My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Sometimes, reality feels more like fiction than a novel ever could.
When that happens, it’s usually for one of two reasons.
The first is when one is so steeped in romanticism that all of reality seems like a novel.
And the second is…
when something so unreal—something one would only expect to see in fiction—unfolds right before one’s eyes.
Odette Benua Celestine.
The fourth imperial princess of the Celestine dynasty, known as the royal family’s black sheep, had always taken care to avoid falling into the first scenario.
After all, when you’ve borne the label of “illegitimate child” since your earliest memory, it’s all too easy to long for romantic delusions that let you escape reality.
Yes, that had always been her stance… or so she thought.
“Would you consider entering into a marriage of convenience with me, Your Imperial Highness?”
…Could I possibly be dreaming?
Odette blinked her almond-shaped eyes and looked up at the man standing before her.
Duke Walter Ertman.
The head of House Ertman—the family whose status in the empire could rise no higher.
And the war hero who had just returned after quelling the rebellion in the north.
Even the terrace where they now stood belonged to the banquet held in celebration of his triumphant return.
He was a celebrity, the kind of renowned figure who could never possibly have any connection to someone like Odette—an utterly ignored, weed-like princess.
‘Besides, isn’t Duke Ertman the very man who was recently rumored to be in a passionate relationship with the Third Princess?’
Yet here Walter was—proposing to her.
And using the phrase “marriage of convenience,” no less.
Odette, doubting her own ears, asked,
“Pardon me, but could you possibly have mistaken me for someone else?”
“Odette Benua Celestine. I desire you.”
Oh. So he hadn’t confused her with anyone after all.
He had even perfectly pronounced her middle name, Benua. Odette let out a brief sigh.
“My apologies. I only assumed you might be confused, since you’ve only just returned to the capital.”
“If you thought the head of House Ertman was so foolish as to propose to the wrong woman, I’d be rather disappointed.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… this is far too sudden.”
So sudden, in fact, that it bordered on the utterly implausible.
‘Walter Ertman, of all people.’
It felt almost dreamlike.
Yet if this were a dream, Walter’s face would not be rendered in such vivid detail before her.
His deep green eyes, staring at her with an emotionless chill.
His jet-black hair, endlessly praised in the papers, and his rigid demeanor that seemed never to have known a smile.
Even his famously statue-like features—so accentuated by that very stillness—were unmistakable.
‘There’s no way I’d remember Duke Ertman’s face in this much detail.’
She’d only ever seen him from afar, and even then only occasionally.
She hadn’t even known the color of Walter’s eyes until just now.
So this couldn’t possibly be a dream.
It absolutely couldn’t be… and yet…
‘…A marriage of convenience?’
Walter wore an expression so cynical and bored that it was hard to believe he was the same man who’d just proposed.
Was this truly how someone proposing marriage was supposed to act? Or had the meaning of his proposal somehow changed without even he realizing?
Odette was utterly bewildered.
Everything about the current situation was confusing, but what bewildered her most of all was this very thing:
A marriage of convenience.
She didn’t know what strange coincidence had brought her here, but the reason she stood on this terrace right now was precisely because of a marriage of convenience.
The problem was that the person involved was—without a doubt, absolutely, and under no circumstance—someone other than the man now standing before her: Walter Ertman.
Moreover, Odette had zero desire whatsoever to become entangled with Walter.
‘Marry someone who’s rumored to be involved with the Third Princess, of all people?’
That was utterly absurd.
After some internal deliberation, Odette finally asked,
“Have we perhaps met before?”
“If you don’t recall it, then we haven’t.”
“Then you can’t possibly know me well either. What reason could you possibly have for proposing? If it isn’t a compelling one, I’ll report your rudeness directly to His Majesty the Emperor.”
Odette narrowed her usually round eyes and spoke sharply. In response, Walter’s sharp gaze softened slightly—
as if he were enjoying something immensely pleasing.
“Does a marriage proposal need a reason? I want you—that’s reason enough.”
“You don’t even know me well!”
“Well, we can get to know each other starting now, can’t we?”
“What kind of absurd argument is that…!”
“Absurd or not, I don’t believe it’s such a bad offer.”
Walter cut her off abruptly, then fixed her with his characteristic arrogant stare and added,
“I’ve heard it openly rumored that within days, His Majesty will arrange for you to become the junior wife of a border marquis well past sixty.”
And naturally, that junior wife would come from among His Majesty’s own children.
It was painfully obvious who would be chosen.
The fourth princess—Odette Benua Celestine—illegitimate, with neither mother nor maternal relatives to protect her.
“If you don’t secure a decent marriage prospect soon, won’t you be forced to wed a man old enough to be your father and leave for some barren frontier, Your Highness?”
“…Yes. You’re right.”
Odette finally admitted her predicament.
If he asked whether she needed a marriage partner, she had no rebuttal—it struck right at the heart of her situation.
To avoid being sold off by her father’s hand, Odette urgently needed to find a suitable marriage candidate.
Indeed, that was the sole reason she had attended this banquet tonight.
“But that’s my own concern. I’m grateful for your attention, but I already have someone I wish to marry.”
“I know. Count Louis Clovis.”
Odette’s eyes widened, caught off guard by his accuracy.
“How could you possibly know that…?”
“How could I not, when you look at only one person with such ardent eyes? Even Count Clovis himself would have noticed.”
At Walter’s words, Odette’s face flushed red.
His hand touched her heated cheek—cooler than the night air, yet gentle and careful, as if applying cream.
