The boisterous music and laughter died down as she reached the third floor, where the guest bedroom was located.
Odette entered the bedroom at the eastern end, escorted by a maid. It was now dark, so it could not see much, but in daylight, the room had a nice view of the lake and forest below the slope.
"Thank you. I'll do the rest myself."
After sending away the maid who helped her take off her dress, Odette finished getting ready herself.
Her drunkenness made her lightly dizzy, but not so much that she could not support herself.
After taking off her wedding ring, Odette walked slowly into the bathroom. The sound of water filling the bathtub began to resonate refreshingly.
Had she been a decent wife?
Odette stared down at the bathtub, where the water was filling up, and reflected on the day.
Thanks to Marchioness Demel's hospitality and care, she was able to play the role of Mrs. Klauswitz in a much more relaxed atmosphere than usual. It was a time where she enjoyed delicious food amidst pleasant conversations and laughter, without the need to think or engage in a battle of nerves.
But. Maybe.
Odette pressed hard on her eyes, which kept trying to close, and searched for Bastian's memories.
She checked Bastian's face from time to time. So that he wouldn't point out again to her not doing her due diligence. He was a man whose expression barely changed under circumstances, but she could roughly guess his mood now.
Bastian often laughed, and sometimes looked at Odette with a gaze as soft as lights that illuminated the dining table. It was also Bastian who sent Odette up first, who had been drinking more than usual.
Good night.
That sweet greeting must have been a lie to imitate a loving husband, but there was no reason to fake a smile on his lips. It was nothing more than a fleeting moment that Odette could only see anyway.
Perhaps Bastian was satisfied with her performance.
Having reached a rough conclusion, Odette sighed in relief and turned off the faucet. It was then that she noticed the large window that filled the wall beyond the bathtub.
As she approached to close the curtains, she looked through the window with a dazed mind.
The starlit night sky overwhelmed her. As if a sea of stars was flowing overhead.
Odette opened the window as if possessed. The midsummer night under the Milky Way became even more beautiful with the addition of trees whispering secrets and the cries of insects.
She finally understood why the bathroom had such a large window.
After gazing at the starry night sky for a while, Odette turned around without closing the window. She dimmed the light, and took off her gown.
The bathroom once again fell into silence as the ripples had stopped.
***
The cries of coyotes could be heard from beyond the black forest.
Bastian paused and looked out the hallway window. The stars shone in clusters, occupying the night sky after the moon had set.
It was usually a night like this, Bastian calmly recalled.
Moonless nights.
When the day came that was prone to untoward accidents, special classes began.
To nurture a worthy successor who would lead the family in the future.
Teachers who received immunity were generally cruel. Of course, not all were devils. Among them, there were also those who were not so harsh. However, the kind with complex thoughts and compassionate eyes disappeared before long.
The person who taught Bastian the longest was a retired officer from the field. A failure who dishonorably stripped of his military uniform for cruelty to his men. But to his father, he was a great mentor. After taking his eyes off the dark landscape, Bastian resumed his steps. Having drunk exceeded his limit, the drunkenness gradually began to spread, but not enough to impair his judgment.
When invited to a party by Admiral Demel, a well-known drinker, he usually drank too much.
Not that there was no way to avoid it to the point, but today he did not indulge in such hardship.
He could fall asleep easily, so a degree of intoxication would help him tonight.
As the room he was to spend the night neared, Bastian felt a presence. By now, he thought, Odette would be asleep. Until he quietly stepped through the open door.
The bed, illuminated by the light of the lamp on the bedside table, was empty. As soon as he recognized it, a faint singing voice began to be heard. The melody carried in a soft hum was floating in the clear darkness. Bastian quickly found the source of the sound. It was through the half-open bathroom door.
Upon noticing that, his body moved first before he could make a decision. Silent footsteps crossed the bedroom and he opened the bathroom door abruptly.
It was Odette.
Recognizing the identity of the phantom-like singing voice, Bastian stood still as if he were glued to the spot.
Odette was soaking in the bathtub by the window, gazing at the starlit sky.
Humming a beautiful dreamy song. Like a tempting witch.
Bastian watched the scene unconsciously, holding his breath. The wet woman's naked body glowed white in the clear darkness. Odette looked completely defenseless, seemingly unaware of any human presence.
Bastian swallowed a sigh of unexplained discomfort mixed with a sense of emptiness and clenched his fists.
It was then that the wind blew from beyond the black forest.
The sound of the waves of greenery shook the stillness of the night.
Odette stopped singing then. Then, slowly, she turned her head to follow the direction of the wind. In the transparent darkness of the midsummer night, their eyes met.
A glint of fear suddenly flashed on Odette's face, who was staring blankly at Bastian. The sharp scream that immediately followed fortunately failed to leak out of the bathroom. It was thanks to Bastian, who intuited the crisis and moved.
Bastian rushed to the bathtub in a single step and covered Odette's mouth. The startled woman struggled, but her feeble resistance was quickly overpowered.
The wind that shook the forest slowly died down.
Bastian held his breath as he listened for signs of people coming from the hallway. He could vaguely hear the conversation and laughter of the guests as they returned to their respective bedrooms. The dinner, which lasted long into the night, seemed to have come to a complete end.
After the commotion passed, Bastian turned his head to look at the bathtub. Odette was pale and trembling. She didn't look like the kind of woman who would do such an outrageous thing.
Bastian looked at Odette as if looking for an answer to this incomprehensible situation. He didn't let go of his hand that covered her mouth in preparation for an unexpected situation.
Odette's resistance intensified as his gaze passed down her slender neck, where her blue veins were raised, and down her clavicle. Droplets of water on the top of her hard breathing chest fell onto the surface of the water.
As the noises disappeared, Bastian also raised his gaze.
"Shh."
Bastian gave the warning by placing his finger over his lips. Odette nodded her head, staring at him with frightened eyes.
Bastian let go of Odette and stood up. He threw her a towel. While panting as if she would run out of breath at any moment, Odette hurriedly picked it up and hid her naked body.
"Why… are you here, why…"
Odette stammered out words mixed with rapid breathing. After turning to face the very confused, clear eyes, Bastian understood the situation.
"Did you really think that the room was for you alone?"
As he licked his heated lips, irritation that had passed the critical point spilled out in the form of laughter.
"We were originally…"
"Why? Shall we go and tell the Emperor's friend, Admiral Demel, right now? Actually, this marriage is a sham, Your Excellency. Since we are a couple in name only and do not share the same bed, please give us one more room. Like this?"
"...I'm sorry."
Odette's watery voice sank into the darkness.
"I thought you would have solved the problem in some way. So I…"
Odette raised her trembling hand and brushed her flushed face. It seemed like a desperate effort to come to her senses somehow, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
"Tidy up and come out."
Bastian left the bathroom with his stiff command. As he closed the door, he finally saw his wet, messy self.
After roughly wiping him dry, Bastian went out to the balcony to have a smoke. When he lowered his gaze under the white smoke, he saw that the tent* in his trousers had not yet subsided. (*he was turned on)
Bastian let out the smoke he had inhaled deeply and laughed. It was accompanied by a sigh mixed with profanity.