Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 79



Only Noblemtl

Episode 79. Cedric’s Return
2023.11.02.

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like that dream was ruining me.

How else could I keep having such vain thoughts?

It was even more difficult because Walter was quite affectionate.

‘That person doesn’t really love me.’

Even in this situation, Odette’s judgment was cold.

Walter was, of course, a better husband than she thought. Especially in the sense that he kept the terms of their contract.

If anyone saw what Walter did to Odette, they would definitely say that he was a husband who truly loved his wife.

Walter spent most of his time with Odette in the mansion, and even when there were servants, he didn’t spare small expressions of affection, such as kissing her on the cheek or the bridge of her nose.

He was so passionate about his role that Odette felt a sense of crisis and intentionally hugged Walter.

However, does that mean Walter really loves Odette?

‘No.’

Odette thought about what she had asked Walter before their marriage.

-Do you love me, Duke Ertmann?

And Walter frowned.

It was an expression of rejection that made the person who asked the question feel embarrassed.

If Odette hadn’t immediately taken control of the conversation, the atmosphere would have become quite strange.

The problem was that Walter’s attitude toward her had not changed at all since then.

‘Walter has always been the same.’

If there had been even a slight change, Odette would have noticed it.

So Odette was mindful that Walter’s heart had not changed at all from the beginning.

And that he could not possibly love her.

‘In the meantime, I am being swayed by such a ridiculous dream.’

It was as if she had become incompetent.

But if she thought about it carefully, the situation had not gotten any worse.

‘Maybe I am really doing a good job of fulfilling the terms of the contract.’

The terms of the contract were actually ‘loving Walter’ from the beginning.

It was just that Odette had changed from saying she couldn’t do it to pretending to love him.

So there was only one thing that was making Odette upset.

‘Do I really love Walter?’

Or was it just a dream that made her feel this way?

Odette was so upset that she took out the contract she had written before her marriage.

The dense, concise, emotionless writing had a strangely calming effect.

At least until this sentence came out.

[Love only Walter Ertmann.]

That was the obligation Odette had to fulfill in the contract.

Beneath it, as if in protest of the condition, was the obligation Walter had to fulfill.

[Love only Odette Benoit Celestine.]

When she put these conditions side by side, it made her laugh.

It looked like a document written by children who had just started their first love, promising unchanging love.

If it weren’t for the other densely written clauses that were far from childish pranks, it would have really seemed that way.

Odette chuckled and turned the page again.

One thing she had felt after reading this far was that the contract was much more detailed than she had thought.

‘Of course, I knew it because I skimmed it when I signed the contract.’

At the time, I was so busy arguing with Walter that I didn’t read the rest of the contract after filling out the terms.

But now that I look back, the content that followed was incredible.

For example, there was a chapter that described the rights Odette could exercise as Ertmann’s mistress up to eight paragraphs, and there was also a section where she could claim ownership of Ertmann’s property, which was filled with details about how much the property was.

Odette, who was casually skimming through it, widened her eyes and sat up without realizing it.

‘Hey, this was written by Walter, right?’

If someone saw it, it was a contract that Odette had created to exploit Walter, and it was so biased towards Odette that it seemed like it was a contract.

In particular, the chapters that listed Odette’s rights were three pages long, while Walter only had one line.

[Walter Ertmann has the rights due to him as the legal spouse of Odette Benoit Celestine.]

‘Due’ rights.

It was such a sloppy expression that it was hard to believe it was written by the same person who had meticulously written down Odette’s rights in the past, making sure not to miss a single coin.

‘I didn’t know this when I signed the contract.’

If she had known, Odette would have definitely asked for Walter’s rights to be written down as well.

She didn’t intend to take this much advantage all by herself.

But… … .

-Then let’s leave off the conditions, and this back page… … .

-Signature here. The back page is just a more detailed version of the clauses that came before, so you can check them later.

-Oh, I see. I understand.

… … Walter stopped her.

Of course, what she said wasn’t completely wrong.

In fact, these clauses were all there at the front, and these back pages were there to further specify what they meant and what they contained. It’s

just that the ‘details’ were a bit unusual, which was the problem.

‘I guess I’ll have to come back to these parts later.’

There was one part in particular that was bothering her.

It was the part about inheritance.

‘I intentionally marked it with the family seal so that it would be effective within the family.’

