The Uninvited Guest
How long had she slept?
Odeliana unconsciously reached out to the side before her eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly.
…He's gone.
The presence that had filled the spot beside her all night had vanished. The warm heat that had warmed her back was now completely absent. The inside of the hut felt desolate to the point of being cold. If not for the blanket someone had pulled up to her chin, the chill would have kept her from sleeping soundly through the night.
It hadn't exactly been a comfortable environment for deep rest, yet she had fallen into a heavy sleep last night. Whether it was because her body was exhausted from the sudden drain on her stamina, or because the tension had finally released after meeting Mathias, she didn't know. Either way, the deep sleep had left her body feeling refreshed.
The only thing that made her uneasy was the absence of the hut's owner.
Calm down. There's no way the owner would abandon his own home and run off. Unless he dragged me outside while I was asleep, that is.
Mathias had probably just stepped out for a moment.
At this hour, it made more sense to assume he'd gone out to find something to eat. The thought that he wouldn't leave his own home brought a wave of relief.
If I wait, he'll come back.
Besides, she didn't have the energy left to go looking for him. Overwhelmed by a sense of lethargy that made her unwilling to move even a single finger, Odeliana lay back down, blinking at the shabby ceiling.
Things must be in chaos by now.
Blair came to mind belatedly. She could clearly picture him enduring hellish hours after losing his sister. She had left him with a horrific wound that would never fade for the rest of his life.
Guilt rose sharply, carving into her chest like a blade. Her heart felt heavy. The fact that she had committed a sin no amount of atonement could repay—when she should have been repaying his kindness—left a bitter taste in her mouth.
The longer she delayed here, the more time Blair would have to suffer. That was why, as soon as Mathias returned, she planned to get straight to the point. She would ask him to leave with her.
When noise erupted outside, she first thought Mathias had come back.
Though unintentional, he had become the "newlywed groom who had eloped with his bride" overnight, so it was only natural that the entire settlement would be paying close attention. Rumors spread quickly in a place like this. She assumed the commotion was caused by the children of the hut village making a fuss over Mathias.
But something felt off. The noise grew uncontrollably louder. Soon, the sound of something being thrown and smashed echoed, accompanied by a rough, ferocious voice that seemed to tear at the ears.
Only then did she realize it wasn't Mathias, but another unwelcome intruder who had burst into the area.
"You think I wouldn't know you were hiding her here to keep her all to yourself?"
"Y-you can't come in! Th-this is the newlyweds' room…"
"Out of my way, you beggar bastards!"
Savage footsteps approached right outside.
Bang! With a tremendous crash, the wooden door flew off its hinges. A gust of wind mixed with dirt rushed in, and through the blurred vision, a massive figure appeared. The uninvited guest who had kicked down someone else's door was a hulking man with bulging muscles.
Bronze skin, long slit eyes, a nose that looked as if it had been smashed flat, and protruding front teeth. Dressed in clothes made from animal hides and carrying a sword as large as his own body, he looked utterly barbaric.
Behind him came the sound of children bursting into tears. In the distance, she saw an unknown boy who had been sent flying, covered in blood, surrounded by other children. It seemed they had tried to stop the man and paid the price.
To think a grown adult would beat up children. What a barbaric fool.
Odeliana fixed the intruder with an unfriendly gaze as she greeted him.
"Who are you?"
"So this is where you were hiding, you wench who crippled my boys."
"…Pardon?"
It seemed the man was the leader of the delinquent boys who had been enthusiastically kicking Mathias yesterday.
"So you've come to take revenge on their behalf?"
"Revenge? Do I look like I have that much free time to come all the way here for revenge against the likes of you?"
She refrained from pointing out that he didn't exactly look like a busy man either.
Odeliana sighed and offered what she considered a reasonable explanation.
"I'm sorry for what happened to the children. But it was self-defense. Your side failed to control the children, and they attacked mine. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just stand by and watch. If your children hadn't tried to harm us first, I wouldn't have intervened either."
"What are you babbling about? Your brat must've done something to deserve it."
