Chapter 91. The Reason for Hesitation
2023.11.30.
Blair tightly grabbed Herdin's firm arm, which was folded across his chest, without even realizing it. Her hand trembled slightly.
With what kind of expression was she supposed to face a mother who was involved in the accident that nearly killed her daughter, and who had even kidnapped that same daughter to erase her memories?
Before Blair could find an answer to that question, she came face to face with Katrina.
"Congratulations on your engagement, you two."
Herdin calmly offered his congratulations to Ivan and Roen.
Unless he was going to expose the truth of the incident from ten years ago right here and now, he had to act as though nothing had happened.
However, facing Katrina, who wore a tender smile as if a kidnapping had never occurred, the words simply would not leave Blair's lips.
Blair barely managed to open her mouth and repeated Herdin's words.
"I sincerely congratulate you on your engagement."
"Thank you, dear."
"Thank you for your congratulations, Madam."
Katrina, who had been watching from beside Ivan and Roen as they smilingly received congratulations, strode over to Blair.
"Come here, Blair."
Unlike Blair, who didn't know what to do with her own emotions, Katrina beamed with delight and embraced her daughter.
However, Blair was also well aware that at this moment, the eyes of everyone in the banquet hall were directed at the two of them.
The overpowering scent of heavy perfume and the warmth of an unfamiliar mother's embrace made her already churning stomach lurch violently.
Blair bit her lip hard to suppress it.
"If it weren't for an official occasion like this, it would be so difficult to see your face even once. Since you neglect me so, isn't that why such filthy rumors dare to spread about our relationship?"
"Your mother is right. Even if you've married out, you are still our family, are you not?"
Ivan agreed with Katrina's words.
This was despite his knowing that the rumors were true, and that Katrina was somehow involved in the fire incident ten years ago.
"You'll soon have a new family member as well, so it would be nice for you to visit often and spend time with your mother and Roen."
"I am always welcome as long as the Duchess calls for me. Though you have married into another house, you are more familiar with the workings of the imperial palace than I am, so I believe there is much you can teach me. If there is anything I lack, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will listen humbly."
Roen also smiled and chimed in with Ivan's words.
How much did she, who would soon become a member of the imperial family, know about this incident?
Was she speaking sincerely, knowing nothing, or was she mocking her, knowing everything?
As Blair tried to gauge this, her mind spun and she sharply inhaled a breath.
She was no longer family to them. And it was the same for her.
They were enemies now. Ones she must not show weakness to.
Feeling like she might vomit at this newly realized truth, she just wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible.
"I sincerely congratulate you both on your engagement."
Nobles who had been reading the atmosphere of the imperial family's conversation and waiting for an opening began to interject one by one with congratulations.
"Now that His Majesty the Emperor and the Duchess have both found perfect partners, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager must be greatly relieved."
"The imperial family has been blessed, so is this not a joy for the entire empire? It seems the day we hear the laughter of precious little princesses in the imperial palace is not far off."
As the nobles offering congratulations flocked together, Blair and Herdin were naturally pushed out of the spotlight.
However, her churning stomach showed no signs of settling down.
Unable to endure it any longer, Blair quietly let go of Herdin's arm. At that, Herdin, who had been casually acknowledging the greetings of the approaching nobles, turned his gaze back to her.
"Herdin, I'm going to get some fresh air for a moment."
"Should I come with you?"
"No, I'm fine. I'll be right back."
Blair dissuaded Herdin from following her and turned to slip out of the banquet hall.
Just as Herdin's eyes narrowed while watching her hastily retreating back, Ivan's voice came from behind him.
"Have you given any thought to what we discussed last time?"
When Herdin turned around, Ivan offered him one of the two glasses he was holding. The nobles had already flocked to Katrina and Roen.
"The convincing evidence you spoke of. Did you find it or not?"
Herdin took the offered glass and replied.
"I doubt such a thing that Your Majesty worries about will happen."
There were still no clear symptoms indicating whether Blair was pregnant.
Given the current situation, it was better to pretend to be swayed by Ivan. So that he would let his guard down.
However, Ivan proved to be more meticulous than Herdin had anticipated.
"If you find the evidence, bring it to me. I will see it and judge for myself."
Herdin's lips twisted at Ivan's words.
