Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 76



Only Noblemtl

Episode 76. That too, three days after the wedding .
2023.10.22.

A week after the wedding.

Odette was having a great honeymoon.

And in the Ertmann ducal residence, there was a lot of talk that the Duke and Duchess were in perfect harmony.

It was only natural.

After all, Odette, who had gone into the master bedroom for the first night after the wedding, came out of the room on the third day of the wedding.

Of course, this was not Odette’s intention at all. It would have been different

if it had been her husband who wrapped her in a blanket and made her unable to move even a single step, and took care of everything.

Walter fed, washed, and put Odette to bed with his own hands for those three days.

Of course, he did other things occasionally. No, if you think about it, those ‘other things’ actually accounted for the majority.

When he didn’t do those ‘other things’, Odette would always fall asleep from exhaustion or just eat.

‘When I finally came to my senses and opened my eyes, my body was clean or a meal was prepared… … .’

In other words, Walter had energy left in the meantime and waited for Odette to wake up.

What on earth was Walter made of?

Odette sincerely wondered if Walter’s energy was a bottomless pot.

Her energy was exhausted just by doing ‘other things’ and she couldn’t get out of bed.

‘I never really thought I lacked energy… … .’

It was either because Odette was quite shocked by her not being able to come to her senses and fall asleep every time, or because she had said her back hurt after the first night.

Walter seemed to have a sense of duty to not give Odette any room to waste energy other than ‘other things’.

That’s how three days of Walter’s overprotection were created.

Odette, who had never been cared for like this even when she was a child, would eat her meals like a baby bird while buried in the blanket, but she couldn’t ignore her conscience that raised its head and asked herself this question once.

“Walter. “If the Duchess is this lazy, won’t everyone look down on her?”

Sleeping in late could be considered the ostentatious laziness of a beloved noblewoman.

But since the curtains were drawn on all sides and there was no clock in the room, even though he couldn’t tell the exact date, he could vaguely feel that more than a day had passed.

Then Walter put a generous amount of Odette’s favorite raspberry compote on buttered white bread and chuckled.

“If there’s someone who wants to lose their neck that badly, I wish they would open their mouths quickly.”

Well, he said that he would do anything to die, so Walter scooped up the red lump with his jam knife again and spread it on the white bread. He

was clearly holding a jam knife without a blade, and that red lump must have been the raspberry compote, which had a lively texture and a sweet and sour taste.

‘Why does it look so murderous in Walter’s hands…?’

Perhaps it was a talent that such a harmless combination could seem harmful.

If she raised her voice of concern even once, he would bring in an innocent prey, no, a servant, and threaten her life, saying he would show her evidence.

Having lived her entire life in the palace eating the food that Walter had just put in her mouth, Odette could bet her intuition that it would be right, even with the bread that Walter had just put in her mouth.

So she decided to keep her mouth shut for the sake of the peace in the mansion.

For now, she was comfortable, so she didn’t really want to think about anything else.

It was also because the sweet and refreshing strawberry compote bursting in her mouth, the butter adding a soft and fragrant flavor, and the white bread that she could chew without feeling rough, were amazing.

Odette thought calmly as she filled her mouth with bread.

‘Yes, since we’re newlyweds.’

Even if she was a little lazy, everyone would understand.

Odette, who had lost her sense of time and thought that it had only been a day at most, decided to enjoy the luxury that Walter had given her a little longer.

If it hadn’t been for Russell, who had knocked on the door with the words, “Your Majesty, something that needs to be approved urgently has been pending for three days now… ,” this lethargy might have continued for another day or two.

With just that one short sentence, Odette realized that three days had passed since she had come into this room, got up in shock, and looked for Walter.

“W-Walter! We’ve been here for, uh, three days?”

“… … Is there a problem?”

“Of course there has been! I thought it had only been a day or two at most! Why didn’t

you tell me?” “Do you really need to tell me when you didn’t ask? I was willing to stay like this for a few more days.”

“W-what are you talking about! What on earth do you think the servants will think of us?”

“The master and his wife really are a happy couple?”

“This is the worst!”

　
Only then did Odette realize that the curtains were drawn so that not a single ray of light could enter, the room had no clock, and the irregular meals were all intentional.

If Odette had opened the curtains even once, things might have been different, but she was still quite naive.

– If you open the curtains, the gardener might see you. Or do you want to show us how we are doing?

