My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
Louis Clovis.
And Walter Ertman.
‘Just what kind of relationship do these two have?’
After the Emperor’s tea party concluded, and Walter had escorted Odette back to the palace and left,
Odette couldn’t free herself from those thoughts, even deep into the night.
It was because the conversation she’d had with Walter during the day kept replaying in her mind.
‘Duke Ertman is under the mistaken impression that I’m fond of Count Clovis.’
But where on earth did that misunderstanding come from?
Odette tried to recall their earlier conversation.
.
.
.
After Walter had said,
“That’s because you love Louis Clovis, isn’t it?”
Odette was momentarily speechless.
She’d been startled by the sudden mention of Louis’s name.
“…Why does Count Clovis even come up here? This has nothing to do with him.”
“Can it truly be unrelated when Your Highness was so determined to propose to him?”
“I—”
Odette had been about to say she hadn’t intended to propose out of love for Louis, but she paused abruptly.
It was because Walter’s expression, when she glanced up at him, seemed clouded with worry.
How utterly strange.
‘He clearly fancies Regina and is trying to seduce me.’
Then why does he always look so pained whenever Louis is mentioned?
It was confusing even to herself.
If this too was part of his scheme, Walter would be the worst of the worst.
‘Pull yourself together, Odette.’
He doesn’t care for you.
Your first meeting was when he ruined your plan at the victory banquet—how could he possibly like you?
Didn’t you already give up on the romantic fantasy that someone would one day adore you purely for who you are?
‘…Right, I did.’
And it was a decision made after an especially painful experience—how could she forget so soon?
Odette let out a bitter sigh and lowered her eyes.
Then, for the first time in a long while, she spoke a lie.
“…Yes. I love Louis Clovis.”
“…”
The moment she said it, Walter’s hand seemed to tense—but that was probably just her imagination.
‘It pricks my conscience a little.’
But lying like this was necessary to protect herself from a man who sought to seduce and use her.
“Still, regardless of how I feel right now, I’ll never love you.”
“…That’s unfortunate.”
Walter’s reply, cold and subdued, pricked her conscience again, and Odette lowered her gaze, exhaling lightly.
“I feel the same. So please stop trying to draw me in—”
“Because you’ll end up with a husband you could never love.”
“Rather than that… Wait, what did you say?”
Odette’s eyes widened in disbelief.
But Walter’s face, as always, remained composed.
Perhaps because of the angle from which he looked down at her, he even seemed more arrogant than usual.
“No matter how much you dislike it, you’d have to see your husband’s face every day… Are you sure that’s fine? It’d be far easier if you just loved me instead.”
“W-what on earth are you talking about? I already rejected your proposal!”
“I’ve already told you as well. I intend to marry Your Highness, by any means necessary.”
Odette’s mouth fell open.
“You wouldn’t dare force me into marriage through threats, would you?”
“Well, I do plan to seduce you. That way, Your Highness will choose me.”
Good heavens.
“What if… what if I genuinely love someone else?”
“Yes.”
“And what if I wish to marry someone else?”
“Not Louis Clovis.”
“But I’m telling you, I want Count Clovis!”
“Then go ahead. I’ll stop you.”
Is this man even sane?
No matter what she said, his immediate, unwavering replies left Odette utterly speechless.
Walter’s behavior was anything but reasonable.
She’d already rejected his proposal—admittedly not out of genuine affection—and even told him she liked someone else!
‘The more he insists, the more suspicious it becomes.’
If Walter’s words were true, then he desired Odette.
But normally, precisely because of that, wouldn’t someone respect the other person’s wishes even more?
Perplexed, Odette demanded,
“Duke Ertman, do you truly not care what becomes of me?”
“…I’d actually prefer it if I didn’t. Then we wouldn’t have to waste time on this pointless argument.”
As he said this, Walter’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You may find it hard to believe, but I sincerely—”
“…?”
Odette waited for him to finish, but no matter how long she waited, he offered no further words.
Even when she looked at him, he only wore an expression of evident discomfort.
Eventually, after an awkward silence, he simply said,
“…In any case, Louis Clovis is out of the question. Please give up on him.”
As if that were the best he could offer.
.
.
.
‘…Thinking about it again, he’s absolutely the worst.’
If today’s events had confirmed anything, it was that Walter Ertman was the worst man Odette had ever met.
She’d encountered so many despicable men that she thought no one could possibly rank higher on her list anymore.
Yet, perhaps the world truly was vast.
“…What on earth is Duke Ertman after?”
“Again with Duke Ertman? Ugh, please stop thinking about him already.”
Ellie, who was preparing for bed, grumbled at Odette’s muttering.
She’d heard about the conversation between Odette and Walter earlier that day.
“Honestly, what kind of man even acts like that! Why can’t he just leave Your Highness alone?”
“He must want something from me.”
“I may be nobility too, but I really can’t sympathize with the mindset of high-ranking nobles—acting like they can trample over everyone else just to get what they want!”
Hearing Ellie complain about how unfairly Odette was being used, Odette gave a small smile.
“You’re the unusual one, Ellie. Most nobles live exactly like that.”
Though she appreciated Ellie taking her side, Odette herself held the typical values of the high nobility—if she were honest.
“Without power, you’ll inevitably be used.”
