I won't die alone like this.
Duke Dissen put an end to his long letter, tightened his heart, which had been shaken for a moment. It was a final note, written down with a cooler reason than ever before.
Putting down the capped pen, he turned his head to look at the scenery beyond the window. The forest, where the greenery had faded, had somehow turned red with autumn leaves.
He had come to this hospital on a spring day when the flowers were in full bloom, so he had already spent three seasons locked up.
I want you to lie in this hospital room like a corpse until the day you die, but you're welcome.
Duke Dissen chewed his chapped lips and rang the bell to summon his caregiver.
At this point, he had given Odette ample time and opportunity. Still, all that came back was silence, so he wasn't willing to play the role of father any longer either. After all, Odette was the first to break the relationship between parents and children.
A pillar of fire seemed to shoot up from the depths of his heart when he thought of the vast wealth of the lowly man who had stolen Odette. Even with that much in his grip, he dared to try to pay for his crime with as little as this hospital bill…. It was outrageous.
"You called, Duke."
Just as his patience was about to run out, the caregiver appeared. Duke Dissen, who had become very lazy lately, glared and threw the thick letter over the edge of the bed.
"Please send this letter as soon as possible."
Duke Dissen issued an urgent order and leaned deeply into the pillow that supported his back.
Even if his already crippled body could not be restored, he deserved better treatment. He was going to make sure he did.
Odette wouldn't ignore this letter, since he had set out clear demands and what he would risk if they weren't met.
First, he would start with Tira, the girl who was no different than a murderer, and put her behind bars.
While calming his mind with breath-taking imagination, the caregiver who had been hesitant to approach picked up the letter.
"It must be a letter to your daughter."
The caregiver who looked at the envelope said quietly.
"Is she the daughter who married into the Klauswitz family?"
"Do what you are told to do right now!"
Duke Dissen scolded the caregiver for stepping out of line with his contemptuous shout.
The woman puckered her lips, grabbed the letter, and left the room. It wasn't long before his feelings of self-doubt that he had been neglected by such a thing faded away.
I just need to get out of here.
Duke Dissen looked up at the blue sky with hopeful eyes.
The townhouse he had seen that day would make a suitable home
As long as there were enough servants, it was not impossible to live a normal life in a wheelchair.
Even though Odette had committed an outrageous act of betraying her father, she was still his hope.
A gift left by foolish love.
The greatest jewel of his life.
***
With each shot, the bullet mark moved closer and closer to the center of the target.
"I think I'm doing much better than the first time."
Odette turned her face flushed with joy and looked at Bastian standing behind her. It was a very happy look.
Instead of replying that it was time, Bastian smiled appropriately. Before they knew it, the western sky was gradually turning reddish. It was time to end the practice.
"Get some rest."
Bastian left a short order and turned around. Having done his job, he set the pistol down on the table, picked up his first rifle and loaded it. In the meantime, the honeycombed target was replaced with a new one.
After trying many different types of guns, it seemed that the rifle was the one that Odette could handle best. It was not nice to say she wasn't talented, but she wasn't so bad. She would be much better if her muscles needed for shooting were trained.
"Odette."
Bastian, who had finished reloading his rifle, stood in front of the target again. Odette, who was sitting in a chair and rubbing her aching arm, hurried back to her husband.
Handing over his gun, Bastian came up behind her and adjusted her posture like before. Odette was seized with helpless tension as his large, hard body pressed against hers.
"I think you have a talent for teaching. I think it's as good as your shooting skills."
Sensing her heart beating faster, Odette tried to relieve the pressure with an awkward compliment. She realized again too late that she had said something stupid, but fortunately Bastian laughed and saved the trouble.
"I'm honored."
Bastian's low voice grazed her ear.
As the evening wind grew cooler, the breath and body heat of the man standing behind her became clearer.
Odette erased her distractions by concentrating on her shooting. She took her stance, aimed, and pulled the trigger as she had been taught. She remembered not to close her eyes until the end.
"Just a little further to the left."
Bastian instructed after checking the target. Odette nodded and corrected her posture as he said.
"By the way, Bastian."
"Yes."
"Why did you choose the Navy?"
Odette, who was catching her breath, asked a question out of the blue. Bastian slightly lowered his eyes and looked at the woman in his arms.
"Actually, I've seen comments about you fighting like an army. You're good at horseback riding to the point where you're considered the best polo player, and have excellent shooting skills, so I think you would have done well in the army. Do you have any particular reason for choosing the Navy?"
"Ah. That."
