Chapter 68. An Unwelcome Guest
2023.11.07.
Suddenly, words she had spoken in their childhood came to mind.
'When I grow up, I want to leave the Imperial Palace. Leave the capital, and travel the wide world! I'll even cross the sea, to that distant continent...'
Herdin, turning those words over in his mind, looked at Ruth, who sat across from him checking the schedule and documents.
"Ruth."
"Yes, my lord."
"What do you think would happen if a port connecting to the Eastern Continent were built in Ardel?"
The Ardel Empire was located in the western part of the continent, and thus had no ports on its eastern coast. Therefore, to trade with the Eastern Continent, one had to take the long way around the entire Western Continent.
The northeastern region of the empire, including the Duchy of Delmark and several other territories, did have seas connected to the eastern coast, but they were all composed of tidal flats, with no harbors capable of accommodating large vessels.
The trade with the Eastern Continent that Ivan coveted even at the risk of war was something Herdin had also set his sights on early.
The problem was that there was no way to realize it.
Ruth wondered why he was asking this out of nowhere, but faithfully answered his lord's question.
"It'd be incredible, wouldn't it? We could import goods from the Eastern Continent cheaply—things that currently have to come through other countries—and conversely, we'd keep more profit from exports without paying middleman fees."
"I suppose so."
"It would truly open a golden age. That's why His Majesty schemes for any pretext to start a war with Clania whenever he gets the chance. Of course, I think it's madness... But why do you ask suddenly?"
"I'm thinking of building a port connected to the Eastern Continent in Livren."
Livren was a territory within the Delmark domain that bordered the eastern coast.
"How? The seas of Livren are all tidal flats."
"What if we fill in all those tidal flats, all the way out to the deep sea where large vessels can enter?"
"How would you do that?"
What Ivan had been willing to start a war over, Herdin proposed a solution from a completely different direction.
"With an immense amount of soil and money."
An even more insane method.
It was a crazy investment that only Delmark could afford.
"...Are you serious?"
Reading the sincerity in Herdin's eyes, Ruth jumped so high he practically hit the carriage ceiling, with only slight exaggeration.
"Do you have so much money it's rotting away and now you want to throw it in the sea? Instead of doing that, wouldn't you rather throw it my way?"
But Herdin was filled with conviction.
"As you said, a port in Livren will bring enormous profits to Delmark, and by extension, to Ardel. Not just material gains, but civilization and knowledge of even greater value."
Certainly, if such a port were actually built, an entirely new era would unfold unlike anything before.
'No, but even so...'
Filling in the tidal flats of the Livren territory to build a port was a project that, even by rough estimation, would require astronomical investment costs.
'Thinking of filling in the sea to build a port. Whether to call it brilliant or reckless...'
No matter how many times he reconsidered it, it was an astonishing idea.
But Herdin seemed to be seriously considering the plan.
"For now, put together a budget and bring it to me."
When Herdin took that stance, Ruth had no right to refuse.
"Y-yes..."
The moment their conversation ended, the carriage arrived at the ducal residence. As always, Mason was there to greet them.
"Welcome back, Your Grace."
"And my wife?"
"She went out, saying she had a lunch appointment."
Just as he was about to ask what kind of appointment, Mason spoke first.
"And a guest is waiting for you."
"A guest?"
As far as he knew, there were no scheduled visitors today.
"Who?"
"A priest of the Temple. She said she had something urgent to discuss with Your Grace. Since her identity was verified, I showed her to the drawing room."
"A priest..."
He couldn't recall having become close enough with any priest to meet them personally.
"She introduced herself as Miela Elias."
It was an unfamiliar name, but hearing a woman's name, there was one person who came to mind.
"Serve tea."
Herdin headed to the drawing room, pulling off his leather gloves. In the drawing room, 'that person' he had expected was waiting.
"Ah, h-hello, Your Grace."
Miela, who had been looking around the drawing room, startled and greeted him. A flush rose to Miela's face as she faced him, but Herdin's gaze turned cold and settled.
"We meet again, Priestess. Though I didn't expect it to be at my home. I don't believe we were close enough to meet privately."
"I know it's rude to visit without prior notice, but it's that important a matter, so I dared to commit such a breach of etiquette."
"What matter?"
At that moment, a maid who entered with a knock set down Herdin's tea before him.
Only after the maid left did Miela open her mouth.
"The Duchess..."
