Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 73



Only Noblemtl

Episode 73. Truth (3)
2023.10.12.

The sun began to set.

Walter realized this fact only when he realized that the shadows setting on his blood were indistinguishable. When he raised his head, he could see the sun setting over the western mountains along the dark sky.

Given the nature of this area, it would probably be dark in less than five minutes.

Walter thought as he lightly swung his sword, dripping blood, using only his wrist.

‘I guess I won’t be able to keep my promise with Russell.’

However, he didn’t feel that it was a big deal.

Just as no matter how much you beat the cut flesh, you wouldn’t feel pain, Walter’s nerves were literally numb.

He hadn’t felt the weight of the work or the highs and lows of its value for a long time.

Ironically, it was only after he became like this that Walter realized that this was his true nature.

It was just that he had learned social norms early on with his excellent learning ability, so he was judging everything with reason.

He was originally like this. A human being who felt that nothing was important and nothing was valuable.

Everything in Walter’s life was worthless except for one thing.

That face that still comes to mind when he closes his eyes.

‘… Odette.’

It would have been better if he had a bad memory, but Walter’s memory was too good.

Because of that, he had to watch the scenes that were constantly replayed in his head.

From the very first moment, when the girl met Cedric, to the sight of Countess Clovis withering away day by day.

What tormented Walter the most was the fact that he could do nothing at all during those moments.

The reason was simple. Because Odette didn’t want it.

He had clearly reached out to Odette. He had told her to take his hand because he could save her.

Odette chose death instead of taking his hand.

What a fool.

‘No, that woman was always like that.’

All of his choices were poor.

From the very beginning, choosing someone like Louis Clovis was like that. Even

though he was holding hands with Cedric, he didn’t show it on the outside and just endured the abuse.

Even though it was obvious that married life was terrible, I couldn’t betray my husband and threw my hand away, all that!

– I’m unlucky, Duke. Maybe I was born with misfortune.

Thinking back on those words made me laugh even harder.

If it were possible, I would have grabbed those thin shoulders with both hands and shouted.

You weren’t born with misfortune, but you were on the path to making yourself unhappy.

You were the one who kicked away all the opportunities that were given to you.

Why should he suffer so much because of this damned foolish, stupid, and utterly stupid woman?

She was the one who made that stupid choice, so why!

‘You reaped what you sowed. You strangled yourself with your own hands.’

The suicide of such a woman was nothing more or less than a dog’s death.

But why was he being swayed by that dog’s death so much?

Walter’s mind constantly belittled and criticized the dead Odette.

He laughed at Odette, who kicked away his hand that was trying to help him, and resented the fact that she had made him like this.

Then, when all of that became unbearable, Walter thought as if his head was being split open with an axe.

‘I want to forget everything about Odette.’

Then I wouldn’t have to mourn your death.

That moment right before you fell from the balcony.

-If I seemed even a little pitiful… … Please let me go, Duke Ertmann.

I wouldn’t have to remember that voice so vividly.

I wouldn’t have to regret not being able to stop you that day, for carelessly letting you go… …

“… … ”

Walter’s head dropped.

The blood that had flowed down the tip of his nose dripped down and soaked his feet.

Even at such moments, Walter didn’t cry. He was a man far from tears to begin with.

It was the same that day.

The day he visited Count Clovis’s mansion. And the day Odette died.

Even when Odette, who had passed him by, fell from the balcony, and there was a thud,

even when he had grabbed Louis by the collar and screamed like a man who had lost his mind, Walter’s face was dry.

He didn’t even try to check Odette’s body. He

could sense Odette’s death without even looking. At the same time, he was afraid to confirm it with

his own eyes. So many emotions were mixed together that he couldn’t even be sure what he was feeling.

The rage that was clawing at his stomach was clearly hot, but his head had cooled down without a single tear.

Even at the moment when the terrible sorrow tore through his heart, his resentment for Odette’s foolishness did not subside.

However, one thing was certain.

From that day on, all of Walter’s judgment had disappeared.

‘I should have killed that bastard, Louis Clovis, that day.’

There had been a clear line between killing and not killing, but now it was blurred, and he could only feel the traces if he felt it with his hand.

Nothing felt important or valuable, and all lives seemed no different from tree leaves.

It didn’t take even a moment for the emptiness that had always swayed at his ankles to engulf his entire body.

In the midst of all this, Arnold’s suggestion to go to the battlefield was somewhat appealing.

