“……Are you truly satisfied with that life?”

“Duke Ertman.”

In such a gloomy voice.

Odette’s hands were adorned with long gloves of shiny velvet.

Above them were bracelets made of pearls and diamonds, and the fan in her hand dazzled the eyes with gems set in the handle every time she turned her head.

And not just that. From earrings, necklaces, hair ornaments, even to shoes, everything gave off a vibe of unabashed opulence.

A look that truly suited the word lady.

“Why such a face? You look as if something’s happened.”

“…….”

Odette’s face was anything but happy.

Her gloomy face was deeply troubled, and the sorrow in her vacant eyes was clear.

She looked weakened.

Not her health, her spirit.

And the person facing her, Balter, couldn’t help but notice that fact.

“If there’s something hard, tell me. I’ll help if I can.”

“Thank you. But I’m really fine. I’m not living in the imperial palace as before, so it’s comfortable at least since I’m not tormented by the empress.”

“……But apart from that, you mean it’s uncomfortable.”

Balter spoke so and then, after a brief hesitation, opened his mouth again.

“I’ve heard that things are bad with the Grand Lady Clovis. She’s blatantly ignoring you[Dash].”

“Duke.”

Odette’s voice cut off Balter’s words.

Her onceclear smile was now almost faded.

“Just…… can’t you ignore it?”

“…….”

“It’s not much related to you. If it’s for the sake of my deceased brother, you’ve done enough, so no one will blame you.”

“It’s not for Sedric’s sake…….”

“If not for my brother, did I look so pitiable to you?”

Odette’s voice trembled slightly at the end.

Balter couldn’t say anything.

Whatever he wanted to say, Odette seemed to take his silence as an affirmation to her question.

“Don’t pity me, Duke. This marriage was my choice, and I have to take responsibility for it. There’s no reason for you to feel sorry for me.”

“So, are you saying you’ll continue to live like this? In that house that’s eating you alive?”

“……I have to figure it out.”

“What if you can’t?”

Faced with consecutive negative questions, Odette’s face soured.

“Are you telling me to get a divorce? You know that I need the imperial family’s approval for a divorce, don’t you?”

Would the imperial family approve of the princess’s divorce now that Sedric was gone and the empress was in power?

Of course, it would.
Instead, a worse proposal was pressed upon her.

And they would try to sell her off somehow, according to their profit.

“Just leave me alone. Please, I beg you…….”

“……Odette.”

Finally, Walter’s face distorted.

And, after much hesitation, he opened his mouth.

“Rather, use me. I can help you.”

What Walter’s ‘help’ meant didn’t need to be spelled out.

Because the meaning of the ‘help’ he was offering, even going as far as to say to use him, was clear.

Walter himself becoming Odette’s secret lover.

Ladies having lovers was a common occurrence, and social conventions didn’t particularly condemn it.

So his proposal had enough feasibility.

“……Thank you for the offer, but you don’t need to go that far. Especially not for my brother’s sake.”

Odette said so and turned her body, as if trying to return to her original place.

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear what I heard today. And the Duke, enough[dash].”

“If it’s not for Cedric.”

And at the words from behind her, she stopped in her tracks.

“If it’s not out of pity, nor because of Cedric’s will, but because I want you, would you accept me then?”

Walter’s footsteps grew closer.

His voice became clearer as well.

“Then…… will you accept me?”

The question grabbed at her like a deep shadow.

And Odette, she couldn’t bring herself to answer that question.

(This is a time separator.)

Odette vaguely woke from sleep.

Her eyelids, not fully released from the grip of sleep, were heavy.

‘What kind of dream is this…….’

Was it because she had encountered Walter so often?

Or because she had received much help from him?

‘Even dreaming such a strange dream…….’

While thinking it might have been some silly fantasy she was not aware of, Odette closed her eyes and tossed in bed.

Though the dream was unsettling, the bed was very comfortable.

Neither too soft nor too hard, just the right bed.

The warmth of the body made the quilt cozy, the soft silk quilt, whether made of duck feathers, wrapped snugly around her.

‘Here, better than my bed…….’

It was not a very poor quality since it was used in the palace, but it was not like Odette ever had the chance to use such a luxury item as a silk quilt.

……So, she never did.

Not even once.

‘……Huh?’

Only when her thoughts reached that point did Odette detect the strangeness and open her eyes wide.

And what she saw was.

“……Where is this?”

An unfamiliar ceiling.