“I apologize for causing concern, Your Majesty. When my sister mentioned my mother while offering her wedding congratulations, I returned the same courtesy. It seems there was a misunderstanding.”
Katarina quickly grasped the situation with just those words.
Especially since Lise Marsen had been grinding her teeth, she must have provoked Odette as usual.
‘What a fool!’
The problem was Odette was now in a position where she couldn’t be easily touched. It was virtually a given that she would become Duchess Ertman, especially after the scandal.
If Katarina hadn’t appeared at this timely moment and Odette had been slapped, who knows what sort of tale would have spun out from the Ertman household.
And yet, Lise Marsen was still angry.
“There’s no misunderstanding! This wretched—”
“Quiet, Lise Marsen!”
“Mother!”
Although Lise Marsen protested, Katarina was firm.
“You can’t even keep your mouth shut! You’re embarrassing after all the raising I’ve done!”
Odette should have been disposed of earlier.
If Lise Marsen had taken the opportunity and secured Balter, none of this would have happened.
Yet her daughter, who can’t even do that much, dares to complain?
‘Blake takes after me, so he does well in his work.’
Who did this daughter, who only makes life difficult instead of helping her brother, take after?
“Lise Marsen, you are grounded. Know that severe punishment awaits if you leave your room without permission. And Odette?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m sure you were startled. Accept my apology, and congratulations on your wedding.”
“It’s not yet officially announced, Your Majesty. Thank you.”
“That is my duty as the hostess of the palace. It’s the only way I can claim to be your mother, after all.”
Strictly speaking, a queen couldn’t play the hostess, but the position of queen was currently vacant.
Thus, in the mountain without a tiger, the fox was king.
Katarina approached Odette with a gentle smile, holding Lise in her arms.
“Rest assured, the wedding arrangements will proceed flawlessly. I’ve always felt guilty for not paying closer attention to you, being in a different palace and all. I’m pleased I can do this for you.”
“…There’s no need for such words.”
It was Katarina’s decision to keep Odette in a different palace.
She had deliberately placed her in a remote palace and used it as an excuse to be distant.
Katarina, who had always looked at Odette as if she were trash on the side of the road, had transformed into an incredibly affectionate mother the moment Odette was designated as the Duchess of Ertman.
“Yes, there’s a tea party hosted by the Duchess of Patrice soon. We should go together. It’s a ladies-only event, making it an ideal opportunity to formally introduce you. After marriage, arranging such events will become difficult, so I want to do everything I can for you now.”
Voices from Katarina’s past overlaid her current, affectionate voice.
-[Dash] I can’t stand the sight of you. That such a thing could be a royal child under my care is disgusting!
-[Dash] My lady, why wouldn’t I know that the child is innocent? I’m tolerating that repugnant bastard because I do. Otherwise, I would have discarded her out of sight long ago…
She had not said this in front of Odette.
Only, Katarina was unaware that someone had overheard her.
‘It would’ve been easier to bear if she had remained as cold-hearted as the Emperor.’
Her stomach churned at the sudden show of goodwill.
Odette wanted to ask Valter,
‘Valter, is this something I shouldn’t tolerate either?’
However, she knew there would be no answer.
What Valter had said clearly meant, ‘Don’t do anything that could damage your reputation as the Duchess of Ertman.’
And what Katarina had offered did not harm her reputation but would, rather, elevate her standing as the Duchess of Ertman.
‘If only I had something to hold against Valter, I could have refused.’
Odette still hadn’t found out why Valter wanted to marry her.
Therefore, she needed to prove her worth in some way.
“Thank you for considering me… Your Majesty the Queen.”
Odette hid her emotions, nodding with a bright smile.
‘It should be okay.’
If Katarina was showing such goodwill, there was little chance of encountering any major problems.
Especially since others were likely not to oppose Odette, now the designated Duchess of Ertman, like Katarina had.
‘Let’s attend and build some connections.’
…Nothing should happen.
And so, under this complacent resolve, Odette’s schedule for the next social gathering was set.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
