My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“You look wonderful in this too, my lady!”
“Is there anything that doesn’t suit you?”
Hearing the constant stream of admiration from the attendants beside her, Elodie Montoir lifted the corners of her lips in delight.
In the mirror before her stood a nobly adorned young lady.
She showed no trace of being from the countryside, yet retained a unique freshness that made her appear exceptionally charming and lovely.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
Just a month ago, this would have been unimaginable.
Of course—it was only possible because she was here at Ertman, not thanks to her own family, the Montoirs!
Elodie could still vividly recall her first day here.
A garden so vast it would take an entire day just to walk a full circle, and the enormous mansion within it.
After passing through the main gate—reached only after a considerable carriage ride—she was greeted by a beautiful marble hall and a grand chandelier.
Yet what struck her most wasn’t the gold-leafed edges along every corner of the mansion, nor even the fact that paintings hanging casually in hallways were so expensive and famous even she recognized them.
What imprinted most strongly in Elodie’s memory that day was none other than a man.
“Let’s make a deal. It won’t cost you anything.”
Without so much as a proper greeting, the black-haired man opened with these blunt words.
The master of this beautiful mansion—and a figure so exalted that, under normal circumstances, she’d never have dared meet him alone.
She’d expected to at least exchange greetings, since she was told to meet him immediately upon arrival.
But Walter proposed a deal right off the bat.
“A… deal?!”
“Yes. You work for me, and in return, I promise you the prestige of the Ertman name. Your debut will be held in grand style, and if you ever lack anything, Ertman will support you without hesitation.”
“But… do I get time to—”
“There are plenty who can replace you. I assure you, this is no loss-making proposition.”
Of course—what an opportunity! A chance to borrow the Ertman name’s glory?
This was the kind of opportunity she’d sell everything she owned to seize.
‘I thought I’d test him once, but it didn’t work.’
Elodie sighed inwardly and accepted Walter’s offer.
“I’ll do it! But what exactly would you have me do?”
“It’s not difficult. All you need to do is seduce one man. Or rather—you may not even need to seduce him.”
As he spoke, Walter placed a neatly arranged document before Elodie.
It contained information on a certain person.
“Louis… Clovis? Seeking a marriage partner… Requirements: no unnecessary scandals, and someone light-hearted enough to win Louis Clovis’s personal favor…”
“And someone who can promise not to restrain him after marriage. That’s all. You just need to play the role of an attractive marriage candidate for Louis Clovis.”
“Do I actually have to marry him?”
“That’s up to you. Whether it’s a political marriage or anything else—as long as Louis Clovis seriously considers marrying you, it’s enough. It’s hardly a difficult role to play.”
Walter said this while fixing his sharp gaze on Elodie.
That penetrating look seemed to say he already knew everything about her—
that she’d gained a scandalous reputation for her loose relationships back in Montoir, making it impossible to find a decent husband there, and that was precisely why she’d come all the way to the capital.
‘Nah, surely not.’
Elodie shook her head inwardly.
Her father, Viscount Montoir, adored her deeply.
That was exactly why he’d sent her to the capital—to find a suitable husband, after all.
He must have concealed her past romantic entanglements thoroughly.
—“Don’t you dare act here the way you did back home! Always be modest and well-behaved!”
If he went so far as to give her that warning, he surely wouldn’t have let anything slip to the capital.
And besides—if there were truly so many suitable replacements, why would Walter bother investigating her past?
Elodie scoffed internally and answered with feigned innocence.
“I’ll do my best!”
And so, the deal was struck.
In any case, Elodie truly intended to give it her all.
After all—
‘Seduction, you say.’
Walter had even said she could marry Louis if she wanted.
Surely he said that because, from Elodie’s perspective, Louis was far beyond what she deserved as a marriage prospect.
But Elodie thought differently.
‘Why settle for him when there’s someone even better right here?’
Walter Ertman was far more handsome than she’d heard.
He stood a full head taller than most men, with well-defined muscles visible even beneath his clothes.
His strikingly handsome face was precisely the kind one would describe as “sculpted.”
Of course, his characteristic arrogance and cold expression could be seen as flaws—
—but for a man of Duke Ertman’s standing, those traits only made him stand out more.
Especially when listening to Walter’s voice—smooth as watered satin—it was impossible not to imagine how it might sound in bed.
‘And then there’s the weight of the Ertman name itself.’
The few days Elodie had spent at Ertman had been so fantastical that she’d even begun to think life as a neglected wife confined to this mansion wouldn’t be so bad.
Servants stood ready at her every whim, while food, clothing, and lodging were of such supreme quality they made everything she’d known before seem like trash.
And the barely concealed admiration in the servants’ eyes!
‘It was worth making a deliberate show in front of His Grace.’
Walter had promised Elodie the prestige of Ertman as payment for their deal, and as long as she didn’t overstep, he allowed her almost anything.
