Herdin, who was in front of Blair, looked a little scary, but he seemed like a normal kid.
Not the scary person from the rumors.
Just as he thought that, Herdin, who was examining his cards with his gaze lowered, looked up and their eyes met.
Meeting those deep blue eyes, Blair jumped and grabbed any random card.
Just the thief's letter.
Fortunately, thanks to Esmeralda stealing the thief's letter, Blair was able to win.
The game ended with the thief card in Herdin's hand.
Although Herdin had purposely let himself get lost to finish the game, Blair didn't know it at the time.
When Blair, already involved in the competition, was going to shuffle the cards again, Herdin spoke.
—I will retire now.
—Wow, it's so late already.
—I will see you tomorrow, Your Majesty the Empress.
Esmeralda looked at Herdin with worried eyes and said:
—Herdin.
I know how you feel, but you don't need to make an effort to attend tomorrow.
-No problem.
Herdin politely said goodbye to Esmeralda and Blair and stood up.
When he left, it was finally just Esmeralda and her in the reception room, just as Blair had wanted.
Esmeralda, as if she had been waiting, subtly asked Blair:
—How did you like meeting Herdin?
Do you think they could be friends?
Blair couldn't respond immediately and hesitated.
To be honest, she didn't think she could become friends with Herdin.
The boy he had met in person was too different from everyone he had met so far.
Herdin's attitude a moment ago had impressed her quite a bit.
He had not spoken to her kindly like the others, nor had he smiled at her.
Only upon seeing Herdin did he realize that having a neat appearance and attire and using polite words did not necessarily mean being a good person.
Of course, he wasn't a scary person like the rumors said, but no matter how hard I looked at him, he didn't seem like a good person.
No matter how much he pretended to be polite, he was surly and scary.
But Blair, not wanting to disappoint Esmeralda, made up a lie.
—Mmm… I don't know because he speaks little, but he still seems like a good person.
However, his fingers that did not stop moving nervously and his eyes that avoided Esmeralda's gaze, rolling from side to side, could not hide the truth.
—Lying is a bad habit, Blair.
Faced with Esmeralda's sharp observation, Blair, feeling trapped, ended up confessing the truth.
—The truth… Duke Delmark is polite, but he seems rude.
Esmeralda laughed at Blair's sincere impression.
—It's a good thing Herdin hasn't heard that.
Blair, worried that she had been too candid, added hastily:
—But, but it's the first time I've seen him today.
And since he is someone Her Majesty the Empress appreciates, I think he must be a good person.
I really say this.
Esmeralda, who was watching Blair trying hard to give a good impression of Herdin, smiled widely and waved her hand.
Esmeralda gently stroked Blair's head as she nodded at his words.
—To be honest, Herdin is not an affectionate child.
He has many wounds in his heart and is clumsy when dealing with people.
Blair, meekly receiving the pleasant caress, looked up at her.
Esmeralda's blue eyes, which he met, radiated their usual soft light.
—But just because that child's heart is hurt is no reason for you to endure discomfort, Blair.
Esmeralda placed a soft kiss on Blair's round forehead and whispered:
—Because you are as precious as that child.
That sweet whisper made Blair very happy and, at the same time, a little melancholic.
It was something he had never heard from Katrina.
Still, Blair smiled at Esmeralda.
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In the morning, the families, including the Imperial Household, were scheduled to go to the winter forest to hunt for offerings to present to the gods.
In the afternoon, the religious service would be held in the Temple, and in the evening, they would attend the banquet at the Imperial Palace.
The morning and afternoon New Year's Festival ceremonies were adults-only events, so Blair spent the entire day playing with her cousins and, as evening fell, attended the New Year's banquet.
In the midst of the boring and formal greetings, suddenly, the nobles began to stir.
It was Herdin.
The young Duke, who had been detained since the accident three years ago, appeared today for the first time at an official event.
The nobles murmured as they watched Herdin approach the Emperor.
—Why, the young man… no, the Duke has really come.
I thought you wouldn't attend the banquet.
—Yes, I was already surprised that he participated in the hunt and the service this morning.
"In any case, he is now the head of the Delmark family." Will he not have to restore the prestige of the house and become a support for Her Majesty the Empress?
Although it won't be easy.
Apparently, they were words of regret for young Herdin, but in reality, to them it was nothing more than interesting gossip.
Blair, as she listened to his comments, watched Herdin with a heavy heart.
—It is an honor to welcome the New Year under the reign of Their Majesties.
I beg you to also grant us your grace this year and watch over the Empire.
Herdin, who appeared before the Emperor and the nobles as the head of a house, although he was still young, showed a bearing that had nothing to envy that of any other head of a family.
No, being so young, he shone even more.
But was it just an impression, or did his figure, who fulfilled his duty as head of the family with serenity, seem fragile?
Even after Herdin left safely after paying his respects to the Emperor, Blair followed him with her eyes.
Once the round of New Year greetings to the Imperial Family was over, the banquet began.
While the nobles gathered in groups to greet each other, Herdin remained alone in his place.
No one approached him, but their eyes and murmuring mouths were directed towards him.
—The young Delmark… no, the Duke.
They say he was at his father's side when he committed suicide.
-Heavens!
Poor thing.
It's amazing that he can stay sane.
—It's amazing, but on the other hand...
being so young, it's a little ruthless too.
They all talked incessantly about the misfortune that had befallen their family and about their future.
They lamented the misfortune of the Ducal House of Delmark, but at the same time they enjoyed and feared it.
—Rachel, don't go near him.
