Odette was in a situation where she had to quickly find a good marriage partner so as not to be sold by her father’s hand.
The reason Odette attended this banquet today was solely for that purpose.
“But that’s my problem. Thank you for your concern, but I have someone else I want to marry.”
“I know. Count Louis Clovis.”
Odette’s eyes widened as if she had been struck in the heart.
“How do you know that…”
“How could I not know? You’ve been looking at him with such passionate eyes. If I were Count Clovis, I would have noticed too.”
At Walter’s words, Odette’s face flushed.
A man’s hand touched her reddened cheek. A hand cooler than the cold night air, as if applying cream, gently and carefully caressed Odette’s cheek.
Such a tender touch, unbelievably coming from a person who had been so arrogant and authoritative just a moment ago.
“I know who Your Highness has in mind. You were going to propose to him today.”
Walter’s eyes seemed briefly tinged with sorrow as he spoke.
As if he were telling something very sad. Would it be too much of an exaggeration to see it that way?
Odette felt a moment of discomfort, but quickly shook it off and pushed him away.
“…I don’t know how you know all that, but shouldn’t you step aside now? The Count will be here soon. I’m with him[Dash]”
“Hmm. Your Highness seems to be mistaken. If I had intended to step aside obediently, there would have been no reason for me to come here, would there?”
However, the answer that came back was colder than before.
“As I said earlier, I’m thinking of marrying you. By any means necessary.”
This time, he wouldn’t foolishly miss out.
It seemed he even mumbled that.
“What in the world are you…”
Odette, in confusion, mumbled to herself and stopped abruptly.
Only then did she realize that Walter was much closer than he had been at first.
Moreover, because Walter had his back against the door, if someone looked from outside, they would appear to be in an intimate embrace.
In the rush of anxiety, the moment Odette tried to push Walter away,
The door opened over Walter’s shoulder, and the face Odette had been waiting for appeared.
Louis Clovis.
“Your Highness, here……”
And he couldn’t finish. It wasn’t because of Odette.
It was because he recognized who the man was, covering her in an embrace.
“Ah, I didn’t realize. I didn’t know Duke Ertman was here. Excuse me. Enjoy the rest of your time.”
Louis kindly greeted them, then hurriedly closed the door and left.
Leaving Odette behind.
“…”
Thus, they were left alone again on the terrace.
Looking down at the astonished Odette, the troublemaker grinned.
“Now that the uninvited guest has disappeared… Shall we talk again from the beginning, princess?”
About our marriage.
[This is a time divider.]Odette Brunhilde Celestine.
The fourth daughter of the Celestine Royal Family, and a bastard no one cared for.
That had been the name Odette had carried for her twentysix years.
Odette’s mother was said to be of servant origin.
Of course, being a servant in the royal palace, she must have been of a minor or fallen nobility.
But there was no way to find out more.
Apparently frail, she left the world not long after giving birth to Odette, and no one in the royal palace would tell Odette anything about her mother.
If not for her silver hair, which was strikingly similar to the Emperor, her father, Odette would never have been able to bear the name of a princess.
That way, Odette was thrown into the palace without any protection to shield her.
“Our mother says you’re no different from street orphans. How lowly!”
“You don’t think you’re one of us just because you bear the name Celestine, do you?”
Odette’s royal siblings, especially the 2nd prince and 3rd princess born of Queen Katarina, would taunt and throw stones at Odette at every opportunity.
Perhaps they thought that Odette, growing like a weed, would eventually break.
Well, outwardly, it might have looked as if she was broken.
Even when the 2nd prince spewed venomous words at her, or when the 3rd princess overturned tea on her, Odette would just laugh like a fool.
“How could I be like my brothers and sisters… I’m just a bastard.”
A true weed of the palace, without even a shred of pride.
That was the Odette known to the world.
But within her, she had a secretly cherished wish.
‘I want to leave the palace someday and live quietly.’
Living quietly, living long.
Even if they called her a weed, it was fine.
She just wanted to live happily without being trampled by anyone.
However, this simple wish was the hardest thing for Odette.
Being born into the royal family meant drawing attention whether one wanted to or not.
Just by existing, she held the powerful card of royal succession rights, so it was only natural.
Thus, the current royal family was divided into two factions over the right to the throne.
Cedric, the crown prince born of the late queen, and 2nd prince Blake, backed by Queen Katarina.
Among them, Odette had secretly sided with Crown Prince Cedric.
If she wielded the powerful card of royal succession rights without the strength to protect herself, she would only be used and die miserably.
“I will be your subordinate. You often leave the palace, so I can help by keeping an eye on the palace or the capital’s movements.”
And Cedric would often test Odette, subtly questioning her.
“It wouldn’t be bad to dream of glory at least once, since you were born into the royal family, Odette.”
But Odette’s answer was always the same.
“I don’t care about dreams or anything. When you die, nothing remains.”
No matter how affluent and powerful one’s life may be, it becomes a handful of dirt when one dies.
Odette wanted to live thin and long. She wanted to love, and she wanted to have a joyous family.
For that, she willingly sided with Crown Prince Cedric.
If she became Cedric’s subordinate, he would gladly help her not to be sold into a political marriage.
But holding an umbrella doesn’t make one entirely free from the blazing sun.
Three months after Crown Prince Cedric left for a border inspection mission, a crisis loomed over Odette.
“The Emperor has arranged for you to marry the Duke of Byungchang?”
“The Queen says it’s about time to send Odette to be married off…”
Due to Queen Katarina’s scheme, an unwanted political marriage was fast approaching.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
