CMI 16

Chapter 16

I Haven’t Been Doing Well

Her body remembered before her mind did, as if it had done so countless times before.

There was no need to turn her head. The hand that had reached out from behind gently blocked the person approaching Odette.

“Let’s stop here. His Highness seems rather startled.”

“E-Erthman, Your Grace…”

The man approaching Odette hesitated and stepped back. Considering how calm and even-toned Walter’s voice had been from behind her, the stunned expression on the man’s face was almost puzzling.

“You’re not debuting in society for the first time. If you don’t know how to maintain proper boundaries, that’s a problem, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yes… I apologize.”

The man, whose name she didn’t even know, hastily retreated.

He disappeared into the crowd faster than he had appeared, and fortunately, perhaps because the conversation she had just had with Walter had been overheard, no one else approached her unnecessarily.

Walter had effectively rescued her from the crowd.

Only then did Odette finally exhale in relief and straighten her posture.

“Th-thank you… for helping me, Your Grace.”

It was her first time thanking Walter, so her voice felt a little awkward.

But her embarrassment shattered instantly at Walter’s response.

“If you intend to thank me, I’d prefer you do it face to face.”

“…I still don’t intend to stir up gossip.”

“Is that so? I’d say that just by being seen together, we’ve already given plenty of fuel to the gossipers. They’ll have a field day talking about it, won’t they?”

That they had been seen together from the entrance of Xavier’s banquet hall. The thought whispered in her ear made Odette’s face burn crimson.

“This is—!”

Odette spun around sharply, flaring with indignation.

And, as if he had been waiting for this moment, her eyes met Walter’s directly.

“…!”

Those deep green eyes, set within hollow sockets.

Green usually evokes images of calm, verdant forests, but Walter’s green had an oddly chilling quality to it.

Was it his sharp, unyielding aura? Or the way his gaze relentlessly followed Odette?

When she met his eyes, a strange combination of déjà vu and discomfort washed over her.

Of course, it lasted only a moment.

Walter, who had been staring at her with his expressionless face, finally opened his tightly closed mouth.

“You seem to be doing well.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean it literally. The last time I saw you, you looked like a withered twig, but now you’ve put on some weight. You look… good.”

Weight gain? The bluntness of the comment made Odette’s face burn bright red.

“T-That’s rude! How can you say something like that?”

“Would you prefer I say you’ve become a bit rounder? Or perhaps the food has been particularly good?”

“….”

Each follow-up comment was just as tactless, leaving Odette wide-eyed in shock.

But, indeed, she had gained weight.

• “Your Highness needs to gain weight! Just trust me!”

Because of the hardships over the past few days, Odette had lost weight quickly, but Ellie had diligently brought her food at home, wanting her to eat.

Odette didn’t refuse anything and ate everything, resulting in her dress fitting perfectly today.

Ellie had been very pleased and even said:

• “Your complexion is better than before, and your facial contours are less pronounced, so it looks much better. Of course, Your Highness has always been beautiful!”

Odette had noticed that she looked better than she had in the past, when she appeared a bit gaunt, and nodded in agreement.

“Has the palace chef changed? Whoever it is, I’d like to reward them.”

Hearing that from Walter!

‘Well, if I think about it, it’s a compliment… I guess.’

He said she looked better, and objectively, that was true.

But did he have to put it that way? Odette’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s no need for a reward. The palace chef hasn’t changed. It seems to me you’ve been the one not doing well, Your Grace?”

“Yes. I haven’t been doing well.”

“A withered twig, you say?”

Odette’s eyes widened again, as she tried to mirror his words.

“They say the person you proposed to loves someone else.”

“….”

Her eyes narrowed again.

“Because of that, my marriage prospects are blocked, and I’ve been in quite a predicament. I’ve been worrying about how to remove a rival, so I haven’t been doing well.”

“You’ve been worrying needlessly. I’ll be going now.”

Odette turned her back without hesitation. But a voice followed her.

“Usually, people would offer comfort or advice after hearing that.”

“You must have had a hard time. Spending time on such things seems a waste; I recommend finding someone else to marry.”

Walter’s words were so mechanical, with no trace of emotion, that a faint, wry smile flickered across his face.

Odette, who had turned away coldly, could not see it.

