If she could love someone not worth loving.

Then, if she could shower even Cedric with such affection.

‘Then…’

Couldn’t she love me too?

The mere thought that it might be possible hit his throat like an unexpected gust of wind.

The hint of possibility was irresistibly tempting.

He subconsciously planned to approach Odette, avoiding Cedric’s gaze.

But he was immediately slapped by reason before he could get too far.

‘I must be insane. What am I stealing?’

It was an utterly small-minded thought.

It was obvious that just because Odette was kind to Cedric didn’t mean she would also be to him. Stealing itself was a nonsensical assumption.

He couldn’t believe he’d had such a thought.

‘Stupid fool.’

Despite insulting himself, the face of Odette—who looked happy when she saw her brother—couldn’t leave his mind.

No, it became even clearer. In his imagination, she was now smiling at him.

Her silver hair that swayed at her waist, the tips of her fingers turning pages, her golden eyes in the late afternoon sun, and her thin red lips…

‘Damn it.’

In the end, he had a sleepless night.

Fortunately, he was able to quickly forget about Odette.

Thanks to keeping a distance from Cedric.

However, even if he’d constantly thought about Odette, nothing would have developed.

Cedric was too busy cleaning around Odette to let that happen.

“My sister? She’s fine. But why are you asking? Planning to make a move? Ah, I remember, you wanted to spar last time. Shall we do it now, Walter?”

“…I won’t. Calm down.”

“I’ve been holding back my urge to kill that fly, Xavier or whatever, who’s buzzing around Odette. Let’s not stir the hornet’s nest, okay?”

Thanks to the timely arrival of the human fly, Regis, Cedric became even more guarded, allowing Walter to forget Odette cleanly without even attempting to make a move.
Initially, forgetting was easy, as it hadn’t been such an intense memory to begin with.

There had been a fleeting thought that if things between Odette and Cedric remained harmonious, they might run into each other at a ball or something similar someday.

‘4th Princess rarely engages in external activities.’

So that probably wouldn’t happen.

That’s what he’d thought at the time.

Until he witnessed Odette proposing a contractual marriage to Louis at the victory celebration upon his return to the capital.

.
.
.

Walter snapped out of his reverie with a feeling of displeasure.

What was the point of dwelling on the fact that his desire for her had grown stale?

‘Odette dislikes me anyway.’

In the past and even now, she only had eyes for Louis.

That fact continued to torment Walter.

His comment to Arnold about liking the cage had been completely sincere.

If he could bind Odette with something visible like a cage instead of a clumsy institution like marriage, he would feel a bit relieved.

‘Grandfather’s nonsense is distracting.’

The Arnold he knew was rather obsessive.

He’d told Arnold that he’d marry whether Arnold objected or not, but what if Arnold managed to dissuade Odette?

‘And there’s that bastard Cedric.’

There was no guarantee Cedric hadn’t said similar things to Odette after writing to him.

And since Odette was very fond of her brother, Cedric’s words would be much more effective than Arnold’s.

‘There are obstacles everywhere.’

Walter grimaced and ran his fingers roughly through his hair.

‘Odette won’t cancel the wedding.’

Of course, there was no thought of stepping back. Why would he back out now?

So whatever anyone said wouldn’t change anything.

He would only become more miserable.

Walter clenched his aching heart and frowned.

‘…Yes. Nothing will change.’

Odette never wanted this marriage or Walter in the first place.

The nightmare arrived quicker than expected.

On the day of the wedding announcement.

“Your grandfather came to see me again. He showed up himself, asking me to reconsider our marriage.”

Damn it.

As Walter swallowed his curses, Odette continued.

“And my brother sent a letter, saying the same thing.”

Cedric should have been killed after all.

Walter clenched his grinding teeth and opened his mouth.

“…So? Are you saying you want to cancel our marriage?”

“No way. The ceremony is nearly upon us. I just wanted to say that now I understand why you chose me as your marriage partner.”

At those words, Walter furrowed his brows.

Had his grandfather gone and said something unnecessary?

“So you think I chose you because I had no one else to marry?”

…No, that wasn’t it.