Chapter 38
“Indeed, but since I won’t be traveling alone, there’s no need to pack meticulously.”
“Then, would it suffice to show you robes and shoes?”
The knight’s respectful tone toward Shati caused the storekeeper’s eyes to narrow slightly.
“Just in case, also include emergency supplies.”
“Yes.”
Soon, the storekeeper displayed robes, sturdy leather shoes suitable for dirt roads, a sewing kit, a pocket knife, travel accessories like a small waist pouch, and other items. While Shati could try on the shoes and drape the robe, she had no knowledge of the rest and left most decisions to Winden.
“Hey, it’s been a while.”
“Oh, Lenny. Yeah…”
While Winden was discussing with the storekeeper, Lenny, the storekeeper’s third child, appeared. Having been holed up in the store turned into a village gathering place, he had come out upon noticing the arrival of a knight from the capital.
“You didn’t say anything to me all this time. Do you know how surprised I was at the send-off ceremony?”
Lenny, one of the few village peers who had interacted with Shati, showed a rather disappointed expression.
“I even went to Selmane to see you, but you didn’t show up in the hall.”
“Uh, sorry. Selma told me not to wander outside.”
“Hmm, I guess that was necessary. Considering what happened…”
Lenny, about to make an irreverent comment about the deceased, lowered his voice, glancing at his father. Instead, she quietly hooked her arm around Shati’s and slowly asked,
“When are you leaving?”
“Well…”
Shati glanced sideways at Winden, shifting her eyes. Although the store was small and her words couldn’t have gone unheard, Karel’s deputy, with his brown hair tied behind his neck, didn’t respond since the question wasn’t directed at him.
The task of preparing Shati’s travel gear to accompany the expedition’s return was entirely left to Winden, Karel’s deputy. As the one responsible for managing the expedition’s supplies, it was only natural.
However, Shati couldn’t help but wonder who had comforted her when she cried upon learning of Karel’s departure the next day. Winden treated her stiffly and professionally. Although he consistently addressed her as “Miss,” his demeanor was cold. Shati, who had once considered him kind, felt disheartened by the stark contrast.
‘…He probably doesn’t like the idea of me coming along.’
It made sense. Even she thought the expedition members wouldn’t welcome her. To them, she was nothing more than an unwelcome outsider who had clung to their leader, tarnished by accusations of murder. Worse, she couldn’t even ride a horse, making her a clear liability.
‘And I’m not just any commoner…’
She was merely a lowly inn servant, with no parents, someone knights visiting such places wouldn’t hesitate to treat poorly. It was only natural for them to resent her, now a burden to their esteemed leader.
In truth, Randolph’s incident hadn’t given Eldorff’s lord grounds to protest to Montferdia or petition the Senate for a noble murder charge. But Shati was oblivious to such circumstances. She simply believed Karel’s words that he was taking her along to silence rumors.
‘Even if that’s the case, I’m glad to follow…’
Thus, she had to endure the coldness of the dignified deputy knight and the lecherous gazes of other knights. It was the price she paid for leaving Oedel, a small, cold, and suffocating village, to head to the capital—a place she never imagined her fate would take her.
“Judging by the travel preparations, you must be leaving soon?”
“I don’t really know…”
“I envy you, really.”
Lenny’s sigh-laden words caused the storekeeper’s eyes, busy showing items to Winden, to flash sharply.
“Going to the capital is enviable, and…”
The Captain knight was so handsome.
Avoiding her father’s gaze, Lenny whispered and chuckled. Shati wrinkled her nose and returned a small smile. Though Lenny had only recently realized Shati was a few years older, Shati always saw her as a nimble-fingered, immature younger sister.
In truth, every young woman in Oedel envied Shati. Their feelings ranged from jealousy to pure admiration, like Lenny’s. Being noticed by a noble and leaving the narrow, cold, and stifling village was a dream shared by many girls born and raised in Oedel. Since the expedition entered Oedel, there hadn’t been a single girl who didn’t dress up and linger around Selmane, hoping to catch someone’s eye.
