Chapter 116. That Man's Taste
2023.12.25.
The next morning, Blair woke up in Herdin's arms. It seemed he had returned while she was asleep.
In truth, she had vaguely felt him embracing her in her sleep.
But her unconscious mind found his embrace comfortable and fell back asleep. It was almost embarrassing, considering she had grown accustomed to sleeping alone over the past two months.
However, unlike what she felt in her sleep, as her consciousness became clearer, her chest felt stifled. His body holding her felt like a custom-made prison.
Blair tried to escape his embrace, pushing his thick arm away. But Herdin's arm pulled her in even more tightly.
'...Is he awake?'
She wondered if he had woken up, but judging by his regular breathing, he seemed to still be asleep.
Confirming he was sleeping, Blair lifted his arm and moved it aside like moving a heavy trunk. There was no hint of caution in her action.
She no longer had the mind to accommodate him, nor did she want to hold her breath to avoid offending him.
But contrary to her intentions, Herdin only furrowed his brows slightly without waking up.
For someone who was originally a light sleeper to not wake from this much movement, he must have been extremely tired. That seemed to explain why his demeanor yesterday felt subtly sharper than before.
Having slipped out of his embrace, Blair stared blankly at his peacefully sleeping face—which was different from his usual self—before turning away indifferently and rising from the bed.
She hated this man, hated him so much, but if she kept looking at that handsome face sleeping so peacefully, she felt even that emotion would disappear.
Of course, the moment he opened his eyes, those feelings would surge up again as if they had never left.
When she got out of bed, the first thing she saw was the window straight ahead. Through the window, she could see a garden that looked as though it had been meticulously manicured by an expert's hands.
After briefly surveying the room, Blair draped a thin shawl over herself and stepped out.
She hadn't been able to properly look around yesterday due to the circumstances, but she felt she needed to figure out where she was. Before he woke up and started watching her again.
Worried that another unfamiliar person might be assigned to follow and watch her as soon as she left the room, Blair was relieved to encounter a familiar face instead.
"Ah, Madam. You're up early."
"It's been a while, Sir Ruth."
Ruth, who had unconsciously begun to greet her warmly, paused.
For reasons unknown to him, Blair had fled with no intention of ever seeing Herdin again. And Herdin had forcibly brought her back.
As his adjutant, it was an awkward position to ask her how she had been.
After letting out an awkward smile in silence and pondering for a moment, Ruth finally found the words to say.
"Um... Is His Excellency still sleeping?"
"Yes."
"He must have been tired. That would explain it—he hasn't been sleeping well lately."
"Is that so?"
"His Excellency worried about you a lot. Truly."
Hoping to ease Blair's heart for the sake of his lord and the family's peace, Ruth subtly mentioned Herdin's feelings.
However, this fact didn't particularly move Blair. Herdin was looking for her with a different purpose, but to those who didn't know the circumstances, it would simply appear as him desperately searching for her.
Brushing off Ruth's words, Blair changed the subject.
"Are Melly and Rina doing well?"
"Ah, yes. Both of them miss you. I didn't bring them because I didn't know you would be here, but you'll be able to see them when we return to the ducal residence."
"I'm glad to hear they're doing well."
A faint smile spread across Blair's face, which had been impassive when talking about Herdin. Then, suddenly remembering her original purpose, she asked Ruth.
"By the way, where is this? It looked like a fairly large mansion at first glance."
"This is the Nerha Lord's mansion. This is the annex."
At the mention of someone else being entangled in their problems, Blair's expression hardened.
Ruth, guessing her thoughts, hastily added as if making an excuse.
"His Excellency is pushing forward with a project to build a port in the Libren territory. When the Nerha Lord heard the news, he invited us first. We came here on business as well."
"Ah, I see."
"If you need anything, please feel free to let me know."
"Then I have a request..."
Ruth's questioning gaze turned to Blair.
Blair, who was about to ask him to bring Bibi, changed her mind and shook her head.
"...No, it's nothing."
She might be able to get an opportunity to leave this place under the pretext of going to fetch Bibi herself.
Bibi would be well taken care of by Anna, so she decided to put that on hold for now.
"Then I'll tell them to prepare a meal. You'll eat in the dining room, right?"
"Yes, please do so."
After parting with Ruth, Blair came to a living room with a large window that offered a clear view of the entire Nerha estate.
