"She misses her mother terribly."
The Countess of Trier settled the awkward atmosphere with appropriate words.
"Yes. She envies other children with mothers. Because Alma likes Odette so much."
Another lady said a few words as she watched the situation with trepidation.
In the meantime, Maximin, who was holding his daughter who couldn't stop crying, walked away.
"Mom!"
Even as they walked away to the other side of the sandy beach, Alma cranked her neck and called out to Odette.
"It's a child's mistake, so please forgive me, Captain Klauswitz."
"Yes. It's all right."
It was a rather unpleasant situation, but fortunately Bastian gave a cool smile.
"Sometimes kids get the wrong idea, Maximin's late wife resembles Odette a lot."
Admiral Demel stepped out just as the situation was finally under control.
The Countess of Trier glared at him with her prickly eyes. Her head started pounding again when she saw his comfortable face that he was not even aware of the fact that he had misspoke.
"Isn't it really so? She is much taller than Odette, but they look like sisters. No wonder Alma is mistaken."
Even after refueling the fire, Admiral Demel laughed heartily. It was a sign of believing that it was of great help to others.
"Come to think of it, Alma looks exactly like her mother. That's right. So she and Odette look like mother and daughter…"
"Here, try this."
The astonished Marchioness Demel rushed out with a plate of cake. Admiral Demel was surprised to suddenly see the plate, but he obediently grabbed it.
The Countess of Trier finally sighed in relief. The military man whose common sense had clearly been stored in the depths of the imperial sea, was now eating the fruitcake peacefully.
"You two should hurry up and have children."
The Countess of Trier called attention to herself with her staged mischief. Bastian, who had been watching Maximin soothe his daughter, finally looked away.
"You love other people's children that much, so how much affection you will have for your own children. Isn't that right, Odette?"
Since the subject was laid out in a clever way, so she should tune in appropriately, but for some reason, Odette did not readily answer.
Was she unusually shy?
Just as the Countess was beginning to feel puzzled, unexpected reinforcements came. It was the grandson of the antique dealer who was watching the situation.
"Yes. Odette will surely make a wonderful mother who loves her children dearly."
Bastian stroked Odette's stiff back with an intimate touch.
"I want to have a daughter who resembles her mother. Don't you?"
Bastian grabbed Odette's shoulders with force. Count Xanders' daughter finally stopped crying. A white butterfly flew in from the garden and idly wandered under the awning where all the noise had passed.
"I don't think it would matter either way."
Moistening her lips with cold water, Odette gave a calm answer. Her body was still stiff, but the smile that floated over her glossy red lips was flawlessly smooth.
Guests began to give their opinions on the Klauswitz couple's first child. It would be a son. No, it would be a daughter. Who should they resemble? Throughout this fleeting ardor discussion, Bastian's gaze never left Odette.
A child.
It was a being he had never had in mind. If he had to give it a meaning, it was about the high-probability additional factor that would accompany the choice of marriage. If he was lucky, he would get a good heir, but if he was not, it didn't really matter. If he achieved his goal, that was all that mattered. Passing down his legacy was not in his interest.
But one thing was certain: he would never see a child in Odette's body.
It was best not to create seeds of discord. It was a lesson that his father's life proved to be a headache for not being able to do it.
If he ever had a child, that child's mother would be Sandrine. Bastian knew very well that that was what he deserved.
"Alma made a big mistake. I'm so sorry, Captain Klauswitz. And Mrs. Klauswitz."
Maximin, who handed over his child to the nanny, once again politely apologized. Bastian looked him in the face and smiled.
"Don't worry, Lord Xanders. It's all right."
Bastian was also well aware that this was exactly the answer everyone wanted.
***
A thunderous noise began to shake the tranquility of the night sea.
Jeff Klauswitz followed the tumult he could no longer ignore and stepped out onto the bedroom balcony. A spectacular fireworks display was rising above the mansion standing across the bay. It looked like the damn party was about to come to an end.
"Why are you watching that?"
A nervous voice came from behind. It was Theodora, who had just entered the bedroom.
"Somehow I felt like I needed to take a proper look."
Even at the moment when he gave a smiley answer, Jeff Klauswitz' eyes were glued to the night sky in the middle of a fireworks display. With a deep sigh, Theodora came out onto the balcony and stood beside him.
"That boy must be excited right now. It must feel like he was shooting shells at us."
