Bastian
Chapter 154 - Hand Covering the Eyes

✧Hand Covering the Eyes✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

As she got closer to the destination, she could feel her legs grow heavier until she was forced to stop. Her body had not fully recovered yet, and the short run through the forest was enough to wind Odette. Forcing herself onward, she walked at a brisk pace.

The gardener was the bearer of the news about Margrethe’s discovery. He reported that while clearing dead trees in the forest, he stumbled upon a dog’s body, seemingly mauled by a wild animal. Although it was not in perfect condition, the fur color and body size matched Margrethe’s. Odette received this news during dinner and promptly rushed out of the mansion with Jean to where the dog’s corpse lay.

   She had believe that the animal they found was not Margrethe, but just in case it was, Odette wanted to make absolutely sure for herself. 

She never saw her child, never got to say good bye. The funeral was already completed When she regained consciousness. So all she could manage to say was a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Kramer for cremating her child.

Was it a girl or a boy? 

Did they take after their father or mother in appearance?

The question that lingered on the edge of her tongue remained unspoken, swallowed down deep within. Dr. Kramer, seemingly aware that revealing the answer would be too much for Odette to bear, maintained a somber silence.

She would come to regret her decision that day, yet Odette couldn’t summon the courage to inspect the wound again. And now she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she became a coward and just let Margrethe go.

  As she got closer to the coastal cliff where the animal body had been found, Odette could hear voices. The gardeners and groundskeepers were gathered around, one was lying something out on the ground. As she come to realise what the scene meant, her vision quickly blurred with tears.

   If only she had played ball with Margrethe in the bedroom, she wouldn’t have gone out to wonder the halls and she would not have gotten herself into trouble. It was all her fault. The truth of it cut into her heart deep.

If she had reached out to Countess Trier at that moment, even if she had to force herself to do so, none of this would have happened. However, she couldn’t bring herself to leave that man.

As she leafed through the pages of the nursery catalog Bastian had sent her, her hopeful dreams continued to swell. She yearned to visit the Lausanne villa and create a lovely nursery. With time passing and the anticipation of their child’s arrival, she believed that things might take a turn as they lived together through a few more seasons.

Perhaps it’s alright if she makes the decision later.~she thought.

   She hated herself for having such vain expectations. The foolish regret would be impossible to cut out and it would ruin everything.

   Odette suppressed the urge to turn and run, walking on with difficulty. The gardener saw Odette approach and stepped to one side to let her through. Odette could see the clearly defined shape of a small white dog, but before she could definitely define the animal, something big ran out of the forest.

   A hand covered Odette’s eyes and strong arms pulled her into an embrace, her heart pounding like it wanted to explode from her chest.

   “Odette…” Bastian said her name as a sigh.

   He took his hand from her eyes and turned her around to face him, then brought her back into an embrace. She could feel his body shaking. Odette tried to break free of his strong arms.

“Get out of my way! Let go of me!” Odette demanded, but Bastian did not relent.

   He wrapped his arms around Odette even tighter and made soothing noises to try and calm her down.  He enveloped her head and held her tightly against his chest, ensuring she couldn’t turn around and gaze at the dog’s lifeless body.

The servants in the forest looked at each other awkwardly, not sure what they should do and simply backed away.

   “Its not Meg, is it?” Odette said, thumping Bastian’s chest.

   Bastian could say nothing and just held her. His icy gaze fell on its ruined body, the crimson-stained white fur unmistakable even in death.

“No, Bastian. It’s not Meg, right?!” Odette pleaded, “Please say no!” 

   But Bastian could not find the words. The fleeting sunset nestled between the trees soon faded away. Nightfall began to claim the forest.

“Please, Bastian,” Odette pleaded, holding onto him tightly. 

Bastian silenced her with a hug. It was the only answer he could give. 

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

As dusk painted the sky in purple hues, the curtain-less bedroom welcomed the evening glow. When Susan came into the study and held out the envelope, Theodora put down her tea cup and took the envelope with a quizzical look on her face.

   “It came anonymously?”

   “Yes, ma’am, it was found by the front gate of the mansion, it was brought straight to you,” Susan said with bow and walked away.

   Theodora leaned back in the sofa and opened the letter. The first thing she found was a housing document of a young woman unfamiliar to Theodora. It was an address to a small town on the very eastern fringes of the empire.