Outwardly, he claimed he would review the evidence and judge, but having read his intentions from their previous conversation, the true meaning of those words was clear.
It meant he intended to destroy the evidence with his own hands before the tables could be turned.
"I will obey your command."
Of course, he had absolutely no intention of playing along.
* * *
"Haa..."
Having shaken off Lina, who was following her, Blair stepped out into the garden, hid herself in a secluded spot, and dry heaved.
Even though a cool night breeze lingered in the air, the heavy scent of perfume from earlier remained like a phantom, churning her stomach.
It was only after she spent a while dry heaving, clutching her empty stomach, that she finally managed to calm down.
Blair collapsed onto a nearby bench and pounded her chest with her fist. Perhaps because she had struggled for so long, all her strength drained, leaving her entire body trembling.
Blair pulled a small pouch from her pocket. It was a pouch of lemon drops. In her previous life, they were the only thing she could eat when her morning sickness was severe.
When she unwrapped a candy and popped it into her mouth, the refreshing lemon scent and sugar spread, revitalizing her.
'I hope this is just a temporary symptom...'
In her previous life, her morning sickness had become severe about half a month after the Founding Festival ended, and that was when she discovered she was pregnant.
If things progressed the same way as her previous life, she still had time, but if today was the starting point of severe morning sickness, it was dangerous.
'Anyway, I was supposed to meet Mikhail at the banquet today.'
She wondered if she should hurry back to the banquet hall since she didn't know when, where, or in what guise he might appear. Just then, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Do you require assistance, Madam?"
Turning toward the source of the voice, she saw a servant approaching.
No, to be precise...
"...Mikhail?"
It was Mikhail, disguised as a servant of a noble house.
"It has been a while, Madam."
Though his hair color and face had changed, the boyish voice and the impression of his signature soft smile were undeniably his.
Striding up to stand before her, he scrutinized Blair's face, then subtly furrowed his brow as if sensing something.
"Your complexion does not look good. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine. More importantly... what is it you wanted to talk about?"
Blair asked as she glanced around. She had come to a secluded spot, but it was still a garden where anyone could pass by.
She didn't know how Mikhail had managed to enter the imperial palace, but it certainly wasn't through official channels. Therefore, it would be best for his safety to finish their conversation before someone came by.
"To start with the matter you are most curious about, all preparations for your departure from the capital are complete. The scandal is also ready to be spread whenever you desire."
"Thank you. You've taken a weight off my shoulders."
"Is the tightened security at the ducal residence because of the rumored kidnapping incident?"
Mikhail was aware of the rumors as well. It would have been stranger if he, as the Guild Master, did not know.
"It seems likely."
"When would you like to leave the ducal residence?"
Blair hesitated at Mikhail's question.
Her severe morning sickness would begin soon. Or perhaps, it had already started.
If her pregnancy were to be discovered now, both she and the child could be in danger.
Even so, the reason she hesitated to leave immediately was because she remembered the promise she had made with him.
'You are the sole survivor and witness to that incident. In the trial, your testimony will serve as powerful evidence to resolve the injustice of Her Majesty the Empress's death.'
And also her vow, made right after returning to the past at Esmeralda's grave, to reveal the truth.
Reading the hesitation on Blair's face, Mikhail added.
"I have a way to temporarily divert His Grace the Duke's attention."
Blair's eyes widened at the mention of a way to escape Herdin's ironclad surveillance.
Mikhail, who had been about to answer her unspoken question, parted his lips but then closed them again, as if belatedly recalling something.
"...I cannot tell you right this moment, but I will be able to help you when the time comes that you desire."
The Duchess loves the Duke.
If she didn't, the black magic engraved upon her collarbone would never have succeeded in the first place.
Until he met Blair, he had intended to tell her the truth about that magic circle, but upon seeing her hesitation, he changed his mind.
If she learned that the mastermind behind the black magic could put Herdin in danger, she, who loved him, might never leave his side.
Even knowing that she herself might be in danger as well.
"However, there is not much time left to use this method. So..."
Just like the scandal or her hidden lover, he, who was nothing to her, shouldn't presume to dictate her choices, but...
Knowing this, he unilaterally set her safety as his highest priority.
"You must make your decision as quickly as possible."