Chapter 66

While Blair and Odelliana toiled tirelessly to restore the domain to its former stability, Matthias—still not yet knighted—found himself buried under an equally grueling schedule. His knighting ceremony had been postponed indefinitely, and each day he was assigned either to guard duty along the castle walls or dispatched to assist at the reconstruction sites.

Odelliana and Matthias were both so consumed by their respective duties that finding time to meet became nearly impossible. Yet, even though she rarely saw him, news of Matthias reached her every day.

“People have been flocking like clouds to the castle wall repair site just to catch a glimpse of Sir Matthias.”

“Is it really that much?” Odelliana asked, intrigued.

“Yes,” Malena confirmed. “There’s a rumor that among the new knights, there’s a dazzlingly handsome young man. Noble ladies have been packing food and volunteering at the construction site just to be near him.”

Every movement he made seemed so ostentatious that Odelliana felt as if she knew Matthias’s entire daily routine.

“Even though he hasn’t been knighted yet, noble ladies line up to sponsor him.”

“With a face like that, it’s no surprise,” she murmured.

Just as disabilities were often seen as curses from the gods, beauty was regarded as a divine blessing.

Even in his previous life, among women, his looks outshone his rank or accomplishments. He was naturally handsome—so much so that painters clamored to capture his likeness, and sculptors pursued him relentlessly, desperate to immortalize him in marble, sometimes to the point of recklessness.

The lavish praise calling him a masterpiece meticulously crafted by the gods never left his name, not for a single day. No matter his historical achievements, if he had been short and stocky, with a face aged beyond his years, he would never have commanded such admiration.

Even when adorned with a twenty-carat diamond necklace, it was his face that drew all eyes before the glittering gems. No matter how lavish the accessories or how colorfully adorned the women beside him were, they seemed plain and insufficient in comparison to his striking presence.

Back when Matthias was a mentor and fellow knight, the exaggerated praise swirling around him was even more intense than the current fuss. Some people approached him with bribes, hoping to use him as a stepping stone. Others sought advancement, while a few simply wanted to share a bed with him.

Unlike the taciturn man himself, the commotion surrounding Matthias never ceased. Whether people liked him or not, everyone seemed compelled to add their own remarks—mostly either extravagant praise admiring his beauty or petty criticisms trying to find faults. The noise came from both ends of the spectrum.

“Other knights avoid mingling with him,” Malena said one day with a smirk. “They say being near him makes you look like a lump of dirt.”

Odelliana burst out laughing at the bizarre description. How could anyone compare a person to a lump of dirt? Yet, somehow, she couldn’t quite deny the strange accuracy of the insult.

“Well, it seems like he’s doing fine regardless,” Malena added.

“Honestly, does he even have a face that deserves this much fuss?” Odelliana asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Objectively, he is handsome,” Malena said matter-of-factly.

“Miss, when you see Sir Matthias, do you get all dazed, heart pounding, feeling your body heat up?” Malena teased, her eyes gleaming.

Odelliana was startled by the sudden question. “Are you crazy? What kind of impure thoughts do you have about that kid?”

“There’s only a six-year difference,” Malena shrugged.

“It’s a six-year difference, alright,” Odelliana replied sharply. “Look, I’m an adult, but Matthias is still a minor. Six years is a huge gap.”

“Well, he’ll grow up soon enough. Then who knows?”

Odelliana frowned, wondering: who even knew how old the soul inside that body truly was?

“Matthias is like a little brother to me,” she insisted softly. “He’s just… cute.”

Malena’s face twisted in disagreement. “Cute? How on earth can that dangerous man look cute?”

“Dangerous?” Odelliana blinked. “He’s gentle, laughs easily, and is kind and lovable.”

Malena fell silent, as if the argument wasn’t even worth continuing. Odelliana almost blurted out that Malena was clearly blinded by infatuation but held back. She also swallowed her own thought—that Matthias’s character was a complete mess—and swiftly changed the subject.

“I heard they’re moving up the knighting ceremony. Did you hear?” Malena asked quietly.

“I thought it was postponed indefinitely?” Odelliana replied, surprised.

“There’ve been constant reports of low-level creatures near Eisenwald. They might send Sir Matthias out to the field since he has experience in beast hunting. But to do that, they have to knight him properly. Of course, the ceremony will be shortened to the bare minimum.”

“So that means he won’t have to undergo any separate skill verification?” Odelliana pressed.

