Chapter 11. The True Purpose of This Marriage
2023.09.11.
Noon, when the sun hung at the center of the sky.
In the greenhouse situated in the rear garden of the Grand Empress Palace, a gathering was held to welcome the new member of the imperial family.
Katarina looked at Blair and Herdin sitting side by side across from her and smiled with satisfaction.
It was her new trophy, having achieved everything she desired since becoming the Empress.
"When others called them a perfect match, I merely thought 'I suppose so.' But seeing them now, they truly are a picture-perfect couple. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"
"Indeed. My heart swells with pride. Now if only they produce an heir, it would be perfect."
"The Delmark family is one that values its heirs, so it would be best to have at least three. Blair, you'll have to work hard."
Herdin casually let the harmonious conversation of the emperor and his mother wash over him as he looked at the woman beside him.
Blair wore her usual calm expression. She was far from showing any joy at meeting her family.
While Katarina and Ivan were giving their welcome to Herdin, who had become their new family member, the food was prepared.
Ivan raised his glass filled with aperitif.
"To think that the Duke and I would become family like this—it feels as though I've gained a million soldiers. When the Imperial family and House Delmark join forces, what else under heaven could we possibly fear?"
"……."
"Now that we're family, I hope we can see each other often and create opportunities to talk. We have much to discuss from now on, don't we?"
For the boundless glory and prosperity of this empire.
Ivan lightly clinked his glass against Herdin's. The clear sound of crystal glasses touching rang out cheerfully.
The sound didn't sit well with Herdin's ears, but he quietly offered his glass nonetheless.
As the meal was coming to an end, Ivan turned to Herdin as if he'd just remembered something.
"Ah, right. There was something I wanted to ask your opinion on, and this is perfect timing."
Ivan finished rinsing his palate with wine and continued.
"Lately, various nations have been actively engaging in exchange with the eastern part of the continent."
"Well, with a sea route to the Eastern Continent recently opening, trade has been flourishing. To make contact with the Eastern Continent, they naturally have to maintain close relations with the east."
"That's right. Looking into it, there are many novel and useful things among the cultural artifacts coming from the Eastern Continent. It would be nice if we could also open a closer sea route and engage in more active exchange... It's quite a shame."
Ivan shook his head and clicked his tongue. Then he asked for Herdin's opinion.
"What do you think about this, Duke?"
At Ivan's question, which seemed to merely ask for his opinion, Herdin inwardly scoffed.
The emperor wanted to carve open the gateway to the eastern part of the continent, and further, to seize the eastern port leading to the Eastern Continent.
'The old foxes of the Noble Council must have held back on this matter as well.'
When war breaks out, the first to be conscripted are the young noble heirs. No matter how loyal they are to the emperor, could anything be more precious than their own blood?
At such a time, he had gotten his hands on the powerful title of the empire's greatest Magic Swordsman. Though he hadn't explicitly mentioned it, what the emperor wanted was obvious.
War.
The emperor, who had never even fought a proper battle, let alone a war, seemed to think of war as nothing more than chess. A game where one could effortlessly capture the opponent's pieces with just a flick of a finger.
No wonder he had so readily approved the replenishment of Delmark's troops.
Of course, he had no intention of agreeing with such foolish thinking, but he decided to at least pretend to listen attentively.
If only for the sake of the one-year wife sitting beside him.
"I wonder."
Herdin replied indifferently, swirling the wine glass in his hand. The transparent wine sloshed gently.
But unlike him, his wife seemed to have no intention of letting it pass quietly.
"There must be no war, Brother."
Blair, who had opened her mouth, gripped the hem of her dress under the table.
She didn't care if Ivan tried to manipulate her. But she couldn't tolerate him trying to wield Herdin.
She didn't want to put someone who had already entered an unwanted marriage through further hardship.
In her previous life, she had stayed silent in the same situation. Back then, standing up to Ivan was unimaginable.
And that remained as a debt of the heart toward Herdin.
Now she didn't want to owe him any more emotional debt. She didn't want to shrink before him as she had before her regression.
Not for his sake, but for her own.
"Though there may be differences in degree, war leaves scars that are difficult to recover from, both for the defeated nation and the victorious one."
"……."
"The people are not your chess pieces, Brother. Don't push them into war under the pretext of your will."
Herdin quietly watched Blair as she spoke.
Though her voice was small, her appearance as she clearly conveyed her opinion was more powerful than ever.
Even as the small hands gripping her dress under the table trembled.
Ivan, who seemed taken aback by the blunt words of his usually obedient sister, let out a laugh of disbelief.
Katarina, observing Ivan's expression, chided Blair.
"Blair! His Majesty is in the middle of a conversation with the Duke, isn't he? What kind of ill-mannered behavior is this in front of a guest?"
Blair, who had never once rebelled before, had raised her voice against Ivan's words. And in Herdin's presence, no less.
It was something Katarina could not tolerate.
"And what do you know about state affairs to be running your mouth like that?"
"Leave it, Mother. How could a woman who has never studied the art of kingship understand a ruler's heart that thinks of the people?"
Ivan laughed leisurely as he restrained Katarina, but there was clearly a tone of disdain for Blair embedded in his words.
