A Gift from the Storm
Preparations to leave Anatolia were made in haste. The lord of Anatolia seemed to regain his vitality, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.
“I will clean up the entire Kobeck area. I sincerely apologize for leaving a den of crime untouched and allowing you to become entangled in danger.”
He continued to offer apologies until the very end. In addition, he had prepared an enormous caravan of gifts at his own expense for her sake. The luxury items were enough to fill five carriages to the brim and still leave some over. From high-quality fabrics, clothing, and accessories to various precious metals, medicinal herbs beneficial to the body, rare perfumes, and tea leaves—the care put into selecting each item overflowed with sincerity.
‘An unexpected harvest.’
Odeliana accepted the lord’s gifts with satisfaction. She was in no position to refuse them, and with nothing to her name right now, even the smallest thing that could be turned into money was precious. Besides, rejecting the lord’s goodwill would only make him feel awkward.
With the fabrics received as gifts, she could have a year’s worth of clothes made for Mathias. As for the medicinal herbs, she would keep only a small amount and sell the rest—along with the jewels and similar items—to secure emergency funds. That seemed like a good plan.
Since she could not receive support from her family, she had been worrying about how to earn money. This apology gift that had fallen into her lap was as sweet as rain in a drought.
By the time they finished their meal, it seemed the loading of luggage was complete. A long line of carriages heavily laden with goods waited at the castle entrance. By rough estimate, there were more than ten carriages, and beside them stood the escort guards responsible for their safety.
“Odeliana, get in the carriage first. I have a few more things to discuss with the lord.”
“Alright.”
Odeliana climbed into the carriage and immediately opened the window.
Mathias rode in the carriage with her, claiming he could not ride a horse. Of course, Odeliana knew that was a lie, but she pretended not to notice. It would be better for Mathias to travel comfortably rather than endure the soreness in his backside and legs from riding.
“I’ll say this in advance—the place where you and I will live from now on won’t be as splendid as you might expect. It won’t be a life of luxury like that of other nobles.”
“It will still be better than the streets, so I don’t particularly mind.”
“What if the house is worse than the streets? Will you run away?”
“It seems my master wishes for her disciple to abandon her and flee.”
“As if I would. Do you know how hard I worked to bring you with me?”
Still, worry came first. In order to lure him, she had not told him that she was a hollow noble with no real power. But he would find out soon enough. Just how insignificant the woman he had chosen to follow truly was, and how trivial the treatment she received.
Once they returned to the estate, she planned to replace all the existing maids. However, Adela was close to Blair’s mother—the Duchess—so she was not someone Blair could dismiss on his own authority.
In the end, once Blair left, Head Maid Adela would once again seize real power within the estate. There was no guarantee she would not seek revenge at that time. For now, she behaved obediently out of fear of Blair, but the moment he was gone, she would bare her claws.
“Master.”
A large, long finger suddenly reached out right in front of her.
The tips of Mathias’s fingers wrapped around the space between her brows.
“Are you troubled?”
Rub, rub. The slow, gentle touch smoothed out the wrinkles on her furrowed brow.
Odeliana let out a weak laugh and said,
“I’m afraid of the beating I’ll get from you.”
“How could a disciple possibly raise a hand against his master?”
“You might be disappointed. I confidently said I would take responsibility for your life, but in truth… there are still many things I must resolve. My situation isn’t good, so you may lose faith in me.”
“No matter what your current circumstances are, Master, there is nothing that would cause this disciple to be disappointed in you.”
“…When right now I can’t even feed you properly, clothe you properly, or give you the things you want?”
He let out a soft chuckle as if he had heard a very foolish answer, then leaned against the carriage wall and crossed his legs. It was quite an aristocratic pose. If not for the shabby clothes he wore, there would have been no sense of incongruity even when compared to him during his time as knight commander.
“Do you know what this disciple wants?”
“Wealth… power…? Success? A peaceful life?”
Another chuckle escaped him. The corner of his mouth twisted upward.
“You really see me as a complete materialist.”
“Because those are the things I promised you.”
“What Master promised me was not wealth, power, or success. It was that you would lead me and take responsibility for me.”
“In the end, wealth and power lie at that conclusion.”
“You will be there too, Master.”
“……”
“Because what I want is a person.”
Ah. Odeliana blinked dazedly as if she had realized something, then pulled him into her arms.
She then carefully patted his shoulder.
“You’re right. There is nothing more precious than a person’s warmth and affection.”
“……”
“You must have been very lonely, weren’t you?”
Odeliana tightened her arms around him and gently stroked his hair. She knew all too well how heavy, brutal, and exhausting a life that had to be endured alone could be.
“Ha.”
The body in her embrace shook. Whatever was so funny, he let out a low, chuckling laugh. Odeliana, slightly flustered, pulled him away from her chest.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because even if you don’t understand what I’m saying, it makes me happy.”
“……”
“Yes. I was certainly lonely. I have been alone for a very long time.”
He burrowed even more strongly into her embrace.
“So you must always stay by my side. Do not abandon me.”
“…There is no chance I would abandon you. Unless you abandon me first, that is.”
“How could a disciple possibly abandon his master? Such a thing is impossible from the start.”
“…Yes, I hope that mindset of yours never changes. Because I want to remain your top priority at all times.”
Odeliana moved away from him as she sensed someone approaching. Mathias straightened his posture with a look of regret just as the closed carriage door opened and Blair climbed in.
The carriage began to diligently retrace the path it had come. She had worried about what would happen if they encountered a band of thieves and had all the gifts stolen, but fortunately, no such misfortune occurred.
Mathias, who had been affectionate toward Odeliana, became taciturn the moment the uninvited guest Blair joined them.
Conversation between Blair and Mathias did not continue. This was partly because Mathias answered only in short replies, but also because Blair was not on close enough terms with Mathias to bother speaking to him.
Just by staying silent and maintaining a stiff expression, the atmosphere could change this much. Even though there was no need to read the room, the awkward tension between the two men was so suffocating it felt hard to breathe. That somewhat uncomfortable mood persisted all the way from Anatolia until they arrived at the estate.
The moment the carriage came to a stop and she thought she could finally breathe easy, a rather sudden piece of news was delivered through the mouth of Adela, who had come out to greet them.
“Young Master Blair, Lady Odeliana. I apologize for delivering such news without even giving you time to shake off the fatigue of travel, but it seems you must prepare to depart immediately.”
“Depart? Where to?”
“The master has sent word that both the young master and the lady are to return to the main house at once.”