Odelliana blinked, surprised. The eldest Grüsewald son? Belatedly, she recalled there were other members of the family besides Blair. Their returning sibling, who had resided in a foreign sanatorium, was met with a strange absence – none of his parents or siblings coming to greet her.
“What is this filthy act in broad daylight?” boomed a voice.
Filthy act?
Odelliana slowly shifted her gaze. A man and woman sat on the bed, entangled in a seemingly passionate embrace. The scene, while certainly open to misinterpretation by an unexpected guest, appeared innocent enough.
Blair, who had accompanied Hermann, stood frozen in shock, his mouth agape like a fish. Hermann, however, erupted in fury.
“I heard you took in some pretty boy off the street! Was this your plan all along?”
Odelliana rose calmly from the bed, Matthias instinctively reaching out to steady her.
“People see what they want to see,” she countered coolly. “What do you think Matthias and I were doing? He was simply comforting me after I’d been crying.”
“That ‘comfort’ seems awfully intimate,” Hermann sneered.
She knew the situation was precarious. If Blair had been the one accusing her, she might have struggled to defend herself. While there had been no intimacy on the bed, the pose they were in was undeniably compromising.
What truly galled her, however, was that Hermann, who hadn’t even bothered to show his face earlier, was now the one throwing accusations. It was utterly laughable.
“It’s a misunderstanding,” Odelliana insisted, her voice firm. “There’s no need for this outburst. Unless you have some authority over me, I suggest you stop making such vulgar assumptions about people you barely know.”
Hermann bristled. “What did you just say?”
“This is my room,” she continued, regaining her composure. “No one enters without my permission. Is barging in considered polite behavior?”
Hermann lunged forward, hand raised in anger. But before he could make contact, Blair, who had finally found his voice, stepped in.
“Stop it, brother!” he commanded.
“Blair, get out of my way!” Hermann snarled.
“Odelliana is a patient,” Blair countered, his voice calm but firm. “Regardless of any disciplinary measures you intend, raising your hand to her is unacceptable.”
Hermann scowled, his anger simmering. “You saw it too!”
“As Odelliana said, it’s likely a misunderstanding,” Blair reasoned. “After all, he did save her life. Perhaps she trusts him more than the other servants. Maybe keeping him close is simply a matter of adjusting to her new surroundings…”
“Enough with the excuses!” Hermann boomed. “Bringing a man onto your bed is inappropriate, no matter the explanation.”
The situation was both laughable and infuriating. They never treated her as family, yet they demanded she adhere to their standards of propriety. Did they have any shame?
“What propriety can you possibly expect from someone branded a madwoman and left to rot in a foreign land with no education?” Odelliana scoffed. “You’ve done nothing for me, yet expect me to behave like a proper lady? Isn’t it ridiculous to hold a ‘madwoman’ to the standards of a sane person? At least Blair has shown some decency by speaking up for me. And frankly, even if I did share my bed with a servant, what business is it of yours?”
The notion of them lecturing her about nobility was absurd. They had no right to discipline her, no right to expect anything from her. They weren’t family.
“Hold on, both of you,” Blair interjected, trying to mediate. “Brother, please take a breath.”
Hermann shot Blair a cold glare. “You’re such a fool, Blair. This whole mess is because of your misplaced kindness! You’ll only anger Father by defending that… that vulgar woman!”
“Brother,” Blair pleaded, “I still don’t understand. Why can’t we punish the servants who were abusing Odelliana?”
