Chapter 104: Odium
Odium: general or widespread hatred or disgust directed toward someone as a result of their actions (hehe)
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Chapter 104:
Odium
As the butler opened the door, Willis stepped out of Duke Cyneric's study, a smug smile on his face while his hand rested on his jacket lapel. He nodded to the butler, controlling the urge to whistle. Though some of his plans had gone astray; overall, he was very pleased, and he knew the Vartien kingdom would be as well.
It's been so long. Ten years I've waited. It's all coming together now.
As he briskly made his way out, already writing the letter to his Vartien contacts in his head, a familiar figure approached him, causing him to stop.
"Duke Godfreed, what do I owe the honor?" Willis said with a deep bow to the nephew of the king.
"Sir Willis, it has been some time." Malcolm said with a smile, greeting the king's close aide as they stood in an ornate hallway of Duke Cyneric's mansion, their smile's both wide and particularly outstanding, much like the proud Cheshire cat read in children's stories. "I hope you are well."
Willis, wrapped in his embroidered down jacket, smiled at the young duke with a smile that bent his thin eyes into narrow slits, appearing much like string-thin crescents, which only deepened the wrinkles that had developed with age on his face. "I am, thank you for your concern, Duke Godfreed." Willis patted the full neckline of his jacket as he added, "I presume you are returning to the palace?"
Malcolm smiled, "Yes, some affairs at the palace require my attention. Will Sir Willis be returning as well?" Malcolm spoke in a cordial tone, the chill in his voice lowered by another degree.
"I am." Willis's smile widened, "It's been too long since we've spoken, why don't you join me in my carriage? We can return to the palace together."
"What a pleasant idea. I've been meaning to catch up with you anyway."
While the two men exited the mansion, chatting merrily as they strode towards a waiting carriage, the joy in their smiling faces was unhidden, showing the gains the two men had made in the short period of time over the Yursinean nobility. Unbeknownst to them, the duke's son stood in his room, overlooking the two departing carriages with red-rimmed eyes, his hands clutching the thick, velvet curtains in his hands as he turned away, his expression full of disgust.
…
After letting a short time pass in silence, Kivah was the first to stand from his resting place beside the busy river, his hands still full of moisture from the chilly water. As he dusted off the back of his pants with a few taps, he glanced over at Cordelia, who had sat up, her shoulders drooped with her hands resting in her lap.
"You rested up enough? I'd like to get going before it gets dark." Kivah said, placing his hands on his hips as he glanced back to the river, watching it with a frown, as if wondering if Cordelia would throw herself in it again as she had before.
"How long will it take us to reach your friend's village?" Cordelia asked as she clumsily rose to her feet, her hands planted on the rough dirt ground as she lifted herself up. Her feet began to ache in protest, but she did her best to ignore her pain and fatigue, holding back a groan.
"Not long. We can easily be there before dark if we leave now." Kivah said, turning his attention to his bag that was wrapped around his back. Cordelia watched him closely, concerned, but sighed silently in relief when he pulled out a bundle of cloth. He held it up, gesturing towards her with it as it remained tightly wrapped in its bundle-like shape.
"Here." Cordelia glanced at it, then up at Kivah, raising her eyebrow. Her expression made Kivah chuckle, as he continued to hold the cloth out for her, "It's my spare set of clothes. I can't possibly take you anywhere wearing that stained, ripped dress. You'll make me look like a kidnapper." He held back a laugh, trying not to anger the young woman he saved any further.
Cordelia glanced down at her dress with an annoyed frown. Though it annoyed her, Kivah was right. She looked as if she had been lost in the woods for days. And though that was not wrong, it was not a good way to travel for either of them. It could attract attention to them, and neither of them wanted to be on the wrong side of the Yursinean guard. With a grumble, she grabbed the clothes, looking down at the bundle with a frown.
"They'll probably be a little big on you. Here, use this belt and it should be fine. You're pretty tall for a woman, after all." He said with a nod, giving Cordelia a simple wool shirt, long pants, and a belt within the bundle. While Cordelia was annoyed, she held back her irritation and accepted the clothes with a short thank you. She was too proud to admit she was cold, dripping in water like a river rat.
"You better not look at me changing!" Cordelia cried out as she stepped into the forest line, far enough to break line of sight with her new companion as he said slightly louder than speaking level. Her body was covered by a lush green bush, but it was just short enough for her to glance over the foliage and watch Kivah.
"Don't worry. You're definitely safe." The deep sarcasm in Kivah's tone was almost enough to make Cordelia turn around and shout at him, but she decided against it. He had given her some dry clothes to put on after all.