At that instant, a throbbing headache flashed through Herdin's mind. Simultaneously, an unfamiliar memory surfaced.
'You must stay away from the Duchess. If you remain by her side, you too might lose control, Your Grace. Just like the previous Duke...'
The place in the memory that suddenly arose was identical to the scene unfolding before his eyes now.
But what Miela was actually saying was entirely different from the words in his memory.
"Are you aware that the Duchess is having secret meetings with another man?"
Only then did the boundary between reality and memory crumble; the memory faded, leaving only reality behind.
Herdin, frowning at the afterimage of the memory, belatedly registered what Miela had just said.
Miela, thinking he was showing interest in the story she had brought, continued speaking.
"I saw the Duchess getting into a carriage with another man just a little while ago. If you were to have her followed—"
"I didn't realize you had a hobby of presumptuously meddling in others' affairs, Priestess."
Herdin cut off Miela's words with a frigid tone before she could even finish, lifting his teacup. His gaze over the rim was beyond cold.
Miela flinched in alarm and made an excuse.
"I-I was just worried about Your Grace...!"
"It's someone I know. And I'm aware of today's appointment as well."
He said so, but Miela couldn't shake a feeling that something was off.
Earlier, Blair had been in a hired carriage. Noblewomen typically rode in their family's carriages, escorted by their household knights.
Unless there was something to hide, there would be no reason for her to ride in a hired carriage with a strange man.
Yet nowhere on Herdin's face as he set down his teacup could one read the emotions of a man who had just learned of his wife's infidelity.
"I think we can end our conversation here."
The same cold, indifferent, and dry expression as always.
Now, even boredom had settled into that face.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't visit for such matters again."
Herdin rose from his seat.
"Ah. Take your time finishing your tea before you leave."
He left the drawing room first, leaving Miela behind. The moment the drawing room door closed, a cold laugh slipped from his lips.
"...So she actually went to meet that bastard."
He had vaguely expected it.
If he was to divorce her as she wished, and if he was to do so in a way that wouldn't harm him as she had promised, the simplest method was a scandal.
But seeing her recent behavior, he had briefly thought that perhaps she had abandoned that plan.
In the end, that had been nothing more than his own wishful thinking.
So what you're saying is, even while smiling like that in front of me and lying in my arms, your little head was full of nothing but thoughts of running away.
The moment he realized that fact anew.
The anxiety that always lurked beneath his feet turned into rage and consumed him completely.
So thoroughly that he couldn't even remember the plan to fill in the sea he had been thinking about just moments ago.
* * *
"Welcome back, my lady."
Mason greeted Blair as she stepped down from the carriage, as always.
Blair asked out of habit.
"And the Duke?"
"His afternoon schedule was changed urgently, so he returned earlier than expected."
Blair's steps faltered for a moment as she entered the residence. According to the original plan, Herdin was supposed to have an evening appointment and return late.
The fact that he had returned early meant he knew of her absence.
Knowing how displeased he had been by her previous meeting with Mikhail, the thought of facing him at the dinner table made her feel uneasy.
But she hadn't intended to deceive him in the first place. It was something they would have to address eventually anyway.
As Blair steadied her resolve and headed up to her room, Melly, who had been waiting by the door, approached.
"Welcome back, my lady."
"Yeah. Nothing out of the ordinary?"
As she asked and absentmindedly reached for the door, Melly, who had been watching from behind, spoke up cautiously.
"His Grace is waiting inside for you."
Blair's hand, about to turn the doorknob, stopped.
It was an expected situation. Though it had come sooner than anticipated.
"...I'll change by myself, you may go."
Melly bowed and stepped away.
Blair took a deep breath and opened the door. The moment she stepped into the room, her eyes met Herdin's—he was seated on the sofa directly ahead, smoking a cigar.
Seated with the evening dusk behind him, a dangerous gleam flickered in his blue eyes.
The instant she met those eyes, her heart instinctively sank.
Blair avoided his gaze and headed toward the dressing room, saying,
"I'll just change my clothes and come out. Wait a moment for me."
Just as Blair entered the dressing room and reached for the wardrobe door—
Smack—
The hand of the man who had silently approached from behind closed the wardrobe door again. The sound echoed unusually loud in the quiet stillness.
Blair, staring at the closed wardrobe in the silence, turned her head. At the same moment, Herdin pressed his lips against hers.
"Mmph..."
Through the meeting of their lips, the bitter scent of cigar rushed in.