“Still… Aren’t you even angry, Your Highness?”
“Of course Duke Ertman is the worst. Honestly, I never imagined I’d meet a man as awful as that Xavier boy—well, he’s a count now. Still, I never thought anyone could rival him.”
“You mean Count Xavier? The one who tried to seduce you on the Third Princess’s orders!”
At Ellie’s indignant reminder, Odette nodded lightly.
Commonly known as Count Xavier—Regis Xavier.
He’d been the mastermind who colluded with Regina to seduce Odette and, to this day, remained among the worst men she’d ever met.
—Think carefully. Do you really believe you’ll ever meet a better man than me?
—You’ll surely regret this!
Odette briefly recalled her memories with Regis and shook her head vigorously.
“No, now that I think about it, Count Xavier was far more dreadful.”
“Why? From what you’ve said, Duke Ertman sounds worse.”
“At least Duke Ertman didn’t seem to be doing it just for amusement.”
If he had been, she wouldn’t be this troubled.
In fact, when she’d mistakenly believed Walter was conspiring with Regina just like Regis Xavier, she’d slept peacefully with both legs stretched out.
The problem was that, despite Walter’s outrageous words and actions, he seemed genuinely sincere.
He truly wanted Odette to accept his proposal.
‘But why?’
Because he desired Regina? Or because he had some hidden connection to Louis Clovis?
“Could it be… that Duke Ertman truly has feelings for Your Highness?”
“That’s impossible. If he did, he’d have confessed by now—told me he loved me.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right…”
Ellie murmured regretfully.
Though she complained about Walter, secretly, she hoped Odette would emerge victorious over both him and Regina in the swirling rumors surrounding them.
The thought that Regina might be humiliated because of those rumors secretly pleased her.
‘After all, the Third Princess has always tormented our Odette relentlessly.’
She was glad to see Regina’s arrogance finally checked—even a little.
Of course, that satisfaction vanished whenever she saw Odette forced to navigate society in the rumor’s wake.
Lounging on a long sofa, Odette murmured softly,
“…Anyway, getting angry won’t solve anything. I need to figure out his true intentions.”
She had no intention of letting confusion make her sway under Walter’s influence.
“First, I should find out what connection exists between Count Clovis and Duke Ertman.”
“Hmm… but do they even have any connection? It’s such an odd pairing.”
Louis was highly active in society, whereas Walter was exceedingly reclusive.
In fact, that very trait made Walter’s intentions even harder to decipher.
But.
‘That doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no connection to uncover.’
Resting her chin on the sofa, Odette gazed out the window.
With a faintly amused—and oddly nostalgic—expression.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Anne Sophie.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Goodness, Your Highness! What brings you here?”
“I told you to call me Odette. Have you been well, Anne?”
“Oh, how could I call the Imperial Princess by her given name so casually? I’ve been fine! Please, sit, sit!”
A woman with long, curly brown hair loosely tied back with a hairpin and thick glasses covering most of her face bustled about, saying she’d bring tea.
Amid her comings and goings, exclamations like “Oops!” and “Whoops!” rang out several times—but thankfully, no shattering sounds followed, and the tea tray arrived safely before Odette.
This cheerful yet scatterbrained woman was Anne Sophie.
A magic studies graduate student at Belvoir Academy—the Empire’s most prestigious private institution—and Odette’s closest friend during their academy days.
“Ugh, I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so my vision’s all blurry.”
“…Have you tried cleaning your glasses?”
“Oh! You’re right! Your Highness is as sharp as ever!”
Anne Sophie immediately began frantically polishing her glasses.
Only then did her warm brown eyes finally glimmer clearly into view—
along with the dark, heavy circles beneath them from sleepless nights.
“…Anne, am I interrupting something important?”
“Well… it’d be a lie to say I’m not busy. The academic symposium is coming up soon, and everyone’s on edge.”
Every two years, scholars from across the continent gathered for the academic symposium.
Its original purpose was to exchange knowledge by presenting their research—but…
“If we lose to those Tehaz Kingdom scholars again, the professor swears he’ll burn down the whole lab…”
“That sounds just like him…”
Sadly, over time, its noble purpose had faded, and it had become little more than a competitive arena.
“Then, Anne, shouldn’t you be working instead of taking tea breaks?”
“Oh, it’s fine! The professor just stepped out—some visitor came by. Clousse? No, Colobi Count?”
“…Could it be Count Clovis?”
“Ah! Yes! Count Clovis! That pretty-boy nobleman!”
At Anne Sophie’s cheerful remark, Odette’s expression stiffened.
‘Count Louis Clovis… is here?’
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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But wouldn’t it be the perfect time to speak with Xavier in a safe manner? There are plenty of people around and she needs information from him.
He isn’t suspicious of Duke Ertman? Considering the rumors the Duke amplified, he has motive to drive a wedge between Louis and Odette. Yet Louie doesn’t question Walter’s words? I’d think he’d be suspicious of Walter casting the curse. Walter’s motive for doing so might be unknown but his words, seemingly knowledgeable about the curse itself and blaming it upon Odette, whom the Duke has insinuated a relationship with while Odette says otherwise, gives plenty to be wary about.
Is this woman serious saying ‘I lied to them, why won’t they believe me?’ Wow she seems a bit delusional.