The train from the capital entered the platform of Karlsvall Station.
Tira rose from the bench like a bouncing rubber ball. While she was smoothing the pleats of her school uniform skirt and straightening her blouse collar, the doors of the stopped train opened.
The empty platform quickly became congested with passengers pouring in like a deluge.
With her grooming done, Tira made her way through the crowd toward the train. She wanted to see her sister with the appearance of a well-groomed model student, so she had struggled since early morning, but it ended up being in vain as she was hit and run over by the people here and there.
"Tira!"
It was only after the carefully polished shoes had become a mess with dust and footprints that she heard a happy voice calling her name.
Tira's gaze stopped in front of a relatively deserted special car as she looked around.
"Sister!"
Upon discovering Odette, Tira ran furiously through the crowd. Even the look of her older sister's eyes which seemed scolding her for her immodest behavior were not frightening today. She felt like it would be nice to hear the nagging. Because it was her older sister's voice that she had missed so much.
She sounded dignified and graceful, ladylike.
Tira, who completely forgot the promise she had repeated all the way out here to meet her sister, burst into tears and embraced Odette.
"Don't act like a child."
Despite coldly scolding her, Odette hugged Tira back just as fierce.
Tira hugged her sister with all her might, pouring out her tears. When she felt the tender hands caressing her back, she felt real.
After her sister's wedding, she hadn't seen her since she said goodbye that evening, so it was their first reunion in almost four months.
"I miss you. I missed you so much."
A smile of joy filled Tira's tear-stained face.
"You look like a real princess now. You are so pretty, sister."
Looking at the face she had missed so terribly, Tira exclaimed innocent admiration. In her brimless hat adorned with ostrich feathers and pearl beads, Odette looked like a perfect noblewoman.
Her blue dress and long pearl necklace, like her hat, complemented her elegant and graceful figure.
"You can't imagine how happy I am to have you here, sister."
"I think your feelings have already been fully conveyed."
"No. This is far from enough. It made me want to jump over the fence of the dormitory to see sister."
"Calm down, Tira."
"Really! If it hadn't been for sister's terrible husband who kicked me out here, I would have run to Ardennes right away… ."
Tira, who had been shouting on the top of her lungs, was stunned for a moment.
As she mumbled her unfinished words, a tall man stepped onto the platform. After giving a few brief instructions to the servants who followed, the man approached Odette as if exercising his natural right.
"Come on, Tira. You should say hello."
Odette took a step back, wiping Tira's tears with her gloved hand. Trying her best to keep her face composed, hurriedly bowed her head toward the man standing next to her sister.
Bastian Klauswitz.
It was her sister's terrifying husband who had put her here.
***
Odette moved without a moment's rest.
She took off her hat and coat and organized them, then went over to the window and opened the curtains. The suite's bedroom overlooked the tranquil riverside landscape. The Shulter River, the lifeline of the northern part of the Empire, shimmered with a clear blue light.
"This room has a great view."
After giving a tasteless compliment, Odette began to unpack.
Bastian leaned back in a chair in front of the fireplace and watched the scene. Odette's hands were as skillful as those of a skilled maid as she hung the wrinkled dress over the closet and arranged her belongings.
Bastian pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jacket slung over the armrest. He quickly found a lighter and grabbed it, but did not light it. He just watched Odette with a cigarette between his lips. After wandering around the bedroom, she turned her attention to Bastian only after she had no more luggage to take out.
"I apologize once again for Tira's rudeness. I'm sorry, Bastian."
After hesitating for a moment, Odette opened her mouth. Bastian nodded as he put down the cigarette he was holding.
Tira's behavior was not his concern anyway. He couldn't understand Odette's serious concern about such things, but it didn't seem wrong to beat along appropriately.
"Thanks for understanding."
Odette finally smiled in relief. Standing politely at his feet, she looked more like a secretary or a maid than his wife.
"Of course, I am grateful for your consideration of taking a leave from work so I could come and see Tira….Even more so when you had to travel a long distance…"
Odette added her gratitude that seemed like an overdue homework to her close friend. She seemed to have done just fine. She had to put a lot of pressure on her mouth to keep her smile.
Upon hearing what happened, Bastian granted Odette the request for a vacation.
Odette was sincerely delighted and grateful for the unexpected gift. Until she learned that she was leaving with her employer (Bastian), and the vacation she looked forward to was not a vacation.
Coincidentally, he had something to do in Karlsvall, Bastian added with a very friendly face.
Originally, he was going to send a company executive instead, but now that it was like this, he and Odette could leave together.
The words that it did not seem like a good idea rose to the top of her throat, but Odette had no choice but to agree.
"Yes, Bastian."
That night too, Odette smiled with the face of his capable wife.
"You're really kind."
Although it would have been better not to add that awkward praise.
"It's almost 12 o'clock already."
Odette reminded Bastian of the appointment time as she turned her gaze towards the watch.
It was no excuse for him to say that he had to visit the city for work. Appointments with businessmen based in the north required Bastian to spend two hectic days. It was a tight schedule enough to perplex Odette, who had doubts about it.
