"You have a dog?"
Maria Gross raised her head in amazement. She fixed the fabric sample, which she almost dropped, causing her bones to bulge on the back of her grasping hand.
"Yes, Mrs. Gross. It's a cute little puppy. I'll show you next time you visit the mansion."
Odette smiled as she set down the teacup after taking a sip of her tea.
It was clear that Maria did not know anything about it.
Bastian Klauswitz has a dog!
Maria laughed and leaned her body against the back of the sofa.
Looking around idly, she faced Odette again only after her thoughts had been somewhat organized. The quiet conversation and laughter of the other guests carried through the languid air of the boutique.
Bastian was overly generous with his wife. Previously she (Maria) thought it was impossible, but now she was sure.
It was like that even today.
Bastian personally called and asked if he could make a reservation at Sabine boutique. He needed winter clothes for his wife.
He added that she (Odette) seemed to get cold a lot, so he would like her to have a warm coat. If he hadn't called directly, Maria would have believed that someone was tricking her to be her nephew.
What else was he going to do?
Maria looked at Odette with a look of confusion and apprehension that she could not hide.
She didn't know that she was a beauty that would charm all men, but she never dreamed that Bastian would become one of them. He didn't even seem to want to hide the fact. His lack of restraint was rather embarrassing to her.
Around the time Maria started to speculate that maybe this was also part of Bastian's plan, a new guest appeared.
It was Sandrine, of all people.
Entering the guest parlor, Sandrine exchanged pleasantries with the socialites. She finally found them when the clerk came to announce that Maria Gross was busy with a guest.
"Hello, Mrs. Gross! I see Odette is also with you."
Sandrine approached with a bright smile. It was hard to find hostility towards Odette anywhere in her attitude, as if she had met her close friend.
She drew the attention of those around with her boisterous greeting, and she proudly showed off her fellowship. To the unknowing eyes, they seemed to be in a sincere friendship.
They still did not like the woman, but they had to admit the fact that she was the most useful bride for Bastian.
Just like Theodora to Jeff Klauswitz.
"I am ready. Mrs. Gross."
The clerk, who had been watching the scene, cautiously followed.
"I'll be Odette's companion, so don't worry."
As if she had been waiting, Sandrine took the seat next to Odette and sat down.
"We have very similar tastes, so we communicate well. Don't we, Odette?"
Even at the moment of her one-sided push, Sandrine did not lose her innocent smile.
Odette, who was still staring at her, gently raised the corners of her mouth in place of a reply.
It was an action that did not suit her circumstances as a prey thrown in front of a snake that bared its venomous fangs.
Was she overly naive or indifferent?
She (Odette) was a child who was very similar to her husband in the aspect that her true feelings were usually hidden.
"I see. Then have a nice conversation."
Maria Gross, torn between the two of Bastian's women, turned around with her white flag.
She felt a little sorry for Odette, but at this point, it wasn't a bad idea for Sandrine to step up. Lest his fake wife, who harbored her only hopes, ruin Bastian's long-labored plans.
That was also the reason why she decided that it would be better for Odette not to know Bastian's favor was out of the proper line.
Even if it was love, what would it mean?
Whatever Bastian's sincerity was, the conclusion would not change.
***
"I see Bastian is getting you some winter clothes."
Socialite gossip and a new hat shop. A well-received opera.
Sandrine, who had been ringing the rim with an enthusiastic chatter, soon revealed her true intentions.
Odette showed only a formal smile this time. Judging from her experience so far, this was the most appropriate course of action. Sandrine was a talker who did not place much importance on the other person's reply, especially in the conversation with Odette.
"Are you sure there's nothing to change the size of the dress?"
Sandrine examined Odette's belly with a keen eye. It was a fairly blatant provocation.
"Oh, my god. I was scared."
Sandrine frowned exaggeratedly when Odette raised her gaze and stared at her.
"I am worried. It would be difficult to make new clothes, but to be too full and unable to wear them. As you know, Sabine is a difficult place to get a reservation. After Bastian leaves, won't it be hard for you to continue to enjoy the privileges you have now?"
Sandrine's soft whispered voice radiated clear joy. It was clear that at least that feeling was not a fabricated lie.
"What do you mean by that?"
Odette, who was deep in thought, asked back. She knew it was a bait thrown to hurt her, but it was too disturbing to pass up.
