The guests who had walked the trail together split into two groups at the entrance to the forest.
The men were to go fishing for trout with Admiral Demel, while the women and children were going to enjoy picnics down the valley.
"Go carefully. Also, don't drag the guests to a place that is too rough."
After giving a request, Marquis Demel led the guests into the birch forest.
Bastian and Odette, standing at the end of the crowd, exchanged a brief glance and went their separate ways. As always, no special was exchanged.
"Father!"
The breathless scream of a child shook the tranquility of the forest path. It was the young daughter of Count Xanders.
Bastian turned his head to see where the small commotion had taken place. The child, separated from her father, began to weep, as if her world had collapsed.
That was how children were by nature, so there was nothing surprising. But the sight of the father running to the crying child was somewhat strange to Bastian. (*Because his father had never loved him growing up)
Count Xanders soothed the child himself. Without hesitation, he held her in his arms, comforted her, kissed her, and even wiped her tear-stained face with the tip of his sleeve.
As if Count Xanders' persuasion had worked, the child stopped crying before long. But her tiny hands that had tightly gripped her father's collar, showed no signs of loosening.
Just as the embarrassment appeared on Count Xanders' face, Odette stepped forward.
Odette plucked some wildflower and approached the father and daughter.
As she gave the child the flower, the child cackled as she waved it back and forth.
Meanwhile, Odette held out another flower she had hidden behind her back.
One flower, another one.
With each colorful flower that appeared, the child's laughter grew brighter and brighter.
By the time she had given the last flower, all attention was on Odette.
Odette took advantage of the opportunity and embraced Count Xanders' daughter.
The child who was held happily in Odette's arms smiled with a face that had seemed to have forgotten her father.
After repeatedly expressing his gratitude, Count Xanders returned to his fishing group. Odette, holding his daughter, also hurried her way. A gentle smile filled her face, erasing the coldness.
"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you unintentionally. My daughter is shy and anxious, but she seems to have taken a liking to Mrs. Klauswitz."
Count Xanders smiled awkwardly as he approached. Bastian conveyed his understanding by slightly raising a corner of his lips.
Soon they came across a steep byway. Admiral Demel's fishing spot was located at the end of the trail.
The higher they climbed, the narrower and steeper the path became. The soldiers climbed the mountain without difficulty, but nobles who were not familiar with such terrain naturally fell behind.
"You must help Count Xanders. He has asthma."
Admiral Demel issued a secret order as he watched the lagged guests.
Bastian turned his head to look at Count Xanders, who had fallen out of rank.
"Then, perhaps he shouldn't be forced to climb the mountain."
"His symptoms are not very severe. Besides, he came here for an important purpose, so he won't give up easily."
"Another purpose besides fishing?"
"Maximin is not interested in fishing at all. He is more interested in flowers and grasses. Anyway, there is a habitat of rare plants is in this mountain, so he wanted to collect samples. He's really a nice person, but very eccentric."
Admiral Demel shook his head and laughed.
"It won't be to the point of having to be carried on your back, so make sure to talk to Maximin so that he doesn't feel embarrassed."
With a light tap on Bastian's shoulder, Admiral Demel carried his powerful steps and took the lead again.
It was an unpleasant task, but Bastian readily accepted it. He was commanded, so he obeyed. There was no need to let other thoughts or emotions intervene in something so simple.
"Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience."
Seeing Bastian back on the road, Count Xanders smiled awkwardly.
"I will help you carry your baggage."
"No. It's not that heavy anyway. If you can accompany me, that is enough."
Count Xanders waved his hand and took the lead. Bastian slowed his steps to keep pace with Count Xanders.
The two men walked down the mountain path having a moderately superficial conversation.
Contrary to his reputation as a plant-obsessed eccentric, Count Xanders had a rather dignified and sophisticated way of speaking. Sports, politics and the stock market. He also possessed more than a basic level of knowledge on subjects commonly used for men's social skills. Of course, he didn't seem genuinely interested in anything.
"Wait!"
As he was walking along while looking at the ground, Count Xander suddenly shouted.
Bastian frowned and stopped. At the same time, Count Xanders hastily approached and knelt on the ground. To be precise, he was in front of a small bush of grass on the road that was almost trampled by Bastian.
"I couldn't find it no matter how much I looked for it, but here it is."
Count Xanders dug up the grass with a small shovel he pulled from a bag he was carrying across his shoulder. He looked as if he had found a billion dollars.
"Is this the plant you were looking for?"
"No. But it is just as precious."
After brushing off the dirt from the roots, Count Xanders wiped them with clean paper. He then carefully packed the wrapped grass.
Bastian's mission came to an end when he reached the valley where they were going to fish.
After politely expressing his thanks, Count Xanders left the group and went in search of the target plant. Occasionally, he gasped for breath as if he was exhausted, but even at that moment, his upright posture was not disturbed in the slightest.
Bastian perched on a rock in the shade of larch trees.
