"Ahhh…"
Back in her room, Odile let out a long sigh. She sat down in her chair, weariness written across her brows.
For Odile, her life had been tangled into a mess ever since her engagement was broken off publicly.
As a noble's daughter, she had, of course, been raised under elite education since childhood. She always knew she was to marry the duke's son. For that, Odile diligently studied everything a duchess was supposed to know—etiquette, posture, knowledge, and manners.
Truth be told, Odile never had much personal feeling for the duke's son. Their first meeting had been when they were both small children, and afterward they met only once a year. She could feel he wasn't passionate or interested in her. Frankly, Odile felt the same—he was simply her assigned fiancé, nothing more.
That didn't surprise her. Political marriages worked that way. Even her parents were like this; she knew her father and mother both had lovers outside the marriage. Their union was not love, but duty and politics.
Even so, when the duke's son broke their engagement publicly, Odile was left stunned and uneasy.
It wasn't sadness from jealousy or rejection. It was fear for her future.
Her whole upbringing, her entire existence, had been centered on becoming a proper duchess. That was her reason for being.
Now, with the engagement broken, that path vanished. Ten years of life and effort had turned to ashes, leaving her with no purpose.
So where was she supposed to go from here?
She didn't know. The scandal was real, regardless of the reasons. No other noble would take her.
Perhaps… her parents would use her as a bargaining chip, marrying her off to a wealthy merchant? Nobles sometimes did that—trading daughters for capital. Though she had no future among nobles, merchants might still want her.
But when her father finally revealed her fate, it shocked her.
"You will serve as the personal maid of Sir Dragonslayer."
The Dragonslayer.
Odile knew the name well. When the evil dragon Fafnir attacked the royal city, everyone had witnessed it. That knight had slain the dragon even the princess herself couldn't defeat. Odile remembered it clearly. She also knew through her social circle that both the kings of Regnis and Manaria seemed willing to betroth their princesses to him.
But that was the extent of her knowledge.
The knight never attended banquets or mingled in noble society. Yet no one dared complain. Frankly, Odile had been surprised to see him at her engagement banquet at all.
Her first impression of Duanmu Huai matched her idea of a dragonslayer: tall, powerful, radiating the aura of a strong man. His frightening appearance made sense—how could someone who slew the Dragon King look like a delicate pretty boy?
And now, after all that, Odile had become his personal maid.
But…
"What exactly should I be doing?"
She stared at her hands and whispered to herself. That was her greatest worry—she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
The princess had been right: a "personal maid" wasn't just a servant. It meant handling house affairs, social interactions, even acting like a personal steward, fulfilling every need of the master.
The problem was… Duanmu Huai never asked her for anything.
He didn't ignore her, exactly. It was just… he didn't seem to need her at all.
Honestly, if he had looked at her with the intentions other men often carried, at least she would know what role she was supposed to play.
But no—his eyes held no particular interest. And she understood why. He already had two princesses as fiancées, Ann and Guleya, and his companions were all beauties, far more interesting than herself.
Yes, Odile knew well: she was boring.
Asked about hobbies, she had none. Desserts? She rarely ate them, needing to maintain her figure. Arts? She studied them, but never from passion—only because it was expected of a duchess.
Her only purpose had been shaping herself into a duchess.
And now…
She lifted her eyes to the window. Outside, a blazing star burned brightly, its light reflecting off the metal hull of their warship. She remembered Duanmu Huai telling her that was a "sun," and this place a "star system." Each star system had one.
And this was her greatest trouble.
Following Duanmu Huai, she had seen things she could never have imagined. She had gone to Hell itself, and faced a Daedric Prince. She knew now that her master's stage was far beyond that of petty nobles. And that terrified her. What could someone like her do here?
It was like a peasant suddenly dragged into the capital's glittering luxury, lost in a world beyond understanding.
What are these things?
What should I do?
Her noble training was useless here. All she could do was bring him meals and tea—trivial things.
But it clearly wasn't enough.
She envied Olgis and Feline, who could freely do what they wished. She was different. It wasn't that she was shackled by identity. Even if told, "Do what you want," she had no idea what she wanted.
So for now, she decided: she would study.
Odile reached for the book on her desk, borrowed from the library: Astronomy. The princess had said it described knowledge of the "universe." Maybe, if she learned it, she could draw closer to her master's world.
Maybe.
Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai was contacting the Guardians.
"The prison was invaded?"
Seated, he stared at Cayde-6, who nodded.
"We just got the report. The Elder Prison holding the Fallen Barons has been attacked. They're obviously after the Barons. We have to go immediately. But with our manpower short, well… could the Inquisition help?"
"The Fallen… those wandering pirates, right."
Duanmu Huai recalled what he knew. The Fallen had once been a race blessed by the Traveler. But the Traveler abandoned them, and they became pirates, raiding and plundering across the stars.
"But you people actually locked them up? You should've just killed them. Honestly, send Voice of Truth over, blast the prison with one shot, problem solved."
He could not understand the Guardians' way of thinking. To him, leaving the Barons alive was asking for trouble. Games always had this stupidity—enemies that should've been killed were locked up, only to escape later, and then you had to chase and kill them anyway.
If they were destined to die, why not kill them right away?
"Personally, I'd like that too. But I don't make the rules."
Cayde-6 shrugged helplessly.
"Fine then."
Duanmu Huai stood up.
"I'm free anyway. I'll go with you. But you know the Inquisition's style—we don't hold back."
"Of course. That's why we asked. …Honestly, I thought you'd be too busy."
"Lately? I'm bored out of my mind."
He stretched lazily. He wasn't lying—aside from paperwork, there had been little to do. He was restless, itching for action.
"Let's go."
(End of Chapter)