Chapter 104. Eyes Met
After finishing dinner and coming up to the room, the faint sound of firecrackers could be heard through the open window.
It was the sound carrying over from the summer night festival in full swing at the square.
The people of the imperial capital held their own summer night festival every year. It was a festival held with the purpose of enjoying the night instead of the sweltering midday heat.
Blair was curious about the festival, but given her current situation of hiding herself, going to watch it was out of the question.
Instead, the old woman who took pity on such a Blair soothed her disappointment with festival snacks she had bought, saying, "A mother with a baby needs to eat well."
"Still, it's nice and cool now that night has fallen."
Blair sat by the window where the cool night breeze blew in. It was too regrettable a time to go straight to sleep.
Then, suddenly recalling something, she pulled out a map from her bundle. It was one of the few belongings she had brought from the ducal residence.
Traveling across the entire continent was a dream from her childhood when she knew nothing.
As she grew up, she realized that a noble lady could not travel freely and conformed to reality, but a wish still remained in one corner of her heart.
But now that she had decided to discard her status, she had taken one step closer to that dream.
'If I go to the eastern coast, I might even be able to visit other continents.'
It was said that the Southern Continent was home to people with healthy bronze skin, and the Eastern Continent was home to people with mysterious black hair and obsidian-like black eyes.
Their appearance, as well as their culture, customs, and language, described in books containing such information, had fully stimulated Blair's curiosity.
Now, actually meeting them, and furthermore, going to the continent where they lived was no longer an empty dream. That fact made Blair's heart flutter.
Of course, it would be a dream that would only begin after Ashiel was born and had grown up to some extent.
"……I slept a lot during the day too, but I'm drowsy again."
Blair, who had been blinking her sleepy eyes while looking at the map, couldn't shake off the drowsiness washing over her and lay down on the bed.
How much time had passed like that?
"……Ma'am."
Blair, who had fallen into a deep sleep, heard a familiar voice and struggled to open her eyes.
"Madam!"
It was still a time when the surroundings were steeped in darkness. The first thing she saw in the faint darkness was Mikhail's face, urgently shaking her awake.
Blair rubbed her sleep-laden eyes and looked at him with questioning eyes.
"What's the matter at this hour?"
"We must leave this place right now."
"Leave? What do you mean, suddenly……"
"The ducal knights are searching every residence in the imperial capital."
"……What?"
Blair's eyes widened at the unexpected news.
The people residing within the imperial capital were clearly under the emperor's protection—they were the emperor's people.
Searching a few households suspected of being involved in specific crimes was one thing, but searching an unspecified number of households like now was something that only happened when rooting out perpetrators of serious crimes like treason.
Yet now the Delmark knights were searching residences.
In other words, this meant that even for someone like Hedin, this action was a tremendous overreach of authority.
Just as Blair was turning pale at the unexpectedly persistent pursuit, Mikhail brought her robe.
"Soon the ducal knights will storm this house too. We need to hurry and get out before then."
Only then coming to her senses, Blair hurriedly dressed and prepared to leave. Since her luggage was minimal and Mikhail had prepared in advance, the preparations were quickly completed.
When the two, having finished preparing to leave, came down to the first floor, the old woman who had been checking the situation outside through the window approached them.
"Go carefully. Don't overdo it, and don't skip meals just because you're in a hurry. Raising a little one in your belly is hard enough as it is—you need your strength."
"……Thank you."
"And you, the baby's father, take good care of yourself too. From the moment you have a family, your body isn't just yours anymore. You know that?"
At the old woman's admonition, a brief silence fell between Mikhail and Blair.
Since they had agreed not to tell the truth for her safety, they couldn't explain, and yet saying the child was another man's felt somehow off as well.
It seemed there was no way to clear up the misunderstanding.
Mikhail, briefly observing Blair's demeanor, soon smiled gently and nodded.
"I will. Thank you for taking care of us all this time, ma'am."
The two bid farewell to the old woman and immediately went out the back door.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard continuously in the dark, quiet village. They were likely from the Delmark knight order.
At the sound coming from afar, Blair pulled her robe's hood down more carefully. So that not a single strand of hair could be seen.
"Piik?"
"Shh, Pippi. You have to be quiet from now on."