Noticing this special treatment, the servants had begun treating her with extra caution and deference—as if they secretly believed she was Walter’s lover.
This feeling—of being truly noble and exceptional!
‘If I become Duchess Ertman, this is exactly what I’ll enjoy for the rest of my life.’
Of course, Louis Clovis—the man she’d been assigned as her target—was undeniably handsome, and the prospect had initially appealed to her.
But not enough to trade it for the position of Duchess Ertman.
Duchess Ertman.
Just a month ago, those words would have sounded utterly unrealistic—but now, they filled her with intoxicating delight.
Someone might still call it absurd, but after staying at the Ertman Ducal Mansion for several days and assessing the situation, Elodie concluded it was entirely possible.
‘I just need to eliminate the competition appropriately.’
And that competition consisted of the two imperial princesses currently rumored to be involved in scandals with Walter.
Since arriving in the capital, she’d easily heard rumors that Walter favored one of the princesses.
Even people within Ertman often discussed Walter’s true intentions.
In fact, it was precisely because she was inside Ertman that she heard it even more readily.
“Sir Russell, does His Grace truly have feelings for Her Imperial Highness?”
“He’s likely considering a political marriage. Haven’t you learned that much after serving him so long?”
“So… he really will go through with marriage?”
“Yes. That’s what they say.”
“Well, it is about time. Between the Third and Fourth Princesses, which one does His Grace—”
“Hey. If you’ve got the energy to ponder useless things, I suppose you’ve been too comfortable lately. How about another round at the training grounds?”
“I—I’m sorry!”
Though she couldn’t obtain decisive information, one thing was certain: Walter was seriously contemplating marriage.
And with her sharp intuition, Elodie noticed something the knights had missed.
“Your Grace, may I ask—why specifically must I seduce Count Clovis? It’s just… knowing might help me act more convincingly!”
“You’re supposed to just do as you’re told, yet you’re awfully curious. Or is playing this simple role proving too difficult for you?”
“…! N-No, of course not!”
In private, Walter’s icy demeanor nearly overwhelmed her—
—but Elodie pressed on with one last subtle probe.
“It’s just… the fact that it’s specifically a marriage partner—it almost seems like you’re trying to sabotage Count Clovis’s marriage. Could he perhaps be your rival…?”
“Hah.”
Instead of an answer, Elodie was met with Walter’s smile.
It was then she first realized a gentle smile could look so cold and menacing.
And that a mere glance could press down on someone with overwhelming force.
“Elodie Montoir. Since you’ll soon debut as a debutante, let me give you one piece of advice.”
He brushed past her as he spoke.
“Wherever you go, the one who knows too much and the one who desires too much are always the first to die.”
You’d do well to remember that.
He added that final sentence as a clear warning.
A warning not to pry further.
Yet at the same time, it confirmed her suspicion was correct.
‘So Count Clovis really is his rival!’
What Walter planned wasn’t just some political marriage.
He truly had feelings for one of the princesses.
‘And… Count Clovis is standing in his way?’
Then which of the two was it?
The famed Third Princess, Regina?
Or the Fourth Princess, Odette—the one Walter had admitted to meeting secretly?
Elodie had even considered spending extra money to find out—but unexpectedly, her question was soon answered.
On the day of her debutante ball.
“Her Imperial Highness the Fourth Princess and Count Clovis are arriving!”
Because at the House of Count Xavier’s ball, someone entered alongside Louis Clovis.
[This is the timeline separator]“A pleasure to see you again, Your Highness. Do you remember me? We met at that tea party before…”
“Whose design is your dress today? It’s truly exquisite.”
“We’re holding a small gathering at our family mansion soon—if Your Highness would attend…”
Amid the tangle of countless voices all vying for attention,
Odette stood there, dazed.
The moment she stepped into Viscount Xavier’s ballroom, steeling herself against nervousness, this scene unfolded before her.
People swarmed around, each eager to speak to her, their voices dripping with goodwill.
Louis, who’d entered with her, had already been swept away by the crowd and pushed far off.
Odette felt her head spinning.
‘I’ve never experienced anything like this.’
Among those approaching her were people who, just days ago, had subtly mocked her during social gatherings—back when she’d been forced by Empress Catarina’s pressure to clear up rumors about herself.
And yet, after only a few days, their attitude had turned this friendly?
‘They must think I might marry Duke Ertman.’
She’d expected some shift—but this blatant change was beyond what she’d imagined.
“Your Highness, do you remember me? I never thought I’d see you here!”
At the bold approach of one particular man, Odette instinctively flinched backward—
“Didn’t expect such a warm reception right from the entrance.”
A firm hand gently touched her back.
And a quiet whisper brushed her ear.
“You’re radiant, Princess.”
It was… Walter’s voice.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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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.