Bastian
Chapter 39 - Beneath The Thousand-Fold Veil

✧Beneath The Thousand-Fold Veil✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The untouched coffee sat on the table, the steam rising from its surface until the abundant bubbles gradually subsided and the liquid cooled to a tepid temperature. Meanwhile, the slice of cake in front of her was in a state of flux, with the chocolate frosting melting into a gooey mess under the heat.

The sight of the cake’s slow disintegration and the coffee’s undisturbed surface gave her a sense of unease, as if she were seeing the world around her fall apart in slow motion.

Bastian scrutinized the table before slamming his teacup down with a resounding thud. Finally, Odette raised her gaze from her fidgeting fingers to meet his stern gaze.

“Enough with this nonsense, eat,” Bastian commanded with a curt gesture towards the untouched coffee and cake.

Odette’s eyes widened in shock as she regarded her husband’s unexpected appearance. “I never expected to cross paths with you in this way. What brought you here? “She asked, trying to be casual about it.

Her smile faded, showing a trace of uneasiness as she quickly changed the topic in an effort to divert the conversation from any potential tension, as the afternoon sun seeped through the foliage, casting a warm glow on her face.

“I had an appointment nearby. I found you in passing,” Bastian said, his eyes studying Odette’s face for any sign of discomfort.

“Ah… yes. I see.”

“And you? I don’t think I’ve been informed that you’ll be coming to Ratz. Am I remembering wrong?”

Odette shook her head in response, “No. I didn’t report anything.”

“What brings you here then?” 

Bastian’s pupils shrank. Odette expertly concealed her emotions despite the confusing feeling that she was being reprimanded. 

 “An interior designer asked me to choose several paintings to place on the wall. When I learned that you wouldn’t be arriving this weekend, I shifted the timetable up a bit from where it was originally scheduled to be handled next week.” A cunning smile played on Odette’s lips as she responded to his question.

“Is that really it, then?“ 

Bastian’s calm and collected demeanor only made Odette more nervous. She fidgeted with the handle of her cup, desperately searching for the right words to say in response to his question.

In the company of Franz, Odette felt more at ease. His words had a cunning edge that often left his opponents bewildered, but she found it much preferable to the suffocating tension that Bastian brought. With Franz, all she had to do was smile and respond accordingly, whereas with her husband, even just his gaze left her feeling powerless and vulnerable.

Odette found this man to be more challenging and unsettling the more time they spent together. She struggled to take even a sip of water because she felt stifled and her nerves were on edge.

“Yes.” Odette ultimately decided to fabricate the truth.

Her refusal to use his brother’s half-name only seemed to further enrage Bastian, as he might interpret it as a sign of her foolishly crossing paths with someone from his family.

“I stopped by the art gallery to buy a few paintings and I had some spare time. It’s been a long since I’ve gone out, so it would be a shame not to enjoy it before returning home.”

With a confident smile, Odette concealed her unease and nervousness. Although Bastian’s intense blue eyes seemed to look right through her soul, she put up with them in silence without trying to avert them.

Bastian wet his lips with half-melted ice water and nodded his head in agreement. In the tense calm, there silence was deafening it could break an iceberg.

He folded his arms casually and looked at Odette. He rested the damp napkin on the table as the sun dipped below the horizon. As the warm glow extended its reach beneath the table, it draped Odette in a deceitful grin, reminiscent of the delicate wedding veil she wore on the solstice day – a smile that was sweet to the eyes but bitter to the heart. 

Evidently, Odette was keen to keep her encounter with Franz a secret. He remembered his butler Lovis, who was concerned about the madam who would be waiting for her husband with sadness, he let out a ridiculous laugh, thinking how deceitful his wife was. 

As he looked upon Odette, a feeling of unease crept into his mind. For the first time, he found himself truly pondering the enigmatic workings of her mind. 

Beneath the veil of solitude and melancholy, she seemed to harbor a hidden avarice – a voracious appetite for something beyond his comprehension. His thoughts swirled with confusion, as he questioned his place in her world and the nature of their relationship. 

Why did she persist in her brazen insolence and contemptuous disdain?

 The answers eluded him, leaving him with a sense of wild bewilderment.

Despite the burning curiosity that surged within him, Bastian held his tongue. He knew that beneath the surface of Odette’s enigmatic demeanor lay countless layers of hidden depths. Each veil she wore was merely a mask, a facade designed to shield her true self from prying eyes. With each layer peeled back, another presented itself, as though she reveled in the mystery and intrigue of her own being. Bastian knew that the answer he sought would not come easily, for Odette guarded her secrets with an iron will.

Bastian’s gaze flicked to his wristwatch,  “Does your schedule permit any other engagements?” 

The corners of Odette’s lips upturned into a serene smile, “No. As we agreed earlier, our meeting with Hans is scheduled for six o’clock sharp in the plaza of City Hall,” she replied, her voice imbued with a venomous calm.

“Is there any other matter of business we need to address?” 

Odette shook her head. “No, not really. I’ve been contemplating a short respite here, but ultimately, I feel drawn back to Ardene,” she revealed with a hint of wistfulness in her voice. 

Bastian nodded understandingly before responding with a wry chuckle, “Ah, a break.”

His eyes roamed over the scene before him, and they eventually settled on Odette, who sat across from him with an unread book. The tantalizing aroma of coffee and cake drifted between them, tempting his senses. Yet his attention was drawn to the playground behind her – a vibrant tapestry of colors and shapes that he had meticulously crafted with his own hands. 

“Was it not enough just to have that enormous mansion to yourself to relax and enjoy?” 

Even in the midst of his scathing ridicule, Bastian’s tone remained remarkably calm.

“My wife is a very adaptive woman. She was only moving from one cheap rental home to another yesterday, but she apparently became tired of living a life of luxury because she is acting in this way now. “Bastian said in a mocking tone.

