Like a Dry Branch in the Wind

Translator: Wawaa

Editor: WilsonWilson

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Since then, Rietta has visited the East Annex every week for her work and had tea time together with the ladies. Naturally, she became close to them. Killian never visited the East Annex, but whenever they talked to each other, he had never been left out from their main topic. They regarded the most notorious cold-hearted guy in the Empire as their old bachelor cousin.

“There are rumors in the capital that His Lordship killed a woman again.”

Elise smiled and asked her.

“Did your aunt send a letter saying she was worried about you again?”

Then, she grumbled.

“Yes. She did not even believe me when I told her that such things don’t happen in the East Annex.”

Seira wrinkled her nose, leaned back, and stood on her tippy toes.

“Another rumor about him appeared saying he killed people even though he just saved someone. As expected of His Lordship.”

Rachel calmly analyzed what she heard while fixing her straw hat that was messed up by a fruit that fell from the tree.

“In the case of the rumors regarding Rietta, maybe the spread of his malicious rumors was to avoid the spread of his good deeds.”

Giselle shrugged.

“No one knows.”

The lady who received the letter let out a long sigh and complained.

“Aah, I’m tired of people misunderstanding him and pitying me. I just want him to quickly meet someone nice and settle down.”

Anna became excited and intervened.

“That’s right! Me! Give strength to me! So that I can grow fast!”

Some of the ladies burst into laughter.

“There she goes again.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

A month later, Rietta went to Killian’s room to replenish the blessing. A thoroughly cast blessing could last about three months, but it was the standard to replenish it every month when the effect began to decline. This time, she even cast the blessings in his office with his permission.

While Rietta was casting the blessings, Killian casually sat at his desk and looked at the documents. Suddenly, he blurted out the thought that came to his mind.

“I heard you didn’t accept money last time.”

He was talking about the blessing in his bedroom last month. After knowing what Rietta did, Erne tried to pay for the blessing service fee, but Rietta refused and did not receive the money.

“Yes.”

“Take it.”

Rietta has established a response policy while facing Killian, such as don’t retort or refuse him and always followed his orders, but she could not yield for this one.

Rietta, who was casting blessings on the window of the office, stopped her hand and turned toward Killian. Then, she carefully opened her mouth with her hands buried in her skirt.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Killian moved his eyes off the documents and glanced at Rietta. Her voice continued calmly.

“For saving me and for bringing me to live in this good land… Every time I laugh on this land, every time I realize that I’m still breathing…”

And every time I light a candle in front of my daughter’s memorial tablet.

“I feel your kindness that I can’t pay back for the rest of my life.”

She knew that only sharp rejection would return if she said, ‘Never mind the money. Just let me do it,’ so Rietta carefully extended her speech. Even though he did not like long words, Killian was silently listening. Rietta took a short breath and bowed her head while fiddling with the tips of her fingernails.

“It’s just self-satisfaction… But I want to repay you even a little bit somehow.”

Fortunately, Killian did not say that she was arrogant. As it was difficult to withstand the awkward silence, she bit the inside of her lips. Rietta quietly lowered her eyes and concluded with a smaller voice.

“Please don’t take away what small joy I have.”

Killian glanced at Rietta with indifferent eyes. He did not feel anything for the woman who was standing modestly. He just thought that she spoke very cleanly. He did not trust people easily, but he thought she had the talent to talk so that she would look transparent and upright. He quietly lowered his eyes to the documents without answering.

It was not until a moment later that Rietta realized that his silence meant permission and turned silently toward the window in relief.

“There will be more opportunities for you to repay me with your ability.”

When his low voice rang from behind, Rietta turned again to him. Killian said with his eyes fixed on the documents.

“I will call you when I need you.”

“Yes, milord!”

Rietta answered happily. She could not believe there would be an opportunity for her to repay his favor with her poor ability. It was really a happy and fortunate thing. Summer was just around the corner and the birds were chirping.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

It was already summer, and in no time at all, the day became completely hot. Anna was watching Rietta wiping off her sweat with her sleeve, she pulled her hand and took Rietta to her room, saying that she had a blessing commission for Rietta.

