Contract Marriage Interrupted - Chapter 86



Only Noblemtl

Episode 86. The Concerns Were Correct
2023.11.26.

Strictly speaking, Emma was not a noblewoman of a family with a title like Ellie, and was just a maid who had never been in high society.

However, she was a maid who had been trained to fill the vacant position of Ertmann’s mistress when it came to finding a new owner. She was

like a dedicated secretary who assisted a noblewoman, which was usually found in each family.

So Emma could be proud that she was second to none in terms of the social dynamics and Ertmann’s position.

And from her perspective, Odette’s current worries could be resolved quite simply.

“There would be no family that would publicly protest or express dissatisfaction with Ertmann just because you don’t engage in social activities. I’m cautious about saying this myself, but Ertmann is a family that has maintained seclusion for a long time.”

Odette quickly realized what Emma was trying to say.

Of course, even if it was another family, they could easily avoid unwanted social activities, but Ertmann had a more specialized excuse in that regard.

If he had just said that he didn’t engage in social activities for fear of incurring the Emperor’s wrath, everyone would have nodded.

“If you want to engage in social activities, then it would be okay to do so in the Ertmann Territory social circle. The capital’s social circle would have directly affected His Majesty the Emperor’s gaze, but in the Ertmann Territory, we have been interacting step by step until now.”

Odette looked surprised at Emma’s explanation.

“I expected it, but it’s not like you didn’t interact at all.”

“Yes. If we hadn’t interacted there, our relationship with our vassals would have been quite awkward. However, Marquis Fuart was always on the battlefield… … and the Duke was no different, so we didn’t interact often.”

“You know a lot, Emma?”

“I’m from a vassal family.”

Emma nodded with a smile as if it was obvious.

“So, even if Madame says she will continue her social activities only in Ertmann Territory, there will be no big problem. If it is really difficult, how about using that method?”

Odette was silent for a moment after hearing Emma’s words.

It was a conflicted silence.

Of course, since Odette had been an outsider, she did not know Ertmann’s circumstances in detail as much as Emma had told her, but she knew very well that she did not have to socialize if she did not want to.

‘Emma didn’t say anything, but if we are to be considered secluded, I am on the same level as Ertmann.’

Odette was famous for rarely showing herself to the outside world, so no one would be surprised that she maintained a similar attitude even after marriage. She

also knew well that she could stay in Ertmann Territory and not appear in the capital’s social circles if necessary.

Although there are husbands who sometimes force their wives to socialize for the sake of their family’s prestige, that was one of the things that would never happen.

‘So, if it were the past, I would have naturally declined all the invitations… … .’

If I had, I wouldn’t have been worried like this.

Odette sighed lightly and said,

“Emma, ​​pick a few places from the places where you sent invitations, mainly places where Ertmann had some interaction. I will choose one of them and go.”

“Are you really going to accept the invitation, Your Highness?”

Ellie’s eyes widened in surprise as she handed the bundle of invitations to Emma.

“Isn’t it too obvious what you’re sending invitations for? I don’t like it either.”

“Since I’ve been invited, I have to go. I’m not in a position where I can just say no and avoid it.”

If the head of the family handles external affairs, the housewife is responsible for looking after the internal affairs, taking responsibility for interactions with the surroundings, and maintaining the family’s prestige.

So, whether she liked it or not, now that Odette was Ertmann’s housewife, she needed to be responsible for Ertmann’s social activities.

Of course, Walter was the kind of person who would have grabbed Odette for another cup of tea rather than seeing her struggling with useless social activities… … .

‘I want to be of help to Walter, too.’

If there was one thing that Odette had newly realized while staying at Ertmann, it was that Walter was busier than she had thought.

How on earth could he devote three days right after their wedding to her completely? It was to the point where

she couldn’t understand at all. It was no wonder that Russell came to her three days later, almost crying, asking her to do some work.

When Odette came to visit him, he would tell obvious lies that he wasn’t busy at all.

– Walter, aren’t you tired? You didn’t seem to get much sleep today. Aren’t you overdoing it?

– This is fine. It’s not that much… … I just have a lot of work to do recently, so don’t worry too much.

Walter must have said this to reassure Odette, but to Odette, this level of workload was part of her daily routine.

And that directly led to a sense of duty for Odette.

