The Intercepted Letter
The season when the cicadas' cries would rouse one from an afternoon nap drew near.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves had grown noticeably warmer than before. The garden of the Gruisevald ducal estate lay blanketed in vibrant flowers blooming amid the lush green foliage.
Odeliana and Mathias began their studies with the knight's manual Malena had brought.
With the rainy season approaching, it had been three weeks since Malena started working as a maid in this mansion. She had gradually grown accustomed to the boy's presence, who watched her as though he were both there and not there, yet her dissatisfaction with the arrangement grew by the day.
Moreover, a distinct impression had taken root in Malena's mind: the young mistress who occupied an entire modest annex was peculiar. It struck her as absurd that someone living in such peaceful surroundings, enjoying a life of comfort without lifting a finger, should bristle with thorns at every turn.
What reason did she have to raise her hackles like a wary cat? There was nothing here that threatened her. And yet she had brought that unsettling boy servant to watch over her and was even teaching him. The sight was quite the spectacle.
Five strapping knights alone guarded her annex. Surely the Gruisevald ducal house would not refuse to assign her a single dedicated knight. Watching her waste her efforts trying to turn a commoner boy she had picked up off the street into a knight made Malena think the young mistress must have far too much time on her hands.
Yes, Malena did not care for her young mistress one bit. She attributed every action of the girl—who suffered from madness and a leg disability—to paranoia. It eased her mind somewhat to believe that the reason she herself was being watched despite having done nothing wrong was simply because her mistress was narrow-minded to the point of being twisted like a pretzel.
She intended to maintain precisely this distance between them. A relationship where she only did as she was told and shared no private matters seemed ideal. Getting deeply involved with a young mistress who knew nothing of the world and had a prickly personality would bring nothing good.
'Now I understand why the servants here dislike their mistress. There's always a reason people are hated.'
Yet despite her resolve to keep her distance, both Odeliana and Mathias possessed an aura that effortlessly drew the attention of others, as naturally as breathing. It seemed they had been born that way. There was something about them that made one glance their way even when one had no desire to pay them any mind.
'That fox-like brat.'
Malena could not help but gape in disbelief as she watched the boy, who had been swinging a cheap, unrefined wooden sword at a log in the name of sword training, suddenly sit down as though he had twisted his ankle.
'Where did he learn such an unconvincing act……'
While Malena stood stunned, having seen through the boy's petty scheme, Odeliana calmly examined his ankle.
"Oh dear, you've twisted it."
Odeliana's pale, small hand wrapped around Mathias's ankle. She probed it with her fingers, checking whether any bones were out of place.
"You must be more careful. Does it hurt a lot?"
"……It hurts a little, Master."
"You should stop training for today and rest."
He supported his disabled mistress as she stood. Watching the boy who claimed to have twisted his ankle assist his mistress without the slightest sign of pain was nothing short of outrageous.
"Mathias, lean on me if you're struggling."
Even the mistress acted as though she had forgotten her own leg was impaired. The sight of her, limping along with her cane, trying to support a boy much larger than herself was rather amusing.
Those two were strange. Strangely so. And so Malena, forgetting her intention to have nothing to do with her mistress and the dangerous-looking boy servant, began questioning the other servants about them.
'The eldest daughter? Don't even mention her. She's got the worst kind of madness. Never get close to her. You should have seen the way she tore Lady Adela's mouth open……. That day remains the most horrifying memory for all of us. She's a cruel and violent person.'
'Mathias? They say the young lady brought him from Kobeck. As you can see, he's quite handsome. Even in the midst of her madness, it seems the lady's eyes are perfectly normal—she keeps him by her side all day. They've probably slept together several times already. That's why the master regularly sends contraceptive medicine.'
'Still, the eldest daughter is quite pitiful. Because she was born with a leg disability……. A disabled child in a noble house is a great flaw, so she was never officially registered with the family and was raised from a young age in a remote place by Lady Adela and the other maids. Aside from the younger master, not a single person has come to visit the eldest daughter.'
'She wasn't born mad. She went mad. Abandoned right after birth, treated like she wasn't even human by her own family……. Honestly, it's more surprising that she managed to keep her sanity. The eldest daughter is the truly unfortunate one.'
'They say she tore Lady Adela's mouth because the lady had been abusing her since childhood. It seems the eldest daughter changed completely at some point. She used to be unable to even open her mouth in front of Lady Adela.'
'It's understandable that she keeps her distance from us. After everything she's been through, she can't trust anyone in this household. That's probably why the younger master brought you in from outside.'
Peering behind the seemingly comfortable and peaceful life of the young lady revealed a story filled with hardship. While Malena thought everyone had their own story, Odeliana's life struck her as particularly tragic. Behind the facade of a ducal daughter living under the protection of the Gruisevald family was a lonely soul who had been abandoned by her family, denied proper treatment, and forced to grow up alone.
'In truth, the eldest daughter is practically imprisoned here. She can't go outside freely, nor can she approach the main building. She'll have to stay here for the rest of her life. The master didn't take her in out of any remaining parental affection. It's because he's worried about potential trouble.'
'Why not just kill her and be done with it? Malena, you have a cruel streak, don't you? No matter what, how could parents kill their own child?'
'Isn't this treatment worse than death? I don't know. How would I understand the master's heart? One thing is certain: both the master and mistress have been monitoring the eldest daughter for a long time.'
"Deliver this letter to Brother Blair."
"……."
"Malena?"
"Ah, yes."
Malena, lost in thought, belatedly gathered herself and accepted the letter.
"You've been spacing out a lot lately. Is something the matter?"
"No, nothing at all. Shall I deliver it right away?"
"Yes. And tell him to make sure there are no issues with Mathias's knight examination registration."
"……You truly intend to make that boy a knight?"
"Of course. Making Mathias a knight is hardly a difficult task."
Clutching the letter to her chest, Malena rose with a heavy heart.
Now that she knew her mistress's circumstances, the girl's eccentric behavior was beginning to make some sense. Though born into this household, she was no different from an outsider—thoroughly rejected and isolated, struggling to survive in this vast family. The thought left a bitter taste in Malena's mouth.
To be born into such a great house yet treated worse than the daughter of a humble family. At least Malena herself, who had rolled through the mud as a mercenary, had possessed freedom. The young lady here had none of that.
Just as she was thinking how ridiculous it was for a lowly mercenary with nothing to her name to pity a noble lady in a grand mansion—
"You there, stop."
A tall man with a massive build blocked her path.
She had never seen him before. However, recognizing from several distinctive features that he was the famous eldest son of the Gruisevald family, Malena quickly straightened her posture and bowed respectfully.
"I don't recognize your face. Why are you coming out of the annex?"
"I've been working there for the past three weeks."
"Are you from outside?"
"Yes."
"Who brought you here?"
"The younger master."
"……Blair, that bastard."
The eldest son's eyes grew cold. Already possessing a chilly and sharp countenance, he scrutinized Malena before issuing orders to the knights accompanying him.
"Search her."
The eldest son of Gruisevald was quick-witted. He easily deduced from the fact that this path was a shortcut to Blair's quarters and that an outsider brought by Blair had emerged from the annex that Malena was acting as a messenger between Blair and Odeliana.
After being searched by the knights, Malena watched helplessly as the letter Odeliana had entrusted to her with such urgency was snatched away before her eyes. When Herman's expression twisted viciously after tearing open the letter and reading its contents, Malena felt concern for Odeliana for the first time.
"This wench! I warned her time and again not to stir up trouble with Blair……."
Herman turned on his heel, fuming. He was heading straight for the isolated annex he had never once deigned to visit before.