“I heard that the young master is preparing for independence,” Malena said, her voice barely audible.
Odelliana paused her reading, her gaze shifting to Malena, who was sitting modestly, a bit out of sync with her imposing stature. “Yeah,” she replied.
“I heard you’re going with him,” Malena continued.
“That’s right,” Odelliana confirmed. “If my brother says he won’t take me, I’ll grab his pant leg and plead with him pathetically.”
“Is that so?” Malena asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Malena was not one to talk much in general. Odelliana, judging that there was no point in continuing the conversation with someone so taciturn, lowered her gaze back to her book. Then Malena threw out another topic.
“You’re not watching me anymore,” she observed.
Odelliana paused, her expression unreadable. “For a while, that boy was sent to keep an eye on me,” Malena explained.
“I dismissed him,” Odelliana replied. “It’s no longer necessary.”
“Why?” Malena asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I’m not going to spend my life doubting whether you’re the right person for me or not,” Odelliana replied, her voice firm. “And it’s been almost a month, so that’s more than enough for an evaluation period.”
Malena focused solely on her tasks in the annex, avoiding any behavior that could raise Odelliana’s suspicions or irritate her. While it was possible she was acting with the awareness that she was being watched, after Hermann’s recent incident, Odelliana had completely let go of her vigilance regarding Malena.
“Since I’ve given you my trust, there’s no need to doubt you any longer,” Odelliana had declared.
Malena was the one who had thrown herself into the kick to protect Odelliana. Given that she had directly proven her intentions through her actions, what would be the point of remaining suspicious of her?
“How’s your body? I heard you sprained your wrist,” Odelliana asked, her voice filled with concern.
“I’m fine,” Malena replied, her voice steady. “It’s just a bit uncomfortable because everyone is overly concerned about my injury.”
“And the bruise?” Odelliana inquired.
“After applying the medicine you gave me for about three days, it’s all gone,” Malena answered.
“You were lucky that your body was stronger than others,” Odelliana remarked. “If it had been someone else, that injury wouldn’t have ended there.”
“Yes, that’s why I stepped in,” Malena replied, her voice filled with determination. “If you had taken that brutal attack with your weak body, you wouldn’t have survived.”
Malena jumped in to embrace Odelliana without a hint of hesitation. Even while enduring Hermann’s kick, the look on her face seemed to say she had no regrets about that choice, and it left a vivid impression in Odelliana’s mind.
After that day, Odelliana decided to stop keeping her distance from Malena.
“Why are you smiling?” Malena asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
“Just thinking back to that time,” Odelliana replied, her eyes sparkling. “Your actions were quite admirable.”
“By the way, you speaking to me first also shows that you seem to have developed some interest in me, huh?” Odelliana continued, her tone playful. “Looks like you’re done with drawing lines.”
“How could I draw a line with my master?” Malena retorted, her voice firm.
Didn’t you draw the line so thoroughly? Odelliana thought. Neither she nor Malena had engaged in much private conversation, so this situation where Malena was probing into various matters was quite fascinating.
“Alright, getting back to the main point, if I become independent, I’ll be leaving this miserable place,” Odelliana announced. “I originally planned to move out with only Matthias, but since you brought up the topic of independence first, are you also considering following me?”
“I’m contemplating it,” Malena replied.
“Really? That’s unexpected,” Odelliana said, surprised. “I thought you’d immediately say you wanted to quit and stay here.”
“I think I’m more suited to it than I expected,” Malena replied, her voice filled with confidence. “It pays more than mercenary work, and it’s easier on the body.”
“Other kids are complaining about not wanting to serve under me.”
To be precise, the servants in the annex were terrified since they had witnessed Odelliana tearing Adella’s mouth apart. It was disheartening enough to be stuck in a shabby building that was worse than the servants’ quarters in this luxurious mansion, and if they ever fell out of their master’s favor, they could become the second victim of a mouth-tearing incident. So, they were wary and their expressions became gloomy, leading to weight loss and a gaunt appearance.
“So, you’re not having them directly serve you, are you?” Malena asked.
“What good would it do to make those who don’t want to?” Odelliana replied.
“Aren’t you considering their feelings?” Malena persisted.
Odelliana paused, her expression unreadable.
“I know it’s because they’re all afraid to serve you directly,” Malena continued. “So, you intentionally assign them only menial tasks that don’t require face-to-face interaction.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not blatantly favoring Matthias and discriminating against them,” Odelliana retorted, her voice rising.
“Oh, really?”
The answer was vague. The way she scoffed at it was rather audacious. However, oddly enough, it didn’t leave a bad impression.
