Chapter 53

His touch was featherlight—deceptively so. What felt like a playful push carried enough precision and force to send Odette stumbling backward, landing unceremoniously on the ground.

A sharp pain shot through her hip, but she lifted her head, ignoring it, and fixed Matthias with a fierce glare. His dry gaze met hers—contemptuous, as if he were looking at a worthless rag. The scorn in his eyes made her blink in shock.

He dares… to look at me like that? Me? she thought, her chest tightening.

This was the second time she had been rejected. Twice—by the same man. And that man was nothing more than a lowly commoner who should have been rotting at the bottom of society. The humiliation burned hot in her veins.

But it didn’t end there. The man who dared to look down on the empire’s most distinguished lady had nothing to his name—no wealth, no power, no honor—just a handsome face and some skill with a sword. Yet he regarded her with the same disdain one might reserve for a disease-ridden prostitute crawling out of a brothel.

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped this disgusting behavior and just left,” Matthias said coolly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Odette’s nostrils flared. She was not someone to be treated this way by a mere servant. She was a noble of the highest rank, the treasured daughter of a northern lord. Despite having an unofficial fiancé, her single status had attracted marriage proposals from aristocrats across the empire and even royalty from neighboring kingdoms. In the future, she was destined to become queen, standing proudly as a member of the Reveln royal family.

“And yet,” she spat, her voice trembling with rage, “a filthy commoner like you has no grasp of his place. Serving a lady is a knight’s virtue.”

Matthias’s lips curled in a derisive smirk. “It’s laughable to expect knightly virtues from a filthy commoner,” he said, his tone laced with mockery.

Odette’s breath hitched. The sheer audacity of his words left her speechless, her mind too consumed by the sting of rejection to issue the reprimand he so richly deserved. The humiliation gnawed at her pride, and worst of all, she couldn’t escape the painful truth—she was being compared unfavorably to her crippled sister.

Odette firmly believed that Odelliana had seduced Matthias with her body. Rumors about their nightly trysts were so widespread that no servant in the household was unaware of them.

She had never doubted those rumors. When a man and a woman shared a space, what else could happen but that? Moreover, Odelliana, being her twin, possessed equally captivating beauty. If nothing had occurred between them, that would have been the real anomaly.

Am I inferior to that woman? Odette thought bitterly, her fists clenching at her sides.

No humiliation could be greater. She might have been able to dismiss his arrogance as youthful ignorance, but to be seen as lesser than Odelliana was an entirely different matter.

“I was mistaken,” she said, her voice cold and cutting. “Expecting knightly virtues from the likes of you was foolish. A commoner should know his place and obey his superiors without question.”

Matthias’s expression remained impassive. “I only serve my master,” he replied evenly.

Odette’s eyes narrowed. “I am your master too. You belong to this household, not just to my sister.”

Matthias met her gaze without a hint of deference. “If my master is not of this household, then what right do you have over me?” he asked, his tone a careless mix of formal and informal speech that bordered on insolence.

His audacity was beyond belief. Such an attitude was unbefitting someone with nothing to his name.

Perhaps the strange sense of unease she felt stemmed from this very attitude. He carried himself with an arrogance that suggested even a king should bow before him. There was no trace of fear in him, despite the vast divide in their social standing.

If not for his cheap tunic, his tone, demeanor, and upright posture could easily be mistaken for those of a noble. In fact, his dignified air seemed far closer to nobility than to the common rabble.

Odette’s lips pressed into a thin line. Where did such an insolent brat come from?

“If I were to give you one piece of advice,” Odette said, her voice smooth and deliberate, “it would be that staying by my sister’s side is a foolish choice for someone of your caliber. You should be aiming higher.”

Matthias regarded her with a calm, unreadable expression. “By ‘aiming higher,’ do you mean you?”

Odette’s lips curled into a faint smile. “You’ve experienced it yourself, haven’t you? My sister isn’t truly part of the Grüsewald family. She exists, but she doesn’t. Staying by her side will bring you nothing.”

She extended her hand toward him, her eyes gleaming with confidence. “I’ll be your patron.”