Anna hesitated for a long time and asked if there were any blessings that could make her become prettier or grow up faster. Rietta chuckled.

“There’s no such blessing, Anna. You’re pretty enough right now.”

“But the others say that I’m too young. Even His Lordship only sees me as a child. He hasn’t ever gazed at me with passion in his eyes.”

Passion… gaze…

Rietta almost imagined the scene where the Archduke of Axias looked at Anna with a passionate gaze but quickly shook her head.

What a dangerous little lady…

Rietta smiled and lowered her body to meet Anna’s eye level.

“It’s the same case for all ladies, so it’s not something that you should be disappointed in.”

Anna had a sullen face.

“But still…”

Rietta smiled affectionately and tucked Anna’s hair behind her ears. Then, she held the little girl’s hand.

“Anna, the future won’t come quickly even if you rush it. Rather, I’m worried that you won’t be able to fully enjoy your current beautiful days after seeing only the distant future.”

Anna looked at the beautiful blessing caster as if she was possessed. Rietta continued to talk, still making eye contact. 

“Right now, you’re so pretty and cute that we don’t want time to go by… But I know that little Anna won’t stay with us forever. You will become prettier and more mature as the years go by until you finally become a beautiful lady. I’m looking forward to that day too.”

Anna’s face turned red, she shyly looked at her toes.

“You’re lying. No matter how pretty I become, I won’t become as pretty as you, Lady Rietta.”

Rietta shook her head and smiled.

“You’re prettier than me now. And just call me Rietta, Anna.”

Even though all the ladies in the annex called her Rietta after becoming close to her, Anna stubbornly called her Lady Rietta. Anna hesitated and looked at her, then she ran to the corner of her bed after letting go of Rietta’s hand.

Anna opened a sewing basket placed under the bed and took out a white handkerchief. She came back to Rietta with the handkerchief in her hand. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she gave it to Rietta.

“This.”

It was a handkerchief with ‘blessing caster’ written in crooked embroidery on it. Not even her name, but just blessing caster. Anna was cute and lovely, and Rietta smiled at her for that.

“Is this for me?”

Anna nodded with a slightly blushed face. A warm smile bloomed on Rietta’s face. At first, she barely showed any of her emotions, but as she hung out with the ladies of the East Annex, she gradually started to smile and became more beautiful as the days went by. Anna felt her heart pound as she saw the woman she liked smile beautifully.

“A blessing caster is a cool job.”

Anna said, wiggling her body in a bashful manner.

“If I can’t be His Lordship’s wife… I wish I could be a blessing caster like you.”

Rietta blinked. She looked at Anna, slightly surprised. Noticing Rietta’s silence, Anna tried to change the subject and quickly picked up her pillow with a red face and gave it to Rietta.

“Please cast blessings here.”

Rietta took the pillow in a daze and looked at the girl who was looking at her with wistful eyes.

“This one, this one, and this one too!”

Anna brought all the things in her room with a red face and gave them all to Rietta. Rietta cast blessings on all the things that Anna gave.

“Uh… How much will that be?”

There were more than ten items that Rietta blessed. She was embarrassed, so she just shoved out things to be blessed, but Anna knew that casting blessings were labor that had to be paid. Rietta smiled and shook her head.

“It’s fine. You gave me a gift, so my blessings today are a gift for you.”

“Really?”

Anna’s eyes widened in awe. Rietta put her index finger in front of her lips.

“It’s a secret from the other ladies.”

“Rietta… I…”

Anna hesitated again for a long time and spoke in a determined tone as if she had made a really big decision.

“If it’s Rietta… I can even yield His Lordship.”

Rietta stared blankly at Anna’s solemn face and burst into laughter. After a long while, Anna, too, laughed out loud.

Before Rietta left, Anna grabbed her once again.

“Are you going to stop by the 4th floor again today?”

4th floor—the floor where Irene stayed.

“Oh, yes.”

