—The loyal swords of Delmark formally salute the Lady.
—I'm glad to meet you too.
Thank you for having me despite my sudden visit.
I hope we get along well.
Blair smiled, but her eyes that scanned the faces of the knights one by one were immersed in a deep calm.
Actually, he had another reason for coming to the knight training camp.
She didn't need to make an effort to look good or be accepted by them.
After all, when this contractual marriage ended, I would never see them again.
The real reason he had gone to see the knights was…
The Duchy of Delmark was one of the three grand duchies of the empire, and its knights, having fought wars directly, possessed skill comparable to that of imperial knights.
And the stranger who killed Blair infiltrated the villa, circumventing that strict surveillance.
That was one of the reasons Blair suspected Herdin as the instigator of his death.
Someone with enough skill to infiltrate the village by bypassing the strict surveillance, or someone who could get in and out with ease.
In that case, couldn't the stranger be someone from within the dukedom?
He often saw the servants coming and going around the mansion, so he knew most of their faces.
On the other hand, he barely met the gentlemen in his daily life, so he remembered fewer faces.
It was very likely that, even if the stranger was among the knights, she would not have recognized him.
So I had come to check it out in person.
Wishing that the stranger was not among the knights, that Herdin had nothing to do with his death.
Of course, just imagining that she might come face to face again with whoever killed her, or that the husband she may have loved was involved in her death, made her breath catch and her blood run cold.
His hands were shaking.
I wanted to run away.
If I run away, nothing will change.>Blair grabbed her trembling hands as if to stop herself from running away.
He searched through his terrible memories and visualized the face of the stranger.
Although there were too many knights to examine them one by one carefully, it wouldn't be difficult to find someone with a large knife scar on their face.
Blair quickly inspected the knights.
<…It's not there.>
Luckily, it seemed that the stranger was not among them.
The possibility that Herdin was involved in her death was somewhat reduced.
A sigh of relief escaped Blair's lips, who had been biting them nervously.
At that moment, Ruth approached Herdin.
-Excellence.
I think you should start getting ready to attend the luncheon.
The butler Mason came forward to prepare, and Herdin, Blair and Ruth left the training ground after finishing the meeting with the knights.
—He's going to catch a cold.
But Herdin refused the courtesy.
-There's no need.
Only the tone was polite, the attitude was most indifferent.
Ruth, who was watching the two from behind, broke out in an unnecessary cold sweat.
Although Blair, as if the rejection did not affect him at all, calmly put the handkerchief away.
It wasn't that he wanted Blair to be loved and live happily with her lord, but seeing her being rejected in his face didn't make him feel good at all.
Again, silence reigned among the three who walked towards the main building of the ducal residence.
<…Was the mansion always so far away?>
It was just when Ruth fervently wanted someone to break the icy silence.
Suddenly, a small shadow shot out from the nearby bushes and rushed towards Blair at high speed.
—Tatata!
Hey?
He was a boy of about three years old.
He must have left the annex building where the servants resided.
Ruth was horrified to see the child.
He was lucky to have a lord who was lenient with his subordinates, but most aristocrats flew into a rage at the slightest annoyance.
How much more an imperial princess.
Especially being the daughter of the infamous Katrina.
Ruth hurriedly picked up the child who had fallen in front of Blair and bowed her head in place.
—I'm very sorry, Madam.
It's a boy who lives in the annex, he must have run away while his mother was working.
I'll take him back and warn his mother...
—Nothing happens.
Blair crouched down to the boy's height.
Then he personally shook the dirt off her butt and asked her.
—Are you okay, little one?
-Yeah.
-What is your name?
—Jeremy.
"I see, Jeremy." Jeremy fell and didn't cry, you are a very brave boy.
—Hee hee.
The boy smiled widely at Blair's praise.
A pure smile, without any prejudice or double intention.
Unlike most of the people in the dukedom who feared her and viewed her in a bad light.
Blair also smiled slightly as she saw the boy beaming at her.
It was the first genuine and sincere smile he had given since he had returned to the past.
Ruth, who was watching the scene with the child, got up first with a look of circumstance.
He was ashamed of himself for assuming that Blair would reject the boy.
Beside him, Herdin was also staring at the two.
Was she a woman who also knew how to smile like that?
The woman who was smiling radiantly under the sunlight was shining dazzlingly.
