Chapter 78
Marienne clung closely behind Odette, grinning like a cunning flatterer.
“Appeal to Odette’s rationality? Oh, you northern fool—knowing only one thing and not the other.”
Of all examples he could have chosen, he had to bring up the Kingdom of Harman. That was Odette’s mother’s homeland.
Save-Ril had raised her daughter alone and undoubtedly told her countless stories about her birthplace—snacks she ate as a child, their neighbors, the scenery of the streets. The longing in those stories must have seeped into young Odette as well.
Odette didn’t believe in superstitions, just like Cain.
But that didn’t mean she would sit quietly while someone insulted her mother’s homeland.
“Cut it! Snip! Cut it! Snip!”
Marienne cheered internally, clapping in her mind. She wanted to cut anything that belonged to Cain—his hair, his lower parts, anything.
Of course, Cain would never cut his own hair.
Truthfully, the tax exemption wasn’t even a big deal. If it weren’t a contract, he’d have to pay it anyway. Paying that much wouldn’t make the Blackwood family falter.
But Cain’s hair was different.
No matter how much Marienne Didier wanted it, Cain would never willingly cut his irreplaceable source of power.
Certainly not here, and definitely not because his fiancée pushed him into it.
“It’s satisfying to see that arrogant northern brute cornered, but…”
Marienne watched Cain’s face.
“Surely… no way…?”
A strange uneasiness crawled up her spine.
“Even if he’s crazy, he wouldn’t actually chop it off…”
Then Cain opened his mouth.
“Cutting it is not difficult. My question is—how exactly do you plan on verifying the change in my power after it’s cut?”
For now, he was bluffing. That much was expected.
“Only the duke is capable of splitting a full-grown log with his bare hands. But now that I hear your question, I’m curious as well. If you cut it to shoulder length, how much power would remain?”
“You already know the correct answer, Your Highness.”
Cain lowered his voice.
“My power won’t change. Because my hair has nothing to do with it in the first place.”
“Nothing to do with it, my ass…”
Marienne muttered. Cain shot her a murderous glare, cold enough to freeze bone. And yet Odette wanted to take that man as her consort—laughable.
“Is it just me who finds this funny?”
Like she had felt with Leslie, Marienne wondered what was wrong with men in this country. Keeping her guard up, she listened to Cain continue.
“Your Highness, I already said I’d give up the hundred-year tax exemption. But now you’re asking me to cut my hair in addition.”
The direction of the conversation felt ominous.
“I’ll cut it.”
“Hey.”
Since when did he listen so well?
“After cutting it, I’ll even show you splitting a log. Will that satisfy you? Once that’s done, you will hand over the aide who spread false rumors about the duke—into my hands.”
This didn’t sound like bravado.
He was planning to actually do it.
Marienne rolled her eyes anxiously.
Now that Baileon was her lover and Odette was her direct superior who held her life in her hands, she honestly didn’t care what happened to Cain’s hair.
A bald Cain? Funny. If not—whatever. She just wanted to see him turned into a gleaming egg.
What truly mattered to her was Odette’s decision.
She couldn’t just sit still after Cain went this far. If Odette were to side with him, that would be disastrous.
“Hey, hey—wait a second!”
A flustered commoner-born aide calling a duke “hey” stood there.
“You—shut up for a moment.”
Marienne quickly read Odette’s expression, trying to smile without showing her panic. Her face twitched.
“Your Highness, I’ve been thinking.”
“Finally?”
Marienne pursed her lips like a rabbit and glared resentfully at Odette. She might look like she wins with a cute face, but she was the type to think deeply for a very long time.
“The Duke of Blackwood is a valuable asset to the Empire. As a civil servant living under Imperial soil, I oppose reducing his power in any way. That would be a national loss.”
She spewed beautifully empty nonsense. Then she pulled a notepad and pencil from her pocket.
Can I persuade Odette that I possess more value than a hundred years’ worth of Blackwood taxes?
She scribbled something hurriedly, then held the notebook toward Odette. The princess smiled, the meaning unclear.
Marienne’s heart shrank.
Was her persuasion working—or had she doomed herself?
“…My joke went too far. I apologize to the duke. Please don’t cut your hair.”
It worked!
Marienne snapped the notebook shut. She couldn’t hide the smile spreading on her face. Baileon was right—she was terrible at hiding things.
