My Contract Marriage Got Interrupted (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
It was because, flustered, she’d stood up from her seat and slipped on the shards of the broken teacup her shoe had crushed.
She was so out of her mind that she didn’t even realize this fact until a beat too late.
Honestly, this was the absolute worst.
Not only had she been dragged into Walter and Regina’s love affair and turned into a laughingstock, but now she couldn’t even properly flee after breaking the teacup—she’d just collapsed right on the spot.
Odette instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Yet no matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel the cold floor.
Instead, a deep, gentle warmth enveloped her whole body.
Someone had caught her from behind, holding her tightly in their arms.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
A soft voice whispered quietly into her ear.
Arrogant, yet somehow tender.
“You wouldn’t want to look like a mess in front of the worst possible man, would you?”
She didn’t need to open her eyes to know who owned that cold voice paired with such warm arms.
‘Walter… Duke Ertman.’
In her flustered state, she hadn’t noticed immediately, but searching her memory, she faintly recalled Walter standing up the moment the teacup shattered.
‘Even though he likes Regina…’
Why is he doing this to me?
Pity? Or chivalry?
She hated either possibility.
As her thoughts turned to him, the warmth that had felt comforting suddenly became unbearable, and Odette tried to push Walter away.
No—she tried to, at least.
“Ugh…!”
Right after, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, and she wobbled again.
It seemed she’d twisted it slightly when she fell.
Walter must have noticed, too; he let out a quiet sigh and lifted Odette into his arms.
“…!”
“It appears Her Imperial Highness the Fourth Princess has injured her ankle. Since I failed to support her properly, I shall escort her back to the palace myself. Your Imperial Highness the Empress, please forgive my early departure.”
As if those words marked the very last trace of his patience, he left the tea party without waiting for Catarina’s reply.
Thus, the tea party room was left behind—Catarina, Regina, and the others still inside.
The murmuring that had briefly quieted down now surged louder than ever.
“Duke Ertman carried the Fourth Princess out himself…?”
“Does that mean we can no longer be certain he favors the Third Princess?”
“Come to think of it, Duke Ertman did admit to having a secret meeting with the Fourth Princess.”
“Well, just now, didn’t the Fourth Princess look stunningly beautiful…?”
If Regina possessed the vibrant beauty of a blooming flower, Odette held the serene grace of a white swan.
The fact that the Fourth Princess, who had remained secluded until now, turned out to be far more beautiful than expected—and carried herself with unexpected imperial dignity—earned her people’s admiration.
Moreover, in that moment when Walter caught Odette from behind as she stumbled—
Oddly enough, Walter and Odette looked perfectly matched, as if they were truly lovers.
A scandalously enticing scene, tailor-made for gossip-hungry crowds, had just been born.
The prevailing assumption that Walter favored Regina instantly tilted toward Odette.
Hearing whispers of “Fourth Princess” from every direction, Regina’s face twisted uncontrollably with frustration.
Not only had the tide turned against her again, but her rival was none other than Odette.
‘Odette—that despicable girl…!’
Most hadn’t noticed, but Regina had seen Odette drop the teacup.
That slow, unnatural movement.
‘She definitely did it on purpose! Since Duke Ertman clearly favors me, that girl must be wagging her tail at him again!!’
It wasn’t just Odette’s actions that infuriated her—it was just as aggravating that Walter had instantly scooped Odette up and carried her away.
Even if he were polite, he should’ve shown restraint. Did he really have to carry her out like that?
Especially since Regina had been absolutely certain Walter’s shocking confession was meant for her—and had been riding high on that belief—the bitterness now cut even deeper.
She snapped irritably at Catarina, the one person she expected to side with her.
“Mother! You saw it too, didn’t you? Odette’s shamelessly wagging her tail like that—should we just let her get away with it?”
“Then shall I chase after Duke Ertman and slap him across the face for you?”
“Mother!”
“Quiet! Don’t behave so recklessly.”
But Catarina’s response was unusually cold.
After all, she was the only one in the room who knew the truth.
Walter had come to her asking to meet Odette, and Catarina—under various pretexts—had instead pushed Regina onto him.
Back then, she’d only planned to use Ertman’s name briefly to sway public opinion.
—“As you know, unauthorized relationships often lead to unexpected accidents.”
The instant those words left Walter’s mouth, his gaze fixed straight on Catarina.
Unauthorized relationships. Unexpected accidents.
She wasn’t foolish enough not to recognize it as a blatant jab directed at herself.
‘Now things have become troublesome.’
Catarina’s brow furrowed slightly.
She’d initially brought Walter in merely as a disposable pawn—someone to link with Regina for public manipulation, then discard by pretending the Emperor disapproved if needed.
‘But now, there’s no way out.’
With just a few words, he’d firmly cemented a rivalry between the Third and Fourth Princesses.
And not just any rivalry—one even the Emperor couldn’t recklessly interfere with.
