Chapter 1:

It's Decided

It had been just over a week since the mission to capture the Black Knight had come to an end, and despite André's eye wound having already healed, the doctor asked Oscar to ensure that his assistant didn't work for at least the next fifteen days.

Although Marion's grandson was getting better, even though the damage to his sight was irreversible, there was a remote possibility that his wound could reopen, and to avoid unnecessary risks, the doctor recommended that André not expose himself to the long hours they were both accustomed to.

During those days, Oscar François de Jarjayes, Commander of the Royal Guard, spent almost all her free afternoons taking care of André and returning the items that had been taken from the homes of some nobles as part of the mission to capture the Black Knight. House by house, Oscar explained to the affected aristocrats that these fictitious thefts had been part of a strategy to capture the most famous bandit in France. However, she also explained that, unfortunately, they had not succeeded in capturing him.

They were very happy to get their belongings back, but more importantly, they were thrilled to exchange words with Oscar. She not only belonged to one of the most important families in France but was also one of the most popular figures in the palace, barely acknowledging the conceited aristocrats who were only interested in maintaining their position within the French court.

It was already Tuesday, and Regnier's daughter was in the courtyard of the Palace of Versailles. By her side was Count Victor Clement de Gerodelle, who, along with her, was supervising the practices of the Royal Guards.

Since the morning, the second-in-command of the Royal Guard had noticed his commander's worry, unease, and absence, and he was intrigued to know what was bothering her. However, he didn't dare to interrupt her thoughts.

- "We didn't need to get involved in this... I'm responsible for André's injury," - Oscar thought, deeply troubled, under Gerodelle's watchful gaze.

But why did André fail against the Black Knight? This was a question that Regnier's daughter had repeated to herself many times since her friend and partner had been injured.

André was excellent with a sword, almost as skilled as she was, and while the Black Knight was one of the toughest opponents she had faced, Oscar couldn't understand when her partner might have let his guard down to allow himself to be injured, just as Bernard had. Only one explanation came to her mind, and that was thinking that André hadn't wanted to harm his opponent and that his subconscious had worked against him.

This was a fairly logical explanation since during the days when they attended the parties held in Versailles with the aim of capturing the Black Knight, he had insinuated to her several times that he didn't want to capture him.

"Oscar, the police are already handling this..."

"Oscar, is it really necessary to capture him? I understand he distributes what he steals among the poor..." - he would say. However, she was obsessed with the idea of discovering who the so-called hero of the poor was. She wanted to find out who he was.

On his part, despite seeing her quite downcast, Victor Clement still didn't dare to ask Oscar what was going on. Nevertheless, he was almost convinced that her commander's unusual behavior was related to André's abnormal absence. And since he couldn't stand the uncertainty any longer, the count tried to capture the attention of the Jarjayes heiress by starting a casual conversation and seeing if he could obtain some information about the cause of her obvious concern.

- Commander, I heard rumors about your attempt to capture the Black Knight - Gerodelle said.

- Yes, but it was a failure... We didn't manage to capture him. - Oscar replied. - Although, to be honest, I would have preferred not to start that search. - she confessed.

- Why do you say that, Commander? - Gerodelle asked, intrigued, as it wasn't normal for Oscar to regret her decisions.

Then, after a short pause, she addressed him again.

- Because of that mission, André was irreversibly injured. - she said.

- What happened to him? - Gerodelle asked.

- The Black Knight wounded him with his sword... and unfortunately, he lost the vision in his left eye forever. - she replied, with obvious sadness.

Then Gerodelle looked at her in surprise. He didn't expect something so serious to have happened to André, but, on the other hand, it confirmed his suspicions: it was for him that Oscar was so worried.

Suddenly, she made a sudden request.

- Gerodelle, I need to ask you a favor. - Oscar said, arousing Victor Clement's curiosity. - I will request a few days of vacation, and I would like you to take charge of the Royal Guard during my absence. - she added.

Oscar's unexpected request took Gerodelle by surprise; it wasn't usual for her to leave her duties so abruptly. However, he had no doubts that what she really wanted was to spend time with André while he recovered.

The count was a well-mannered man, very proper in his behavior, and he had great respect and admiration for her. However, her decision to leave her command to be with her assistant had caused him some annoyance. "Why does she attach so much importance to a commoner?" - Gerodelle thought, although deep down, he knew that wasn't what really bothered him, as he had a good relationship with his own assistant.

- "Am I jealous?" - he asked himself, with a resigned smile.

And then, trying to feign naturalness, he addressed Oscar to respond to her request. - Of course, Commander, you can count on it. - was all he managed to say.

Victor Clement knew that André and Oscar had a special relationship; he knew that, for her, André wasn't just any servant. The trust they had in each other, understanding each other with just a glance, anticipating each other; there was no doubt that they had a strong connection.

At one point, Gerodelle had asked General Jarjayes about André, specifically, he had asked how long he had been with his family, and the general had told him that Marion's grandson had been with them since he was very young and that more than a servant, Oscar saw him as a brother.

- "As a brother... ha!" - Victor thought ironically, for him, André's feelings for Oscar were evident. However, to his dismay, it was also quite obvious to the count that the Jarjayes heiress had similar feelings toward André, even if she herself wasn't aware of it.

While Gerodelle reflected on this, Oscar thought that a vacation trip to her Normandy villa could be an excellent idea for André to fully recover. After all, they had always enjoyed vacationing by the sea, and she thought that there, her best friend could forget about everything that had happened for a few days and be happy without thinking about anything other than getting well.

After making the decision and gaining the support of her second-in-command, the Jarjayes heiress began to feel more at ease. During the rest of the day, she arranged everything necessary to ensure her absence at Versailles wouldn't be noticed, and, of course, she also spoke to the queen to inform her of the early start to her vacation. Everything went better than expected because, fortunately, she encountered no obstacles to her plans, and she couldn't wait to get home to announce the news to her dearest friend.

A few hours later, André and his grandmother were having dinner in the mansion's kitchen when suddenly Oscar entered with a different energy than in the previous days.

- Lady Oscar... You're back! - his nanny told her.

- Yes, Nana. - she replied, smiling as she hadn't in a long time. - Please, when you finish dinner, prepare everything necessary for André and me to go on a trip: We'll be going to the Normandy Villa for a few days. - she announced.

- What? - André exclaimed, surprised by the news.

- To the Normandy Villa? - the nanny exclaimed. - But Lady Oscar, what about your work?

- Don't worry about that, Nana. Everything is already arranged. - she replied. - And, by the way, I spoke with Dr. Lassone, and he said there's no problem with André accompanying me. I left several things pending at the villa that I need to take care of, and I have to leave for there immediately. - Oscar added.

And while he listened, André looked very intrigued; he knew there was nothing to fix at the Normandy Villa because the people in charge of the property always had everything in order.

Suddenly, great joy filled his heart, and he realized that Oscar had planned this trip for him. Yes, it had to be that way; there was no other reason for leaving Versailles so suddenly.

- "She's doing it for me." - he said to himself with joy. And as he thought about it, the eyes of the woman he loved shone as they always did whenever she got an idea in her head. Oscar was determined to help her dearest friend forget those last few days that had changed his life, or at least to try.

- We leave early tomorrow, André. - she told him, very determined, as she left the kitchen to go to her room.

- Perfect. - he replied. And his grandmother slumped into a chair, as she always did when her beloved daughter surprised her with some last-minute idea.

...

End of the chapter.