Chapter 62

“Welcome, Odelliana! You must’ve had quite the journey to get here.”

Young Lord Blair greeted her with heartfelt warmth, his smile full of relief. The concern that had clearly weighed on him melted into his expression—it was obvious he’d been deeply worried about her arrival.

For someone as hesitant by nature as Blair, the bold decision to betray his parents and smuggle his younger sister away must have taken immense courage. He’d likely spent the entire time wracked with anxiety, especially knowing how fragile Odelliana’s health was. Now that she was safe, he could finally breathe easy.

He had even gathered the entire household to formally introduce her. Though the estate was vast, its staff was modest. Aside from the head butler, Marco, the head chef, Thomas, and the captain of the guards, Rusler, the remaining servants numbered no more than twenty—and most of them were elderly.

“Odelliana is a distant relative of mine and will be living here from now on,” Blair announced. “As you can see, her mobility is limited, so I ask that you all take special care of her.”

Officially, he introduced her as a distant relation from a lesser branch of the family. In truth, the connection was tenuous at best—so faint it might as well not have existed. She had no real ties to House Grüsewald. Still, Blair spoke of her with deep affection, insisting she was “like a real sister” to him.

Meanwhile, Malena—now assigned as Odelliana’s personal maid—was introduced to the rest of the maids, exchanging polite greetings and names. Matthias, on the other hand, accompanied Captain Rusler to complete the formalities of joining the estate’s knights.

As for Odelliana, the head butler personally escorted her to the room prepared for her.

“This will be your room, my lady,” Marco said with a respectful bow.

Sunlight streamed through wide, generous windows, casting a soft glow that warmed the space. It was a stark contrast to the annex room she had known before—this chamber was comfortably furnished, with a proper bed and every necessity already in place. The paintings on the walls and the carefully chosen decorations gave the room a lived-in charm. Clearly, someone had taken great care to make it feel like home.

“Do you like it, my lady?”

“I do. Very much.”

“The young lord oversaw every detail himself the moment he returned—he was determined to make it just right for you. At first, we assumed he was preparing the estate for his future bride, but it turns out you’re a relative.”

“Because of my condition, Blair has always been unusually thoughtful.”

“I see,” Marco replied with a faint smile. “I do hope your time here is pleasant… though, to be frank, Eisenwald is not at its best these days.”

“What do you mean?” Odelliana asked, her voice quiet but firm.

“The previous lord’s kin absconded to a foreign land, taking a large portion of the estate’s funds with them,” Marco said with a tired sigh. “Now the coffers are nearly dry. Frankly, we’re not even sure how we’ll make it through the coming winter.”

A year was already a tight window—but given the estate’s crumbling state, the timeline felt crushingly unrealistic.

“How many men are available for conscription? And what’s the current strength of our military force?”

Marco blinked, clearly caught off guard. The question was not one he expected from a lady, especially not one newly arrived. Still, he answered without delay.

“The standing order of knights numbers around five hundred. Beyond that, there are fewer than three hundred able-bodied young men who could be drafted in a pinch.”

“That’s… not much.”

“No, it’s not,” Marco agreed, rubbing his temple. “And it’s getting worse. The young are leaving in droves—we’re short on hands for both labor and defense. On top of that, we’re looking at another poor harvest. Eisenwald’s land has never been generous, and now, with our hunting revenues dwindling and no funds to trade for grain… it’s grim, my lady.”

He sighed again, the weight of it seeming to age him on the spot. Then, catching himself, he cleared his throat and forced a sheepish chuckle.

“My apologies. I shouldn’t be burdening someone who’s only just arrived.”

“It’s all right,” Odelliana said gently. “This is my home now. If I’m to help Blair, I need to understand exactly what we’re facing. Please don’t hold anything back from me.”

Marco’s shoulders eased ever so slightly, a grateful glint flickering in his eyes.

“You’ve already brought me some peace of mind, my lady. We’ve long needed someone to fill the role of mistress here—managing everything alone has been no small feat. It’s a relief to know I’m no longer doing it alone.”

With a polite bow and a few final words encouraging her to rest, Marco instructed a nearby maid to draw a bath. Mentioning that she must be weary from her travels, he quietly excused himself and left her to settle in.

After her bath and a change into fresh clothes, Odelliana made her way back to her room. She had politely declined the maids’ offer to fetch a carriage, but the walk had drained what little energy she had left. Thoroughly exhausted, she planned to skip dinner and rest.

But as she stepped inside, she paused—Matthias was already there, waiting. She hadn’t even heard him arrive.

“You’re back,” she said. “Did you finish the enrollment process?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m officially part of the Schaller Order of Knights now.”

“And the knighting ceremony?”

“Not scheduled yet,” he said. “They usually hold it during the harvest season.”

“Then it should be soon.”

Without a word, Matthias stepped closer and gently took the towel from her hands. With practiced ease, he began drying her still-damp hair. Odelliana frowned.

“I told you not to do this anymore. You’re a knight now, not my servant.”

“And before that, I’m your disciple.”

She fell silent.

“If being a knight means I’m not allowed to dry my master’s hair,” he added, “then I’ll gladly resign.”

Odelliana let out a quiet sigh, half annoyed, half resigned.