Under the cover of the bushy forest, Cordelia began to change, removing Victoria's torn dress with much care as she stared down at the dirtied apron sewn into the front of the dress. Seeing the dress again brought fresh, hot tears to Cordelia's eyes. She blinked, trying to stop them from falling, as she pulled the dress over her head. She threw the dress to the side, too angry and upset to look at it, then quickly changed into the clothes Kivah gave her, which, to her surprise, fit her quite well. While they were baggy in some areas, the general size and length was only slightly too large, making it fit relatively well for being borrowed garments.
With her new clothes now on, Cordelia turned to return to the river. Her hands twitched, the sensation of emptiness tingling her hands. She turned her head back to the discarded dress behind her, then turned forward again, disgusted with herself.
How silly am I? It's just a dress.
Her hands involuntarily twitched again, which caused her to pause.
Cordelia glanced back again, biting her lip, then sighed, stomping over to the dress before she scooped it up, wrapping it gently in her arms as she made her way back to Kivah, holding the dirtied and tattered dress like a precious child against her chest. Kivah noticed Cordelia's withdrawn demeanor and red eyes as she broke the forest line again, but he tactfully said nothing as Cordelia held her old clothes tightly to her chest, refusing to discard them.
Cordelia and Kivah traveled together using Kivah's horse, which surprised Cordelia when Kivah guided his horse to the clearing.
"Where has that been this entire time?" Cordelia asked sourly, looking over the calm horse, its black mane shining in the sunlight.
Kivah smiled, patting his horse's neck, "Hidden. I didn't want to take a chance on you seeing my horse, just in case."
Cordelia eyed Kivah, her face breaking into a small smile, "Fair enough."
With a boost from Kivah, Cordelia mounted the horse, her bottom placed squarely on the fatigued leather saddle. With Cordelia seated, Kivah grabbed the horn of the saddle and lifted himself up, placing himself right behind her.
As Cordelia felt the warmth of Kivah's chest press against her back, she could not help but blush. She had never been this close to a man before. It would have been considered inappropriate for a lady of her standing to be so close to a man. The closest she had been was her dance with Prince Clarence, and she shuddered with embarrassment at the memory of her ripping his insignia off his jacket.
"Are you cold?" Kivah asked, noticing Cordelia's shudder.
"Oh, no! Not at all!" Cordelia quickly corrected, keeping her face forward as she squeezed her eyes shut in further embarrassment. I will be so relieved when this is all over. She thought to herself, a tinge of pink still littering her cheeks.
The quick pace of the horse greatly shortened their journey to the designated village. As much distrust as Cordelia had for others, she felt confident if anything were to happen, she would be able to get away quickly. As the pair fell silent, the horse stepped down a small hill, lurching Cordelia face forward into the horse's mane. "Ah!" She screamed aloud, her arms landing on either side of the horse's neck as she fell dizzy, leaving her frozen in place for a moment. As she regained her bearings, Cordelia moved back abruptly, this time, almost throwing herself off of the side of the horse.
"Careful." Kivah said as he grabbed Cordelia's hands with a short glimpse over her shoulder. "If you need to, hold onto the saddle. It's better than falling off, isn't it?" He said with a laugh, exposing a dimple in his left cheek.
Cordelia could not say she had felt safe since losing Victoria in the forest, but she felt some comfort traveling with someone else. In the back of her mind, she still felt she could stab the young man if needed, even with the sweet dimple in his left cheek. Maybe the man's gentle expression was just a front? Maybe he was lowering her guard so he could strike? Either way, the only relief Cordelia would feel was returning to civilization, where she could take a hot bath, eat warm food, and contact her family.
As they grew quiet once again, hours had passed, and the sky had begun to gradually darken, hiding the sun under the horizon. Kivah and Cordelia were both showing signs of fatigue. The adrenaline tearing through Cordelia's body began to wear off, and soon the heaviness of her exhaustion was almost too much to bear. She could not trust Kivah enough to fall asleep, however, and instead fought through her fatigue by pinching her thigh each time her eyes fell closed for more than three seconds. Unconsciously, she began to lean back on Kivah, but he said nothing, allowing the exhausted young woman to lean on his chest.
"Hey, we're here." Kivah's voice rang out in the quiet evening, startling Cordelia awake yet again as she looked forward and saw a sizable town, surrounded by small farms and homes. The sounds of the animals brought some lingering feelings of fear, knowing she would be reentering civilization for the first time since her escape from the coach driver, however she was optimistic to finally sleep safe for the night before she could begin her search to find Victoria.
If only I was able to contact my family… things would be different. She thought to herself, tugging at the tightly-wound strings of her thick peasant shirt.
The air had cooled, bringing a biting chill that drenched Kivah and Cordelia in cold. With some incentive, the pair hurried on the horse to enter through the wooden town gates.