“No, I will cut it. Don’t stop me.”
“Oh? Even though cutting it gives you no benefit at all? I’m not determining Aide Didier’s fate here today.”
Cain’s brows furrowed.
“Because,”
Odette raised a finger—she wasn’t done.
“Your visit today wasn’t scheduled. As you know, I can’t receive more than one guest per day due to my health. And I don’t want to resolve important matters related to our contract with a trivial joke.”
If he wanted to alter the contract, he’d have to book an official appointment and visit the Fourth Princess Palace properly.
Even though Cain Blackwood was insane, he wasn’t foolish enough to force Odette.
Pushing the decision maker wouldn’t help him.
Not cutting his hair was a bonus.
“Then… may I take this as not a refusal?”
“Yes. It simply means we’ll discuss it later.”
“…Understood.”
Cain glared at Marienne like he wanted to devour her alive. A clear threat.
Marienne snorted.
Marienne Didier feared no aftermath. If she cared about consequences, she wouldn’t have dared demand the Reaper of the Battlefield’s hair in the first place.
As long as the great original heroine was on her side—
Every other man was just a minnow.
Cain left with proper courtesy this time.
“I’ll take my leave. I’ll visit soon.”
He exited the reception room. A brief silence followed. Odette stared at the closed door before speaking.
“I never thought the day would come when I agreed with you…”
Her expression looked complicated.
“You told me once that if you like someone, you should try to win their favor. It was absurd—you brought up peach cake, of all things. The day you visited the temple to see the priest.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“You said I should learn what that person thinks and what they like, then target those points.”
“Of course, of course.”
“But I thought people wouldn’t be swayed by such trivial things.”
Classic original heroine logic.
“But I was wrong.”
“…”
“I am swayed.”
“…”
“When you say the kinds of things I’d normally be thinking myself… it pulls me toward you. It’s strange. An unusual experience.”
Marienne grinned. Naturally Odette would feel that way—because the words she’d spoken were taken from the original novel, where Odette had said them herself.
Don’t give someone what they want.
Only let them believe you can.
A one-time gift produces only a one-time reward.
Cain’s worth was higher than a hundred years’ worth of Blackwood taxes. Just his personal strength alone proved that.
So once he wanted something badly, they shouldn’t give it to him immediately, but delay it as long as possible.
Marienne had reminded Odette of this—using Odette’s own future monologue.
“Sometimes I wondered why Beors came to like someone as different from himself as you. Your differences were extreme, not complementary. Watching you always made me question it. But now… I think I understand a little.”
Odette continued:
“You have an uncanny way of reading people… at the most unexpected moments…”
The touching moment ended abruptly.
Marienne’s stomach growled loudly.
Not a cute rumble—but a monstrous roar. Odette shut her mouth. When the second growl followed, Odette asked,
“Are you raising a toad in your stomach?”
◇ ◆ ◇
“You really ate all this by yourself, even though I brought it for you to snack on?”
“Oh—Your Highness was hungry too? Was this meant for two?”
“No, but…”
“Thank goodness.”
Marienne patted her chest in relief.
“As little as Your Highness eats, even you wouldn’t call this two portions. This is just enough to curb hunger a little.”
Odette seemed unconvinced.
Marienne tilted her head.
“It’s true. I held back on purpose since I planned to eat lunch when I got back to the count’s estate.”
Odette looked down at the plates.
The salad with smoked salmon and the butter biscuits looked as if a dog had licked them clean.
What remained was:
Half a grilled corn cob, two melon slices, and one bite of meat pie.
The spinach soup had only a thin layer at the bottom—barely one spoonful if scraped.
“I left some, didn’t I?”
Marienne blinked innocently.
Odette nodded silently, unwilling to pursue the matter.
“Anyway, thank you for the snacks. My stomach feels like it empties quickly today. Probably because of the injury.”
Odette glanced at Marienne’s bandaged arm with mild disbelief. As if that’s the reason, her eyes said.
Marienne, meanwhile, firmly believed it.
“Oh—Your Highness, I have a question.”
“Ask.”
“Now that Priest Anais has turned back to your side, collecting evidence won’t be difficult.
Do you plan to inform His Majesty that the Second Prince is behind this incident?”