“So, are you accusing me now?” 

Odette’s forced smile vanished as he nodded in response.

“If you possess the intelligence to comprehend my words, why do you insist on repeating the same mistakes over and over again?”

“Is missing one outing such a heinous mistake that you must insult me in this manner? After all, you broke your promise first, so I simply adjusted my plans accordingly.” Odette shouted.

“Do you truly believe that we are on the same level?” Bastian’s expression shifted as he let out a soft sigh and furrowed his brow, lost in thought for a split second.  “I paid you a just price, which makes me your employer until the end of our contract.”

Odette remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

“Just because you’re performing the duties of a wife doesn’t grant you the rights of one,” Bastian spoke firmly, “If you’re here as a servant, then act accordingly. Remember this, and you’ll have a relatively comfortable two years. What are your thoughts?”

Again, Odette remained silent, prompting him to demand, “I expect an answer, Odette. Speak up, answer me.”

His words sliced through the air like a sharp-edged knife, lashing out at Odette with a cold, emotionless ferocity.

“Understood” Odette replied, finally breaking her long, obstinate silence.

Bastian had no desire to continue the talk despite the irreverent emotion that was visible in her intensely crimson eyes.

“Allow me the pleasure of accompanying you to your awaiting car,” he declared, his voice firm and unwavering.

Odette cocked her head slightly, a quizzical expression crossing her features. “If I say that I am capable of going on my own, is that an unworthy response from a servant?”

With a steady gaze fixed on Bastian, Odette summoned the courage to pose a daring question. Though a flicker of pain betrayed her emotions, she refused to let a single word escape her lips.

“It seems you possess a remarkable capacity for judgment,” Bastian extended his hand towards Odette, a sardonic smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“I appreciate your kind words,” Odette replied, her tone suffused with a mix of exaggerated politeness and a hint of provocative daring. She took his offered hand, gripping it with a firmness that seemed to suggest she was patronizing him.

Bastian grasped hold of the gloved, lace-covered, icy hand tightly. Odette was trembling, and he could feel it through their joined hands. It was a pleasant and a grating feeling all at once. 

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The drawn-out dinner had stretched far into the night, long past its usual end time. With a heavy heart, Odette pushed herself up from the table, leaving behind the remnants of her half-eaten meal. Despite knowing that self-care was of the utmost importance in times like these, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to lift her spirits.

Odette made her way down the hushed hallway, her footsteps slower and more measured than usual. With each step, she felt as though she were a buoy adrift in the vast, open sea, isolated and alone. Yet, even as she meandered through the quiet halls, she knew that her journey was a brief one. In the light of day, the sense of aimlessness that currently plagued her would dissipate like a wisp of smoke, nothing more than a fleeting, idle thought.

“I’ll do it alone, today.” 

With a heavy heart, Odette dismissed the maids who had been trailing behind her, watching her every move with a critical eye. Weary and drained, she dragged her feet across the threshold of her bedroom, the weight of the day bearing down upon her. Though she sensed the maids’ disapproving stares burning into her back, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Odette was so exhausted that she wanted to crawl into bed straight away, but she persisted in making her way to the bathroom to take a bath. She gently groomed her hair and changed into a fresh nightgown. She felt much better by the time she stood up with a ribbon attached at the end of her braided hair.

Odette stood motionless, gazing at the entrance to the couple’s bedroom with a hollow, vacant expression. A deep, resigned sigh escaped her lips, a physical manifestation of the overwhelming sadness and despair that consumed her.

Though she was wracked with misery and heartache, she refused to place the blame solely on Bastian’s shoulders. She had entered into this marriage with full awareness of the challenges that lay ahead, and she was determined to face them head-on. Even though the harsh realities of the situation were far more daunting than she had initially anticipated, Odette knew that this was the best decision she could have made under the circumstances.

 With sheer force of will, Odette fought to keep her mind from succumbing to the overwhelming despair that threatened to consume her. She made her way over to the table, where a pile of mail awaited her attention.

Knowing that retiring to bed in such a despondent state would only make it harder for her to find rest, she resolved to cling to the fleeting glimmers of hope that still remained. She sorted through the odds and ends on the table, refusing to allow herself to become weighed down by the inescapable truth of her situation. After all, she had to make it work, no matter how difficult it might be.

Odette painstakingly read the messages, pulled up her nightgown sleeves, and penned a response. There was a letter from her father among them. It was a letter full of rage and profanity directed at the daughter who had embarrassed the family by getting married to a lowly man.

She dropped the torn letter into the garbage, thinking it was good that he had regained his strength. It was quickly followed by a letter from Sandrine, in which she listed her favorite furnishings, jewelry, plants, and flowers along with her wish list for the garden.

She carefully committed a handful of noteworthy items to memory, then recorded them in her trusty notebook. Among the entries was the name and contact information of the merchant whom Franz had recommended for the finest Felia-made ornaments, which she jotted down just beneath the others.

With nothing else to occupy her thoughts, Odette surrendered herself to the comfort of her bed. As she lay there, the soothing sound of the ocean’s gentle waves drifted in through the open window, carried on the cool, nocturnal breeze.

With a determined effort, Odette closed her eyes and banished the image of the repulsive man that had plagued her thoughts. Though the weight of her troubles made her feel ancient beyond her years, she refused to let them consume her.

Slowly but surely, the gentle touch of the moonlight lulled her into slumber. Throughout the long, lonely night, the steady cadence of the waves provided her only solace, and it remained by her side until the first light of dawn crept into the sky.

That’s OK. Nothing is wrong. Everything is going to be fine.

A sense of calm washed over her as she repeated the reassuring words to herself, like a soothing melody that brought her solace.

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