   Tossing the document onto the table, she looked into the envelope for what ever else might be inside. The next document was of Jeff Klauswitz’s borrowed name account. There was an unbelievable amount of money spread over several savings accounts. It was hard to believe he was in a position where he had to sell every asset he had to stay afloat. Amongst the names on the documents, was the name of the woman who had been on the housing document.

   Theodora tipped the remaining contents of the envelope onto the table with increasing impatience. Several photos spilled out that had been taken of Jeff Klauswitz in secret. She picked up the closest picture and studied it. Jeff Klauswitz was escorting a young woman, his arm around her waist, down some street. They were being guided by a middle aged man.

   The next photo had been taken from a different angle, clearly showing Jeff’s face, though he did not dress in Jeff’s usual manner. Ill fitted clothes that looked like they had been picked out from the gutter.

   The woman his arm was around looked as fresh as a spring daisy. A beautiful woman with a small frame and ample bosom. She looked all innocent, just like another Sophia Illis.

   Theodora looked again at the housing documents and the account details. She had been running around like a crazed woman, desperately trying to scrape together any amount of money, while Jeff was sitting pretty on a small fortune the whole time.

“Actually, I also heard some bad rumors.” Susan quietly sighed. “The master is thinking of leaving you and master Franz behind. Still, I couldn’t believe it. Maybe this is a good thing?” 

   All this time, Jeff had been hoarding his fortune, probably looking for a way out of his commitment to Theodora and Franz, hooking up with a younger woman. Tears exploded onto Theodora’s face and she threw her glass of whiskey across the room. It shattered against the wall and failed to make Theodora feel any better.

K

   This had Bastian’s signature written all over it. He was the only one that would go so far as to conduct an in depth investigation, the only person that had reason to expose her. Bastian wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Her last game ended in failure. 

   Theodora accepted that fact with resignation, as she fought to end the tears. She smiled as she remembered Sophia Illis, the woman who had met a horrible end while clinging to to the man that had lost his love for her.

   In the end, Theodora was rendered down to the exact same position. Ridiculed and despised. It seemed like the junk dealers daughter had won. At least Sophia Illis left her immortal myth in the heart of the man she loved.

If this love must end, what does she mean to Jeff Klauwitz?

   Theodora pondered her role in all of this. In the end, she was nothing more than a trophy wife. A pathetic excuse that had given birth to the worst heir in history. Jeff Klauswitz would turn from them without a single regret and fall into the arms of the new Sophia Illis.

   So what should she do about it?

   Theodora stared at the documents and the photos, hearing the echo of Bastian’s victorious laughter. When she turned her head to the window, where she could see his mansion across the bay, that she realised she had achieved more than half of her success.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea to do as Bastian wanted. It seemed that the child was still unaware of what lay ahead.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Even after enough time had passed to let the bath water cool, Odette did not return. Bastian had been sitting in front of the fireplace waiting. He got up quietly and went to the bathroom. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sweet scent of soap and bubbles, Odette’s favourite.

   Odette was fast asleep in water that was perilously cold for someone in her condition. The bathwater he tested with his hand was cooler than her body temperature.  It was dangerous to leave her like this. 

   “Odette,” Bastian said softly as he grabbed her shoulder to wake her.

   Odette slowly opened her eyes and flinched when her eyes focused to see Bastian. She still looked like she was asleep, but with her eyes open. She had been like this ever since returning from the forest. Wondering around in a semi-conscious daze.

   Bastian changed his mind about calling a maid and decided to take care of Odette himself. He wrapped her shivering body up in a warm, fluffy towel and took her out of the bathroom to sit beside the fireplace, and put her on new pajamas. 

   As Bastian dried her hair, she finally spoke.

   “Its wasn’t Margrethe,” she said distantly. “It was definitely smaller than Meg and its fur was shorter too.” Her unfocused eyes took on a hint of joy.

   Once the shock had subsided, Odette was able to stir up an ounce of rationality. Although she hadn’t seen it properly, she still had the impression to go on. Bastian would have been able to tell, he would have been able to give a clear answer, but he didn’t.

   “Bastian,” Odette turned and took a seat, calling his name  with a soothing voice. The soft glow of the fireplace cast warm hues over them seated opposite each other.

Odette raised her quivering hands and cradled Bastian’s face. It had been some time since she had last seen him, and he appeared much thinner than before. Her fingertips gently traced the platinum-colored hair that graced his forehead and the bridge of his nose before resting on his tightly sealed lips.

 “Will you tell me, please?” Odette sounded like a child begging their parents to tell them what they got for christmas. 

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