The next morning, Blair rushed in, panting heavily. It seemed he had bolted from his bed as soon as he woke up, his usually immaculate appearance in complete disarray. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair tousled, and his expression showed clear signs of panic. He felt a wave of helplessness wash over him as he collapsed inwardly at the sight of his younger sister sitting there, perfectly composed, despite the chaos he had imagined.
“Ah…” he breathed, taken aback.
Malena had calmly reported the facts. “There was a… bloody incident,” she had said. Blair’s heart raced. Since blood had indeed been spilled, her statement wasn’t a lie, but he had come expecting the worst. Memories of when Odelliana had attacked Adella with a knife flooded back, and he braced himself for something terribly wrong.
“Why are you so shocked? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Odelliana remarked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Are you okay?” Blair hastily asked, his concern evident as he inspected Odelliana’s body. When he spotted her severely swollen and bruised cheek, he let out a brief sigh.
“Was it your elder brother? Did he hit you?” he pressed, his voice laced with worry.
“Yes,” Malena replied in a dry tone as she entered with Odelliana’s change of clothes. “The young master struck the young lady. If we hadn’t intervened, she could have died.”
Odelliana quickly corrected her mistake. “Died? Malena, if someone overheard you, they’d think something terrible had happened. Who dies from a single slap? Do you think I’m that weak?”
“It was serious,” Malena replied, her tone firm. “And it would be troublesome if you forgot that you’re more delicate than others. If Matthias hadn’t taken that blow for you… you might not have opened your eyes again.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Odelliana insisted, shaking her head.
“Indeed, it was far worse than I’m describing,” Malena countered.
Blair groaned and hung his head, unable to bear the sight of Odelliana’s bruised face. His shoulders hunched as though he were a criminal caught in a web of guilt.
Odelliana sighed deeply, watching Blair wither under the weight of his remorse. “Malena, please leave us,” she instructed. Malena nodded and obediently exited the room.
Now, it felt tiresome for Odelliana to keep reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault, so she simply stared quietly at the back of his round head. Why must he shoulder the weight of sins that belong to others?
It never sat well with her to see him like this, burdened by guilt for something he hadn’t done. As long as he remained here, he would be trapped in constant torment. With Hermann’s tyranny and their parents’ utter indifference, Blair would continue to suffer in this suffocating situation.
Watching Blair felt like observing someone pushed to the edge of a cliff, unable to move in any direction. The perpetrators were family, and so were the victims. If he continued to be torn between them, his suffering would only grow worse by the day.
“If our parents or elder brother were more like you, things would be so much better,” Odelliana lamented. “Even though we’re all family, it’s so different, isn’t it?”
Blair remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“Don’t say you’re sorry. You know better than anyone that this isn’t your fault. You’re not unaware of where the real problem lies,” she added, her voice firm.
Odelliana recalled the day of Matthias’s knight examination and straightened her posture. She extended her hand toward Blair. He stared blankly at her small hand for a moment before cautiously taking it in his own.
“Become independent,” Odelliana urged.
“…What?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice.
“Become independent and take me with you. Get me out of this hell.”
“…Independence, all of a sudden?” Blair echoed, disbelief creeping into his tone.
Odelliana had thought about it from time to time, wondering if staying in this house was truly the right thing to do. Once Matthias became a knight, leaving would be even harder. Knights had to choose an order to belong to and follow its rules, which meant he wouldn’t be able to serve as a personal squire.
At first, she had considered running away with Matthias in the dead of night, but it was clear the family would quickly track them down. Amid these thoughts, the idea of Blair’s independence began to take shape in her mind.
“Since the children who aren’t heirs won’t inherit the title anyway, you’ll have to become independent at some point, right?” Odelliana prompted. Blair remained silent, lost in thought.
“Just because we’re family doesn’t mean we’ll live together forever. You know that,” she continued, her voice steady.
As she spoke, Odelliana reflected on her memories from her past life. In that existence, Blair had left home shortly before her ascension to the throne. His journey toward independence had come much later than average, largely due to the countless public duties he had been burdened with under Hermann. Despite resenting him, Hermann continuously exploited Blair’s capabilities.
At the time, Odelliana, who had been serving as Jocelyn’s knight and hearing about the affairs of Grüsewald, had thought of Blair as a fool. She remembered laughing and going along with her elder brother’s manipulations, unaware that he was being used. She had even clicked her tongue, thinking he’d be lucky not to go bankrupt after being scammed once he finally gained his independence.
If things followed the same course as before, Blair would only achieve his independence four years later. In the meantime, he would waste a significant portion of his life being worked to the bone under Hermann.
Once I make Matthias a knight, we’ll have to leave this place. With Hermann’s behavior, he’s not going to leave Matthias alone… he’ll find a way to get rid of him.
