Chapter 11

Odely did not affirm nor did she deny it.

She simply looked up at him with a searching gaze.

Ludeville found that even more infuriating.

"So as long as it gets you power, you’d willingly sit beside a madman who parades a different woman around every night? What great ambition you have."

His words dripped with mockery, voice low and pointed. And then, as if sealing his contempt, he spat out...

"Just what I’d expect from that family."

...A statement soaked in unmistakable loathing toward House Cardel.

Odely looked at him with a puzzled expression for a moment. It was clear that from the moment she heard her surname, his expression had turned cold, and his tone began to carry the weight of his disdain. He didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it.

'Could it be that he remembers more than I thought?'

If he had truly lost all memory of her, then he shouldn’t know the truth behind House Cardel either.

Then where did this visceral hatred come from?

Odely quietly asked, "Do you dislike that I am a Cardel?"

Perhaps it was too blunt, it caught him off guard.

"Hah."

He seemed momentarily at a loss for words before letting out a hollow laugh, as if he found that question too absurd to entertain.

"And if it is?"

"May I ask why?"

“....”

A flicker of irritation crossed his brows. The reason for disliking the Cardels? Did he really need to articulate that?

House Cardel. Noble blood, descendants of heroes, the Empire’s sacred pride… An untouchable name passed down for centuries.

‘When had it all begun?’

He couldn’t remember the moment, or the cause. Just at some point, everything they said began to sound like lies, hypocrisy. It was a loathing born deep in his bones. Their very presence twisted his gut. They were rot in gold trim. Parasites that should not exist on this land.He wanted to crush their throats. Stomp them into extinction so they could never pass their wretched legacy down.

The reason was undoubtedly...

"Ugh—”

Ludeville pressed his temples as a headache throbbed to life again. As though her presence alone triggered the pain.

"Are you alright?"

Startled, Odely stepped closer, reaching out instinctively to ‘soothe’ him, just as she had before.

"You don’t have to force yourself to remember."

“....”

"Sometimes people hate things without knowing why. That’s just how hearts work." Her calm tone and worried gaze touched Ludeville's nerves directly. A spark of fury ignited in his violet eyes. And in the next sudden moment, Ludeville grabbed Odely's chin roughly.

"The Duke's daughter who was missing for three months suddenly appears in the North, proposes to a stranger she’s never met, and says she’s fine with him insulting her family..."

His voice was low, raspy with rage, hand tightening as if he might crush her with it.

"Let's stop the charade of hypocrisy. It’d be far more amusing if you showed your real face."

In his once-empty violet eyes, fragments of uncontrolled emotion flickered. He parted his lips.

"That tone, that expression..."

But he couldn't finish his sentence, as if he didn't know what to say next. His silence was laced with confusion. Afraid he might begin to remember, Odely quickly spoke up.

"That's right."

"Right...?"

"Yes, you hit the nail on the head, so I won't hide it."

"What..."

"I have ambitions."

If she wanted to stay by his side, she needed a reason he’d accept. Saying she wanted to protect him would only be seen as hypocrisy.

"I want to use the Grand Duke to seize the power I desire."

Not once did she consider telling him the truth, that she’d been used and drained by her family her entire life. He’d only believe she was manipulating him with some pitiful sob story.

Moreover...

The image of the 'blue-eyed woman' that Ludeville was pursuing came to mind. Fragile, delicate, with a tragic past, a woman who could die at any moment…

'It can't be helped.'

To Ludeville, she was a being that would ultimately die no matter how many times he repeated it. Now, with no memories left, all he could feel now was a lingering sense of sorrow.

'Then I’ll be the opposite.'

She would ensure he could never associate her with the blue-eyed woman. On the surface, she would keep her emotions buried, her tone calculating, her attitude cold, while internally guiding him toward the right path. Carefully. Closely. Without ever getting caught.

"Becoming the Grand Duchess is the bare minimum if I want to achieve what I truly want."

“....”

That wasn't entirely wrong. What she truly wanted was Ludeville's happiness and well-being.

Still masking her feelings, Odely said coldly.

"That's exactly why I called it a 'transaction.' I intend to propose a contract marriage to Your Grace."

As the words left her lips, a distant memory surfaced. In her past life, the words of proposal Ludeville had abruptly given her the moment he saw her. They were strangely similar to the words she had just spoken.

‘Was he feeling this way back then too?’

Outwardly, he spoke impassively about a contract, drawing a clear line, but inwardly, was he desperate to somehow save her?

"The term is five years. If you find me useless during that time, you're free to end the agreement anytime you want."

Odely didn't avert her gaze. Instead, she met his directly and continued,

"Your internal struggles. The unwanted attention from outside, your standing within aristocratic society… I can help with all of it. Quite a lot, actually."

She tapped her temple lightly, adding,

"Even your headaches."

“....”

Ludeville listened for a long time, looking utterly dumbfounded… then suddenly burst out laughing. It wasn't a joyful sound, but rather laughter tinged with twisted amusement. Odely could only stare at him blankly. It was the first time she had seen him laugh aloud. She had seen it indirectly many times through memories, but seeing it in person felt quite…

"...Alright, this is getting interesting now."

He reached out, gently lifting a lock of her silver hair. Coiling it around his fingers slowly, he smiled, leisurely, dangerously. His movements were infused with mockery, scrutiny, and ominous anticipation.

"I'll give you fifteen days."

"If you manage to catch my attention during that time…"

His violet eyes curved into a crescent. In their depths, despite his lost memories, there was still a deep darkness and madness, as if they held the weight of long years. He paused, drawing out his words, then whispered into her ear,

"Then, I'll grant you the marriage you desire."

Ludeville didn't throw Odely out. Though he hadn't fully accepted her either.

"For the next fifteen days, no one will know you’re here. Not even House Cardel."

He twisted the corner of his mouth, smiling as if to say it would be more interesting that way.

Soon after, he declared the banquet suspended, and the doors of the Grand Duke's castle were firmly shut.

No more women with blue eyes crossed the threshold.

Fifteen days. It was only a short reprieve, but…

'At least I've caught his interest.'

Odely was escorted to the most luxurious room in the castle. More extravagant than any noble’s quarters. A bedroom even imperial princesses would envy. Odely immediately recognized it as the room where the women who had captured Ludeville's interest temporarily stayed.

"Your Ladyship will be staying here for the time being."

Theodore, the head butler who had escorted Odely, bowed respectfully and added, "After that, His Excellence will decide your future."

He had euphemistically referred to it as her ‘future’, but what he truly meant was her ‘disposition’.

‘So I’m no different from the others.’

His strictly professional demeanor made it painfully clear. He didn’t expect her to last.