"Good evening." Kivah said with a smile, showing two citizenship tokens in his fingers as he stopped in front of the nearest guard.
The guards passed their eyes over the set of tokens and the pair before they stood back at their posts, allowing the pair to enter with a short, "Welcome to Stonebrook Village."
After passing the guards, Cordelia raised a brow as she asked, "How do you have two citizenship tokens?" Without the tokens, they would have to pay a small fee to enter the village as foreigners, as was customary in some smaller Yursinean Villages, attempting to gain revenue from passing merchants and mercenaries. "Are they real?"
Kivah smiled, "It's best we don't talk about that." He hummed to himself as he added, "Besides that, where is your token? I was worried you'd try to pull it out."
Cordelia heard his question but fell silent, effectively ending the conversation before it could start.
Staring away from Kivah, Cordelia looked over the sizable village. While the town path was made of dirt, the buildings were large, established, and decorated, showcasing more recent Yursinean styles in their designs and wares. The few people left traveling around the town were farmers returning to their homes and well-dressed travelers and merchants looking to enjoy the evening. Random guards were stationed over the town, encasing the area in a peacefulness that had abandoned Cordelia long ago.
"My friend is staying at the Wells Inn, near the center of town." Kivah said with a nod as he passed by a set of two waving men. "When we get there I'll book you a room. Don't worry about paying me back yet, okay?" He leaned to the side, catching Cordelia's eye with a smile.
Cordelia frowned, Of course he's thinking of money at a time like this. "Returning the funds will not be an issue as soon as I make contact with the people I need to. Thank you." She said curtly, her gratitude squashed by the shortness of her words.
Kivah only chuckled in response, moving his horse through the emptied, short streets to a tall, stone-built building. The windows of the building were covered in light fabric, and the stables behind the building were full of horses. Two stablehands stood on either side of the stables, caring for the horses as they chatted about local gossip.
"Did you see that person they brought in from near the palace? Whoever they were, they were in rough shape, nearly bled to death I'd say. Terrible shape, really. Could hardly tell what they looked like with all the blood and bruises."
The second stable hand nodded, "You got that right. I heard Countess Zavior order the physician to treat them. Must be a noble or someone important. I hope they survive the night."
Cordelia froze, hearing the men speak between themselves.
Someone? Near the palace? Nearly bled to death? Cordelia's mind went numb, a sole thought ringing deep within her mind, And a noble? I gave Victoria my dress, so she could have easily been considered a noblewoman. Could it be? Did she survive after all?
Cordelia nearly jumped off of the horse as she thought of Victoria suffering in pain all alone. As she turned to move, Kivah held his arm out with a small frown and said, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Cordelia could not control the anxiety that rushed through her, making her mind hazy and her limbs twitch, "That sounds like my friend! Move! I need to go to her!" She pushed away Kivah's hand as she awkwardly jumped down from the horse, tripping slightly as she rushed towards the two stablehands with a frantic sprint, her pant legs dragging against the ground.
"Where?! Where is the injured person?!" Cordelia cried at the two stablehands, who jumped in alarm. Startled, they pointed towards a nearby inn, the lights in front illuminating a sign that said "Wells Inn."
Ignoring the cries of Kivah, Cordelia raced towards the inn and threw open the doors, her eyes wide with surprise and hope. Kivah shouted to her again, cursing under his breath in frustration as he turned to the stablehands, his expression full of concern. Jumping down from the horse, he pulled two gold coins out of his pocket and threw them to the stablehands, saying in a low tone. "Take my horse, please." He tsk-ed, throwing his horse's reins into the hands of the first stablehand as he followed Cordelia's path, hurrying inside.
As Kivah entered, he could hear shouting from upstairs. With a groan, recognizing the voice immediately, he raced upstairs to see Cordelia staring up at a large, tall man, who glowered down at her in response.
"You dare stop me?" Cordelia said with a hiss, her nobility seeping through her words. "Do you know what family I belong to-!" The large man held her back with a stern expression, unwilling to allow the young woman to pass.
"Hey, knock it off-" Kivah said, approaching his new companion with a sigh of frustration. Before he could stop her, however, a firm, heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. He knew whose hand it was immediately, and he bowed at the figure as they passed him by, walking up to the confronting pair.
Oh no. Kivah thought to himself as he glanced up, recognizing the back of the figure.
"Stop."
A tall woman said, her arms crossed around her chest as she walked, her heeled boots clicking against the wood floor like drops of water. Her long white hair was tied behind her head, her silver eyes narrowed with irritation as she looked towards the disheveled young woman that had entered the inn, causing enough noise to wake an army.
"Who are you?" The tall woman asked directly, her tone cold as she stared at Cordelia, her gaze traveling over the young woman's ill fitting clothes, "And what are you doing?"
