Chapter 105. Not Alone, But Us
2023.12.14.
He could see Blair's trembling eyes as they met his. The fear filling those eyes, too.
"……Blair."
Amidst all the commotion around them, only she existed in Herdin's eyes.
As if only the two of them remained in this world.
What intruded upon their world of two was the arm of a man with his robe hood pulled over his head.
The faceless man wrapped his arm around the shoulders of Blair, who stood frozen staring blankly at him, and she then turned her gaze toward the man.
Once again, she was trying to flee from him.
Realizing this, Herdin clenched his teeth and stepped toward Blair.
That moment.
"Whoa, move out of the way!"
A carriage blocked Herdin's path. Through the partially obstructed view, he could see Blair's back gradually receding into the distance.
Without a moment's hesitation, Herdin cast magic to create a foothold and lightly leaped over the carriage.
"D-did you see that just now?"
"What's with that guy? Is he a mage?"
The people around who witnessed his magic buzzed with chatter, but none of it reached his ears.
Herdin continued casting magic to create footholds above the crowd, striding closer to where Blair had disappeared.
But by the time he reached that spot, Blair had already vanished without a trace. Herdin's lips twisted as he scanned his surroundings.
Their eyes had definitely met.
Yet she turned away nonetheless. Right before his eyes, almost falling into the embrace of a strange man.
Herdin ground his teeth as he recalled the sight of her disappearing before his eyes. Simultaneously, he clenched his fists so hard that the tendons on the back of his hands bulged.
He understood full well what Blair's action of turning away even after seeing him meant, yet he chased after her while turning a blind eye to that fact.
From the moment he switched her contraceptive pills, her feelings no longer mattered.
Whatever the reason, whatever the emotion, you must stay by my side.
That was the only thing that mattered to him.
"Your Excellency!"
Luce, who had been following behind him from the café out of concern, came running breathlessly after witnessing the earlier commotion.
Herdin immediately issued an order to her.
"……She's close. Find her."
* * *
As Mikhail had predicted, many people had come out to enjoy a summer night's boat ride along the Mahan River.
Countless lanterns floating up on the cool river breeze illuminated the summer night, creating a beautiful scene, but Blair had no leisure to appreciate it.
Mikhail laid Blair down beneath the planks of the ferryboat.
"It must be uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a little while."
Saying so, he draped a black cloth over Blair and her bag containing Pipi. And on top of that, the assistant from Baroness Sionel's dress shop sat down.
They had met the assistant waiting by the riverside with a ferryboat prepared after receiving Mikhail's contact.
Mikhail disguised himself as the boatman, and the assistant as a guest out for a summer evening stroll along the river.
Mikhail was reluctant to lay Blair at the bottom of the ferryboat, but exposing her, whose face was known, carried too great a risk, leaving no other choice. It was fortunate at least that it wasn't too hot being nighttime.
Eventually, the ferryboat glided smoothly onto the river.
"Pii? Pii!"
"I'm sorry, Pipi. For making you go through this."
Noticing Pipi squirming inside the bag, Blair gently coaxed the creature with an apologetic voice. The beast, sniffling and looking around for a while, soon grew quiet.
Blair gazed at the night sky visible through the gap in the black cloth. The scenery of countless lanterns embroidering the night sky was beautiful.
Once she had passed that crisis, the face of Herdin she had just encountered came to mind.
Among the countless people, only he was visible.
Even amidst that chaos, her eyes had found him first. As if by instinct.
The moment her heart dropped upon realizing that fact, Mikhail pulled her close by the shoulder.
And so she had barely escaped from him.
'Please, may I never cross paths with that man again.'
As she prayed while watching the lanterns adorning the night sky, the riverside suddenly grew noisy.
It was the Delmark Knight Order.
They began searching the people gathered by the riverside one by one.
At their center stood Herdin, exuding a chilling killing intent palpable even in the darkness.
Seeing that figure, Blair quickly pulled the cloth up to cover her face and held her breath. Even though there was no way Herdin, who was far away, could hear her breathing.
Thump, thump. Her heart, plagued by anxiety, began to race. Whether it was just her imagination, Mikhail's rowing seemed to have slowed down.
In the meantime, Herdin stepped onto the nearest bridge crossing the river. The knights swiftly followed behind him.
Just as he reached the center of the bridge, Mikhail's ferryboat approached from beneath it. Turning the boat around now would only invite suspicion.