– she was so frightened by Walter’s words

that she didn’t even go near the curtains. Of course, Walter had wrapped her up in the blankets and done all sorts of things for her, so she hardly ever got out of bed.

Now that I think about it, it seems that all those things were just Walter’s tricks to make Odette lose her sense of time and become lazy.

Odette, shaking with betrayal, went back to her bedroom without looking back.

Walter waited at the door several times, begging for forgiveness, but Odette didn’t answer.

And, of course, the story spread throughout the mansion… .

“Get a divorce, you damned punk.”

… … This resulted in Arnold, who had returned to the Wellington Hotel, being called back.

When Arnold heard the story of Odette and Walter’s fight, he ran straight to the mansion, swinging his cane wildly.

“I told you to take good care of Odette, but how could you hear this news right after I left the mansion! And that’s just three days after our wedding!”

“… … I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding, but we’re on good terms.”

“Don’t lie! Heaven sees and earth knows, so how could you shamelessly lie!”

Boom! Arnold’s cane hit the desk, and it cracked slightly.

“You must have disappointed me so much that I can hear that good girl won’t even step out of her room! And that’s just three days after our wedding! If it were my son, I would have kicked him out right away!”

Even Russell, who was usually fearless, was cowering in the corner, feeling

intimidated by the momentum. However, Walter, far from being intimidated, simply responded in an annoyed tone.

“I know. That’s why you didn’t expel my father.”

“This, this kind of a fool dares to call Luther in front of me… … Ugh!”

In the end, Arnold even showed off his performance by grabbing the back of his neck and falling, but Walter didn’t even blink and called the attending physician.

“My grandfather seems to be very angry and not in good condition, so take care of him and have him recuperate.”

“Understood. Your Majesty, over here… … .”

“Enough! Get out of here! Because of this damned man, I can’t live my life the way I want to.”

“What are you talking about, grandfather? You should live a long and healthy life.”

“I’ll live a long and healthy life, so you should divorce me! As expected, you’re a bad person. That’s why Odette got angry. And that too after only three days of marriage! I will find a new groom for Odette!”

“… … .”

And so, back to square one.

Walter’s verbal and improvisational skills were truly top-notch, but it was not enough to defeat Arnold, who had decades of experience under his belt.

Russell, who was watching this heated argument, quietly decided in his heart that Arnold would win.

No matter what Walter said, Arnold would have nothing to say.

“How could this happen! And that’s only three days after we got married!”

Arnold was ready to divorce Odette if he didn’t immediately restore his relationship with her.

However, it was a blessing in disguise.

This gave Walter a good opportunity.

A chance to talk to Odette, who was angry.

“Odette. I know you’re angry, but your grandfather came to see you. It seems he heard that you haven’t come out of your room.” He

had only said this while standing in front of the door, but Odette’s door, which had been tightly shut, opened wide.

And Odette, who was equally startled.

“Your grandfather came by?”

“Yes. He told me to get a divorce.”

At the expected answer, guilt crossed Odette’s face.

In fact, she was more embarrassed than angry, and she couldn’t leave the room because she felt that even that would disappear if she saw Walter’s face.

In the midst of all this, Arnold came by because of her actions.

Knowing how Arnold usually treated Walter, Odette couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Because she had a sense of mission to act as if she loved Walter!

‘My role is to overcome Walter’s opposition to our marriage, but I neglected that because of my personal feelings.’

And that too, just three days after their wedding!

Odette couldn’t stand the shame.

When she clenched her fists and lowered her head, Walter’s gaze, which interpreted it negatively, became gloomy.

“Odette. Are you still angry?”

“… … No. It’s not like that. It’s just… … .”

She just felt like if she saw Walter’s face, he would say that everything was okay.

She threw away her dignity and stayed locked in the bedroom for days at a time, and the embarrassment that came with it.

‘Strangely, when I see Walter’s face, I feel… … like it’s not mine.’ She

had never been this agitated before, but at some point, Odette could feel herself reacting to Walter’s voice and every expression.

But now, she knew what was more important than those things.

‘I’m married, so I have to do my part!’

Odette, full of a sense of mission, invited Walter into her bedroom, and the news that the Duke and Duchess of Ertmann’s love affair, which had been estranged for a while, had been rekindled quickly spread along with the morning sunlight the next day.

* * *

And so, a week after their honeymoon.

When Odette opened her eyes to the morning sunlight, she suddenly realized that something was strange.