Chapter 50

Rumors of the hot honeymoon between Captain Klauswitz and his wife quickly spread throughout the mansion. The theory of known discord was no longer in force.

"I heard they shared the same bed last night?"

When the head maid, an aide to the hostess, entered the common room, everyone's attention was focused there. Instead of answering with a light sigh, Dora sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

"They even kissed in front of everyone today. Right?"

The words tossed by the immature maid assisting Dora doused the already blazing fire with oil.

"Really? No one else, but our young master, in front of the servants?"

"I guess the action speaks for itself. Rumors that he married her reluctantly because of her pregnancy were also wrong. The assumption that they had already fallen out and were living in separate rooms was also wrong. Then, does that mean he really loves the madam?"

"Otherwise, what other reason could there be?"

The head maid didn't say anything, but the commotion in the common room showed no signs of abating.

Dora rubbed her throbbing forehead and drank the cold tea.

Bastian, who had moved to Ardennes, started every morning with his wife. The first time she saw the two of them in the same bed, she almost screamed. She had no idea that she would see Bastian there.

Actually, it was nothing special.

There was a sense of intimacy unique to the man and the woman who spent the night together, but they did not lose their dignity. They looked more like an ordinary, educated newlywed couple. It was just that it was surprising that the unusual marriage that drew the attention of the whole empire was starting to look extremely ordinary.

"What if the master really has a special regard for the madam?"

Nervously pacing the common room, a maid asked a cautious question. It was the same girl who had been scolded for laughing at the hostess on her wedding day.

"If you want to continue working in this house, please refrain from taking too much."

Dora let out a deep sigh and touched her forehead.

This was unusual.

What happened this morning was enough to turn her vague premonition into certainty.

The time the call bell rang in the hostess's bedroom was not much different from the last few days. Preparing herself mentally, Dora

took two cups of morning tea and a newspaper and went upstairs.

Dora concentrated on her work, trying not to commit the rudeness of peeking into her master's private life. Bastian got out of bed and opened the window

for ventilation and turned around.

After adjusting his disheveled gown, he slowly approached the table by the window where the water jug was placed. And there he stared at his wife in silence. Long after the glass of water in his hand was empty.

As if he had forgotten the passage of time.

Dora stood a few steps away and waited for the right moment. It was always possible to say her greetings and leave, but for some reason, she felt like she shouldn't open her mouth recklessly. Soon after, Bastian walked away.

Dora's relief soon turned into deeper confusion.

Bastian walked without hesitation to his wife's side.

It was almost the same time that Odette, who had put down the cup she had finished drinking, looked up and Bastian, who had stopped by the bed, lowered his head.

When she realized the meaning of that action, Bastian's lips were already touching Odette's forehead.

It wasn't that long.

After kissing his wife affectionately, Bastian went to the bathroom as usual.

Just like that, Dora

felt guilty as if she had peeked into an overly intimate moment. A true honeymoon. It was a sweet newlywed moment.

"But, Maid, I'm already out of the madam's sight. What should I do? Huh?"

The maid's voice of trepidation awakened Dora, who was immersed in her thoughts.

"Don't worry unnecessarily, as the madam will no longer make an issue of that day."

Dora gave advice with the dignity of a superior.

Odette seemed unselfish towards the servants who looked down on her and laughed at her. It would be more appropriate to say that she did not think about it rather than that she forgot it.

Winning her husband's favor did not change her attitude. It had been a season since the master married the daughter of the beggar princess. It was enough time for Dora to at least understand that Odette was not of that vulgar type.

After comforting the anxious maid, Dora got up to return to her duties. It was then that she spotted the young maid sneaking out of the common room.

"Molly! Where are you going? You have work to do."

"I'm going to the garden for a bit."

Molly smiled and gave a carefree answer. She was a new arrival the other day, and although she was good at her job, she was lazy and fretful in her spare time.

"You're trying to slack off again."

"No, I'm not! I'm from the countryside so the grass makes me feel better. It's true, ma'am."

Molly retorted with frustration.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air while the madam was practicing the piano. You know very well that I work really hard from dawn."

"This burlesque thing. When are you going to learn proper manners?"