It was an oddly tender gesture, completely unlike the man who until moments ago had exuded such arrogance and authority.
“I know who has your heart. And I know you intended to propose to him tonight.”
For just a moment, a shadow of melancholy flickered in Walter’s eyes as he spoke.
Would it be too sentimental of her to think he looked as though he were sharing something deeply sorrowful?
Odette felt a faint sense of unease, but quickly brushed it aside and pushed him away.
“…I don’t know how you learned all this, but then shouldn’t you step aside now? Count Clovis will be here soon. I need to speak with him—”
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken about something, Your Highness. If I’d intended to step aside so easily, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
This time, his reply was even colder than before.
“As I said earlier, I fully intend to marry you—by any means necessary.”
Because this time, he had no intention of foolishly letting her slip through his fingers again.
At least, that’s what it sounded like he muttered under his breath.
“What on earth are you…?”
Odette, lost in confusion, murmured without meaning to—then froze.
Only now did she realize Walter had moved significantly closer than before.
And since he was standing with his back to the door, anyone passing by outside would surely mistake them for lovers caught in an intimate embrace.
Just as panic surged through her and she reached to push him away—
the door behind Walter’s shoulder opened, and the face she’d been waiting for appeared.
Louis Clovis.
“Your Highness, here I…”
But he never finished his sentence—not because of Odette,
but because he had recognized the man shielding her in what looked like an embrace.
“Oh, my. I had no idea Duke Ertman was here. My apologies. Please carry on enjoying your evening.”
Louis offered a polite smile, then quickly closed the door and left—
leaving Odette behind.
“…”
And so, they were alone again on the terrace.
Walter looked down at Odette’s stunned expression and offered a faint, triumphant smile.
“Now that the uninvited guest is gone… shall we start our conversation again from the beginning, Princess?”
About our marriage.
[This is the timeline separator]Odette Benua Celestine.
The fourth daughter of the Celestine imperial family—and an illegitimate child, ignored by all.
That was the name Odette had carried throughout her twenty-six years of life.
Her mother had been a maid, so the stories went.
Of course, being a palace maid, she likely came from minor or fallen nobility.
But there was no way to confirm it.
Her mother, said to have always been frail, had died shortly after giving birth to Odette—and no one in the palace ever offered her details about her mother.
Had Odette not inherited her father the Emperor’s distinctive silver hair, she surely would never have been acknowledged as an imperial princess at all.
Thus, Odette had been cast into the palace without a single protector.
“Our mother says you’re no different from street orphans. How utterly lowborn!”
“Don’t think that just because you carry the name Celestine, you’re equal to us!”
Her older siblings—especially the Second Prince and Third Princess, both born of Empress Catarina—would constantly taunt and mock Odette.
Perhaps they believed that, like stubborn weeds, she would finally wither under their cruelty.
And indeed, outwardly, she likely did appear broken.
No matter how harshly the Second Prince insulted her, or how the Third Princess dumped tea over her head, Odette would only giggle foolishly.
“How could I ever be like my elder siblings?… I’m just an illegitimate child, after all.”
She was the palace’s undisputed weed—someone with no pride left to speak of.
That was the Odette known to the world.
Yet within her heart, she secretly cherished a single wish:
‘Someday, I want to leave the palace and live quietly.’
To live quietly—and live long.
Even if it meant living as a mere wildflower.
She simply wanted to live happily, without ever being trampled by anyone.
But that modest wish was the hardest thing of all for Odette to attain.
Being born into the imperial family meant that, from the moment you opened your eyes to the world, you were inevitably thrust into the public eye—whether you wanted it or not.
Simply by existing, you held the powerful card of imperial succession, so of course attention was unavoidable.
Thus, the imperial court was currently split into two factions vying for that very succession:
Crown Prince Cedric, son of the late Empress, and Second Prince Blake, backed by Empress Catarina.
And secretly, without anyone’s knowledge, Odette had aligned herself with Crown Prince Cedric.
If you held the powerful card of succession yet lacked the strength to protect yourself, you’d only be used and discarded until meeting a miserable end.
“I’ll become your loyal servant, Elder Brother. Since you’re often away from the palace, I can help keep watch over the palace and the capital.”
And Cedric would occasionally test her with subtle questions.
“You were born into the imperial family, Odette. It wouldn’t hurt to dream of greatness once in a while.”
But Odette’s answer was always the same.
“I’m not interested in that. Dreams, ambitions—they all vanish when you die anyway.”
No matter how wealthy or powerful you became in life, death reduced you to nothing but dust.
Odette wanted to live long and gently. She wanted to experience love, and build a warm and peaceful family of her own.
For that reason, she had willingly chosen Crown Prince Cedric’s side.
Because if she became Cedric’s loyal servant, he would ensure she was never sold off in a political marriage.
But holding up an umbrella does not grant perfect freedom from the scorching sun.
Three months after Crown Prince Cedric departed on a border inspection mission, Odette’s crisis arrived.
“His Majesty is arranging for you to become the junior wife of the border marquis, isn’t he?”
“Her Imperial Majesty the Empress has been saying it’s about time Princess Odette was married off…”
Through Empress Catarina’s scheming, an unwanted political marriage had suddenly loomed right before her eyes.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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One thing I haven’t been able to understand about situations such as this one, is why anyone would believe a maid has any autonomy in the face of an emperor that wants their body. It’s always the ‘lowly’ peasant’s or maid’s fault for having relations and a subsequent child with a person in a position of power. Perhaps Regina is just one of those that must blame others regardless of reality.