If it became known that Walter’s true interest lay with the Fourth Princess…
‘It wouldn’t just be embarrassment—it’d be utter disgrace.’
Especially since Catarina herself had started the rumors linking Regina and Walter.
Could it be that Walter Ertman had foreseen all of this from the very beginning?
Catarina’s expression slowly warped.
Not into a frown—but into something resembling a forced smile.
“…Well, since things have turned out this way, there’s nothing to be done. Let’s go. Staying here won’t bring us any pleasant words.”
Catarina rose from her seat, and Regina followed behind.
The shadow walking ahead in the quiet corridor spoke coldly to the one trailing behind.
“Regina. If you bring shame upon yourself through this incident, His Majesty won’t look kindly upon me—or your brother, for that matter.”
And if that happened, Blake’s chances of dethroning Cedric to become Crown Prince would fade even further.
“You mustn’t let that happen. Understood? Especially since you’re my daughter.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ve allowed you to do as you pleased until now, but if you’re not going to help your brother, at least don’t stand in his way. If you do, I won’t show mercy.”
With that icy declaration, Catarina left Regina behind.
The meaning of that brief exchange was clear to Regina.
‘No matter what, I must not let Odette take Duke Ertman from me…’
To feel such rivalry toward someone as insignificant as Odette!
Humiliation made Regina’s hands tremble violently, prompting her trailing maid to ask worriedly,
“Y-Your Highness… are you alright…?”
“Does this look alright to you?!”
Regina snapped sharply, then took several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking in a steadier voice.
“Summon Count Xavier. I need to remind that girl Odette what happens when she forgets her place.”
[This is the timeline separator]This was the worst.
Truly, the absolute worst.
It was as bad as the day she’d been invited to Regina’s tea time, eaten a dirt-filled cookie, and—on her way home—accidentally bumped into a maid and gotten drenched in mop water.
Why did her foot have to slip right there?
Why did she have to twist her ankle of all things?
‘And why, of all people, did Walter Ertman have to be the one to help me?’
If it had been anyone else, she could’ve felt genuinely grateful despite the embarrassment.
But to end up in the arms of the exact man she’d sworn never to see again—how utterly dreadful.
Odette squeezed her eyes shut, then spoke.
“…What exactly do you want from me by doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t need to use me to provoke jealousy. Regina already likes you.”
Walter didn’t answer immediately.
When she peeked open her eyes slightly, she caught him rolling his eyes upward in exasperation.
Of course, he quickly looked away, forcing her to snap her eyelids shut again.
“I have no interest in the Third Princess. What she thinks of me is none of my concern.”
“Liar.”
“What would I gain by lying to you, Your Highness? I’m the one who proposed to you.”
Proposed.
At that word, Odette’s tightly closed eyes flew open.
And their gazes met instantly.
“Are you finally willing to open your eyes now?”
“…Did you say that just to make me open them on purpose?”
“Opportunities to see the Princess’s eyes up close are rare. It’s quite disappointing when you keep them shut like a clamshell. Is that not allowed?”
As he asked, Walter gave a faint smile.
The way his handsome face relaxed into that gentle curve was undeniably captivating, leaving Odette momentarily speechless.
“…Duke, how many others have you said such things to?”
“Such things as what?”
“You know—about how ‘disappointing’ it is.”
And smiling that charmingly, too.
“You’re the only one.”
“Sure, I believe that.”
Odette gave a short, derisive snort.
The moment she saw that smile, she was certain.
‘This man’s a player.’
He clearly knew exactly how to appear seductive.
And with his looks, it probably wasn’t even difficult.
‘If anyone else had gone through this, they’d surely think, “Does Duke Ertman truly have feelings for me?”’
If even Odette—someone who kept her heart firmly locked—was starting to feel confused, how much more so would others be?
Ever since he’d shown up out of nowhere to propose, they’d likely been unable to shake the thought, “Could he possibly…?”
But not Odette.
She’d already been thoroughly burned by a player before.
She could easily see that Walter was deliberately trying to seduce her now.
Realizing this filled Odette with intense displeasure.
“Just be honest. You want to marry the Third Princess, but the Emperor’s opposition makes it difficult, so you’re pulling in someone as easy a target as me to break his resistance.”
At Odette’s words, Walter raised one eyebrow.
“…I don’t know why you keep thinking that, but I’ve never spoken a falsehood.”
“The usual excuse of a liar.”
“Didn’t I tell you from the very beginning that you’re the one I want?”
“And didn’t I tell you from the very beginning that you’re the worst?”
That opinion had softened slightly over the past few days—only to sharpen again just now.
The moment she guessed why Walter was trying to seduce her.
“No matter how much you do this, I will never love you.”
Just as she was about to add, “So stop dragging me into this,”
Walter’s grip tightened, and his voice came out firm and cold.
“…Is that because you love Louis Clovis?”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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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.