Elodie’s head was about to explode.

Even though things had come to this, she desperately wanted to live, so she confessed everything she knew.

– When I approached Louis Clovis, oh, as soon as I mentioned the name Odette, his face changed… … .

– And when he heard that I was your man, he told me to get out, so I tried a few more times, but the results were the same. I

thought Walter would let me live if I said what he wanted, so I tried to rake out all the words that were not there and talked nonsense.

But Walter, after hearing all that, didn’t say a word about letting me live, and just mumbled to himself or something like that.

‘Are you trying to save me? Or are you trying to kill me?’

There might be a clue that could save my life among the words Walter was mumbling.

I racked my brain over that thought, but no matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t interpret those words.

No, it wasn’t just that I couldn’t interpret them, it was to the point where I looked like I was crazy.

How could someone who was obsessed with one thing and couldn’t see anything around them be sane?

The moment she saw Walter’s eerie green eyes, absorbed in his thoughts, Elodie had a gut feeling.

‘This man is crazy.’

　
She realized then how foolish it was to try to interpret his mutterings.

The reason why Walter, who was so thorough, was talking to himself so freely now was simple.

He didn’t even think there was anyone in front of him.

He would die soon anyway, and then his secret would be buried forever.

To Walter, Elodie had already become a non-existent person.

The moment she realized this, tears fell down her face in fear.

And Elodie’s mind instinctively searched for someone to blame.

‘I shouldn’t have believed him! That damn bastard tricked me!’

Of course, Elodie had no intention of being satisfied with this.

If only she had the chance, she would have captured the 4th princess and her maid and beaten them all until their bodies were covered in blood, but she simply gritted her teeth and didn’t dare to try.

If only it weren’t for that damn bastard!

-Don’t you want revenge? I’ll help you.

A sharp-looking young man with curly blue hair.

Second Prince Blake Rodel Celestine.

Elodie was surprised that someone could exist who was both so boring and dangerous at the same time.

Blake certainly had a handsome appearance, but anyone who spoke to him would know that he

had both the soft feathers of a white dove and the black tongue of a snake.

However, dangerous things tend to be equally fascinating, and the drink that the black tongue offered seemed too sweet.

-Kidnap the fourth princess’s maid and lock her up somewhere. She’s the maid that she cherishes so much. I’ll take care of the rest. After that, you can do whatever you want with the maid. You can get revenge, and I can get what I want, so isn’t that a good thing?

But Elodie was a woman with a good head even in this situation.

– Ha, but I don’t see any reason to take such a risk. I don’t think I need to go that far.

– Don’t you want to get away from Ertmann? It seems like you’re not on very good terms with him.

-… …!

– Don’t worry about the aftermath. I’ll take care of your safety and getting you away from him.

His words sounded sweeter than any temptation.

Especially since Elodie wasn’t satisfied with her new social life at all.

‘If I can get away from Duke Ertmann’s threats, I can live a glamorous life too.’

Elodie thought that the reason she had to live this shabby life was all because of Odette and Walter.

The chaperone Walter had given her was a skewer-like person who couldn’t even refute blatant ridicule, and the dresses she could get on her reduced budget were extremely crude.

Naturally, she couldn’t wear as many jewel decorations as before.

Everything was disappointing, and the more it was, the stronger her longing for the upper-class life she had missed became.

When she closed her eyes, the dresses and luxurious life that had once been hers flashed before her eyes.

Walter’s plan had hit the mark.

Elodie was drowning in vain delusions and greed.