“You’re impossibly stubborn.”

“I had the best teacher.”

He grinned, playful and unrepentant.

“By the way,” she said, shifting the topic, “where will you be staying?”

“With the knight order,” he replied. “It wouldn’t look proper if I stayed elsewhere.”

That was true. Knights were a reserve force, expected to mobilize at a moment’s notice. For that reason, the order maintained its own barracks, and most knights lived communally. Their irregular training schedules made it impractical to live elsewhere, and tradition had long dictated they remain close at hand.

“You’re the youngest among them, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Everyone younger than me is still a squire.”

Squires were apprentice knights—youths who trained under seasoned warriors while learning the ideals and responsibilities of knighthood. It was the first step on the path to becoming a knight, and most began their training in early childhood, living and working alongside the order.

Formal knighthood, however, was typically reserved for those who had come of age. That made Matthias—still just a boy—the youngest among the fully-fledged knights at Eisenwald.

“Word of you seems to have reached even this far. It sounds like you’ve caused quite the stir.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replied, shrugging. “But… they were definitely loud.”

“Are you settling in well? Nothing bothering you?”

“Only that I can’t be by your side, Master.”

His boyish complaint made Odelliana laugh softly. She reached out and gently ruffled his hair.

“You need to learn to stand on your own now. You can’t stay in my shadow forever.”

Her words struck deeper than she’d intended. Matthias flinched, and when she looked at him, she found his gaze fixed on her with a quiet intensity.

Flustered by the unspoken emotion behind his stare, Odelliana quickly steered the conversation in a new direction.

“Everyone here seems kind and well-meaning. The castle’s old and clearly in need of repairs, but compared to that stifling annex, this place feels like a dream. No one’s watching me, no one breathing down my neck—I can finally go where I please. For the first time in ages, I feel like I can actually breathe.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then why,” Matthias asked softly, “does your disciple still see so much worry in your eyes?”

The question struck her with unexpected clarity. Odelliana blinked, momentarily stunned, before offering a sheepish laugh.
“This place is in far worse condition than I expected.”

“But that’s not your burden to carry, Master.”

“It is. This will be our home now—our foundation.”

At the word our, Matthias’s expression shifted. His brow twitched, barely perceptible, and a faint smile curved his lips. He didn’t say anything, but the subtle reaction made it clear—he liked the sound of that.

“So, what is it you plan to do, Master?”

“…For now, I want the crumbling outer walls repaired as soon as possible. And we need to secure enough funds to survive the winter. Ideally, Duke Schaller would offer support, but I doubt he has much interest in some remote estate barely holding itself together. The population keeps dwindling, illness is spreading beyond the castle walls… and the barbarians from Anatolia have been stirring. If war breaks out—at the very least, we need to be prepared…”

She trailed off. War? The word lingered, heavy in the air. She hadn’t meant to say it aloud.

Her eyes darted to Matthias in alarm, but he showed no sign of surprise. If her words had startled him, he masked it well.

“I only meant…” She faltered, then continued with forced nonchalance, “I heard they’ve been unusually active lately. Raiding border cities, attacking outposts… It’s not exactly new, but the frequency is worrying.”

“Have you spoken to the lord about this?”

“…How am I supposed to bring it up? There’s no justifiable reason to prioritize the walls, and we don’t exactly have money falling from the sky.”

With a sigh, Odelliana pressed her fingers to her temple. The more she thought it through, the heavier it all felt. No resources, no allies, no time.

And worst of all—no clear solution.

Matthias, who had been watching her silently as she sank into discouragement, tossed the towel into the basket with a quiet motion. Gently, he ran his fingers through her damp hair, a comforting gesture.

“I don’t like seeing you burdened with worry, Master. Especially not over something like this.”

“Something like this?” she echoed, her tone sharp. “This is a serious issue. It’s urgent.”

“I know,” he replied softly. “If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me. But in the end, things will unfold the way you want them to. So, please, don’t worry too much.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Matthias’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

“I mean that some things aren’t as heavy as they seem. You don’t have to carry everything on your own.”

The firm assurance in his words left a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew he meant well, but his calm dismissal of the problem only highlighted the gap between their perspectives. It was easy to be so relaxed when the future was uncertain, but for her, the weight of the present felt suffocating.

If even Matthias reacts this way, how am I supposed to convince Blair?

Her concerns began to snowball, each thought stacking onto the next. As her brow furrowed in frustration, Matthias noticed and reached out, his long fingers smoothing the crease in her forehead with surprising tenderness. He then cupped her cheek gently, his touch grounding her in the moment.

For a fleeting second, Odelliana considered telling him everything—about the looming war, about being from the future, about how they needed to act quickly. But the words caught in her throat. She knew how impossible it would sound. Even Matthias, who had always been loyal, might question her sanity.

So, she remained silent, her thoughts heavier than ever.

When Matthias finally left, Odelliana fell into a restless sleep in the room she could now call her own. It wasn’t peaceful; the weight of her thoughts kept her mind spinning.

When she awoke hours later, groggy and tired, she noticed a small note on the bedside shelf:

I had an errand to run. I won’t be long.

Matthias had vanished without a trace.