Sitting on the sofa, she fell into thought.
'What do I do now.'
Herdin won't change.
The belief that he would change, that she could change him—that was the arrogance of her youth from her past life when she knew nothing.
So breaking up with him at this point would be the right thing to do, but the problem was that he had no intention of letting her go.
If so, the only option was to escape from him.
But could she escape again?
'Somehow, I need to contact Mikhail...'
Blair naturally thought of Mikhail first but then shook her head.
'No, no. I can't drag him into our problems anymore.'
She had already endangered him by getting him involved in this.
She couldn't use his feelings for her any longer. The gratitude she owed him should remain as gratitude; it was right to end things with him at this point.
Just as Blair finished organizing her thoughts, the door of the annex suddenly opened and an unfamiliar woman barged in.
* * *
Upon waking in the morning, Beatrice dressed up and headed for the annex.
First, to ask Herdin to enjoy the harvest festival with her today, and second, to confirm with her own eyes what she had seen last night.
'Who on earth is that woman?'
Last night, Beatrice had come to the annex to propose to Herdin that they enjoy the harvest festival together.
The timing of her visit wasn't without the intention of trying to sway his heart. During late hours, even someone who was usually indifferent could become emotional.
But as soon as she set foot on the path leading to the annex, Beatrice stopped at the unexpected sight.
'...A woman?'
Herdin was carrying some woman in his arms and entering the annex. Witnessing that scene, Beatrice's expression hardened.
'A one-night stand?'
Well, with that face and that body, it would be strange for him to suppress his desires just because his wife had run away.
'It's not that I can't understand, but... I still don't like it.'
Beatrice had been raised learning that a virtuous noblewoman should not be jealous or envious of her husband's one-night stands.
But understanding something with her head and accepting it with her heart were two entirely different things.
'I should go quickly and kick her out.'
With that thought, Beatrice arrived at the annex.
"I'm here to see His Excellency. I have something to discuss with him."
"His Excellency has not yet risen."
"That doesn't matter. I'll wait inside."
The Delmark knights guarding the front of the annex hesitated for a moment before letting her in.
After all, Beatrice was the owner of this mansion, and it was awkward to firmly turn away a woman who insisted on waiting.
Stepping inside the annex, Beatrice naturally headed for the living room. It had been her favorite space in the annex since childhood.
But someone was already there.
Probably the woman who had been brought here in Herdin's arms last night.
The woman, looking at Beatrice with startled eyes, possessed a beauty that would make one sigh in admiration despite her unadorned face.
Scanning the woman who had no flaws to pick at even with a just-awoken face, Beatrice noticed her slightly protruding belly. Seeing that, Beatrice's expression twisted.
'I heard the duchess ran away while pregnant, so he's into pregnant women? What a peculiar taste.'
Beatrice approached Blair.
"You. What are you dawdling about for? If you're awake, get the hell out."
Blair looked at the woman before her with bewildered eyes. She had suddenly burst in and was already ordering her to leave.
Feeling flustered, Blair easily guessed the woman's identity.
There was only one young woman who could freely enter and exit the annex within the Nerha Lord's mansion.
"Are you perhaps the Nerha Count's daughter?"
"That's right. Now that you know, get out of my house immediately. I don't want to share a space with a lowly thing even for a moment."
At Beatrice's harsh words, Blair furrowed her brow.
It was clear the woman had misunderstood something, but even so, her overbearing attitude revealed her character, which was unpleasant.
"It seems there's been some misunderstanding. I am—"
Blair, about to explain her identity to Beatrice, paused.
She had abandoned both her identity as a princess and as a duchess when she left the Empire. And she had no desire to reclaim those identities.
But was it alright to reveal those identities here and now?
However, without those identities, there was no way to explain why she was here.
After hesitating, Blair opened her mouth as if resigned.
"I am... the Delmark Duchess."
"The Duchess?"
But rather than believing Blair's explanation, Beatrice scoffed.
Those eyes that looked straight at her without bowing, that persistence relying on her pretty face, and the impersonation of a duchess—none of it pleased her.
"You impudent thing, where do you come up with such unbelievable lies? It seems words won't be enough."
The moment Beatrice raised her hand to slap Blair's cheek, a hand suddenly appeared and caught her wrist.
"What are you doing to my wife, my lady?"
Behind her stood Herdin with cold eyes.