Odelia had just visited the outpost in person. Reports of suspicious traces had been coming in one after another for the past few days, and today, the incident had finally occurred.
As she stepped onto the frozen ground, the cold air pierced her throat, and a patrolman hurriedly approached and bowed his head.
"My Lord, two people have disappeared from my mind again. I clearly saw them wandering around until last night, but..."
On the field where new shoots had begun to peek out a little early, footprints and hoof prints were intermingled, and at the end of them, the blood of vanished livestock had spread thickly. Odelia's eyebrows narrowed.
“What about tracking?”
"The trail continues beyond the outer forest, but it ends there."
She thought for a moment, then called Philip right in.
"Double the perimeter. Ensure there are no gaps even when patrols are changing shifts, and make sure to thoroughly verify the identities of everyone entering and leaving the village. Gather able-bodied men to set up a defensive line, and station an additional watchtower at the outer choke point."
“I will obey your orders.”
Philip firmly bowed his head, turned his back, and ran away quickly.
Odelia gazed at the distant mountains for a moment. The snow-covered forest was silent, but that silence felt nothing but ominous.
Just then, the sound of hurried hooves was heard from a distance. When she turned her head, she saw a breathless messenger running toward jer with a flushed face.
"My Lord! I hear the Countess has given birth safely!"
Odelia felt a weight lifted from her shoulders, as if her anxiety had vanished in an instant. With a flush of color on her face, Odelia also hurriedly mounted her horse and headed toward Talamand Castle.
As she entered the inner room, she saw Damian and several nobles and merchant representatives who were staying there. They were huddled together at the edge of the room, and when they spotted Odelia, they greeted her warmly.
After exchanging brief greetings with them, Odelia went further inside. She saw Judith lying on the bed. Her face was pale, but her smile shone as brightly as the sun.
Cedric, sitting beside her, held a small baby in his arms. His touch was as careful as if handling a piece of pottery he feared might break.
It was Judith who suffered through giving birth, but for some reason, Cedric looked like he had been in tears and snot.
A small voice was heard from beside Odelia, who was smiling softly to herself.
"The baby is... so small!"
It was Herse. Clutching the hem of Damian's clothes tightly, he gazed with curious eyes at the small life in Cedric's arms.
Odelia smiled slightly and nodded.
"Yes, it's small, isn't it? But it will grow quickly. Congratulations. You've worked so hard, Judith."
As Odelia approached Judith, Judith smiled with a weary expression.
Cedric gently lifted the baby to show it. A small, wrinkled face and fist-sized hands twitched slowly in the air. At the sight, Odelia's expression softened.
Just then, Judith signaled to Odelia.
“Would you like to hug her?”
As Odelia carefully held the baby in her arms, the small, warm life snuggled into her embrace.
Regular breaths rippled lightly in her arms. Slowly matching the rhythm of those breaths, Odelia looked down at the baby for a long time.
"...How can it be so small?"
I think this is the first time in my life I've seen a newborn baby like this.
It’s a bit red and wrinkled... but strangely cute... Odelia looked at the child with a very curious expression.
While Odelia was gazing at the baby for quite a while, Judith, smiling contentedly, quietly opened her mouth.
"I would like you to be the godmother of my child, Odelia."
It was Odelia, who had been grinning from ear to ear without realizing it, then looked up in surprise.
As she looked at Judith and Cedric, the two of them were smiling sweetly, as if they had decided long ago.
“...Me?”
She felt the small breaths in and out in her arms anew.
Odelia lowered her gaze to look at the child's face, then suddenly shifted her eyes to the side.
Cedric, sitting at the head of the bed, could not take his eyes off the child for a single moment, and Judith smiled quietly as she watched him. Between the two, the warmth and tranquility created by the new life settled calmly.
While it was fortunate that at least these two people managed to safely embrace their happiness amidst this unstable world, she was also envious.
A boundary that one dares not cross.
Beyond that line lay an ordinary day of sharing laughter with a child. But Odelia knew all too well that having such fantasies about Calix was forbidden.
At times, her dream felt incredibly distant. Even though she had chased it this far, that fact still made Odelia feel lonely.
As the child fidgeted, Odelia looked down at her again, and a smile formed on her lips. A certain emptiness seeped into that sincere smile, but no one noticed.
"It’s an honor. I’ll gladly do so."
It was Odelia who had vowed to protect the happiness of those who possessed what she lacked. At her cheerful reply, laughter spread throughout the room.
'This is enough.'
As if comforting herself, Odelia thought this. Even if it was a life she could not possess, she was satisfied with the fact that she could at least play a role in protecting the lives of her precious friends...
Her gaze lowered again toward the child. A quiet breath rose and fell in her arms like light waves.
As if to remember that warmth for a long time, Odelia hugged the child a little tighter.
***
Far away, the western garden of the imperial palace. Calix was cooling off for a moment in the garden after finishing his training.
Before his sweat had even dried, a servant arrived with a small carrier pigeon, and Calix entered the office.
A note bearing Odelia's seal was tightly tied to the carrier pigeon's leg. As he untied the knot and unfolded the paper, her neat handwriting came into view.
[Judith gave birth safely. It is a healthy baby girl.
Her hair is bright golden, like Judith's, and her eyes are the spitting image of Cedric. They say Cedric cried even more than Judith, even though he wasn't the one giving birth to her. Typical of him, isn't it?
Both the child and Judith are safe.
P.S. Also, we increased security on the outskirts of the village.]
It was a short and concise letter.
Calix looked down at the paper for a moment, then slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
Going out of her way to send content that would have sufficed as a report via carrier pigeon was a typical impatience of hers and a somewhat cute stubbornness.
Just then, a frantic knock was heard. As Calix granted entry, the aide stepped in with hurried steps.
"Your Majesty, I have a report to give you regarding Lady Odelia of Talamand."
"Report."
Calix looked up as he folded Odelia's letter. Just as the aide was about to speak, a commotion broke out outside again. When the attendant guarding the outside announced the visit of several ministers, Calix once again granted permission for entry.
The ministers strode in with flushed faces.
"Does that make sense, Your Majesty!"
"Did Your Majesty know about this as well?"
Anger and commotion poured out all at once.
"Odelia... that she was a survivor of the Rubis family!"
Calix's expression hardened. His fingertips, holding the carrier pigeon, were stiff, but he immediately opened his mouth nonchalantly in a calm voice.
"This is not the first time I have heard this story, but I would like to ask you first: did you come to find me with concrete evidence? If not, what you have brought is not the truth, but merely a rumor. If you have swayed by words of unclear origin and swarmed into the Emperor's office to cause a disturbance, who will be held responsible?"
The ministers fell silent for a moment at the firm words. However, their voices soon burst out again.
"Your Majesty, the rumors have already spread far and wide!"
"I heard that testimony came from Grimford's mind. It has been clearly stated that Odelia is a survivor of the Rubis family!"
Unlike the wavering ministers, Calix's gaze did not waver in the slightest.
"Not all testimony is the truth. If your words turn out to be false, every word spoken right here and now will be recorded exactly as words that disturbed the empire."
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