Even today, as Shati walked from Selmane to the store, countless gazes followed her. Some were envious, others jealous, and some evaluated her beauty, now fully revealed. These intertwined emotions filled the small marketplace at the heart of Oedel.
Shati interpreted these looks as reproach for her undeserved fortune and simply hunched her shoulders.
“Oh, also.”
As Shati was casually responding to Lenny’s whispers, Winden spoke up.
“Do you have a veil or something to cover the face?”
“A veil… you mean?”
The storekeeper’s question was met with silence from Winden, confirming his intent.
“Such items aren’t used in Oedel… You might find suitable fabric at the textile shop.”
The storekeeper’s gaze subtly shifted to Shati. For some reason, it seemed the veil would be for her, suggesting she could make it herself using fabric from the shop.
Winden’s expression grew significantly colder.
“Is there nowhere else to buy one?”
“Well… If you ask at the textile shop, they might recommend a skilled seamstress.”
The storekeeper quickly corrected his speech, mindful of the knight’s respectful tone toward Shati. Winden nodded briefly.
“Miss, shall we head to the textile shop now?”
“…Yes.”
Shati tilted her head slightly, gesturing farewell to Lenny.
Is it shameful to go to the capital looking so rustic…?
She awkwardly touched her bangs, trimmed unevenly due to Randolph’s hasty cut.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock.
Once again, Karel found himself staying on the third floor of Selmane. The sound of knocking came as Karel leaned against the window frame, pretending to rest while lost in disorganized thoughts.
It had been four days since he returned to Oedel. Only this morning had Karel sent a messenger to the royal capital: one letter to the royal family, and another to the ducal estate. The taste of delivering news of an unwelcome victory was bitter.
And the letter sent to the ducal estate…
‘They must have realized it by now, telling them to prepare the guest room in the annex. How much ridicule will I face for bringing along a woman who is clearly a commoner?’
Moreover, there would certainly be those who recognized her…
While he was neither admired nor respected in Montferdia, he was feared by many. Though no one would dare comment on his actions openly, he was uneasy about the disrespectful gazes that would follow him.
Thinking about returning to the royal capital twisted his insides every time. Thus, he had repeatedly delayed sending the letter, seeking refuge by burying himself nightly in Shati’s cramped embrace to evaporate the lingering anxiety in his mind, avoiding all worries. In truth, he wished to remain holed up in Oedel, indulging in nightly escapades like a beast, but…
He couldn’t afford to be leisurely, knowing how delighted certain people would be by his delayed return. After all, he was the youngest Montferdia and the sole heir to the family’s bloodline.
‘They’ll probably say I acted disgracefully because of my lowly blood.’
But the disgraceful acts were the same as those committed by his father, who bore that noble blood.
No one would dare say such things to his face, but the thought of those who might think it was troubling. Those who feared him were the same ones who would belittle Shati.
‘I can’t keep her with me forever, can I…?’
If it was merely because he found her alluring, he could easily find another woman in the royal capital. Many women had thrown themselves into his bed simply because he was the sole heir of Montferdia. Why, then, did he insist on taking along a woman whose mere presence would clearly become his weakness?
Was he trying to punish himself, having failed the honorable suicide prepared by the King and his father, by choosing another form of self-torment? By enduring all the disgrace and ridicule while indulging in the desires of a man?
Karel had never found it so difficult to understand himself as he did these days.
‘What should I do…?’
Knock, knock, knock.
“Captain, it’s Matthew.”
“…Come in.”
Interrupted from his thoughts once again, Karel reluctantly raised his voice. The door opened silently, revealing the youngest knight of the expedition, a red-haired man with cropped hair.
“The saddle has arrived. Would you like to check it in the stables?”
“Saddle?”
Karel’s thick eyebrows rose asymmetrically at the unexpected words.
“Wasn’t it your order, Captain?”
Karel pushed aside the book that had been covering his face and glanced at Matthew, signaling him to explain properly.
“That… um, the maid… no, the woman…?”
At Matthew’s stammering words, Karel’s blue eyes glimmered coldly.