Maybe because of the snow accumulated in the corners of the backyard, maybe because of his pale face.
At the same time, Ruth's wristwatch glinting in the light caught his attention, but Herdin ignored it and stared at Blair's image some more.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
Noon, with the sun high in the sky.
A reception was held in the greenhouse in the rear garden of the Empress Dowager's Palace to welcome the new member of the imperial family.
They were his new trophy, after having achieved everything he had set out to do since becoming imperial consort.
—When people said they were the most beautiful couple, I thought they were just words.
But seeing them like this, they really look like they came out of a painting.
Don't you believe, Your Majesty?
-Certainly.
I feel very proud.
Now they just need to have an heir and it would be perfect.
—The House of Delmark has few offspring, so ideally they would have at least three.
Blair, you're going to have to work hard.
Blair had her usual serene face.
An expression quite far from the joy of meeting his family.
As Katrina and Ivan welcomed Herdin as a new member of the family, food was served.
Ivan raised his aperitif glass.
—That we have become a family in this way, Duke, is like having won an invincible army.
With the Imperial House and the Duchy of Delmark joining forces, what was there to fear under heaven?
—…
—Now that we are a family, I would like us to see each other and talk often from now on.
Don't we have much to talk about?
For the eternal glory and prosperity of this empire.
Ivan gently clinked his glass against Herdin's.
The clear sound of crystal colliding echoed happily.
It didn't sound particularly good to Herdin's ears, but he offered his glass in silence.
Towards the end of the meal, Ivan turned to Herdin as if he had just remembered something.
—Oh, right.
I just had something I wanted to ask your opinion about, Duke.
How timely.
Ivan rinsed his mouth with a sip of wine and continued.
—Lately, several nations are intensifying exchanges with the east of the continent.
—Naturally, since the sea route with the eastern continent was opened, trade has been activated.
To contact the east, there is no choice but to maintain good relations with the eastern region.
-Exact.
I have observed that among the products that arrive from the eastern continent there are many new and useful ones.
It would be great if we too could open a closer sea route for more active exchange… It's a shame.
Ivan clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
He then asked Herdin's opinion.
—What do you think about it?
Faced with Iván's question that at first glance seemed to ask for his opinion, Herdin smiled sarcastically to himself.
The emperor wished to open a path to the east of the continent and, beyond, seize the eastern port that led to the eastern continent.
If a war breaks out, the first to be mobilized are the young scions of the noble houses.
No matter how loyal they are to the emperor, are they worth more than their own blood?
Under these circumstances, he had managed to get his hands on a powerful horse as he was the best magical swordsman in the empire.
Although he did not mention it directly, what the emperor wanted was clear.
War.
The emperor, who had not fought even a decent battle, much less a war, seemed to regard the war as little more than a game of chess.
Like that game where all you need to do is move a finger to easily capture your opponent's piece.
No wonder he had so meekly agreed to increase Delmark's troops.
Of course, he had no intention of seconding that stupid idea, but he decided to pretend to listen carefully to her words.
-I don't know what to say.
Herdin twirled the wine glass he was holding and responded indifferently.
The clear wine was stirred slightly.
But unlike him, his wife didn't seem willing to let him pass quietly.
—Not war, brother.
Blair, who had spoken, grabbed the skirt of her dress under the table.
She didn't care that Iván tried to manipulate her as he pleased.
But he couldn't tolerate her trying to manipulate Herdin.
He didn't want to cause more hardship to someone who had already entered into an unwanted marriage.
Because then it was unimaginable for her to reply to Ivan.
And that became a sentimental debt to Herdin.
But now she no longer wanted to have sentimental debts with him.
She didn't want to shrink before him like she had before the regression.
Not for him, but for herself.
—Although there are differences of degree, war leaves scars that are difficult to heal in both the defeated country and the victor.
—…
—Neither these people nor the town are my brother's chess pieces.
Don't push them into war by putting your will first.
Herdin silently watched Blair as she said this.
Her voice was low, but the way Blair expressed her opinion clearly and firmly was stronger than ever.
Although under the table, her small hand that was clutching the dress trembled slightly.
Ivan, who seemed taken aback by his normally docile sister's frankness, let out an incredulous laugh as if it seemed incredible to him.
Katrina, observing Ivan's expression, scolded Blair.
"Blair!" His Majesty is speaking to the duke.
What are these rude manners in front of a guest?
…To be continued