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Chapter 10
Of course, even if it were me, I wouldn’t want to send my child into a family this dysfunctional.
So I had no intention of questioning Lady Odilon’s decision, nor of trying to reconnect with her.
But with things turning out like this, it was a bit troublesome.
We could run into each other.
It wasn’t as if there was some huge conflict between us. Still, she was someone it would be awkward to meet.
Even so, my goal was to bring down the slave trade managed by Xavier. To achieve that ultimate goal, I needed Lady Odilon.
She was someone who could lend me her strength.
Well, Xavier has probably colluded to some extent with high-ranking nobles too…
But looking at it the other way around, a noble who sensed danger might very well cut off their tail and abandon Xavier. After all, Xavier was replaceable.
In other words, if I played my cards right, Xavier could be left without any backing and end up taking all the blame alone.
“If that bastard’s going to be screwed, I need at least one ally on my side.”
Charging in without a plan would be dangerous.
Especially when I didn’t even know which families would attend the auction. As things stood, recruiting the lady was the most efficient and reliable approach.
And it looks like she’s already thinking about divorcing her husband.
If things went well, Lady Odilon could also use this opportunity to secure clear grounds for divorce.
Slave trading was a serious crime even within the Empire. In a way, it could be a give-and-take situation—helping each other toward a shared goal.
“But something still feels off…”
Just as Matthias had said, the distance from Tenth Street to here was significant.
They couldn’t exactly escort high-ranking nobles there directly. They must have brought them up personally to do business.
If that’s the case… they might be looking for Matthias at the slave market.
Tch, that would be bad.
If they’d described him as a top-grade product, he must have been someone they treasured greatly.
Well, of course they would search for him if someone like that suddenly vanished.
Ha… I didn’t think of that.
I’d been so focused on the debt that I hadn’t properly considered Matthias’s safety.
I’d simply thought, I’ll bring him home and protect him, and that was as far as my thinking went.
Since his room was next to mine, he’d only run into Sophia so far, but until that bastard was dealt with, we had to be as careful as possible.
“This one’s on me.”
Should I assign him a guard even now? No—our forces were already stretched thin just protecting the estate.
Not only the servants, but several of the knights had left as well.
There were limits to relying on the family’s knights.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to start by dealing with the most basic and urgent issue first.
I should teach him how to speak and read properly.
In emergencies, communication is life.
He could speak now, but there were still awkward parts, and he seemed extremely shy about expressing himself.
He was strong, but didn’t seem to know how to use that strength… I should probably teach him at least the self-defense techniques I know.
Much cleaner education than at a grand duke’s household.
I mustn’t teach him anything strange.
As I was steeling myself with that resolve, Sophia rushed in, slightly out of breath.
“Miss, if you have a moment, could you please come to the room?”
“The room? Why?”
Sophia answered with an awkward expression.
“Sir Matthias is a bit… agitated.”
“Huh?”
Who?
At the same time.
While Aria was running here, the doctor Enoch—who had rushed over at Sophia’s call—found himself in quite an awkward situation.
Well, I’ll be damned.
He’d been summoned so urgently that he’d wondered what was going on…
“Get out.”
Just what in the world was this winged beast?
Enoch stared quietly at the animal, which had its fur bristling in full alert.
Even making eye contact seemed to set it on edge. The beast crouched in the corner, radiating intense hostility toward him.
As if it would bite the moment he came any closer.
“Heh.”
It wasn’t as if Enoch had picked a fight first. Far from it.
He was there to treat the injured Matthias. He had no intention of doing anything harmful.
All he’d done was ask him to remove some clothing so he could examine the wounds.
“Get out, before I kill you.”
The large beast immediately bared its sharp teeth.
“One wrong move and I’ll be eaten alive.”
Sophia had said she’d never seen someone so gentle.
…In what way, exactly?
It looked like the beast would tear out his throat the instant he let his guard down.
“Matthias!”
At that moment, the door flew open and a woman rushed in.
By the time I arrived at Sophia’s summons, the room was already in chaos.
Medicines lay scattered across the floor, Matthias was hiding in a corner, and everyone else looked flustered.
Roughly grasping the situation, I signaled to Sophia. After hesitating briefly, she quietly slipped out of the room.
“…Aria?”
Matthias spotted me and his crouched body trembled faintly. Anyone could tell he was utterly confused.
Then the man who had remained in the room bowed his head and approached me.
“I greet Lady Renesti. I am Enoch Franz, a physician introduced by Sophia.”
“Thank you for coming so promptly, Sir Franz.”
After exchanging brief greetings, I glanced sideways at Matthias. Sensing that an explanation was needed, Enoch cleared his throat and carefully began.
“I asked him to remove his clothing briefly in order to treat his external injuries, but…”
He trailed off and looked at the medicines strewn across the floor.
That alone explained enough, and I nodded in understanding.
“I’m sorry, but could you please wait in the next room for a moment?”
“Call me whenever you need.”
Perhaps because he’d been introduced by Sophia, he was quite perceptive.
After glancing between Matthias and me, Enoch quietly withdrew.
Click.
Once I confirmed the door was closed, I walked over at a slightly quicker pace and stopped in front of him. The eyes looking up at me were filled with clear relief, anxiety, and a bit of confusion.
When I bent my knees and crouched down, Matthias suddenly reached out.
“Eek?!”
I lost my balance and toppled backward, but thanks to a large hand cradling the back of my head, I didn’t hit it.
Only then did I realize how unbearably itchy the nape of my neck felt—and that Matthias was tangled up against my body.
“M-Matthias?”
I mean, what is he, a puppy…?
I awkwardly tried to push the man burrowing desperately into my arms away. But noticing my attempt, Matthias instead pulled me into a tight embrace.
That would have been one thing, but then he rubbed his nose against my neck.
As that strange ticklish sensation spread and my body began to heat up, I hurriedly patted his broad back.
“W-Wait! Move back a bit!”
No matter how sincere I might look, I’m still a woman with at least a shred of common sense!
I’m not so indecent as to pounce on someone who’s injured!
Feeling alarm bells blaring in my head, I struggled desperately.
Gradually, perhaps as his rationality returned, the arms that had been tightly wrapped around my waist slowly loosened.
A moment later, Matthias carefully stepped back, lowering his gaze.
“A… another person…”
“Yeah. He came suddenly, so you must’ve been startled.”
Matthias nodded. The way he answered immediately, as if he’d been waiting, showed just how shaken he’d been.
“I’m sorry. I should have explained first before bringing him in.”
At my words, Matthias lifted his eyelids slightly.
Even now, he seemed oddly unsteady, as if worrying that I might find him bothersome.
That weighed heavily on my heart, so I softened my voice as much as possible and gently soothed the beast before me.
“He’s not a scary person at all. He came to treat the wounds on your body, Matthias.”
“Th-then…”
Matthias grabbed the buttons of the clothes he was wearing.
“Aria, do it.”
Tug.
One button came undone.
“Treat me.”
