My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
About a month ago, when Walter returned to the capital with news of his victory.
While others bloomed with admiration at Walter’s tales, Regina alone held her head high.
The reason was simple.
‘Walter Ertman? Easy.’
Whether he was the Duke of Iron Blood or a blood-soaked madman, she was confident that if she set her mind to it, he would kneel right at her hem.
Since her debutante days, Regina had never once lost her title as the belle of high society.
Her beauty, her illustrious status as an imperial princess, and the immense backing from House Rodel—the Empress Catarina’s own family—all guaranteed it.
It would have been strange if she hadn’t reigned supreme in noble society.
Thus, by the end of the spring social season, everyone unanimously declared of Regina:
“You are truly beautiful!”
“How could anyone be so elegant!”
Men rushed to claim a dance with Regina, and countless others considered exchanging even a single word with her the honor of a lifetime.
So naturally, she believed that if she desired it, someone like Duke Ertman would be nothing at all.
‘Given how there’s no gossip about him in society, he’s surely some fool who knows nothing about women.’
Ever since coming of age by imperial decree, Walter had been constantly shuttling between battlefields, and it was well known that he never attended social events.
He was famously so aloof that few had ever even spoken with him.
Of course, there were widespread rumors full of admiration about his extraordinary handsomeness.
“But so what? He’s probably just a hopeless shy one.”
Regina had always scoffed even at such admiration. Naturally—after all, she was Regina Rodel Celestine!
She was the sort of woman who expected everyone, regardless of gender, to kiss the ground beneath her feet. Right up until she met Walter, she had worn that same smug expression, unable to drop her mocking demeanor.
“Mother, do you think Duke Ertman has ever even held a woman’s hand? If I just flutter my skirts a bit, won’t he lose his mind and fall head over heels? Dull knights are no fun at all.”
“Don’t speak nonsense, Regina. I went through great trouble to arrange this opportunity. You must secure Duke Ertman’s favor!”
“Great trouble? Who even cares about Ertman these days? Is this really necessary?”
“Don’t be foolish! Just because Ertman keeps to himself doesn’t mean his influence vanished overnight. And now that he’s returned as a war hero, his prestige will only grow.”
Empress Catarina scolded her immature daughter sharply.
“Walter Ertman happens to be a fellow sword disciple of the Crown Prince. Many already assume Ertman stands on the Prince’s side. If we can bring him to ours, winning over other nobles will become far easier.”
Faced with Catarina’s firm words, Regina reluctantly adjusted her attitude and went to meet Walter.
‘Well, it’s not exactly bad for me either.’
After all, Walter was undeniably the most talked-about figure in the capital’s social scene.
‘And besides, I rather took a liking to Duke Ertman.’
If she could claim the seat beside him, she would surely become the sole object of society’s envious gazes.
“Consorting with Duke Ertman—of course it would be Her Highness Regina!”
“Only someone of Her Highness’s stature could possibly be with the Duke!”
Regina was confident she could turn this plan into reality.
Today, in fact.
“Your Highness! Duke Ertman has admitted to meeting privately with the Fourth Imperial Princess Odette!”
At least, that was her belief—until she heard this utterly absurd news.
[This is the timeline separator]Rumors concerning Walter, Regina, and Odette had spread like morning mist since dawn.
There was no way Regina hadn’t overheard those whispers.
Yet she had deliberately dismissed them with a scoff.
Surely there must have been some mistake.
Odette barely ever left her own quarters—how could she suddenly be meeting Duke Ertman in secret?
Nonsense! It had to be mere rumor.
But then Walter himself kindly—and thoroughly—shattered the mask of denial Regina had clung to.
“…Walter Ertman and Odette had a secret meeting?”
Across from her, Regina’s older brother, the Second Imperial Prince Blake, who had been playing chess alone, spoke with a mocking tone.
Unlike Regina, who resembled the Emperor, Blake was the spitting image of Empress Catarina.
His wavy blue hair and amethyst-like eyes gave him the appearance of a refined nobleman at first glance—but when his lips twisted into a sneer, even his sister Regina found his expression chillingly cold.
Just as he did now.
“What on earth are you talking about, Reggie? Did I hear wrong?”
“…What do you mean?”
“You were so confident about seducing Duke Ertman, claiming he was nearly yours—was that all just hot air?”
“What are you talking about? What would I gain by lying about something so trivial? You saw it yourself! Duke Ertman was clearly kind to me!”
“Anyone can fake kindness. It’s your job to tell whether it’s genuine or not.”
“But you know as well as I do—he kept coming to see me! Why else would he do that if he didn’t care for me?”
Regina felt deeply wronged.
It wasn’t a lie that Walter had treated her specially.
Walter, who supposedly never attended social functions, had visited Catarina so often over the past month that he’d worn down the doorstep. And each time, Catarina had summoned Regina to join them for tea—either just the two of them or all three together.
If he wasn’t coming to see her, why would he visit Catarina at all?