The moment the ferryboat leisurely passed under the bridge, Herdin's gaze turned toward that very boat.
Mikhail skillfully avoided his eyes by turning his head as if surveying the riverside.
A fleeting moment that felt endlessly long passed by.
Herdin, who had been staring blankly at the boat drifting across the dark river, roughly swept his bangs back and looked at the knight commander beside him.
"Search everywhere thoroughly. Everyone getting off the boats as well."
A low voice mixed with exhaustion-laden sigh embedded itself in Blair's ears.
Eventually, the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away.
Blair held her breath beneath the black cloth, quietly listening to that sound growing distant.
Until no trace of him could be heard anymore.
* * *
The place where Mikhail's boat stopped was a forest on the opposite bank of the Mahan River.
Crossing this forest would lead them out of the capital. And beyond the forest, a carriage that Mikhail had arranged to wait in advance would be waiting.
"Please be careful."
Blair disembarked from the ferryboat with Mikhail's escort.
The assistant from Baroness Sionel's dress shop—no, Mikhail's subordinate—who had helped the two of them bid them farewell.
"I pray your journey ahead is peaceful."
"Thank you for everything."
Mikhail's subordinate boarded the ferryboat again, and Blair entered the forest together with Mikhail.
Though it was a bright moonlit night, pushing through the untamed forest was difficult work. Especially for Blair, who was not alone.
Noticing her struggle, Mikhail offered his hand to Blair.
"I apologize for leading you through such rough terrain. If you don't mind, please take my hand."
Blair, who was about to take Mikhail's hand without thinking, hesitated.
Once she left the capital, she would be on her own.
She could no longer take someone else's help for granted, and she would have to overcome many things by herself.
Blair shook her head.
"I appreciate the thought, but I can walk on my own. Don't worry about me and lead the way."
True to her resolve, Blair accepted no help from Mikhail until they emerged from the forest.
After walking for a long while, the two finally reached the other side of the forest. There, a carriage that Mikhail had arranged to wait stood ready.
Mikhail, having loaded Blair's luggage, closed the carriage door and spoke.
"I have something to discuss, so I'll be riding on the coachman's seat. Please make yourself comfortable. Call for me if you need anything or find anything inconvenient."
Noticing that he was giving up his seat so she could rest comfortably, Blair smiled softly.
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
Mikhail climbed onto the coachman's seat, and soon the carriage departed.
Blair leaned her weary body against the carriage and gazed at the scenery outside the window.
Before she knew it, the dawn's twilight was settling over the distant mountain ridges.
She had finally left the capital.
The thought of facing a new world filled her with anticipation on one hand, but also fear on the other. Simultaneously, a trace of bitterness as well.
'I once wanted to travel with Herdin.'
In her childhood, when she was full of dreams about being able to leave the imperial palace and travel the wide world once she became an adult.
With her young heart, she had harbored a sweet fantasy of traveling together with Herdin.
Because he was strong, she believed he could defeat any frightening thing they might encounter in the unknown world.
But he was the very person who had crushed and confined her dreams, and she had stepped out into the world she had dreamed of all alone.
"Just me……"
Muttering those words, which felt a bit lonely just by speaking them, Blair suddenly remembered something she had forgotten and paused.
'No, I'm not alone.'
She stroked her belly, which still didn't show much outwardly, as if out of habit. A smile spread across Blair's lips as she gently touched her stomach.
Now Ashiel was with her.
And Pipi, who was now sleeping quietly in the bag.
There were two lives she had to take responsibility for. The weight of that small yet heavy responsibility firmly solidified her heart.
'I think I can live well.'
No, they would definitely live well. 'We' would.
The morning sunlight beginning to stream through the window shone warmly upon her.
* * *
"Haa."
Lina breathed onto the window and wiped it until it squeaked clean.
Through the cleaned window, the scenery of the ducal estate came into view. Under the clear sky, the trees were gradually taking on vibrant colors.
It was a full autumn landscape.
Lina's expression grew wistful at the sight.
'Around this time last year, we were in the midst of preparing for the madam's wedding……'
It had already been two months since Blair disappeared.
She had waited with the hope that Blair might secretly send her a letter once she settled somewhere, but even now, two months later, no word had come.
'The weather is getting chillier by the day. I hope she's doing well in a warm place.'
As Lina was gathering her melancholy feelings, a small but clear bell began to ring from the center of the mansion.
It was the bell announcing Herdin's return.