Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 75



Only Noblemtl

Episode 75. Truth (5)
2023.10.19.

Bringing them back from the dead and granting their wishes, but instead making them disappear after a certain amount of time.

Thinking back, it was a very reasonable deal.

‘The fact that the method of use is to stab their own heart is the same.’

They should have already died at that moment, so it wouldn’t make a difference even if they died a year or two later.

Walter was the same. He didn’t really feel anything about the fact that his existence would soon be erased if he went back in time.

After all, there was only one thing he wanted.

To see Odette again.

And.

‘To make it so that she wouldn’t die.’

If Odette was a human born with misfortune, as she said, then now that he had that misfortune, he planned to do whatever it took to prevent the tragedy that would befall Odette. He

would prevent her marriage to Louis, prevent Cedric from dying, and give Odette a fortune that she could spend her entire life on.

Cedric’s death wasn’t that hard to prepare for.

‘That’s because it was the death I’d been chasing.’

There were many ways to prepare for it.

And the rest was a very simple way to achieve it all at once.

That was, marry Walter himself.

‘No matter how much I think about it, there is no marriage partner that can replace Louis Clovis.’ There

weren’t many high-ranking nobles who could afford to marry a princess.

Clovis would have been happy to accept Odette.

‘That’s why he would have no problem persecuting someone who was a princess.’

The few who were there were all married or were just plain worthless in Walter’s eyes.

If a person was okay, they either had no money in their family or were troublemakers, and if they were from a wealthy family or had no family to worry about, the person who would actually marry them was a poor man.

‘The fact that they haven’t married yet means they’re a flawed man.’

Odette didn’t choose Louis as her marriage partner for nothing. Rather

than supporting Odette with those idiots, I thought it would be better for me.

Regardless of my feelings for Odette, I can assure you that this was a conclusion reached solely based on rational and reasonable judgment, without any selfishness.

‘Louis Clovis, in particular, is absolutely not a good idea.’

As someone who witnessed Odette’s marriage and death from the side, Odette would not have died even if she hadn’t married Louis.

No, at least if she hadn’t cared about Louis… … .

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

– … … Why do you think that?

– Because the love I had once in my life was ruined like this.

At that time, Odette didn’t say directly who she loved. It was

just that.

– In this situation, even love is difficult.

I could have heard her mumbling to herself.

Maybe Walter could have asked Odette directly who she loved.

But at that time, he couldn’t do that.

Walter and Odette weren’t that close, and since she had rejected Walter’s proposal for love, who else could she talk to?

‘Louis Clovis, of course.’

But he didn’t want to hear the conclusion he had just come up with from Odette’s mouth again.

So he remained silent, and only one proposition lingered in Walter’s mind.

Odette loved Louis.

‘She’s someone who can be loved even if she’s not particularly lovable, so it’s not that surprising.’

How could he only choose such useless people to give him affection?

His judgment was terribly distorted. When he thought of Louis’s face the last time he saw him, it was even more so.

– Walter Ertmann, you were just that kind of writer. A shameless writer who covets other people’s wives. Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to come here and grab me by the collar, right?

– No matter how much you struggle, Odette is my wife. That won’t change.

Even while sarcastically speaking, Louis looked half-mad.

His expression was completely different from the one he had drunkenly muttered about how he hated lofty people like his wife, and how he was so great that he looked down on him.

It felt like looking into a mirror.

He hadn’t actually looked into a mirror, so he couldn’t confirm it, but Walter must have had the same expression on his face.

Louis Clovis, he had driven Odette to death, and he had been terribly shocked by Odette’s death.

Even while he was locked up in Duke Ertmann’s mansion and living like a wreck, he occasionally heard news of him.

Russell, who could not stand his master who only responded to news about Odette, often brought news about Clovis.

– There is a story going around that Count Clovis was overcome with grief over the loss of his wife, Your Majesty. They say he stopped all outside activities.

– These days, even that kind of thing seems credible. It seems that he was not grieving over the loss of his wife, but that the business he was investing in was not going well. What kind of a guy is that…?

– No, I am sure. It is said that he had a loud argument with his grandmother over the death of Countess Clovis. In fact, there is testimony from servants that he did not leave the Countess’s room all day.

The moment he heard Russell’s words, Walter’s teeth clenched as if he had been set on fire by an oil can.

After Odette’s death, he often became easily irritated by trivial things. The

reason why I couldn’t stand it was because the fact that the world was still going on just fine, despite the fact that the person who was more important to me than anything else was gone, made me feel so angry.