The content of the clause was simpler than she thought.

[If Walter Ertmann remains missing for more than three months, all property in Walter Ertmann’s name will revert to Odette Benoit Celestine.]

[After Walter Ertmann’s death, Ertmann is obligated to protect Odette Benoit Celestine, and from the moment Walter Ertmann’s death is confirmed, Odette Benoit Celestine permanently loses all rights and obligations she could exercise as Ertmann’s mistress.]

It was a bit harsh, but it didn’t harm Odette.

Especially after Walter’s death, permanently losing all rights and obligations she could exercise as Ertmann’s mistress meant that no one could force her to keep her position as Ertmann’s mistress and fulfill her duties.

In the past, in other families, when the husband left first and the mistress was left alone, other family members often persecuted the puppet mistress and prevented her from remarrying or leaving the family.

And this clause was supposed to prevent Odette from such a thing.

If we look at it that way, there shouldn’t be any problem.

‘Only in this part, the name is clearly written.’

Most of the other clauses used expressions that could apply to both sides, such as ‘spouse’ or ‘opponent.’

However, only in this clause was the name clearly written.

‘Walter Ertmann’s’ death, or disappearance.

‘Why didn’t he write ‘the death of the spouse?’

It was even more puzzling when we considered that Walter was the one who wrote this document.

It was as if… … .

‘… … it’s like someone who was about to die left a will.’

It was too uncomfortable to just ignore.

Just as Odette was about to frown in confusion.

Flutter!

Odette raised her head at the familiar sound.

“Ah!”

And then, joy rose over her face.

Through the half-open window, she could see Odette’s white bird flapping its wings.

It was the bird she had sent to Cedric.

Odette put down the contract and went to Sae-ae, untied the letter tied to her leg.

‘My brother said he would be back soon.’

Was he writing a letter to tell her when he would be back?

Odette opened the note with a pounding heart.

However, the lines written inside were quite different from what Odette had expected.

No, the long greeting and affectionate tone written at the beginning were exactly what Odette knew.

The problem was what was written below.

[It feels lonely and unfamiliar after returning to the capital after a long time. I think it might be because I don’t see the faces I used to see in the palace anymore. If we make time to have tea together soon, I think my brother’s sadness from leaving will be somewhat relieved, so keep that in mind. Then, let’s meet soon.]

The blood gradually drained from Odette’s hand holding the note.

The contents were the contents, but what was most frightening was the small drawing drawn at the end.

It was the drawing of a ‘smiling face.’

　
Odette had only seen this painting once.

It was when she had to visit Duke Pavel for a while to deliver something to him, not long after Cedric had left.

She had seen Duke Pavel shake his hand with a noticeably disgusted expression after receiving Cedric’s letter.

And at the end of the letter… … was this ‘smiling face’ drawing.

In the end, Duke Pavel sent Odette away, pale.

– I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I will check on the matter you brought me later. For now, I have to first take care of what His Royal Highness asked… … I will buy it.

– That doesn’t matter, but… … Is it that serious? I read the letter, but it didn’t seem that serious.

In response to Odette’s question, Duke Pavel rubbed his aged eyebrows and explained as follows.

-Your Majesty may not know, but people often say this.

When you speak nicely with a smile, do it well.

-This is… … that’s what it means. It’s already spilled milk… … It’s an ultimatum to somehow pick it up.

How on earth could Cedric make his grandfather look like a well-trained new soldier?

Odette buried the sudden curiosity that occurred to her and soon forgot about it.

At least until this moment.

‘My brother sent me an ultimatum?’

A sense of crisis ran up Odette’s spine.

She immediately pulled the rope to call Emma and prepared to go to the palace.

However, it wasn’t Emma who opened the door.

“Madam!”

“… … Philippe? What the hell,”

“Something urgent has come up!”

The old butler looked unusually flustered.

No wonder, because what was happening right now was no ordinary matter.

Even for Philip, who had been through a lot, this was a first for him.

Exactly.

“W-the imperial army is controlling the Ertmann residence!”

“… … What? That’s impossible. It would have to be someone like His Majesty the Emperor or His Royal Highness Cedric…”

Odette muttered with a frown, then suddenly stopped.

Then she absentmindedly looked back in the direction the bird had flown from.

Exactly in the direction of the imperial palace.

Could it be… … .

‘… … Cedric?’