“I don’t know about the other apprentice knights, but it seems that’s the case for Sir Matthias. After all, he’s already proven his skills in beast hunting.”

“That’s true… since having built accomplishments is the condition for knighting, Matthias has basically fulfilled that already. Looks like I’ll get to see him at the ceremony after all.”

After that day, she didn’t see Matthias again. Although unintentional, it felt like they were both avoiding him simply because of their busy schedules, which left her uneasy. She hoped she’d get to see him once the knighting ceremony was officially set.

“I was planning to give him a sword as a knighting gift… I wonder how Fergus is doing. I should visit the forge sometime soon,” she mused.

After Malena left for work, Odelliana sat down to finish her tasks. She had been working for quite some time when Blair came by just as she was about to tidy the table for a break.

“Welcome back, brother,” Odelliana greeted warmly. “Goodness, look at your face—you look so gaunt. What happened since I last saw you?”

Blair chuckled. “Do I look that terrible? I guess I’ve lost some weight.”

“…Make sure you’re eating well. I know you’re busy, but don’t overwork yourself or you’ll ruin your health.”

Blair laughed heartily and took a seat across from her. “I should be the one taking care of you, but I’ve hardly paid attention.”

“Don’t worry about me. As you can see, I’m doing just fine.”

“Marco tells me about you every day. Says you’ve been working hard and praises you a lot.”

“No compliments for doing well?” Odelliana teased.

“I was actually surprised myself. When did you learn to do all this?”

She smiled faintly. “…I was just so bored in the annex that I asked Matthias and Malena to help me read books more often. While teaching Matthias, I studied along with him.”

Of course, the work Odelliana was handling wasn’t something one could master through self-study alone—it was the result of her two years of training as a queen.

Fortunately, Blair accepted this without question. There was no reason to doubt someone who clearly demonstrated such talent. He chose instead to be proud of his little sister, recognizing her as an extraordinary genius.

“Thanks, Odelliana. You’ve really put my mind at ease,” Blair said gratefully.

“Since you’re here, could you approve this?” she asked, holding out a document.

“What is it?” he inquired, taking the papers.

“The list of items and budget for the merchants visiting next week.”

“You handle this yourself? Not Marco?”

“Our steward has a mountain of work beyond this,” Odelliana explained.

Blair nodded quietly as Odelliana continued.

“There are many expenses, so to save as much as possible, we decided to buy large quantities of low-quality crops from areas hit by the rainy season, at bargain prices. The damage in Tirados and Anton was severe. Many crops can’t even be sold for money.”

“Usually, unsellable crops just get discarded,” Blair said thoughtfully.

“Exactly. Harvesting them costs more than plowing them under. But if we dump poor-quality crops onto the market, prices will collapse and our reputation could suffer, risking existing trade relationships.”

“So we’re going to take on the excess stock ourselves?”

“Yes. Instead of throwing it all away, we’ll cover the harvesting and transport costs. Though the quality isn’t great, it’s still edible. Our food stores are nearly empty this year because of the poor harvest. We won’t survive the winter otherwise. Filling the stores enough to get by is the top priority.”

“That’s a clever idea. Buying in bulk cheaply will save money… but the logistics sound complicated. Are you sure you can manage?”

“If enduring the hassle means saving money, then it has to be done. What other choice do we have?”

Blair reviewed the budget carefully before nodding. “Proceed as planned.”

He looked at her quietly, his gaze filled with something like admiration. Feeling the weight of it, Odelliana subtly turned her head and offered an awkward smile.

“Don’t worry about the work here. Take it easy. I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Yeah, Odelliana. Don’t overwork yourself either.”

“I’m taking better care of myself than ever before,” she assured him.

Blair smiled faintly. “I’m glad you’re doing well. I wish things had been like this sooner. I regret not deciding sooner. I’m sorry.”

At his bittersweet expression, Odelliana reached out and took his hand. “Because you brought me out, I finally feel like I’m living like a person.”

“If not, I would’ve wasted my whole life in a gutter,” she continued. “I truly thank you. So I’m glad I can repay you, even just like this.”

Repaying his kindness meant helping him secure his position as lord—with the respect of everyone. That’s why she worked so hard to share the duties here.

“I really hope you live well, brother.”

I want you to be happy—truly happy. And I will make this damn city prosper. To repay you. For the future of Matthias and me.