Chapter 47

Odette was sitting at the fountain reading a book. She seemed calm as though she had not yet heard the news that the appointment had been canceled.

As Bastian sighed, the barricade opened.

Passing by the saluting officers, the car moved closer and closer to the fountain. The road in front of the Navy department branched out in three directions around the fountain.

In order to enter the western road leading to the Imperial Palace, they had to turn around the fountain.

Bastien hoped it would continue to pass by.

He left a note with the soldier on duty to deliver to Odette. He ordered to deliver it as soon as possible, so he would reach her soon.

Then Odette could leave and take care of her own business. Perhaps it was rather good for that woman.

Bastian concluded and tried to take his eyes off the car window just as Odette closed her book.

Checking her watch, Odette looked at the main gate of the Admiralty with a calm face. It was already twenty minutes past the appointed time, and she just waited and waited again in silence.

Bastian suddenly remembered that this had been the case on the day of their first official meeting. She was the partner of the forced marriage, who had patiently waited for him, not giving in to his deliberate tardiness.

Just as he was again acutely aware of the fact that he had married the woman after all, Odette turned her head toward the car.

It wasn't that long.

The gap between the car in motion and Odette staying there widened rapidly.

However, the moment when their eyes met remained a very vivid memory.

Recognizing Bastian, Odette hurriedly got up from the fountain. Blank eyes locked on him, looked at the backseat for a moment, then back to him again.

She looked hurt, but it was hard to be sure. The car had already turned onto the west road when he thought that.

While he was unconsciously unclenching his fists, the car gradually increased its speed.

Standing alone by the fountain, Odette had turned into a yellow dot and was moving away from his sight.

The emperor's order and the promise to Odette.

It was not something that required comparative advantage, and Bastien made the appropriate choice. He knew he could have stopped the car for a moment in front of the fountain and explained the situation, but he did not.

His wife of two years could not be Bastian's priority.

It was natural. She was a woman who had nothing and nothing to give. What in the world did she have to offer him?

Bastian slowly opened his closed eyes and raised his gaze to look in the front mirror. When their eyes met in the mirror, Sandrine smiled softly.

"Is your headache getting better?"

Admiral Demel's cautious question broke the silence in the car.

"It's still tough, but thanks to you, it's a lot better."

Sandrine's expression changed in a flash and she let out a low sigh. She looked like she was a dying sick person.

"Thank you so much. If it weren't for the help of the Admiral, I'm sure I would have been ill for days."

"You're welcome. I just did what I had to do."

Admiral Demel looked at Sandrine with eyes filled with sincere concern and the pride of a soldier who knew chivalry. Losing interest in the skit, Bastian his attention to the Prater River stretched out the passenger window.

As the scorching sun waned, the contours of things became clearer. The greenery of the roadside trees had faded, just as the color of the water had somehow become darker.

The image of Odette staring at a car moving away over the summer landscape past its peak suddenly came to his mind.

The season would change, the festivities would end, and permission to go to the frontline would be granted.

The irritation inflicted by the afterimage of the useless woman disappeared after that obvious fact.

He would be leaving soon, and when the promised period was over, he would come back and sort out this marriage. She was at least good for one thing as she would get her job well done and disappear without being persistent.

Having erased the nonsensical memory, Bastian turned his head and faced the road ahead of him.

He did not look back once until he passed the Lenart family and arrived at the Imperial Palace.

***

The sound of leaves swaying in the wind harmonized with the sound of the water flowing from the fountain.

Odette slowly opened the envelope amidst the refreshing commotion. The hem of her skirt, decorated with layers of chiffon, was a scattered mess like her current feelings.

{I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I will postpone our meal appointment until the next time.}

Bastian's message consisted of just one line of careless notification.

Odette read the note repeatedly, then folded it neatly and put it in her handbag.

The wind from the river stopped blowing, and the shadows of the tree branches that had been waving over her head quieted. The young soldier on errand duty was still guarding his place and watching her face.

"Thank you. You may go now."

Odette expressed her gratitude with a gentle smile on her face. The duty soldier, his cheeks flushed, hurriedly bowed his head and then turned around.

As his back disappeared behind the barricade of the Admiralty, Odette let out a quiet sigh she had been holding back.

She fully understood Bastian's situation.