Despite scolding her, Dora nodded her head kindly.

The young maid was stubborn but smart. If she was taught well, she could become a useful senior servant.

Molly ran out like an excited colt. Dora left the common room after asking the servants to keep their mouths shut about the master and his wife's business.

"Look at that. It's not like she's being lazy."

Casually glancing around, Dora burst into laughter as she spotted Molly through the window.

Molly was already running far out of the garden. She was on a path leading into the deep forest.

Clicking her tongue, Dora headed upstairs to check the cleanliness of the study. As she turned the corner, beautiful music started playing. It was the sound of the piano coming from the solarium at the end of the hallway.

***

She was a very diligent woman.

Bastian readily accepted that fact. It was the conclusion he came to at the moment he found Odette at the end of the hallway where he followed the piano melody he heard at the same time every day.

Entering the solarium located there, Bastian quietly sat down on the edge of a long chair.

The all-glass room jutting out into the sea was filled with dazzling sunlight. Odette was sitting in front of a white piano in the middle. She seemed so engrossed in playing that she hadn't yet noticed his presence.

From early morning to late at night, Odette wasted no time. She seemed to be taking it easy, but upon closer inspection, she moved without rest following her own order and rules. She was like a well-trained soldier. Of course, the kind of work she performed was completely different.

Reading, knitting, and playing piano.

Odette's hobbies were noble, unlike the situation in which she had wandered through the bottom of her life just a few months ago. However, it seemed unreasonable to dismiss it as ignorant pride and bravado.

Odette was sincere.

Bastian didn't understand the slightest bit of his wife's preoccupation, but he was sure of at least one thing.

The role of the hostess was the same.

Odette worked like a diligent employee.

She never neglected the chores of the mansion, which she could leave to the butler and the head maid. Her position in the social world was also slowly being established. This was not a very costly transaction.

Bastian changed his mind about revealing his presence, and slowly sat with his legs crossed to watch his wife practice the piano. Seeing her expression getting more and more serious, it seemed that something was not going well.

Eventually, Odette stopped playing and looked at the sheet music with intent eyes. She picked up the pencil she had placed on the music stand, marked the blockage, and carefully read the notes. She tapped the rim of the piano to get the beat, step by step. Seriously, as if deciphering a code.

The woman sang beautifully, Bastian suddenly thought. Strictly speaking, what she did was nothing more than a monotonous hum, but it was a tone excellent enough to judge her skill.

Odette turned her head at the moment when the memory of the starry night, like hearing the song of the sea witch, suddenly came to Bastian's mind. Along with the sound of the pencil that had been dropped in surprise, she called Bastian, his name filled with a musical resonance.

"When did you come in?"

"Keep going. It's nice."

Bastian pointed to the piano with a calm gaze. After hesitating for a moment, Odette shook her head slightly and organized the sheet music.

"I appreciate the compliment, but I know very well that I still lack a lot."

"You do?"

"Yes. I haven't played the piano for so long that my hands have become stiff."

Odette finished organizing the sheet music and stood up from the piano.

"When the day comes when I am competent enough not to be embarrassed, I will give you an official performance."

Odette ended the awkward conversation with suitable empty words. Bastian nodded coolly and rose from his chair.

"Did you finish your work well?"

Uncomfortable with the lengthy silence, Odette cleverly changed the subject.

When it was time for Odette to practice the piano, Bastian went to the study and took care of company affairs. He was a workaholic, so itwas not too difficult to keep track of his lifestyle.

"Well, roughly."

Lightly tapping his chin, Bastian took a step forward.

The gap between them narrowed as slowly as the sound of waves coming through the window. The butler appeared when the distance was close enough for the shadow to reach.

"The horses have arrived, master. They are adjusting to their new paddock, would you like to see it for yourself?"

"Yes."

While talking to Lovis, Bastian was still looking at Odette. It seemed that he was not satisfied with only the embarrassing rumors that had already spread throughout the mansion.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?"

Bastian asked abruptly as he wrapped his arms around Odette's waist without hesitation. It was hard to breathe, but Odette did her best to keep the smile of a loving wife on her face.

"Maybe."

The short answer she could give was that one word and it was absurd even to herself.