She truly believed things were progressing well between her and Walter.
Though Walter was far from warm and rarely met her eyes, he had always responded to whatever she said.
‘Besides, there’s no way Duke Ertman wouldn’t have heard the rumors I’ve been spreading.’
Recently, Regina had been circulating rumors that things were going splendidly between her and Walter—
that he was exceptionally kind to her.
If he knew all that and still remained silent, what could it possibly mean?
Regina interpreted his silence as his desire to advance their relationship.
No—she wanted to believe it.
‘I’ve never met a man like him.’
Walter Ertman.
She still couldn’t forget their first meeting.
The day she’d reluctantly gone to meet him, pushed by Catarina’s insistence.
As she stepped into the greenhouse where tea had been set, the man waiting for her turned at the sound of her approach without even sitting down.
—Odette…?
—A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Duke Ertman. I am Regina Rodel Celestine.
—…Your Highness, the Third Imperial Princess.
For just a fleeting moment, disappointment and irritation flickered across Walter’s face—but Regina missed it entirely.
Instead, what caught her eye was the sheer elegance of the man named Walter.
If a sword were shaped into a man, it would surely look like him.
His body, honed by years of military life, and his precise, razor-sharp speech and mannerisms exuded a sharpness unlike any she’d seen before.
He was nothing like the empty-headed men she’d met countless times in society.
‘I assumed he’d be some awkward fool since he never attended social events.’
But Walter was thoroughly versed in etiquette, skilled in guiding conversation, and effortlessly commanded the atmosphere with his striking looks.
A genuinely likable man—truly unexpected.
All the men Regina had met before either acted like fools, overwhelmed by her beauty and status, or boasted incessantly just to impress her.
For the first time, she truly wanted someone.
And it hadn’t even seemed difficult—she was certain she and Walter were steadily growing closer.
Yet now, not only were rumors spreading that he’d met secretly with Odette, but he’d actually admitted to it!
Humiliation made Regina’s hands tremble uncontrollably.
Watching her, Blake let out a soft chuckle, moved a chess piece, and spoke.
“This is getting entertaining, Reggie. Soon the entire social circle will be gossiping about you.”
“…What did you say?”
“You know as well as I do how people love to tear down those on high pedestals. If the rumor’s already reached us, everyone who matters probably already knows.”
And they would chatter:
“So much for her arrogance—she lost her man to a mere bastard!”
“Guess even a Third Imperial Princess can’t win every man’s heart, huh?”
“In that case, you’ve been thoroughly slapped in the face by Odette, haven’t you?”
Blake’s mocking laughter only made Regina’s face flush even deeper with humiliation than before.
If Regina had heard all this alone, she might have been angry but still managed to think more rationally.
But with Blake present, the situation was different.
“What reason would Duke Ertman have to associate with that lowly creature? She must be wagging her tail just like her mother did, forgetting her place. Are you really going to sit idly by, Reggie?”
“…Odette, that damn wench…! I won’t let this go!”
With each jab from Blake, Regina’s fury grew beyond control.
Muttering curses in her rage, Regina finally shot up from her seat and stormed off toward Odette.
And so, in the present—
“Do you have any idea how ridiculous you’ve made me look by wagging your tail at Duke Ertman, completely forgetting your place?! Confess right now—what trick did you use?!”
Standing before the raging Regina, Odette was utterly dumbfounded.
The reason was simple.
“…Duke Ertman actually said the rumor was true? That he met with me in secret?”
Because she knew absolutely nothing about this situation!
She’d naturally assumed Empress Catarina or Regina had deliberately sent Walter.
Could it truly not be the case?
‘Duke Ertman came to see me—not because of the Empress or Regina?’
Though she didn’t know the full details, she was certain something was deeply wrong.
And Odette’s genuine confusion only further stoked Regina’s fury.
“Ha! Pretending innocence even though you know everything? You despicable creature!”
Regina’s face twisted with unbearable rage.
Had Odette immediately groveled and confessed everything, Regina’s anger might have cooled slightly—but she simply couldn’t tolerate Odette’s expression of utter bewilderment, as if saying, “What on earth are you talking about…?”
“Because of you, my dignity’s been shredded! Now the whole social circle will gleefully spread the word—that I lost my man to someone like you! Just being mentioned in the same breath as you is humiliating, and now I’ll have to endure those kinds of rumors too!”
“No, I really don’t know anything about—”
“Don’t you dare say you didn’t know! Go ahead and claim you didn’t even know Duke Ertman was meeting with me! Shameless, just like your mother!”
At the mention of her mother, Odette’s gentle expression hardened slightly.
Odette’s mother had once been a palace maid.
All Odette knew about her mother was this one fact:
That she had served Empress Catarina.
“Your dead mother also tried to steal my mother’s man, didn’t she? Truly, like mother, like daughter. This is exactly why lowborns are worthless—they always try to snatch what belongs to others!”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Aelthia
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.