Seeing him leave with Admiral Demel in a military vehicle, it was clear that he was conducting official business. The fact that he was accompanied by Sandrine bothered her, but it was not a matter in which Odette could interfere.

Sandrine was more important to him than his wife, and the man had already made it clear on the day he proposed the marriage. No, not proposed, because that would continue some sort of relationship after their marriage.

Odette took her eyes off the end of the road where they had now disappeared. She also decided to erase the memory of Bastian, who was aloof within remorse at the moment he passed by his wife who was waiting for him.

Despite knowing everything, Odette accepted this marriage. So she did not want to regret her choice now. Nor did she want to blame Bastian. This was a fake marriage anyway. It was just a transaction for the benefit of each.

Having sorted out her feelings, Odette left the fountain without regret. It did not take long to get from the Admiralty to downtown.

It was rather nice not to have to be with the inconvenient man, Odette thought the whole time she was walking down the street alone. The same was true when she slowly browsed the shopping district, picked out some sheet music, and visited the outdoor cafe.

"Is anyone with you?"

The manager asked the same question as before.

"No, I am alone."

Odette's answer was no different than last time.

The kind manager guided Odette to a terrace with a nice view. It was at the same table where she sat the day she unexpectedly had tea with Bastian, of all people.

"Is there any inconvenience?"

The manager, who had put down the menu, worriedly asked as he examined Odette's expression.

"No, I'm fine."

Odette smiled and shook her head. It was an unpleasant coincidence, but she didn't want to change seats for such a reason.

After ordering coffee and cake, which she couldn't eat properly last time because of Bastian, Odette took a breath as she admired the scenery along the Plater River. The calm surface of the water was already tinted with the dazzling afternoon sunlight.

It was then that she heard a knock on the table as she suddenly thought of the man who resembled that light.

Odette looked up in surprise, even though she knew it couldn't be Bastian. The disillusionment that came the moment she saw a strange man standing there was even deeper and colder.

"Hello, it looks like you're alone."

A man in an old-style infantry officer's uniform smiled mellowly, like melted sugar.

"May I have the honor of treating a lonely lady to a cup of tea?"

He glanced at the empty seat across from Odette with a look that revealed his true intentions. An urban pervert who spent his spare time seducing young single women. It was a familiar type, as Odette had experienced it countless times.

"My husband will be here soon."

Odette drew the line with a soft forceful answer. She did not forget to place her left hand with the sparkling wedding ring on the table.

"Oh, I see. Excuse me."

The man with the embarrassed look on his face walked away quickly. Odette sighed quietly as she looked at her husband's empty seat. She was relieved to be out of her predicament, but on the other hand, she was devastated.

She couldn't believe that at a moment like this, the only person she could turn to was her fake husband. It was both sad and funny.

Had that urgent business been completed by now?

Odette thought uselessly as she idly examined the sheet music she bought today.

He is probably with Countess Lenart.

About the time she had come to a nonchalant conclusion, the waiter holding a tray approached.

Having gathered up the sheet music that did not catch her eyes, Odette straightened and stared at her wedding ring.

Meanwhile, the table was quiet again as the waiter left after finishing his task.

After catching her breath and moving a vase with a single rose in it to the center of the table, Odette began her personal tea time.The Prater River with its golden waves was beautiful, and the coffee and cake were delicious.

Odette was only concerned with emptying the teacups and plates as if she was doing her homework. She completely forgot the empty seat of her husband, who would never come.

If it couldn't be hers, it was right not to have any regrets. The pain of loss would be proportional to the size of the heart that had been given.

It was the lesson her past life gave her as she lost and lost again and reached the bottom of her life.

A leisurely tea time alone.

Having fulfilled a long cherished dream, Odette left the outdoor cafe as the sun began to set. When she arrived at City Hall, where she had arranged to meet her driver, the whole city had somehow turned rosy.

"Did the master (Bastian) leave first?"

Hans asked the question with a puzzled look on his face as he stepped out of the yellow convertible.

"Yes, he's a very busy man."

Odette lied effortlessly.

"Indeed. Yes. Did you have a good time, madam?"

Hans nodded and asked a gentle question.

Odette substituted her reply with a smile. Proper courtesy and appearance made a fine weapon to defend herself today.

Mrs. Klauswitz's joyous outing ended with the chimes of the clock tower bell announcing the hour.

The car carrying Odette sped away from Lutz. It was a late summer evening when the shadows of things were stretched long.