Chapter 19. The Orphaned Cub
2023.09.19.
"Is it difficult? Something like this is very simple."
His cold gaze, his mocking voice, scraped past Blair. Blair's eyes wavered as she looked at him.
'...He doesn't believe me.'
His true feelings reached her more clearly than ever before.
She had been mistaken.
He had taken her side regarding Lina's matter simply because he couldn't tolerate the servants' insolence. Insulting his wife was no different from insulting him.
Her own expectation seemed ridiculous.
Blair avoided his gaze and lowered her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly closed and opened her eyes.
Blair pushed against his chest and slipped out of his embrace.
"...I'm sorry. I was dreaming."
The voice she barely managed to produce was trembling beyond concealment. Blair turned right around and left the room.
Herdin, who watched her retreating back through the closing door, poured the remaining whisky into his glass and swallowed it all.
The alcohol poured on an empty stomach burned as if he had swallowed a ball of fire.
* * *
The sound of horse hooves echoed through the quiet winter forest.
Mountain birds startled by the sound flew away. From that small impact alone, the pure white snow heavily piled on the trees came fluttering down.
This year's winter hunt was also progressing smoothly.
The first event of the New Year's Festival was for each noble house to hunt and bring back their first offering to the gods at the imperial hunting grounds.
Unlike other hunting festivals, the winter hunt was conducted by each house rather than everyone joining forces.
Since it was said that the more precious the offering, the more the gods would be pleased, the nobles participating in the hunt secretly competed to catch better prey. It was an event where the pride of the house was at stake.
Because it was an inter-house competition, noblewomen and ladies exceptionally rode horses to accompany their husbands and families. Blair was one of them.
Herdin's gaze, which had been searching for prey on the pure white snowfield, turned to Blair following behind him. Seeing her face flushed from the cold, yesterday's memory suddenly crossed his mind.
'Demonic beasts will appear at the hunting grounds tomorrow.'
If those words were true, it meant demonic beasts would appear here today. It was strange that she, knowing this fact, would go out of her way to follow him to such a dangerous place.
'What on earth is she thinking?'
Herdin let out a low sigh and called out to the Knight Commander of Delmark who was following behind him.
"Kyle."
The knight who heard his call rode his horse up to his side.
"Ensure the Duchess's guard is flawless."
"As you command."
The Knight Commander gestured with his eyes toward Blair to his subordinates looking at him and conveyed Herdin's order. The knights who grasped the meaning approached Blair's side.
A small cough was heard from behind Herdin. Herdin's brows furrowed at the sound. His gaze, searching for prey on the pure white snowfield, became busier.
It was then that a beast's scream was heard in the distance.
Kweeek!
It sounded like the cry of a wild boar.
Along with the sound of birds fluttering away, the sound of a startled Blair gasping was heard.
However, the wild boar's cry did not stop at once but continued successively. It seemed they failed to catch the prey in one shot and kept loosing arrows. The sound was grating.
Stupid bastard. How many arrows are they wasting failing to catch a single prey.
Just as Herdin was mocking the incompetent shooter whose identity he didn't know, a knight shouted urgently.
"Your Grace, a white marten is visible over there!"
A marten roaming the white snowfield was visible where the knight's gaze was directed.
Marten fur is expensive. Among them, white marten fur commanded the highest price. That much would be suitable as an offering to the gods.
Herdin immediately drew his bowstring and shot the marten.
The flying arrow pierced through the marten precisely, and the marten's blood splattered on the white snowfield.
Herdin, confirming that the marten no longer moved, was about to turn his horse around to return when an old tree with a hole in it caught his eye.
As he got off his horse and approached, a baby marten that hadn't even opened its eyes yet was visible inside the old tree.
'...There was a cub.'
Herdin took out a dagger from his bosom. At that moment, Blair's voice was heard from behind him.
"Herdin. What are you... doing right now?"
"In a situation where it has no mother to care for it, it will soon become prey to natural enemies. Rather than that, it would be better for this fellow to die with its mother now."
"No!"
Blair urgently got off her horse and grabbed his hand holding the dagger. Herdin's brows furrowed.
"What are you doing?"
"It might survive."
"A suckling infant that hasn't even opened its eyes, in this winter where it's hard to find food?"
"Even if it's destined to die soon as you say, you can't call that mercy. It's better to live even one more day."