Herdin tilted his wine glass and observed Blair's expression. The light was fading from the eyes of the woman who had briefly burned with fierce spirit.
Seeing this, Herdin's gaze turned cold. He lowered the glass from his moistened lips.
"As far as I can see, my wife didn't say anything particularly wrong."
At Herdin's languid voice breaking the silence, all three pairs of eyes turned to him at once.
"How can speaking one's mind to ensure good governance be considered to hold rude intentions, when it is the duty of a vassal before being a sibling?"
Katarina, momentarily flustered by Herdin's sudden intervention, shot back.
"Duke, this is a mother disciplining her child to correct her shortcomings. Don't take her side."
It meant he should not interfere in the affairs between parent and child.
Herdin chuckled and set down the wine glass he had been holding.
"They say a daughter becomes an outsider once she's married."
"What does that have to do with..."
"She is now Blair Delmark."
Herdin's eyes as he spoke Blair's name toward Katarina were as sharp as a beast hostile to anyone who touched what was his.
"Who else but me would point out my wife's shortcomings?"
At his cold intensity, Katarina flinched involuntarily and gasped.
But Herdin continued calmly.
"Regarding the opinion Your Majesty asked me for..."
He added, taking Blair's still-trembling hand and helping her up.
"I'll reconsider it after enjoying my honeymoon a bit more. As you said, House Delmark values its heirs."
With that.
He stood up, wrapping his strong arm around Blair's back.
Blair blinked with a bewildered expression as she was held by him.
His embrace, holding her as if protecting her, was warm. Just like that tender time before her regression.
* * *
The two left the greenhouse, leaving behind the exasperated sighs of Ivan and Katarina.
"We'll be departing."
As the two boarded the carriage, it began to move.
Herdin, who had been gazing at the passing winter scenery outside the window with dry eyes, suddenly felt a gaze upon him and turned his head.
Eyes resembling amethyst steeped in afternoon sunlight were quietly watching him.
As if they had been waiting for him to look back for a very long time.
"Thank you."
"I didn't do it to receive your gratitude. As you know, my feelings toward the imperial family aren't exactly favorable."
"Still, thank you. And... I'm sorry."
For making you be used for my mother's and brother's greed.
That was an apology that always lingered in a corner of her heart, even as her resentment toward him grew beyond control.
Instead of answering, Herdin stared at her for a long moment before turning his gaze back to the window.
How long had the silence lasted?
Regular breathing sounds began to echo inside the carriage. Only then did Herdin's gaze return to Blair.
At that moment, the carriage jolted, and Blair's body swayed violently.
Herdin reflexively reached out his hand to block Blair's head from hitting the wall. Silver-thread-like hair caught on his hand and flowed down softly.
As a result, the distance between them closed, but Blair remained deeply asleep, unaware of the situation.
Herdin let out a soft sigh and gazed at the woman's clear face leaning against his hand.
She always wore an expressionless face, and her calm demeanor no matter what sharp words he threw at her had annoyed him. She was like a pretty but emotionless doll.
So he hadn't hidden his hostility toward her. He deliberately said cruel things, drew lines, and treated her coldly.
He had wanted to see that composed face contort. As much as he had resented her.
But when he actually saw the woman's eyes losing their light under the weight of Ivan and Katarina, irritation surged through him.
It felt like having prey he'd been hunting for a long time stolen from him.
Making the woman cry, tormenting her, breaking her—that should have been his privilege alone.
"……."
Herdin, who had been watching the sleeping Blair, laid her down sideways on the carriage seat.
Blair stirred briefly before falling back into a deep sleep. With a more peaceful expression than before.
Herdin quietly took in the sight before turning his gaze back out the window.
The sound of breathing echoing in the quiet carriage completed the languid afternoon scene.
* * *
"Mmm..."
Blair, who had accidentally fallen asleep, felt her body floating in the air and opened her eyes. It was pitch dark before her.
As she panicked and flailed about, the thing covering her face slid down. What had been covering her was Herdin's coat.
In her dazed, just-awakened state, she saw the servants lined up in a row bowing in greeting.
And...
A face so unrealistically handsome that she wondered if she was still half-asleep.
"...Herdin?"
"You're awake."
The moment she met his eyes from such close proximity, Blair realized she had been sleeping in his arms and startled.
"P-put me down."
Blair struggled to escape from him.
It was embarrassing that she, a full-grown adult, had fallen asleep so deeply that she didn't even notice the carriage's arrival and had to rely on her husband's help.
But instead of putting her down, Herdin held her even more tightly.
Seeing the woman who had always been expressionless like a doll now with eyes round like a rabbit, he felt an inexplicable sadistic urge.
"It's too much trouble, so let's just go like this."
"I must be heavy..."
Herdin chuckled at Blair's mumbling.
It seemed his wife didn't know what 'heavy' meant. Either that, or she was underestimating her husband's strength.
Brushing off his wife's less-than-flattering assessment, he was about to climb the mansion's stairs when—
"Your Grace."
Ruth, who had remained at the mansion, approached him with news.
"The hypnotist has just arrived."
At those words, a cold aura flickered in Herdin's eyes.
It was time to approach the 'true' purpose of this contract marriage.