Bastian chuckled like it was no big deal.
That was the logic advanced by conservatives in the Admiralty who disapproved of the shipboard hand-to-hand combat at the Battle of Trosa. Hand-to-hand combat with guns and knives was not the naval method of engagement. The far-fetched quibble would usually end with a sarcastic remark, "If that's the case, why didn't you join the army?" It was an aristocratic curse, implying that they knew all about the true reason why he chose the navy.
He decided to become an officer for his grandfather, who felt guilty for passing the label as the grandson of a junk dealer, but it didn't really matter either way. He became a naval officer just because it was easier to get ahead this way. The aristocratic and conservative army didn't like a commander without a title yet. The relatively open navy was an advantage for him to rise to a position where he could reassure his grandfather.
If you're going to do the hard work anyway, you have to choose the bigger fish.
It didn't matter what the aristocrats thought, who considered a choice based on pragmatism to be dishonorable.
After all, Bastian's honor was not in the same place as them. If he fought nobly in a naval-like engagement and was buried with his battleships, that was worth respecting. Unfortunately, he had yet to witness such a precedent…
"Bastian?"
Odette's voice penetrated the lengthening silence.
"I liked the clothes."
Bastian, who was staring at the eyes filled with innocent curiosity, gave a silly answer. It was a long-awaited peaceful time. Perhaps at such a time, a bland joke was worth more than an unnecessary truth.
"Clothes?" Odette frowned and asked back.
"Because I like the navy uniform more."
Bastian responded casually and pointed at the target with his eyes. Odette, who was staring at him blankly, turned her head with a small laugh.
"Well. The navy uniform suits you much better."
Odette's small laugh was transmitted through his body. It didn't take long for the ripples in his heart to flow out as Bastian's laughter.
When the exchange of laughter ceased, the glow of the sunset became clearer.
When Odette, who had regained her composure, re-aimed her gun, Bastian regained his skillful instructor posture.
Three gunshots rang out in succession.
Odette was now overcoming the recoil of the gun without Bastian's help. Her unstable firing posture was also almost completely corrected.
Bastian let go of Odette. Odette seemed to understand the meaning without any additional words.
Bastian took a few steps away and lit a cigarette. After catching her breath, Odette slowly and very carefully prepared her firing stance. Her tight-fitting riding outfit accentuated her slender body.
As Bastian lit his cigarette, Odette fired her first shot.
Then the next, and the next.
Odette did not close her eyes as she had learned to do while pulling the trigger in succession. Neither did Bastian.
After looking at the target, Odette turned around with a bright smile. A faint smoke of gunpowder was still wafting from the muzzle of the rifle that had finished firing. No special praise seemed necessary. Odette's face was glowing with pride, knowing already that she had done well.
Bastian let out a deep breath of smoke and smiled.
"Do you want to enlist?"
Looking at Odette with his back to the setting sun, Bastian inhaled another deep breath of smoke.
"You dig well and shoot guns quite well. I think you will be a useful force."
"Am I going to be able to command a naval fleet?"
Putting down the gun, Odette joked and smiled. The fine hair that flowed along her forehead and neck fluttered softly in the direction of the wind.
"It's up to you."
Bastian shrugged his shoulders and threw the cigarette that was burning between his fingers into the ashtray.
When he held out his hand, Odette obediently took his.
Bastian walked unhurriedly through the rose-colored garden. It was a peaceful evening with the presence of servants starting to clean up and the sound of the slow waves drifting in the wind.
"There is a call from Countess Lenart."
The butler delivered the unexpected news when the two of them had just entered the mansion.
"She said that her father, Duke LaViere, had left a message for master. She said it was an important matter related to the railroad company."
Lovis added his explanation more impatient than usual. It seemed that Sandrine had put on a pretty good performance.
"Go ahead."
Odette spoke first. Bastian lowered his serene gaze at his good wife.
"Come on, Bastian. Countess Lenart is waiting for you."
Odette let go of Bastian. Even though there was no way she didn't know what Sandrine's purpose was, she smiled with a knowing look on her face.
"Ah, Dora! It's just as well. I was just about to discuss the dinner menu again."
When the maid appeared in the west hallway, Odette left Bastian without looking back. It was the look of a perfect hostess who did not have any doubts.
"Master?"
Lovis's impatient call awakened Bastian, who had been staring at his wife's receding back.
"All right. Let's go now."
Replying with a smile, Bastian climbed the stairs, increasing his speed for the time delay. Towards Sandrine, the woman whose priority should be over Odette's.