Even if she had never told anyone about it, everyone knew that Rietta secretly cast blessings on the hallway where Irene stayed. Even if no one mentioned it, Rietta always stopped by the 4th floor before returning home. Anna hesitated a little and took out something from the drawer and gave it to Rietta.

“This… Can you put this on Irene’s door?”

Anna was holding a silk hair tie. The green embroidery at the end of the gray silk was a color that seemed to go well with Irene’s green eyes. Rietta looked at it with surprised eyes and asked.

“For Irene?”

Anna nodded and muttered.

“Tomorrow is Irene’s birthday…”

Anna added in a hurry as Rietta looked at her in surprise.

“Of course, I still like you the best, so I’m going to give you something better on your birthday!”

Anna made all sorts of gestures, and with a dazed look, Rietta blinked and asked.

“It won’t be difficult to give this to her… But why don’t you give it to her yourself?”

Anna replied, fiddling with her ear with an awkward face.

“I usually don’t get along well with Irene… and she must be depressed because His Lordship may not even know her birthday.”

Anna continued with a coy look, pouting her lips.

“Irene and I are rivals in love. So I think it would be better if she thinks that’s a gift from you.”

Unable to say that she was also not welcomed by Irene at all, Rietta glanced down at the hair tie in her hand.

Rietta was speechless, though, not because of the words ‘rivals in love’. She felt warm at the place where the soft hair tie was.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After leaving Anna’s room, Rietta gathered a little more courage than usual and headed to the 4th floor of the annex where Irene stayed. She had never seen Irene since her visit that day; when the door slammed in front of her face and she heard Irene’s harsh words. But whenever she came there, Rietta knew that Irene was in the room over the thin wooden door.

Rietta thought maybe she should knock on the door today. If she opened the door, she wanted to honestly say that the hair tie was a gift from Anna and congratulate her on her birthday. She wanted to say that she hoped they could have tea time together next time. With as much kindness and courage as the young girl did…

But Irene was not in her room. The room reflected through the door was dark and there was no usual silence presence. Rietta waited for a while but eventually, Irene showed no signs of returning. She hung the hair tie on the doorknob and stepped back. Before leaving, she gave a sweet blessing, silvering the tightly closed door.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“The Grand Temple Havitus has been acting strange lately.”

Leonard affirmed Killian’s words with silence. The flow of money that had skillfully gone missing, the priests that have been dispatched or transferred for no apparent reason and have not been seen for a long time, the situation where the person on the document was different from the person who was actually present, and the guests who had secretly visited on occasion. 

Suspicious movements were detected by the person Killian had put in the temple. The informant has identified and reported some of the guests who visited secretly. Among them, there were priests who broke the commandments by dealing with black sorcerers, and there were scholars who were masters of demonology and medicine.

As the disease was circulating, a meeting between the temple and demonologists could not be seen as strange. But the fact that it was conducted in secret was what made it so suspicious.

All of these were grounds that could support the claim that the temple was playing a part for the plague to move in a bad direction. The investigation yielded an unimaginable harvest, even for Killian, who started it as insurance. Above all, the Archbishop of the Grand Temple insisted that he had never sent such a report to Axias.

“Master.”

Erne called Killian from outside the door.

“Come on in.”

Erne entered and bowed his head.

“The delegates of Her Majesty, the Queen, visited with the priests of the Grand Temple Havitus. They are urgently asking for an audience with you, master.”

Killian frowned.

“On what business?”

“They said they would meet you and tell you in person.”

Leonard smiled and said under his breath.

“…A combination of the Queen and the Grand Temple Havitus which is currently making the most dangerous and suspicious moves.”

The Queen was not Killian’s mother, but the mother of his two brothers whom he decapitated. As usual, Killian opened his mouth with a cold smile, raising only one corner of his lips. 

“Erne, is today the day that Rietta will come?”

“Yes. She’s in the East Annex at the moment.”

“Tell the delegation. I’m rolling around in bed with my woman now so wait until I’m done in the audience room.” 

“Yes, master.”

Then, he turned to Leonard, who stood next to him, and gave him a predictable order.

“Bring Rietta here without attracting any attention.”

Leonard accepted the order.

“Yes, Your Grace.”