Odeliana pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.
"…I have no desire to converse with an ignorant brute."
Twitch. A vein bulged on the man's forehead.
"Ignorant?"
"Yes, ignorant. What else would you call barging into someone else's home and acting like this?"
"The owner coming and going from his own doghouse is only natural. Who are you to butt in? And what exactly is your relationship with that bastard that you're acting so high and mighty?"
What was their relationship?
It wasn't quite a master-disciple relationship yet with this era's Mathias. Calling them friends felt off when they'd only known each other for a day. There was no need to explain her connection to Mathias to this man, but if she had to define it…
"Didn't you hear what the children outside were saying?"
"You're really the bride that Mathias brat brought back?"
"If that weren't the case, why else would I be here?"
In truth, half of it had been said to create an excuse to interfere, and the other half had come from a surge of irritation. But now that she'd said it out loud, she felt embarrassed.
This was reckless. The belated guilt hit her for blocking the future of a boy who was still so young. Even without a conscience, there had to be limits—turning a sixteen-year-old boy into a child groom. It was a relief that Mathias wasn't here.
"If you understand, stop causing trouble and get lost."
At Odeliana's words, the man's face twisted into a vicious scowl. In an instant, his large, crude hand grabbed her by the collar and yanked her up.
"I don't care what your relationship is with that beggar bastard. My business here isn't finished, so why should I leave?"
"Since words don't work, you're resorting to violence now? Well, I suppose there's no point expecting much from someone who grew up with nothing."
"Just as you said, I grew up with nothing, so my education isn't very deep. But what about you, young miss from a noble family? What could possibly bring you all the way out here to play the role of a beggar's bride that doesn't suit you at all?"
"…What?"
When Odeliana froze, the man pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and thrust it toward her.
"Listen here, young lady who doesn't know how the world works. No matter how immature you are, how could you make your family worry like this? How could you let wanted posters offering a huge reward be scattered across the streets? What an utterly unfilial wench."
The paper the man shoved forward was a wanted poster with Odeliana's face and description drawn on it. Below the image was a notice promising an enormous reward to anyone who found her.
A young noblewoman has gone missing.
A substantial reward will be paid to anyone who finds and safely returns her.
— Anatolia Lord —
"Haha, that sly bastard Mathias. I knew it. He was pretending she was his bride so he could keep the reward all to himself and hide her in a place like this?"
"…"
"I can't stand to see that. The reward on your head belongs to me. So I'd appreciate it if you cooperated nicely, miss."
Odeliana, who had been blinking blankly at the man's words, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha, do you really think you can take me?"
"…What?"
"The one who scattered those posters across all of Anatolia was none other than the Lord of Anatolia himself. If you take me to the Lord of Anatolia, I'll immediately ask him to behead you."
"…"
"I'll tell him you kidnapped me. That's more than enough reason to chop off your head, don't you think?"
Ptui.
Odeliana spat in the man's face.
As the clear saliva covered his vision, the man's ugly face twisted into a hideous expression.
"This crazy bitch—!"
In his rage, the man hurled Odeliana toward the wall. With his tremendous strength, she flew helplessly through the air. Her body smashed straight through the wall and tumbled across the dirt floor outside. The flimsy hut had long since collapsed beyond recognition.
"See? If you didn't want to end up looking so pathetic, you should've behaved yourself, miss. Is it because you were raised so delicately that you don't know how to be obedient?"
The man's eyes rolled back with madness. He had lost his mind. As she watched the man lose all reason in his excitement, Odeliana fiddled with the edge of her sleeve and spoke.
"Haa… l-listen carefully… Whether you try to play the role of a benefactor by taking me, or the role of a kidnapper holding me hostage… it doesn't matter to me either way. Cough. But one thing is certain… haa… neither of those roles… belongs to you."
"…"
"The one who will play that role… is someone else!"
In an instant, Odeliana raised her arm.
From within the long, dangling sleeve, a sharp blade shot out and pierced through the wrist of the man who was gripping her hair.