But this was different.

I wanted to kill him right away because he was the one who had driven Odette to death and was so heartbroken.

But.

‘Do I… … deserve that?’

After all, he was the one Odette had chosen, and the one she loved.

‘Unlike me, who was nothing… …’

When the thought reached him, everything just became meaningless.

In the end, instead of getting angry, he gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

– It’s no use regretting after death. If only I had done something while I was alive, things would have been different.

It was an answer that was unclear whether he was referring to Louis’s foolish behavior or to himself.

Maybe they were both foolish in the same way, so the distinction was meaningless.

Fortunately, Walter was given a second chance.

A second chance to save Odette, to reverse his regret.

The timing, the situation, everything was perfect.

Except for one thing.

‘If it’s after I disappeared, then it’s a problem.’

Under imperial law, when a married person dies, their spouse inherits all their property.

Of course, if Walter died, all of the family property he owned as the head of the Ertmann Duke family and the rights he could exercise as the head of the family would all go to Arnold.

‘That doesn’t matter.’

It wasn’t that hard to transfer a few properties under the family name to my name.

And even if I didn’t do that, Walter already had a lot of property in his future.

He could have given Odette as much of the property as he wanted.

But only when Walter ‘died.’

Under imperial law, when a spouse is missing, it is not considered death, so she cannot inherit the inheritance.

At least, a spouse must have been missing for 20 years and be recognized as actually dead in order to inherit the inheritance and remarry.

’20 years is too long.’

Of course, she would have to have a nameplate that says Ertmann’s mistress.

However, if there is no Walter, the head of Ertmann’s family who will act as a shield, it can actually be poisonous. Because

without Walter, Ertmann is practically an empty house, and the vipers will come to eat him.

Even if Arnold stands firm as the head of the family, he is already long retired from society. It was

clear that Odette would be the one who would be attacked with all her body.

‘We can’t leave it like that.’

And this time, Walter came up with a solution without much difficulty.

If you can’t stop him from disappearing after a certain period of time, and if disappearing is the problem, then the solution is simple.

‘Just die before that.’

Just make sure that Walter Ertmann is dead before he disappears. That’s

why Walter deliberately went around the masquerade ball without hiding his identity and stirred up a bootlegging business that was no different from a hornet’s nest. In the past, Cedric had died while stirring up this hornet’s nest, so he could kill two birds

with one stone by saving Cedric and hastening his own death.

‘Of course, it was also because Louis Clovis heard the news and drew his attention.’ It

was already known that Louis was involved in the bootlegging business. It seemed that

the scope of his involvement was not as deep as before, but the fact that he was involved did not change, so it was only a matter of time before Walter took the bait.

‘I didn’t originally plan to go this quickly, but… … .’

Louis had found more memories than he expected, and faster, so he had no choice but to hurry his actions.

‘Because Odette loves Louis Clovis.’

He had to stop Louis from approaching Odette for no reason.

If Louis’ memories were unclear, he could have easily stopped him.

‘Listening to Elodie Montoire, it seems like I’ve almost recovered all my memories.’

Walter clicked his tongue internally.

The literature said that using the holy relic would affect those around it, but perhaps the influence was elements created to interfere with the user.

Perhaps the warning that ‘he’ he had dealt with was something like that.

At this point, he had to admit that it was unfortunate or something, but it was quite annoying.

‘Every time I try to do something, there’s an obstacle.’

Because of this, it took quite a while for him to marry Odette.

Furthermore, unlike in the past, Odette seemed to have a bad and shameless image of him.

‘How many times have I heard that I’m a bad person today?’

Walter recalled Odette’s face, which he had glared at while sobbing, and then chuckled.

Then he poked his wife’s cheek, who was sleeping for no reason.

“Ugh… …”

Mumbling in her sleep, Odette furrowed her brows slightly as if annoyed at being poked in the cheek.

Whenever you tell her not to do something, you tend to want to do it more.

Walter poked her a few more times with the corners of his lips drawn out, but stopped when he felt that his wife would really wake up.

‘Wife, wife.’

It was an unfamiliar pronunciation. Especially since it was a word used to refer to Odette.

Walter looked at Odette for a long time, chewing on the pronunciation.

‘Now that we’re married, there won’t be any more trouble.’

He thought.

Completely unaware of the existence of a large tidal wave that was about to engulf him.