Blair calmed Pippi, who was getting restless at the sudden start of the journey. Fortunately, the clever beast seemed to understand its owner's words and quieted down. Though it still fidgeted inside the bag.
Blair, sticking close behind Mikhail, asked.
"All the routes are blocked, is there a way to get out?"
"……There is one place that's likely to show a gap."
"Where is that?"
"We'll go to the Maha River ferry."
Mikhail said so and took the lead.
Among the customs of the summer night festival was floating lanterns and making wishes along the Maha River, which ran across the imperial capital.
Probably tonight too, there would be many people wanting to float lanterns and boatmen making money by providing boat rides for them.
The Delmark knights were blocking and searching all entry and exit routes of the imperial capital, but they probably wouldn't have thought of someone leaving the capital via the river.
Especially on a festival day like today when crowds gathered, it would be even harder to catch anyone.
She couldn't be certain, but for now, she had no choice but to pin her hopes on that possibility.
* * *
"Here is the coffee you ordered."
The cafe employee carefully set down the coffee in front of the customer who exuded a peculiar killing intent. The coffee spilled from the shaken cup and wet the saucer.
The employee hastily wiped the saucer with a napkin. It was a relief that the customer was looking toward the square.
He breathed a sigh of relief and retreated as if fleeing.
Just as Hedin picked up the teacup with his gaze fixed on the bustling square, Ruth, who had just entered the cafe, spotted him at a glance and approached.
Ruth, who soon sat across from him, anticipated what he would ask and reported the situation.
"It seems the search is taking time, perhaps because there are many empty houses on the festival day. Still, with access restricted and the encirclement narrowing, finding the Madam is only a matter of time."
Ruth said so and stole a glance at Hedin's expression.
He was observing the people passing by on the square side to a degree that made one wonder if he had even heard Ruth's report just now.
Like a beast of prey searching for its quarry.
Ruth swallowed a sigh at the sight and carefully asked.
"So wouldn't it be better to go in and get some sleep now?"
Hedin had barely slept for almost three days, sustaining himself only with coffee and cigars.
He looked fine on the outside, but in truth, if a human went three days without sleep, their body would inevitably break down. It meant that even someone as tough as him couldn't avoid taking a hit.
At first, Ruth had half-complained, saying, "That's one hell of a marital spat," but now he was starting to genuinely worry that Hedin might suddenly collapse and something go wrong.
But Hedin, having finished his coffee, stood up, leaving behind Ruth's concerns.
"You go in and rest."
His blue eyes, as he draped his robe and exited the cafe, shone with a piercing gleam.
* * *
Even though it was late at night, a massive crowd had gathered at the square where the festival was held.
Blair moved her feet diligently, pushed by the crowd, so as not to lose Mikhail.
'On a festival day when people converge in one place, going through secluded areas might actually draw attention. So it's better to use the crowd.'
For that reason, Mikhail had chosen to move through the crowd at the square.
However, while it was easy to hide, pushing through the surging crowd was no easy task.
Especially for Blair, who was small and frail.
Mikhail, who had been looking back at Blair with anxious eyes as she was jostled by one person after another, finally couldn't bear it anymore and approached her.
"Madam, please excuse me for a moment."
His solid arm wrapped around Blair's shoulder protectively. Even then, his hand did not grab her shoulder.
Startled by the sudden proximity that practically enveloped her, Mikhail whispered softly.
"Forgive my rudeness. It will only be for a moment."
In that state, he began pushing through the crowd. With the help of a large-framed man, the impact of bumping into various people definitely lessened, making it easier to walk.
It was around the time they had finally pushed through the densely crowded area and entered a somewhat quieter zone.
From the adjacent area where many people were standing, fireworks began shooting up in succession. It seemed that the large crowd had gathered there for that reason.
Blair involuntarily turned her gaze toward the fireworks bursting in the sky. Colorful fireworks also bloomed in her purple eyes.
'Even though that too is a kind of fire, how can it be so beautiful……'
The moment she thought that, one person suddenly came to mind.
The one who put a roasted marshmallow in her mouth, who came to save her into the fierce flames, who taught her that fireworks could be beautiful…… her husband.
Blair lowered her gaze from the fireworks, as if to turn away from the emotions surging the moment she recalled his face.
At that moment, their eyes met.
With him, who was looking at her with eyes so chillingly cold among the countless crowd.