Bastian
Chapter Side Story 10 - The Melody of Temptation

✧The Melody of Temptation✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

It turned out to be a rather pleasant and exceptional luncheon. Delicious food, pleasant conversation and the much anticipated meeting with Admiral Klauswitz. It was far more successful than Odette could have hoped.

   It was like a gift from Bastian that Odette humbly accepted. From warmly greeting the guests to concluding the delightful luncheon, he had played his role perfectly, though primarily for women, he joined the conversation with a sociable attitude when needed. Bastian skillfully adjusted himself to fit the desired image and lead the luncheon, playing the roles of a loving husband, prestigious war hero, and cousin of Marie Byller, who was the butt of jokes in the village.

Odette felt a bit embarrassed thinking about the etiquette lectures she used to give to him. The truth was, Bastian could easily transform into the refined gentleman that society wanted him to be, without any guidance from her.

Bastian could transform himself into a gentleman whenever he wanted. Despite society’s harsh criticisms of his actions, it was clear that he was not acting out of ignorance. In fact, there was a certain charm in his imperfections that drew her towards him, even as she scolded him for them. Deep down, she actually liked his indifference to the world’s standards and secretly hoped it would never change. It was a precious secret she intended to keep forever.

   “How could I have ever believed such a wonderful couple to have ever been mere cousins. Deceived by my own understanding,” one of the older ladies joked.

   “Well, I knew something was off from the start. There was nothing relative about them.”

   “Indeed. I was kind of worried about the strangely intimate atmosphere around the pair of them,” another lady said and so the jokes went on.

   Each time, Odette would try to discreetly look at Bastian out the corner of her eyes, to judge how he was taking the poorly subjected jests. He seemed to listen to the guests intently and smiled at the appropriate times.

   “I would like to arrange a special event to celebrate my wifes birthday and our wonderful time together here in Rothewein,” Bastian said out of the blue his unexpected statement made Odette’s eyes widen. 

“On 31 December this year, we intend to hold a baquet at the village hall. It is our wish to invite all members of the village to join us. We humbly request your presence and would be honored if you could attend.”

   “My goodness, Of course, Admiral!”

   “Oh, how romantic, don’t worry, we will spread the word and get everyone involved.”

   Before Odette could say or do anything to intercept the idea, the whole meeting erupted into a cheer of gossip and planning. Odette glared at Bastian, her cheeks going scarlet and her lips pouting. However, he just shrugged nonchalantly.

“What a wonderful gift. Thank you so much, Odette.” Nina said with happy face, leaning in close to Odette.

   “I didn’t give a gift; I received one. Creating unforgettable moments is a truly priceless experience for me.” Odette said, shaking her head.  

Now that the ladies were fully in the troughs of planning a village wide party, Bastian stood up and gave a slight bow. “Well then, ladies, seeing as you are all now busy with planning, I shall take my leave. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.” Before leaving, Bastian approached Odette and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I hope you have a good time, my wife.” he whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

   Feeling awkward, Odette forced a smile, conscious of the eyes on her. They all watched them with sparkling eyes.

   “Thank you Bastian, you too,” Odette said back, she gently squeezed his hand on her shoulder, just like everybody hoped for.

   The whole room watched Bastian leave and the admiration turned to Odette once he was out of sight. To the men, he was a hero and to the women, a devoted and loving husband.

   Bastian’s popularity in Rothewein continued to soar and Odette wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She joined back in on the conversations, maintaining a smile befitting her role, keeping pace with her husband’s ever-improving skills.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The Christmas tree arrived just as the short winter day was coming to an end. It had been ordered from a woodsman in the next village over. Bastian had ordered a small tree, understanding the limited space that was available in the cottage, but due to the lumberjacks generosity, there was a slight problem; it was too large for the living room. It ended up making the space between the furniture and the tree rather cramped.

   Bastian spent most of the evening moving the furniture around to make room for the tree. It didn’t have to be perfect as they would be returning to Ardenne after the coming weekend.

   Once Bastian finished with the placement of the tree, he went and fetched the box of decorations Odette had been adding to over the years. He was surprised at how large the box actually was easily big enough to fit Margrethe and her litter.

   All Bastian could do was chuckle as he was reminded of a squirrel gathering acorns. Odette once again showing off her cute side that Bastian found so appealing.

   With the setup taken care of, Bastian went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks to enjoy as they decorated the tree. It was mostly the leftover treats from when the ladies had their meeting, as well as some chocolates that Odette had kept in a jar.

   He had planned to use this opportunity to break the stalemate between them, and see if he could find some common ground. He intended to propose an alternative. The paths of businessman that Odette had suggested were not a bad option, just not his dream.

   After placing the basket of treats on the coffee table, he went to fetch Odette. She had locked herself in her bedroom since the meeting with the ladies and hot not yet emerged.  She would probably reading or knitting, as usual. Bastian wondered if she was ever going to come down again or if she was just going to hide away from him until they went back to Ardenne.

   “Odette,” Bastian said softly as he knocked on her bedroom door. The dogs started barking, but there was no reply from Odette. “The tree is ready if you want to come down and start decorating, I’ll wait.”

  With a heavy sigh, Bastian left Odette with the message and returned to the living room. He added another faggot to the fireplace and sat in one of the high back arm chairs, waiting for his wife to come down, but as the twilight of dusk became true night, Odette still had not emerged. 

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, blending into the growing shadows of the evening.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The sound of muffled notes came to her ears as she stared at the pattern: doe-ray-me-far-so-la-te-da and then once more, in reverse: da-te-la-so-far-me-ray-doe.

   Odette looked up from her embroidery with a sigh, causing the ball of yarn she was working from to slip from her lap and roll out onto the floor. Tutting, she out the yarn ball and tidied everything away in the basket and then neatly laid the finished sweater on the bed. when she was removing a stray thread from the sleeve the piano notes rose and fell once again.

   Odette couldn’t help but smile. This time it was a proper performance, the carol she had taught him during the last lesson. It was one of the simplest melodies she could think of to teach him. Turning a haphazard oaf, banging on the keys that annoyed Odette, into someone that could play a simple, seductive melody. Even though the tempo was offbeat and mess, the sound was still sweet to hear.

   Odette calmly adorned a sweater made from the same coloured yarn as the one she was currently knitting. She had intended to make the two matching sweaters by the time of Christmas, but the task was more daunting than she initially realised and she only had the one right now.

It almost coda.

Odette slipped out of her comfortable loungewear and into a sleek skirt and blouse, paired with a newly finished sweater that matched the one she had gifted Bastian for his birthday. It had been her goal to have two items ready for him on his special day, but the intricate design and size of the garment had had slowed her down

   Odette stood in front of the mirror and adjusted her hair, then, with no further delays or hesitations, she turned and left the room,  leaving the four sleeping dogs behind. She could not hide away from him forever. She passed through the darkened hallways, down the dusky stairs and into the warm glow of the living room.

   Odette entered the room in a sombre mood, mentally preparing herself for the conversation they needed to have, but when she saw the oversized Christmas tree, bent over at the top by the low ceiling, and the oversized man sat at the piano, she couldn’t help but laugh. Bastian stopped playing and turned around, his eyes as cool as ever.

As the bell tolling deep into the night, Odette went and stood in front of the tree, looking up at it and shaking her head. Bastian stood up from the piano and went to stand next to her. The two, wearing matching sweaters, stood side by side, listening to the bell.  When silence returned, they reached for the box of decorations placed under the tree.

The Christmas tree, once a barren presence in the room, now came to life as it fulfilled its true purpose in this space.