"I'd rather have that."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it would be much easier to deal with someone who has feelings."
He laughed with a deep skepticism and took a step closer to the railing.
He had to cut it off before the force got any bigger.
From the day Bastian exposed his claws until now, Jeff had been struggling to find a way to reinforce.
However, the more he knew about what Bastian had been preparing beneath the surface, the more his eyes became more bleak. This was due to the sense of inferiority and defeat that the unbelievable results would give.
Based on the hard-earned information, he had been following Bastian's steps, but he didn't seem to be able to turn the tide as easily as he thought. He might have to live like this for a few more years.
"I mean, Theodora, that if Bastian was determined to take revenge, he would try to take mine. But I never thought it would be like this."
As he shook his head, a new flame exploded.
Bastian had no interest in what they had. His attitude proved that he would attack with the momentum to shatter everything.
Shouldn't he have abandoned his child?
The day he realized Bastian's intentions, Jeff Klauswitz unconsciously felt regret. His regret deepened when he thought of Franz, who was so weak.
"Bastian is your son. Please don't do this. Huh?"
The memory of Sophia, who knelt down and prayed with her pregnant body, rose above the fireworks that embroidered the night sky.
After all it was right to take care of the child he had created. No. In fact, he had no desire to harm Sophia.
He married the daughter of a moneylender in order to protect his family from crisis. Because the Klauswitz at that time needed Illis' money. But he wasn't completely without love. A kind and beautiful wife who loved him dearly. What man in this world could refuse a woman like that?
At one point, he even thought it wouldn't be bad to spend his whole life with this woman. If he had not met Theodora, he might have been.
At least, Sohphia wouldn't have met such an end if she had only agreed to divorce.
The thought of his dead wife with the child in her belly made him involuntarily sick. The disgusting smell of her blood and amniotic fluid seemed to waft through his nostrils.
But the child never cried even in such a mess. He still vividly remembered the moment when his eyes met young Bastian, who was hiding behind a half-open door.
The child just stared at him with calm eyes. His appearance that did not look like a child at all was somehow creepy and it made him sick.
Bastian was an abnormal child, asserted Theodora.
Jeff was dubious for a while, but eventually came to agree. Because Franz was born a perfect son who received the blood of an aristocratic mother. For the new heir, Bastian inevitably had to become an abnormal child.
"Don't be so weak. At times like this, you must tightened your heart."
Theodora frowned and grabbed Jeff's hand.
"I know, honey."
Jeff Klauswitz nodded his head in resignation. Even if he regretted it now, there was no way to turn back the years. If so, there was only one way left. He had no choice but to prove that he was not wrong no matter what.
As he turned around, clearing his complicated mind, he heard a knock.
"Madam, this is Susan."
It must have been Theodora's maid, who had gone on vacation this morning.
***
A series of colorful fireworks lit up the night sky. It was a grand scale fireworks display that could only be seen at official events.
Odette watched the festival of lights with eyes full of joy and excitement. It seemed as if fireworks were blooming even in the sea that illuminated the sky. It was an unrealistic sight that was too beautiful.
Wouldn't that be enough to call it a successful party?
She felt the presence of Bastian approaching, giving a rise to cautious anticipation.
Bastian stood side by side with Odette at the end of the terrace and watched the fireworks. He held her hand as if it were natural, and their fingers were tightly intertwined.
Odette gently turned her head to look at Bastian's side profile. She didn't want to be condescending. It was her duty to do well as Mrs. Klauswitz for the duration of the contract. It was kind of funny that she was doing what she was supposed to do but felt strange.
The increasingly vivid heat flowed between the tightly pressed palms. She remembered the days spent preparing for today by doing her best.
Still.
Bastian turned his head as her incomprehensible feelings bloomed like fireworks. The way he stared at Odette was cool and soft like the breeze on a summer night approaching autumn.
"How's the affair going?"
The last firework went off high in the sky as Odette, perplexed and puzzled by the mysterious question.
"The reason for our divorce you were worried about. I think it's my wife's infidelity would be more than adequate." (*Bastian thinks Odette is having an affair with Maximin)
A golden cascade of fireworks poured down over the Ardennes Bay. Under that brilliant light, Bastian trampled on Odette's heart with a gentle voice, as if whispering love.
It was hard to believe, but he certainly did.