It was the location where the valley water that ran through the steep valley started to pool.
Why did he have this feeling of déjà vu?
Bastian found the answer to that question the moment he grabbed the fishing rod.
Odette.
Bastian suddenly repeated the name and turned his head.
Count Xanders was diligently wandering the hillside in search of grass. From indifference to others to kindness and deep attachment to useless things. Maximin von Xanders had an air of resemblance to his wife*. (*Bastian's wife, Odette)
The image of Odette lying on the sofa with the furniture covers appeared on the blindingly dark green eyes.
He was followed by memories of the filthy feeling he experienced as he looked down at her, and tingling sensation even at that moment.
Bastian slowly opened his eyes and threw the fishing line as if to dispel his thoughts.
The sound of the water flowing without rest and the wind passing between the trees filled the valley. His meaningless memories soon faded beyond that refreshing incident.
***
"He said he was tired of the water, so he set up a villa deep in the mountains and enjoys boating and fishing every day. He really doesn't know his own mind."
Even at the moment she spoke ill of her husband, Marchioness Demel's face oozed great affection.
The same was true of noble ladies who were arguing against each other with gossip about their respective husbands.
Odette listened to the pleasant chatter and comforted the child in her arms. Alma forced herself to lift her eyelids, wanting to play more, and soon fell asleep.
"Mrs. Klauswitz has a talent for taking good care of children. You will make a good mother."
The interest of the noble ladies, whose stories about their husbands withered, suddenly turned to Odette.
"Now let's stop here and rest. Go ahead."
As Marchioness Demel beckoned, the waiting nanny approached.
Unable to hold on any longer, Odette stood up after handing over the child. The noble ladies were sitting along the ravine and enjoying tea time.
"Both of them are fine people and they will have a really beautiful baby."
"My husband has already prepared his heart to be the godfather of the child the Klauswitz couple will have. It's also very embarrassing."
"Then must occupy a place for my in-laws. Both my son and daughter-in-law are prepared, Mrs. Klauswitz."
The teasing remarks made fun of the new bride were followed by roaring laughter.
Odette lowered her head with a slightly awkward smile. The words of encouragement that had been nonchalantly advanced were embarrassing. It must have been because of that unfortunate incident.
Odette left the uncomfortable spot, mingling with the young wives who were playing in the water in groups. As she was looking for a place to be alone, she was unknowingly going up the valley.
The more she tried not to think about it, the clearer the memory became. So did the questions about the man she couldn't understand.
When Odette reached a place where she could no longer hear people's voices, she sat down on a flat rock by the valley to catch her breath.
He was a man who did not hesitate to insult Odette under the pretext of the contract. He treated her like a thing he bought at a high price, and did whatever he wanted.
Still, she endured silently because she knew Bastian was right. After all, they were fake, and this relationship was nothing more than a transaction with vague numbers.
But why was he so brazenly breaking his promise?
Odette rubbed her lips, as if erasing the memory that remained like a stain. But the more she did, the more the feeling of inexpressible contempt became clearer.
Young men needed that kind of pleasure, Sandrine said on the night of the dinner party. Even the eyes that treated her as a woman selling her body and the way she spoke with cheap sympathy. Odette could clearly recall everything in that moment.
"There she is. The courtesan."
The words that the Princess had shouted on top of her lungs were cleverly disguised and conveyed, but in the end, the essence was the same.
After all, did he also look at her like that?
Odette strained her lips as they had begun to tremble slightly. It wasn't the first time, so she should be used to it, but for some reason she felt more miserable than the first time. It was a strange thing.
Odette threw her foolish mind along with the pine cone that had fallen on the edge of the rock. Acorns and pebbles followed suit.
When the ripples on the water ceased, Odette stepped down and washed her face. Perhaps because the heat on her cheeks had cooled, her consciousness became clearer. That was a good thing.
After catching her breath, Odette walked towards the flowers blooming along the valley with lighter steps. It would be most natural to make excuses that she went to pick flowers.
Blue irises and yellow blooming seaweed. White briar flowers. Even barley grass and colorful wild roses. Odette's gaze, which was capturing wild flowers in full bloom, stopped at a colony of bellflowers on the other side of the valley. It was a flower she wanted to show the child.
Odette moved without thinking too long. She first took off her shoes and stockings, then lifted the hem of her skirt up to her knees. Even in midsummer, the water in the valley was as cold as ice, but not unbearably cold.
Odette stepped cautiously to a place where the water was not deep. It was when she reached the middle of the stream that she heard a splash as if something was falling.
Noticing that the lock had been loosened, Odette hurriedly began to look under the water.
Fortunately, the necklace decorated with a large rose crystal pendant had sunk not too far away.
It was almost the same time that Odette, who sighed in relief, took a step towards it, the man who strode into the water picked up the necklace.
Odette raised her wide, round eyes and looked at the man standing in front of her.
It was Bastian, her fake husband, who was holding her leash under the guise of contract.