But Walter was genuinely pleased just to see her back, even if he couldn’t see her face.

Because it was true that she hadn’t been doing well while he was absent.

‘The pain… still lingers.’

Whenever he got close to her, he felt a constricting pain in his chest that matched the pounding of his heart.

It made it difficult not to frown.

But to Walter, even that was a rather pleasant experience.

A strange notion, but he didn’t mind.

Just as he was about to speak to Odette again:

“Your Highness, you’re here. I apologize, it’s so crowded…”

“Ah, Count Clovis.”

Odette’s face brightened as she saw Louis approaching hurriedly.

“You seem popular. You’ve worked hard.”

“I’m sorry. Are you all right, Your Highness?”

“I’m fine. I received help.”

She didn’t feel the need to specify from whom, but a thought crossed her mind:

‘What if I put Walter and Louis together?’

Maybe she could learn more about their relationship.

Odette had already visited Belfort Academy a few times after meeting Louis, but her efforts hadn’t yielded much.

• “They were in the academy at the same time, but Duke Erthman didn’t mingle much with others. No signs of conflict either.”
• “I asked the people in the Magic Department, but they didn’t know much. I heard Count Clovis was a diligent student!”

The information Anne-Sophie had uncovered wasn’t much help either.

So she inwardly felt relieved.

‘Being with Walter might stir up some gossip…’

As Walter had said, that part was already a lost cause.

Odette turned her body toward Walter.

“Here, Duke Erthman… helped me.”

And then:

“Duke!!”

A lively voice rang out. A young woman with a yellow ribbon and a fresh, innocent look ran toward Walter, smiling brightly.

She threw herself into his arms.

“It’s you again! I was scared since I didn’t know anyone here. I didn’t expect you to come!”

Walter’s face twisted momentarily, but to the others, it only looked like a sudden display of affection.

He pushed her away just enough to make her embarrassed.

“Elodie Montjoir. Didn’t I tell you not to do this?”

“I’m sorry… I just couldn’t help it because I was happy to see you.”

Moreover, their conversation afterward suggested not that Walter and Elodie were close, but that they were acquaintances and that such displays happened occasionally.

At least, that’s how it seemed to Odette.

‘As expected, I knew I couldn’t be ignored in a crowded place.’

Elodie chuckled internally.

Although Walter had apparently instructed his attendants to remain discreet, Elodie had been looking toward Odette from the start, so noticing Walter’s arrival was easy.

And that Walter was talking closely with Odette—

The two of them were already the center of gossip, so the ripple effect was huge, made even more so by Elodie’s prior spreading of rumors.

“Oh my, the Fourth Princess and Duke Erthman are together. They look so close.”

“Does Elodie know something? She said they’re close, right? She’s staying at Duke Erthman’s, and he chose her dress today. If they’re that close, she must know something.”

The remark was picked up by Lady Lea Denzel, who had attended the banquet with Elodie.

Lady Grimoire, the duchess who had assigned Elodie as her protégée, favored her, and like Elodie, she had just recently debuted in society.

She wasn’t pleased with Elodie constantly implying a relationship with Duke Erthman.

So her intention in speaking to Elodie was obvious.

‘Gotcha.’

No wonder her gaze had been sharp earlier.

If she had known the Fourth Princess would attend, she would have been more cautious.

Since this was Odette’s debut in the capital and she had Duke Erthman’s support, Elodie couldn’t resist speaking quickly.

‘It can’t be helped now.’

Avoiding the situation would make her comments seem like idle gossip.

Elodie smiled innocently and stepped out of the crowd.

“I’m not sure, but… now that the Duke is here, I should greet him. I’ll go!”

And she ran straight to Walter, throwing herself into his arms.

Naturally, Walter’s face twisted.

“I just hadn’t met anyone here, so I was happy… I’m sorry if I was rude. Please forgive me…”

Elodie’s timid voice and small whimper drew attention.

Especially striking was Odette’s stiff, expressionless face.

‘Why does she look like that?’

The man next to her seemed to be Count Louis Clovis from the portraits.

Why does she look like she’s losing her man when she’s the one who chose him?

Elodie peeked at Odette’s face even while feigning fear.

‘Could it be… that woman likes Duke Erthman instead of Count Clovis?’