"The car should be here in 10 minutes."
Picking up his jacket, Bastian stood up and strode across the bedroom. Puzzled by the unexpected approach, but Odette remained silent. Fortunately, Bastian stopped at the proper line.
"I'll be back before 7 so let's have dinner together. With your sister."
Putting on the jacket, Bastian made an unexpected proposal.
"No. I don't want to waste your time. I'll take care of Tira… ."
"7 o'clock. Go to the restaurant on the first floor of this hotel."
Bastian confirmed the appointment, his voice left no room to argue.
A wedding ring like Odette's shone on his large hand that was shaping the tie.
This man was just probably doing his husband's job.
Suddenly realizing that fact, Odette obediently nodded her head.
A husband who came to visit his beloved wife's sister.
In the eyes of the world, it was a visit that should be seen as such.
Dinner with Tira must also be part of Bastian's business.
"Thank you. I'll make sure Tira doesn't make any more mistakes."
"I need you to do something more practical than that."
Bastian pulled out a small card from the inside pocket of his jacket. Odette's eyes widened when he handed it to her. It was an invitation stamped with the Herhardt family crest.
"The Duchess invited us to a luncheon tomorrow. I want you to give them a definite answer over the phone."
"Was Herhardt also a family within your social circle?"
"Not until Matthias von Herhardt."
Bastian buttoned up his jacket and straightened. Even without his military uniform he gave off the impression of a soldier. Even if he was a stranger, Odette was confident in recognizing at once that he was an officer.
"I suppose it's up to you to decide who the other two ladies are."
Bastian's added words woke Odette from a daze. Taking a deep breath as if reaffirming her resolve, Odette carefully checked the invitation card in her hand. The contact information for a reply was written in elegant handwriting.
"Would it be better for me to call?"
"Isn't that etiquette?"
"Yes?"
"It is impolite for a person of lower status to speak to a person of higher status first. Am I wrong?"
Bastian asked. It was an ordinary tone, as if discussing everyday chores, with no respect for order or antipathy.
"Ah… . yes. Not between friends."
Odette gave a small nod. Once married, she would be subject to her husband's status, but it was still an unspoken rule in social circles to give consideration to her family's lineage.
She didn't know if the Dissen's name really deserved it, but from the point of view of etiquette, Bastian was right.
"By the way, Bastian."
Odette's eyes shook as she discovered the name of the Duchess at the end of the card.
"I think I'd better get out of this visit. The Duchess of the Herhardt family is from the Robita royal family."
"So?"
"My deceased mother... So, my mother's fiancé in her days as the Princess of Berg was the Prince of Robita."
Odette confessed her mother's fault as calmly as possible.
"The fiancé who was betrayed by your mother, and Herhardt is a relative of the Duchess.
Do you mean this?"
After thinking for a while, Bastian briefly summarized the situation.
"That's right. So the Duchess will not be happy to see me. It might be better for you to visit alone."
"Well. I think she would rather be pleased."
Bastian shrugged his shoulders indifferently. It was only now that he understood clearly why the noble Duchess had invited the Klauswitz couple.
"I wonder if she didn't know what you know."
"That… ."
"I took the liberty of inviting you, Odette. I wanted you to meet her."
"Why?"
"The daughter (Odette) of the woman (Odette's mother) who betrayed her flesh and blood eventually became a commoner who married the grandson of a junk dealer. This is a pretty refreshing ending. Isn't it?"
Odette, who had been staring blankly at Bastian, bit her lips tightly. It was this woman's habit when she felt insulted.
"Witnessing the spectacle first hand would provide quite a great deal of comfort and enjoyment."
"Are you saying that I should serve as proof of my mother's mistakes and failures?"
"Whatever meaning you find, that's up to you. All you have to do is make a phone call to the duke's family and go to the mansion tomorrow for a nice lunch. The best aristocratic family in the empire wouldn't serve mediocre food."
Bastian's facial expression and tone were not much different from when he mentioned noble manners. It was a statement that nakedly expressed the class consciousness this man possessed.
Odette looked at her husband in bewilderment. She realized once again who she had married. It was understandable why the antipathy of high society against Bastian Klauswitz was so great.
Odette could not agree with the reputation of a man who crawled like a dog for his success. The reason why Bastian did not rebel against the order and authority of the old world was not because he envied it. Rather, if he was thoroughly against it, he would not deal with it again.
No such notion seemed to exist in this man's head. He just didn't even need to make value judgments if he wasn't aware of them.
It would not be called obedience.
"Will it really help me?"
Odette's eyes hardened. She was the daughter of an abandoned princess. The daughter of a ducal family with only a façade. A sinner born with original sin.
In Bastian's completely indifferent gaze, the shackles that had been strangling Odette all her life no longer exerted their power. For the first time in her life, she felt a kind of freedom.
"Are you ready?"
Bastian checked the time and asked a short question. 12:10. The car that Bastian's friend had arranged to come would be arriving at that time.
"I will be."
Odette answered without hesitation. A smile crossed Bastian's lips as he stared at Odette. It was a smile that left an afterimage like the midday sun.