The season of cicadas was fast approaching, their piercing cries soon to pierce the sleepy afternoons. The sunlight filtering through the leaves had grown noticeably hotter, transforming the Grüsewald Duchy’s garden into a vibrant tapestry of colorful blooms amidst the lush greenery.
Odelliana and Matthias began their studies using the knight’s manual Malena had brought. As the rainy season drew near, it marked three weeks since Malena had started working as a maid in this estate. She was gradually acclimating to the boy’s silent presence, yet her discomfort with it grew daily.
Malena increasingly found the young master, who lived alone in the quaint annex, peculiar. It amused her that someone living in such a serene place, enjoying a comfortable life without lifting a finger, would still be so on edge.
Why was she so easily agitated, like a cat? There was nothing in this place to threaten her. The sight of her bringing an unusual boy servant to watch over her while they studied was absurd.
Five gallant knights guarded her annex. Surely, the Grüsewald Duchy would not fail to provide her with a dedicated knight. Seeing them waste their time trying to turn a street urchin into a knight, Malena thought they must have nothing better to do.
Malena found her young master utterly insufferable. She attributed her paranoia and her obsession with her leg disability to a deep-seated insecurity. It was unfair, she thought, to be watched so closely for no reason. But blaming it on the young master’s narrow-mindedness, twisted as it was, provided a measure of comfort.
She decided to maintain a strict distance. Doing only what was asked of her and keeping their relationship strictly professional was her goal. There was no benefit in getting involved with a young master who was so ignorant of the world and so prickly.
Now I understand why the other servants avoid the master, she mused. There’s always a reason someone is disliked.
Despite her resolve, Odelliana and Matthias naturally drew others’ attention. It seemed they were simply born with a unique aura that made it hard not to notice them, even when she tried not to.
“A sly fox,” Malena muttered.
She gasped when the boy, who had been pretending to practice swordsmanship with a rough, unsharpened wooden sword, suddenly collapsed, feigning a twisted ankle.
Where did he learn to pull off such a pathetic act…?
Malena, recognizing the boy’s little trick, was taken aback, while Odelliana calmly examined his ankle.
“Oh dear, it seems you’ve twisted it,” Odelliana said, her pale, delicate hand wrapping around Matthias’s ankle. She gently felt around, checking for any displaced bones. “You need to be careful. Does it hurt much?”
“It hurts a little,” Matthias replied, supporting his limping teacher despite his supposed twisted ankle. Watching him assist his teacher without showing any sign of pain was utterly astonishing.
“Matthias, lean on me if you’re struggling,” Odelliana insisted.
Even the master, who was limping herself, seemed to forget her own leg disability, acting as if she could support a boy much larger than herself. It was almost comical to see her trying to help.
The two of them were strange—far too strange. So much so that Malena found herself asking the staff at the annex about her mistress and her peculiar servant, completely forgetting her resolve to distance herself from them.
“The young lady? Don’t even mention her. She’s utterly insane. You should stay far away. You should’ve seen what she did to Lady Adella… That day is etched in our memories as the most terrifying experience. She’s brutal and violent.”
“Matthias? They say the young lady brought him back from Köbeck, and as you can see, he’s quite handsome. Even in her madness, her eyes seem to work just fine, since she keeps him close all the time. I bet he’s been in her bed more than once. The master even sends down contraceptives regularly.”
“But the young lady is rather pitiful too. Born with a leg disability… It’s a serious flaw in a noble family, so she was never officially recognized by the household. She grew up far away, raised by Lady Adella and the other maids. Aside from the young master, no one ever visits her.”
“She wasn’t always mad, you know. She lost her mind. Abandoned at birth, treated like she didn’t exist by her own family… Honestly, it’s a wonder she didn’t lose her sanity sooner. The young lady is truly a pitiful soul.”
“The reason Lady Adella had her mouth torn apart was because she had been abusing the young lady since childhood. It seems the young lady changed completely at some point. It was hard to believe she was the same person who once couldn’t even speak back to Lady Adella.”
“I can understand why she keeps her distance from us. After everything she’s been through, it’s no wonder she can’t trust anyone in this household. Maybe that’s why the young master brought you in from the outside.”