At least if he went there, there would be plenty of work to do and lives to kill. Maybe he

could relieve some of the feelings that alcohol and sleeping pills couldn’t erase.

If there was no other way, it wouldn’t be bad to just die here.

That’s what he thought.

But.

‘It’s not that different here.’

Walter thought absentmindedly as he roughly wiped off the blood on his sword and put it back in its sheath.

Even though he killed people out of habit, his emotions didn’t subside.

Just like Odette, who wouldn’t return no matter how much he resented, got angry, and criticized her.

‘If I can’t forget her, does this mean I have to keep living like this?’

Is there any meaning to this life, is it worth it?

Walter asked himself blankly and took a step.

Then he stumbled heavily.

He had continued the battle without properly stopping the bleeding, and it seemed that he had lost a lot of blood without even realizing it.

‘… … I think I should find a place to hide from the wind.’

The darkness was getting darker and darker.

He wouldn’t be able to move around when it got completely dark, so he had to find a cave or something before that.

Walter staggered and took a few more steps.

“Ugh… … Die… …!”

With a thud, Walter turned around.

Among the piled corpses, one of them, who had pretended to be dead, had attacked Walter with all his might.

However, Walter twisted his body as soon as he realized the surprise attack, so the sword avoided the vital spot.

Instead, since Walter was also in bad shape, the sword completely avoided it and tore into Walter’s side.

A sense of despair rose over the man’s face as he realized that his surprise attack had failed.

“Damn it… !”

“You’re doing something useless.”

Walter’s sword cut through his opponent, who frowned slightly in pain.

The opponent collapsed without even leaving a will.

If the sound of boiling blood as he died could be considered a will, then so be it.

Walter turned around without hesitation. It would be bad if he had been bleeding a lot and had been wounded like this.

His already unsteady steps had become even more unstable, and to make matters worse, darkness was now falling.

Walter clutched his torn side and searched for a nearby cave, and collapsed as soon as he stepped inside.

Although he knew that he had to light a fire and stop the bleeding in order to avoid freezing to death, he had no intention of doing anything.

‘Will it be better if I close my eyes here?’

Then, would I no longer have to worry about that woman’s business?

He had never been attached to life in the first place.

He had lived without any shortcomings, so he had no regrets.

The only regret he had left was…

‘… Odette.’

It was that he couldn’t save her.

We weren’t even that close, so why did her absence feel so great?

He missed Odette terribly.

It was okay to be stupid. It was okay to always choose the path that leads to misfortune.

It was okay to hate himself terribly, but he just wanted to see her once more.

If only he could see her smile just once, like the day he first saw her…

“… …?”

Walter slowly raised his fallen body.

It was because he sensed something strange.

He took out the pendant hanging from his neck and held it in his hand.

It didn’t look like it was made of expensive jewelry, but it was the one Odette had given him when she had rejected Walter’s offer.

– I don’t know if I’ll ever use it… … but it will be useful someday.

– What is it used for?

– I can’t tell you. You’ll know when you really need it, so I recommend that you always carry it with you.

Walter had thought so even if Odette didn’t say so.

It was the only thing Walter had received from Odette.

But for some reason, the pendant was vibrating faintly.

‘What on earth could it be?’

He had guessed that it wasn’t just a simple pendant.

After Odette’s death, it was revealed that she had been helping with magic research at Belfort Academy.

It was probably just a magic tool with a minor detection or protection spell.

In fact, it was actually very hard to obtain, but it didn’t give Walter much of an impression.

However, when he saw the pendant working, his body began to move as if it was being led. His

face was still pale, but he had some energy left.

So he staggered into the cave.

To be exact, into something that was shining inside the cave.

The further he went in, the stronger the light became, and Walter could see where it was coming from.

It was an altar.

No, strictly speaking, an old dagger placed on the altar.

The light was leaking out from the phrase written on the dagger’s handle.

‘Is it filled with magic?’

Walter picked up the dagger and slowly read the text with his fingertips.

However.

‘… … I don’t know.’

It was written in some dead language.

At least it didn’t seem to be written in one of the six languages ​​Walter had learned.

Walter frowned and then half-heartedly placed the pendant against the dagger.

Then.

Whoa-!

As soon as the light shone, the old and rusty dagger instantly became shiny new as if it had been made fresh.

And the text had also changed.

As if someone had interpreted the ambiguous text.

[If you want what you want, give something in return.]