Herdin laughed in disbelief. Was it baseless optimism or hypocrisy? Either way, it was the kind of thing he detested.
"Do you think you'd still think that while being chewed alive by a wolf?"
Herdin deliberately chose raw words to provoke her. To break her optimism or hypocrisy. But...
"I will raise it."
The woman who always feigned defeat and followed his will stood up to him without yielding a single word. With eyes sharper than ever.
It was like the stance of a mother protecting her young. He found that sight displeasing.
Over such a trifling creature.
"Well, I don't know if that fellow would want to be taken in by someone who stood by and watched its mother die."
Herdin replied sarcastically, reminding Blair of her own situation.
If even a mere creature had thoughts and feelings, it would rather die than be taken in by the hands of its enemy. Just as he detested his fake wife who was a member of the imperial family.
Blair, realizing what his words meant, briefly distorted her expression, but ultimately did not back down.
Blair looked at the mother marten's corpse being collected by the knights with sunken eyes and spoke.
"...Even so, this child's mother would have wanted it to survive, even like this."
At that time, a knight who had been watching the tense confrontation between the lord and his wife with an awkward expression cautiously interjected.
"Um... Your Grace. It doesn't seem bad to raise it as the Duchess said. Since it's a white marten, you could take it, raise it, and then use its fur..."
The knight, who had tried to take her side in his own way, realized he had misspoken and closed his mouth only after receiving Blair's scornful glare.
Herdin let out a low sigh, withdrew his hand caught by Blair, and turned around.
Blair, recognizing his meaning, carefully took the baby marten out of the nest. Even from the creature smaller than her palm, a vivid body temperature could be felt.
The cub, whose eyes hadn't even opened, cried pitifully, peeping as if looking for its mother. Seeing that sight made her throat choke up.
'What happened to Asiel after I died?'
Only then did she think of Asiel, who would have been left alone after she died.
The assailant might have killed the child later. Even if she had survived by luck, she would have been a thorn in the side of Herdin, who loved Miela.
Either way, it was obvious that it wouldn't have been a happy ending for the child.
Quite belatedly, she hated him.
Blair watched Herdin's retreating back, then suddenly came to her senses at the sound of the marten's cry. She took off her glove and put the marten inside it.
A knight watching the sight reached out his hand.
"Madam, I will take this fellow. Please mount your horse first."
"No. I will take it."
"But it will be difficult to ride in that state. It's also dangerous..."
"I'll walk."
Despite the knight's concerned words, Blair was adamant.
As the knight hesitated, not knowing what to do, Herdin, who had been listening to their conversation, led his horse over.
He approached with long strides and lightly lifted Blair, seating her on his horse.
"Herdin...?"
Blair blinked in surprise at his sudden action.
Herdin immediately mounted behind her and ordered the knight.
"Take care of the Duchess's horse."
Instead of Blair, whose hands were occupied, he supported her by wrapping one arm around her waist. And with his remaining arm, he took the reins and began to slowly guide the horse.
His cold eyes were staring straight ahead, not at her, but the arm embracing her was firm as if determined not to let her go.
Blair looked at him, who wasn't looking at her, and bowed her head.
She should be thankful to him for willingly taking on the trouble for her sake, but hearing the pitiful peeping cry of the baby marten, the words wouldn't come out.
Even in such a situation, the embrace of this cold man was warm, and she found it ridiculous that she instinctively felt his embrace was safe.
The wind of the winter forest brushed past the two in silence. As Blair coughed from the chill, Herdin put the fur hood attached to her cloak over her head.
"Why did you follow me here when you said demonic beasts would appear? You could have skipped it."
Rather than sarcasm, it seemed he was displeased with the fact that she had come along to the hunt itself.
'Come to think of it...'
The demonic beasts hadn't appeared yet. From other directions, the sound of birds flying away was heard occasionally, but no screams.
'Has the future already changed since my accompaniment to today's hunt is different from the past?'
If so, it was right to stop arousing suspicion and keep making up the excuse that it was a dream.
Just as Blair made that judgment and was about to answer Herdin's question, something was visible between the coniferous trees.
Blair's eyes, having discovered it, began to shake violently.
What was visible between the trees was a giant eye.
At that moment, the pupil moved and met Blair's gaze. A chill ran down her spine.