Chapter 43: Putting Knowledge to the Test.
Chapter 43: Putting Knowledge to the Test.
Unlike Rachael and Rebecca, whom Osborne knew were nothing but rotten devils, from what he knew about Roseline, while she was ruthless and strong, there was one defining factor about her.
She always tried to carry herself as much as possible, a sense of responsibility if you would.
And it was that very thing he had been hoping to utilise once more.
Nevertheless, Osborne went silent.
This was the first time Roseline had openly admitted fault in front of her sisters.
And more importantly...
She had just asked him what she could do to make amends.
Interesting... Osborne’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Perhaps this situation wasn’t as bad as he had initially thought.
"Please don’t misunderstand, my lady."
"There’s nothing I wish to take from you. It’s natural for us to make mistakes at times, after all, we’re only human."
"If there’s something I could ask of you, it’d be to finally prove my worth."
"I understand that during my time here at the estate, I’ve been nothing but a nuisance and a waste, but now, I implore you."
"Please, invest in me." Osborne bowed low, his gaze on his shoes.
"I want to be useful to House Roosevelt. All I’m asking is that you continue to maintain the good relations between our houses while allowing me to become useful to yours."
"Now that I’ve awakened, I’m sure I can be of service to you, my lady."
"So please!"
"Give me the opportunity to stand by your side. I don’t want to tarnish your image by appearing as your betrothed the way I am now, which is why I ask that you shape me to your liking, my lady."
His sudden speech left the dining hall in silence once more.
’This useless bastard...’ Rebecca secretly gnashed her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to refute his words and call him hopeless, but now that he was an awakened, not to mention a Dual Awakener, such words weren’t suitable anymore.
Roseline was silent, staring at Osborne who was still bowing, as if thinking his words over.
"Sister, why hesitate? It’s obvious how willing he is to improve himself. Moreover, wouldn’t it be more helpful to the family if we had a capable Dual Awakener at our side?"
"He could become another one of your trump cards if you build him up properly."
"We still don’t know if he’s capable of growing to such lengths. Just because he awakened dual abilities doesn’t necessarily make him talented enough to progress with both." Rebecca spoke up, refusing to keep silent.
"Then wouldn’t it be better to first see how far he’s capable of going?" Ruby said.
"But what if he fails? Wouldn’t we have wasted resources best suited to more obvious talents?"
The two sisters began going back and forth, with neither refusing to back down.
"That’s enough..." Roseline finally spoke up.
"I’ll give you a chance to prove whether you’re worthy of my investment. You’ll be given a week. I’ll get you two teachers who’ll try to help you improve both your abilities."
"My lady, if I may." Osborne gradually raised his head, his eyes still lowered nonetheless. "Might I have the opportunity of picking those teachers myself?"
Rebecca burst out laughing. "I told you he wasn’t serious about this."
"Who could you possibly get?" She looked at Osborne with disdain. "You’re better off swindling a drunkard and a beggar than finding reasonable teachers."
Osborne didn’t even spare Rebecca a glance; instead, he continued to look straight at Roseline, awaiting her response.
"Fine... I’ll allow it, but bear in mind that at the end of the week, after acquiring both teachers, if your results aren’t acceptable, I don’t want to hear you bring up this matter ever again."
"Of course, my lady." Osborne bowed once more.
Since the talks were over, he took his seat at the dining table. Fortunately, the food was still warm.
The only thing that happened during the meal was Rebecca’s occasional displeased look, something he found less annoying than an extra grain of salt in his meal.
---
After he finished his meal, Osborne excused himself from the dining hall.
He soon got ready to head out. Rather than wasting time at the estate doing nothing, he found it more reasonable to act now than later.
"What are you doing here?" Osborne stared at Natalie, who just walked up to him with a curious gaze.
"It’s nice to meet you again, my lord." Natalie offered a bow.
’My lord? Why the sudden change in honorifics?’ he wondered.
"I’ll save you some trouble and tell you, you don’t have to call me that. While I am your lady’s betrothed, I never agreed to become a true member of her household."
"I-I see..." Natalie’s expression faltered, not expecting to hear such. "My apologies if I displeased you then, young master." She offered an apologetic bow.
Osborne merely waved his hands dismissively.
"You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here."
"Oh." Natalie recalled his earlier question. "My lady asked that I accompany you whenever you so wish to step outside of the estate."
’So that’s what she meant back then...’ Osborne remembered his talk with Roseline the day before, in her study. At the time, he requested unobstructed passage in and out of the estate. She did say she’d allow it only if he had someone by his side.
’Well, it would be wishful thinking to expect them to let me go alone.’ Osborne said as he looked Natalie over.
In his opinion, getting Natalie to be his guardian was far better than having anyone else since they already knew each other to a certain extent.
"Alright." Osborne said.
The carriage soon came around, and the both of them got on before leaving the estate.
"Might I ask where you plan on heading to, my lord?"
"Nowhere too far in particular. I have no intention of leaving the Marché." Osborne replied.
’Fortunately, those two should be in the Marché at this point in time. I was honestly hoping to get the help of one of them after acquiring the holy sword, but I guess this is equally great in a way.’
While he didn’t get the holy sword, at least now he was capable of wielding both aura and mana without the effects of his past nightmares to hold him down.