‘I’m the only one who can help Walter when he’s having a hard time!’ But there was something Odette didn’t know.

80 % of Walter’s busyness wasn’t because he had a lot of family business, but because he had pushed his workload to the max in order to somehow make time for Odette. But even if she had known that, Odette’s conclusion wouldn’t have changed much, so it didn’t make much of a difference whether she knew or not. ‘The only way I can help Walter is to fulfill my duties as a mistress.’ And socializing was one of them. Odette had too much of a sense of duty to simply take the easy way out for her own convenience. Above all, there was something else that bothered her. That was Arnold. Arnold, who had not set foot in the capital for over ten years, stayed at the Wellington Hotel instead of the Ertmann Duchy when he came up to the capital for Odette’s business. And since the Wellington Hotel was one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital, it was natural that Arnold would meet the socialites he had known in the past while staying there. Up until that point, it was not so bad. Thanks to this, there was a side effect of the fact that the relationship between Odette and Walter spread widely in social circles, but there was no one who would be rude to a big shot like Arnold. Well, even if there were, it was easy to sort it out on Arnold’s part. The problem was what happened next. ‘No one invited Sir Arnold.’ It was common for people to make a pact to meet in private and chat after meeting in a public place and exchanging greetings. And back when Arnold was Duke Ertmann, or at least before ‘that incident’, such greetings naturally led to actual appointments. Most people would have been anxious to get a chance to spend private time with Arnold. But now, things were different, and people were reluctant to get close to Arnold, even if they didn’t treat him coldly. One reason was that the Emperor still clearly didn’t like Ertmann, and the decisive factor was that Arnold no longer had much influence in society. Arnold said this about him. – I’m not ignoring me, but I… … no, I guess Ertmann can no longer control society to that extent. It’s not that surprising. All nobles are like that. Arnold smiled bitterly, saying that it seemed that some of that worldly stuff had been washed away while he was away from society. ‘From Lord Arnold’s perspective… … he must have felt the aftereffects of the hiatus.’ What had been obscured by the halo of Ertmann’s name and Arnold’s own fame until now must have finally come to his senses. – I don’t care about the treatment of my own body, which doesn’t have much time left to live. However, it’s surprising that Ertmann is treated so contemptuously while I’m wide awake. If this could be called a crisis, the way to get out of this crisis was surprisingly simple. Ertmann had to increase his social activities. When it became clear that he would resume social activities to some extent, it would be most effective to hold a banquet. However, Arnold couldn’t do this himself. He had his own pride. ‘ That’s why I have to step up at times like this.’ Odette was from the imperial family and an outsider who had never been to Ertmann before. So she was the most suitable person to avoid the Emperor’s disapproval. Above all, since she had become the new Duchess Ertmann, no one would look at her as something new or strange if she were to be active in social activities, so this opportunity was important. Odette prioritized the invitations, selecting those who had a lot of contact with Ertmann. That’s how the first social gathering was decided. “The Marquise Murat. She seems the best. She’s been in contact with Ertmann for quite some time.” “It would have been best if the Marquise Grimoire had written the invitation. It’s too bad.” The Marquise Grimoire, Sieglin, was currently in seclusion due to old age. It seemed that she was maintaining a minimal level of social activity through her niece, Léa, but she wasn’t actively hosting banquets. Since Sieglin and Arnold had been friends for a long time, if anything, they would have been the most suitable first batter, but it was unfortunate. “Still, if it’s the Marquise Murat, it’s known that she’s close to the Marquise Grimoire, so there won’t be much of a difference. “They are similar factions.”

“Of course, you’re right, Madame. But even if they’re from similar factions, problems often arise due to personal feelings.”

Emma seemed to be concerned that Odette had chosen a family that was not overtly friendly to Ertmann.

No, to be honest, Emma had one more thing on her mind.

The only problem was that it was a bit too much for her to consider as a loyal maid.

‘… … There’s no need to mention it, right?’

In the end, Emma chose to keep her mouth shut rather than further upset her already anxious mistress before the social activities.

“I hope you have a pleasant trip.”

Emma said that and wholeheartedly helped her hostess attend the social gathering.

The social gathering of the Marquise of Murat.

Odette forgot to smile in public and grabbed the hem of her skirt.

‘… … I didn’t expect this.’

Emma’s concerns were right.