"Oh. You didn't know."
Sandrine smiled contentedly and sat down close to Odette.
Bastian's permission to go out to the frontline was granted.
Sandrine learned the news through her cousin, Lucas.
Although the application for service had not yet been received, it was as good as concluded.
There were days when she (Sandrine) struggled with not wanting to send Bastian back to the wild, but not now. The moment she found out, she was rather relieved. The most dangerous place for that man was right here, next to that woman (Odette).
"Bastian will go out again."
"If he's going out…"
"He's going back to the North Sea Fleet. The overseas front where the Battle of Trosa was fought. He said he was leaving as soon as the naval festival was over."
Odette listened intently to Sandrine's explanation. Her face was as expressionless as ever, but her eyes were shaking slightly.
"Sorry. Since he had already discussed it with me, I naturally assumed that he had spoken to you as well."
"…I see."
"Bastian is so very heartless. No matter how much it is, he should give you a little time to prepare your mind. When he returns from his overseas service, your contract period will be over, right? It's not long before I will play the role of Bastian's wife."
Looking at Odette's pale complexion, Sandrine drank her tea with a much lighter heart.
She would enjoy herself moderately and sort things out when the time came.
When it was confirmed that Odette was an existence with only that much meaning, the time she (Sandrine) had spent worrying about it suddenly felt empty.
It was also a trivial ending. It felt like she was swinging her fist into the air alone.
"So, Odette, I ask you to be a little more careful and give it a good finish."
Seeing Maria Gross out of the dressing room, Sandrine stood up. It was time for her to finish her role as the companion of poor Mrs. Klauswitz.
"Then let's get a lot of pretty clothes. It will be the last gift from Bastian."
Sandrine turned around, letting go of Odette's shoulders that she had gently grasped.
Until the moment she left the dressing room in search of the finished dress, Sandrine did not give Odette a single glance. She no longer felt the need to.
The fake wife's expiration date was over.
It was an obvious truth that Bastian had proven.
***
Odette was nowhere to be seen. The same was true of the dog, Odette's shadow.
"Dora."
Bastian, who slowly closed the passageway behind him, called the head maid as if asking for an explanation.
Dora, who was tending Odette's dress, turned around in surprise.
"Madam went to practice the piano. She left the word that she will be late, so Master can go to bed first."
"Piano? At this hour?"
Bastian checked the time and tied the laces of his loosely draped gown. The table clock on the mantelpiece read ten o'clock.
Normally, Odette would be sewing or reading a book after getting ready for bed.
"I'll bring the madam right away…."
"No. I'll go."
Having stopped the head maid, Bastian went straight out of his wife's bedroom. His feet, which had maintained a steady stride and speed, slowed the moment he reached the end of the corridor where the solarium was located.
From beyond the darkness came the sound of the piano.
It was a melody that could be called a pretty good performance, different from the time when mechanical notes were repeated. As if she had decided to become the best tutor in the empire, it seemed that the practice was worthwhile.
Bastian slowly moved along with the music. When he quietly opened the door, he saw Odette sitting at the piano in her nightgown.
The solarium at night with the curtains open was bathed in pale moonlight. The only artificial light was a wall lamp next to the piano. It was quite an unusual sight, considering that she hated the dark and always kept all the lights on.
Bastian did not cross the threshold. Instead he took a step back to listen to Odette play behind the half open door.
He was ignorant of music, but he could still perceive that the song was beautiful. Odette would stop playing if she felt his presence, but that was not the ending Bastian wanted.
He didn't want to ruin something so beautiful.
Bastian hoped that the performance would continue. Deep into the night. Until the moon set and the sun rose. Forever. It was a vain and ridiculous delusion.
The melody, resembling the moonlit sea, came to an end when the light of self-deprecation that floated on Bastian's lips deepened.
Odette held down the keys for a long time until the sound was fading away. When the performance was over, she would usually pick up the pencil left on the music stand and eagerly jot something down, but today was different.
It was Margrete who broke the silence between the two.
The dog poked its head out through the gap in the open door and began barking loudly. It was a majestic spirit, as if it were a beast.
At the same time as Odette stood up from the piano, Bastian crossed the threshold. The frightened dog ran behind its master and hid herself.
"Bastian."
Odette's voice resembling the tone of the piano rang clear from beyond the darkness.
Beautiful. Like a performance that had again begun.