My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
The House of Ertman was a noble family so illustrious that, with only slight exaggeration, people said it had no higher rank left to attain within the Empire.
Of course, they had lately been living in isolation due to “a certain incident.”
They lacked neither wealth nor influence—and indeed, Duke Ertman himself had recently secured a decisive victory, further solidifying his power.
In fact, he was such a formidable figure that Empress Catarina herself was growing anxious and eager to bring him over to her side.
But then again, what reason would such a man possibly have to involve himself in such a crude prank?
If anything came to mind at all, it would be this….
“…Now that I think of it, Duke Ertman believed I had feelings for Count Clovis.”
“Huh? But didn’t he know Your Highness was planning a contract marriage?”
“That’s right. Perhaps he assumed love was the reason I chose Count Clovis as my intended?”
Of course, Ellie knew Odette’s reason for proposing had nothing to do with love.
But if someone had overheard their conversation and relayed it, they likely couldn’t pass along every detail.
It was very possible that the messenger hadn’t conveyed why Odette had chosen Louis in the first place.
After all, Odette had indeed been watching Louis throughout the entire banquet just to deliver a note to him—someone might easily have inferred romantic interest from her behavior.
“Whatever the reason, Duke Ertman was under that misconception… So perhaps he helped out because of Count Clovis.”
In high society, romantic rivalries between competitors were all too common.
Odette suspected this might simply be another such case.
“That’s why I didn’t clear up the misunderstanding right away. It seemed wise to observe how things unfolded.”
“Could it be that Count Clovis and Duke Ertman are rivals?”
“I’m not sure about that… But it’s certainly caused me some trouble.”
If the two truly were adversaries, then Louis’s side might view Odette unfavorably, especially with rumors circulating that she’d been meeting Walter in secret.
‘And if Empress Catarina already knows about my plans…’
She’d surely do everything in her power to keep me from meeting Count Clovis.
With my meeting with Louis already having failed, this new interference made matters even worse.
Thus, Odette had summoned Ellie—who’d been on medical leave for her injured leg—earlier than planned.
“It hasn’t even been long since you hurt your leg. I’m sorry to call you so soon, but I really needed your help given the circumstances.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it! My leg’s almost completely healed anyway. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve come along to the victory celebration!”
“Don’t be silly. With that leg, where do you think you’re going? Just deliver this letter for me.”
Odette handed over the note she’d written beside her.
The letter was addressed to Count Clovis.
‘Though my meeting with Count Clovis was interrupted yesterday, I won’t give up.’
Fortunately, when Louis entered the terrace,
he’d only seen Walter and hadn’t noticed Odette, who had been hidden behind him.
Of course, if he’d heard the rumors, he’d likely soon realize whose dress hem Walter had failed to fully conceal—but that no longer mattered.
Walter would soon issue a statement clarifying that the current scandal was nothing but baseless gossip, for the sake of his reputation.
Therefore, Odette swiftly wrote a letter to resume the meeting with Louis that had been disrupted the previous night.
In it, she apologized for missing their appointment, denied the circulating rumors as false, and expressed her desire to meet again.
Normally, she could have sent someone else with such a letter—but after even her private conversation with Ellie had been leaked, she trusted no one else.
“Ellie, I must deliver this letter before Empress Catarina tries to interfere again.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not difficult at all.”
The moment Ellie sprang up with a bright, cheerful smile,
the door burst open, and someone walked in.
Standing beyond the open doorway was none other than—
“Odette!”
The Third Imperial Princess, Regina Rodel Celestine.
“What on earth have you done?!”
[This is the timeline separator]True to her title as “the flower of high society,” she was dressed extravagantly once again today.
Adorning her lovely pink hair were jewels undoubtedly crafted by a master artisan, and her already striking features appeared even sharper and more alluring thanks to the skilled hand of her maidservant.
Admittedly, this gave her a somewhat intense, even sharp-tongued impression—but her noble status as an imperial princess and her confident arrogance blended so well that what might have been flaws were instead perceived as strengths.
Indeed, as society claimed—only half in jest—there was no man who could escape the sweep of her skirts.
But today, there was one clear difference: Regina’s face was twisted in furious anger from head to toe.
As a result, the meticulously pleated hem of her gown—carefully arranged by her maids over many hours—was now deeply creased from Regina’s tight grip.
Though Regina was famously hot-tempered, she’d still been rigorously trained to maintain imperial decorum.
It was rare indeed to see her this openly enraged.
‘Why is she so furious?’
Odette rose from her seat and asked,
“What’s the matter, Sister? If you’d only sent word ahead, I could have prepared properly….”
“Word? Are you saying I need to notify you before seeing someone as insignificant as you? Anyone watching might think you’re the elder!”
“I didn’t mean it that way, Sister. I just felt bad that I hadn’t prepared properly for your visit.”