What if he suddenly goes out of control like his father and tries to kill us all?
If Esmeralda had been present, they would not have dared to speak like that, but unfortunately, Esmeralda had retired early due to her poor health, just after receiving New Year's greetings.
In other words, that meant that there was no one in that banquet hall who was on Herdin's side.
Blair looked at Herdin, who was listening to those murmurs in silence, with worried eyes.
Although he endured with his usual impassive face, was he really okay on the inside?
Only after the people's attention had been diverted did Herdin quietly leave the place.
Blair, worried about Herdin's empty eyes, followed him to the back garden of the banquet hall.
As soon as he stepped out into the backyard, the icy winter wind scratched his cheeks.
The night garden, illuminated by a dim light, was silent.
If it had been summer, there would be people enjoying the banquet, but because of the cold, there was no one.
Just as Blair looked around for Herdin, she heard a pained moan not far away.
As he approached the sound, he saw Herdin in the corner of the garden, vomiting.
Blair hurried towards him.
—Are you b…?
But just as she was going to touch his back, Herdin abruptly pushed her away.
—Get out!
Due to Herdin's blow, Blair was upset and fell hopelessly backwards.
Although his butt hurt from the impact of the fall, he was more surprised by the situation itself.
It was the first time anyone had shown him such clear hostility.
Although the situation perplexed her, she was more worried about Herdin.
Blair, blinking dazedly, jumped to her feet.
-Are you OK?
Herdin's gaze at the fallen Blair wavered for a moment, but soon turned icy again.
And he reacted even more harshly.
"Haven't you heard that you're leaving?"
He had long since put aside the courtesy due to the Imperial Princess.
Herdin took a menacing step toward Blair and spat out the words as if chewing them.
—Go away if you don't want to die.
There was clear bloodlust in Herdin's voice when he spoke.
Blair instinctively flinched from the bloodlust she was experiencing for the first time in her life, but when she saw his eyes, she couldn't flee.
No, he didn't want to do it.
Although he uttered cruel words, the boy's blue eyes, disfigured by pain, seemed strangely and terribly lonely.
Suddenly, he remembered what Esmeralda had told him the day before.
He has many wounds in his heart and is clumsy when dealing with people.>Certainly, Herdin, as she said, was not affectionate, nor did he seem like a good person as she had lied.
But...
He was just a boy who found it difficult to bear the sadness that had been left behind.
-Hang on a minute!
Blair, who was staring at him, remembered something, turned around and ran into the banquet hall.
Then, he gathered his things and hurriedly left.
She had been taught that running wild was unladylike, but Blair was in a hurry.
Like when I went to get food for the cat that appeared in the backyard.
—Haa… Haa…
When he returned to the backyard, Herdin was gone.
After wandering around the garden, he found Herdin on the opposite side of the wall where he had been before.
Herdin was sitting leaning against the wall, his face buried between his knees.
Remembering Herdin vomiting, Blair worriedly wondered if she shouldn't go get some medicine instead as she approached him.
At that moment, from the boy who was hiding his face between his knees, a sigh escaped along with a harsh voice characteristic of a teenager.
—…Why has he come back?
Although his tone clearly denoted annoyance, this time he made an effort to use polite language.
Blair, fearing that he would push her away again, quickly put the object she had brought into his hand, which was resting spread out on her knees.
—I'll lend you this.
Only then did Herdin raise his head and look at what was in his hand.
They were fur earmuffs.
—They are rabbit hair earmuffs.
With this on, you can't hear well.
Those earmuffs would muffle those murmurs a little.
Since it was winter, no one would think it was strange that he was wearing earmuffs.
—And they are also warm, and very soft.
The rabbit fur earmuffs were fluffy.
So much so that I wanted to touch them without stopping because of their pleasant touch.
Stroking that hair used to lift his spirits.
Just when Herdin, alternating his gaze between the earmuffs and Blair with shining eyes, was about to say something with an absurd gesture.
-Princess!
Is it there?
The voice of a lady-in-waiting was heard looking for her.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Blair jumped up.
If Herdin was discovered hiding there, all his efforts to appear normal at the banquet would collapse.
—Today will be our secret.
Blair left Herdin, turned the corner quickly, and trotted toward the lady-in-waiting.
His hand, which was holding the earmuffs, became empty, but his heart felt relieved.
That night, before falling asleep, Blair made a wish as always.
That my mother loves me.
May my mother and Her Majesty the Empress become friends.
To the wishes he made every day, that day he added a special one for another person.
Although he didn't like that person monopolizing the attention of Her Majesty the Empress...
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—So it was Her Majesty the former Empress who organized the first meeting between the Lady and the Lord Duke.
Agnes, despite it being a story foreign to her, listened with attention and interest to Blair's story.
What Blair had told Agnes was that the day before the New Year's Festival she had played cards with him and that Herdin had also attended the banquet.
Until there.
He did not tell her that he had escaped from the banquet that night.
It was something of the past, and even if someone now found out that he had run away that night, there was no one who could make fun of him.
Because the Herdin of today was the best knight in the Empire and a war hero.
But even if the secret of that night was no longer important, he did not want to throw his wounds as a topic of conversation for others.
—That a bond forged since childhood has culminated in marriage is a very romantic story.
—Do you think so?
-Of course.
It's the kind of story that every young girl dreams of at least once.
And on top of that, the protagonist is Mr.
Duke...
Although, of course, the one who completed that romanticism was the love of the Lady.
Blair looked at Agnes as if asking what she meant by that.
…To be continued