Matthias remained silent, his gaze locked onto hers.

Odette leaned in slightly. “Becoming a knight isn’t everything. In the end, success depends on finding the right patron.”

Without hesitation, Matthias turned away, a ghost of amusement flickering in his eyes. “I refuse.”

Without sparing her another glance, he walked away, making it clear that whatever had transpired no longer concerned him.

Left standing alone, Odette blinked in disbelief, momentarily stunned. It was truly baffling. A lowly servant rejecting her was outrageous enough, but to turn down such an irreplaceable offer of support?

She couldn’t believe that neither her body nor her wealth and power could bring him to his knees. The more he spurned her, the more desperate she became to possess his handsome face and alluring body.

“My eldest brother was right,” she murmured, her fingers tightening into a fist. “He’s bound for greatness.”

She had no choice but to acknowledge Hermann’s words.

His unwavering confidence in the presence of someone of higher status was nothing short of extraordinary. It baffled her how such a rare talent could end up ensnared by a cripple like Odelliana. With a sigh, Odette straightened her clothes and stood up.

Despite the blow to her pride and the lingering humiliation, she found herself smiling. The absurdity of the situation was almost enjoyable. Like a hunter who had found the perfect prey, she left the annex with a light step, already imagining the day she would have him kneeling at her feet, weeping.

***

After Blair and Odette left, Odelliana spent her days peacefully, awaiting her appointment with Adolf Schaller, the young marquis. However, troubling news soon reached her ears.

“…Jocelyn is visiting tomorrow?” Odelliana asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The unusually busy morning now made sense. The guards who had been stationed around the annex were nowhere to be seen.

“The young master has ordered all routes leading to the annex to be sealed,” the maid explained hesitantly. “The guards stationed here have all been reassigned to the knight order.”

Odelliana’s expression darkened. “So, they don’t want anyone to know that someone lives here.”

The maid nodded. “Yes, all entrances have been closed, and the staff have been instructed to stay inside and avoid going out.”

In her past life, Jocelyn had frequented the Grüsewald estate as if it were his own home. Back then, she had accepted it as a given, considering his close ties with Hermann and the duke’s unwavering support for him.

As the future son-in-law, it was impossible to deny him entry. If he discovered her presence, it would be a disaster for the duke. Should Jocelyn bring up the fraudulent engagement, it would naturally lead to Odette’s engagement being called off.

Odelliana bit her lip in frustration. Of course, Jocelyn wouldn’t easily abandon his most powerful backer, but the duke had nothing to gain from giving his young son-in-law any leverage.

Part of her wanted to step out and expose the Grüsewald family for their deception, but…

In truth, the one who truly couldn’t afford to be seen by him was herself.

“It’s not time yet,” she murmured to herself, clenching her fists.

She hadn’t forgotten her grudge against him. She had simply been too preoccupied with immediate concerns. Now that she had uncovered the secrets surrounding her own existence, revenge against Jocelyn had been pushed even further down her list of priorities.

First and foremost, she needed to find a way out of this house and secure her survival. Staying here would only lead to continued persecution and a tragic end, with her heart literally torn from her chest. Her best bet was to nurture Matthias into a war hero and use him as a shield.

If she were to face Jocelyn now, could she hold back the hatred festering within her? Could she resist the urge to plunge a blade into his throat? Just thinking about him made her want to carve his body into pieces and toss him to the wild dogs.

Odelliana took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “I should go out for a while. Marlena, let Matthias know I’ll be gone all day tomorrow.”

Marlena blinked in surprise. “…All of a sudden? Are you even allowed to leave? They won’t permit it.”

“That’s why I’ll sneak out,” Odelliana replied, a determined glint in her eyes.

Meeting Jocelyn was not something she wanted to do right now.

With all the guards withdrawn and the annex entrances sealed, there would never be a better opportunity for a quiet escape. She was certain no one would notice her absence for a day.

Turning to Marlena once more, she added, “And pass a message to Blair. Tell him to meet the young Duke Schaller tomorrow, as soon as possible.”