In truth, she’d mostly said it to avoid confrontation—but
Odette had grown quite accustomed to Regina barging in, fuming with anger.
“Next time, at least send a hint through your maidservant. It’d be nice to share a cup of tea when you visit.”
“Hmph! What kind of fancy tea could you possibly serve me? You certainly have a talent for saying things you don’t mean!”
No matter how Odette responded, Regina’s reaction was always the same:
She’d seize on any excuse to voice grievances and somehow twist it into a reason to lash out at Odette.
Today was no different.
“Drop the pretense and tell me plainly—what have you done?!”
“What do you mean, ‘what have I done’?”
The problem was, Odette genuinely couldn’t guess why Regina was so angry.
“Ha! ‘What have I done’? Feigning ignorance when you know full well? You despicable creature.”
Regina’s red lips curled viciously.
“If you have ears at all, you can’t possibly be unaware of the rumors spreading through the palace right now!”
“I’ve heard them, of course—but I don’t see why that should upset you, Sister.”
Strictly speaking, Odette was the victim.
Yesterday’s incident had clearly been a plot between Regina and Walter to humiliate her.
If rumors were circulating, it was simply a case of their scheme backfiring.
As far as Odette could see, Regina had no legitimate reason to be angry.
“If it’s about the rumors, they’re utterly false. Nothing happened between the Duke and me.”
“Aha! False rumors?”
At Odette’s words, Regina let out a sharp, mocking laugh and narrowed her eyes fiercely.
“Don’t overdo the deception, Odette. Do you really think I’d go this far over mere gossip?”
“…?”
“Those rumors? I couldn’t care less! Gossip spreads through society every day. But this is different!”
“Different how?”
It wasn’t about the rumors?
The moment Odette stared wide-eyed in confusion, Regina shouted,
“How on earth did you convince Duke Ertman to confirm those rumors as true?!”
[This is the timeline separator]“The news should be spreading by now.”
“Ah, you mean the story that His Grace—the only man in the Empire entangled with two imperial princesses—has publicly admitted it. It’s spreading like wildfire.”
Russell Huntley, Duke Ertman’s aide-de-camp, clicked his tongue—
even though he himself was the one who’d started the rumor.
“I followed orders, of course, but Your Grace truly is remarkable. How could you even consider causing scandals with two imperial princesses?”
“Correct yourself, Russell. I didn’t spread the rumors—at least not the ones about the Third Princess.”
Walter finished signing the last document and slid his quill back into its holder as he replied.
“Is it my fault the Empress is frantic because I won’t accept her daughter?”
“You could have just refused. Honestly, sir, I can’t fathom your intentions.”
Russell’s usually half-lidded, weary eyes narrowed slightly.
Lately, he’d felt something was off about his master.
‘Was it about a month ago?’
He remembered the timing clearly.
Right before departing for the capital after wrapping up the campaign, there had been a day when Walter behaved unusually.
—What day is it today?
—Since we’re not at the mansion, this must be the capital. Could it be that time? Where’s Cedric?
—Is it true no one in the royal family is currently married?
Walter had asked questions so obvious they bordered on common sense—
as though he’d just arrived from a completely different world.
‘And ever since then… I truly can’t read His Grace’s intentions.’
After that day, Walter had seemed subtly but undeniably changed.
It wasn’t so much that he’d become a different person, but his actions had grown strange:
urging the troops to march faster than usual to reach the capital, repeatedly visiting Empress Catarina to arrange meetings with the Third Princess, and now even ordering rumors spread about secret rendezvous with the Fourth Princess.
This was utterly unlike the Walter Ertman he knew.
“You used to refuse even the Crown Prince’s personal requests, saying you wanted nothing to do with the palace. What’s gotten into you now? Fine, maybe the Third Princess—I’ll allow that—but why involve the Fourth as well…?”
“It’s nothing much. I’m considering marrying the Fourth Princess. Just clearing away some obstacles.”
“Marriage is all well and good, of course—marrying the Fourth Princess—but wait, what? Marriage? With the Fourth Princess?!”
Russell’s perpetually half-open eyes snapped wide open.
They widened so perfectly that even a bird flying past the window might have clapped its wings in admiration—but Walter merely answered calmly.
“I didn’t think it was significant enough to mention, but I hadn’t realized you were so perplexed. I’ll tell you earlier next time.”
“What? ‘Earlier’? What are you even talking about? Marriage?! Didn’t you reject every single match your grandfather tried to arrange, saying you found them utterly repulsive?!”
“I was young then. I’ve matured a bit since.”
“It’s only been half a year!”
“Half a year can change a great many things.”
Walter rested his chin lazily in his hand and replied in a detached tone.
“By now, whether it’s the Empress or the Third Princess, fire should be burning at their feet….”
I’m rather looking forward to seeing how they’ll respond.
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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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.