Cordelia swallowed the dry saliva in her mouth. "I-" She began, feeling nervous in front of the oppressive woman. "I am a friend of the injured person you saved. I need to see them immediately! Please!"
"What's your name?" The imposing woman asked, waving her hand at the large man, who stepped back.
"Vi-Victoria." Cordelia mumbled out, almost forgetting to use her fake identity.
"Victoria, do you know who I am?" Cordelia was becoming increasingly annoyed and impatient, but obediently shook her head, "My name is Countess Camille Zavior, the countess of the Highland District." Her expression was still icy, but her gaze was fixed on Cordelia, as if waiting for her to make a mistake. "I expect you to remember that, and remember that the people here work for me, so treat them with the respect you would a countess." The countess's chiding tone made Cordelia's face grow red with anger.
Who is she, a lowly countess to speak to me this way?! My father is a duke! Cordelia pressed her lips together, not allowing her complaints to slip through. All she wanted was to see Victoria, to make sure she was alright, and to apologize to her for leaving her behind. If she had to suffer a little shaming to do so, she would.
At this, Kivah stepped forward, bowing again at the chilly countess, "Ma'am, I've brought this young girl a far distance. When I found her, she was lost in the woods all alone. It is most likely that the injured person you saved is her companion. Please allow her through."
Countess Zavior raised an eyebrow, bemused and slightly amused, "Are you standing up for this girl, Kivah?" The countess chuckled, crossing her arms as her face softened slightly, "That's a first. Alright, since Kivah asked for you, I'll let you in, but they just fell asleep, so please try to be respectful. And keep the noise down." The countess opened the door to the room herself, stepping back as Cordelia raced in.
The dim lighting made it difficult to see, but with a squint of her eyes, Cordelia could see the figure of a person laying on a small bed, a blanket pulled over them to their neck. The blanket rose and dropped with even breaths, and Cordelia let out a sigh of relief. Awkwardly, she hurried towards the bed, located to the left in the small room. Cordelia chose her steps carefully, since there were no lights lit in the room. The only light was the traces of sun leaking through the window from the setting sun, leaving long, dark shadows throughout the room.
As she approached the bed, Cordelia looked down at the sleeping face, trying to see Victoria's face. Yet it was nearly impossible with the dark room. Cordelia was able to see that Victoria's face was completely covered in bandages, with only traces of her eyelids and lips peeking out the tightly-wound bandages.
The dim light of the room made it difficult to make out Victoria's features, so Cordelia leaned forward, refusing to turn on the light, in case it would wake Victoria from her sleep. Yet, as she leaned closer, the bandages wound around the face, covering every bit of exposed skin, made Cordelia cry softly.
"I'm so sorry." Cordelia cried, wiping the tears with one hand as she placed a soft hand on the bandaged arm with her other, the softness of the blanket covering the arm tickling her fingers, "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry. I never should have left you. I'm so sorry."
A bandaged hand slowly crept out from under the covers, placing itself shakily on Cordelia's. Cordelia took the hand, holding it tightly in hers as she cried.
As she wiped her eyes again with her free hand, trying to control her tears so as to not concern Victoria, she could hear Victoria mumble something. Surprised, Cordelia leaned forward, bringing her face closer to the source of the shallow breaths.
"I'm sorry, Victoria. I didn't hear you. I have so much to tell you, but please, repeat yourself first, I'm listening." Cordelia felt an odd twinge in her chest, but ignored it immediately as she hovered her ear over Victoria's mouth.
The bandaged figure took a shallow breath, then repeated their words, their voice hardly louder than a faint whisper, "Alywin?"
…
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CAMILLE, MY BABY, YOU'RE BACK IN~! I've been waiting for two years (in September now) to get her back in, and here she is! This leaves us with one more (hopefully) character to join the "main" cast and then that's everyone! Who do you think the bandaged figure is? Cordelia thought it was Victoria, but sorry Cordelia, it is not.... ;; But there is a certain member of the cast I have on my mind >y< a lovely gentleman I hope you guys didn't forget already! ;;
Also, Hunny and I most likely won't be posting on the 29th, as we're leaving for Texas for Animefest! We're hosting a Japanese lit panel on controversial Japanese literature, and I stress added around 50 slides in one day (lol). I have been interviewing with my boss all week selecting candidates for a very important program I run, so it's been hella stressful all week. Getting this out on time was a surprise, but I'll be slammed all into September now according to my schedule, so I apologize in advance for any delays! It's always work...
But, don't let that get you down! I finished subtitling my Utaho no Tatari gameplay with English and Spanish subs, so check out that obscure Japanese horror game I translated here~! My channel is on the back burner for now (thanks work) :( But I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and see you all for an exciting time jump next week! And by time jump, it's only a month =v=