"Blair?" When?
—…Hasn't he told you?
—Tell me what?
Blair hasn't told me anything.
The princess went out of her way to make a good impression on her aunt.
So I assumed that he would have told him about that day to receive his praise.
Then he suddenly remembered what Blair had said that day as she walked away from him.
The girl had not even told Esmeralda.
Despite it being the perfect opportunity to receive the praise he craved so much.
Herdin was perplexed by that fact.
—Did something happen between you and Blair?
Esmeralda asked with a face full of curiosity.
Herdin briefly explained what had happened that day.
That he had gone out to the garden to take a break—he lied in this part so as not to worry Esmeralda—that Blair had followed him and had offered him the earmuffs so he could cover his ears.
Throughout the story, Esmeralda did not stop smiling.
With an expression that showed that he found those two children adorable.
After hearing the full story, Esmeralda returned the earmuffs to Herdin.
"Then why don't you give them to them yourself?"
-Sorry…?
—Whoever receives a favor must go and say thank you in person.
Are you trying to foist the matter on me?
Wow, at your age, you already want to use me as your messenger?
Although Esmeralda's voice was full of mischief, it was clear that it was not entirely a joke.
He himself thought that delegating gratitude to his aunt was not very polite towards the person who had helped him.
But he didn't want to go see Blair on his own initiative.
Wasn't the princess the daughter of that Empress?
His aunt was a kind person by nature, capable of taking in even that woman's daughter, but he was not.
He preferred to avoid meeting her as much as possible.
He feared that this naive princess might become attached to him.
—By the way, did you really wear these earmuffs?
You must have been adorable.
Why don't you try them on once in front of me?
While he was deep in his serious musings, Esmeralda suddenly approached with the rabbit earmuffs in her hand.
His face was filled with mischief.
Herdin looked frightened.
—I didn't wear them!
I just carried them with me.
Esmeralda chuckled at seeing him like this, and put down the earmuffs with a regretful expression.
His eyes, when he looked at Herdin again, were calm, unlike a moment ago.
—Herdin.
You don't like Blair?
Herdin could not respond.
It wasn't that he disliked the girl herself.
It was his origin that bothered him.
If I had to choose, I would lean more toward “I don't like it.”
But answering no would be lying, and he wasn't good at it; and answering yes would make him feel like a mean person, unlike his aunt, and he didn't feel like it.
—Blair isn't loud like other kids you don't like, nor does she hate you or insult you for no reason.
And besides, didn't it help you?
Herdin, who had listened to his aunt in silence, opened his mouth.
—…But she is that woman's daughter.
—You shouldn't think like that.
That's not the girl's fault.
—…
—Blair is good.
Regardless of what your mother is like.
Don't you believe the same?
Herdin could not refute it.
It was impossible for her to consider Blair separately from Katrina, but, as Esmeralda said, the princess was good.
Given his position, he must hate her, which is why he refused to accept that fact.
—I'm sorry that the petty quarrels of adults spill over to you too.
Esmeralda smiled bitterly, and Herdin, after looking at her, remained silent.
His aunt was a good person.
Someone who had taken care of him carefully after losing his parents at an early age.
She was like a mother to him.
Therefore, unable to disobey that person, he finally took the earmuffs and appeared in person at the Imperial Princess's palace.
The knights guarding the entrance to the palace were visibly disconcerted by the unexpected visit of the Duke of Delmark.
—I have come to thank Her Highness the Princess for a favor she did me during the New Year Festival.
Just as Herdin was talking to the knights, a small shadow was cast from above.
Reflexively looking up, he saw Blair on the balcony, rubbing her still sleepy eyes.
Blinking with half-lidded eyes, Blair patted both cheeks.
It seemed like he had gone out to clear his head.
Then, their eyes suddenly met.
Her disheveled platinum hair shone in the morning sun, and her violet eyes opened wide over her cold-reddened face.
A sigh escaped her small, parted lips, and at the same time, her tiny face twisted into a grimace of distress.
—Mistress!
Blair's voice, who had run back into the room, could be heard faintly.
Phrases like: «Oh, God!
The Duke of Delmark has come!
And me without washing my face..." He didn't seem to know that the balcony door had been left open.
Herdin, upon hearing this, giggled.
Those eyes wide open, the face twisted into a grimace.
It was a winter morning in which, just by witnessing that, he felt that he had done well to follow his aunt's advice.
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—Mmm…
Blair, who was hugging the pillow in her sleep, felt strange and opened her eyes suddenly.
What the pillow believed was Herdin.
The man who was her husband both in her past life and in this one.
The heat emanating from him was warm.
So much so that you want to go back to sleep like that.
And that's precisely why I hated him.
For fear of getting used to that heat again.
For fear of confusing that warmth with love.
Blair sat up to get out of bed.
At that moment, his eyes met the fireplace.
The red flames burned brightly, consuming the wood.
Seeing him, Blair involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.
Fire.
The calamity that had incinerated his happy time.
The fear that those flames would devour everything again invaded her.
His breathing became faster and his vision became blurred.
Then, a large hand covered her field of vision and knocked her down again.
When Blair barely came to her senses, Herdin's face was in front of her.
—Are you afraid?
I should have it.
Because she was terribly afraid of fire.
But his heart, which was pounding, calmed down little by little.
His breathing also became normal.
Simply because he was by her side.
It was strange.
Herdin, after checking Blair's condition, closed his eyes and said in a hoarse and serious voice:
—Sleep a little more.
Blair hesitated for a moment and tried to get away from him, but the arm around her waist was firm and he didn't seem willing to let go.
Seeing Blair stiffen, Herdin opened his closed eyes and said:
—The cohabitation clause in the contract, I will make it effective today.
Blair flinched at his words.
She thought that one day he might demand cohabitation, but she didn't expect it to be today.
They had just made up after a fight and she had just recovered from fainting.
But if he wanted it, he wasn't going to refuse.
To demand cohabitation when she wanted to conceive Aziel, she also had to accept his requests without rejecting them.
—Then...
I'll go wash first.
I haven't washed since I came back from the street...
Upon hearing that, Herdin's gaze, who was trying to guess his intentions, turned icy and he let out a sarcastic laugh as if it seemed absurd to him.
—It seems that he sees me as a human wreck who would vent his lust on a sick woman.
—…I didn't think that.
It's part of the contract, so I must keep the promise—
—Enough.
Again the happy contract.
Herdin's brow furrowed briefly as he heard the word "contract" leave Blair's lips as if out of habit, but he quickly relaxed his expression.
It had been he himself who had first mentioned that clause in the contract.
—What I'm saying is that we literally just sleep together.
But why...?
Not understanding his intentions, Blair questioned him silently with a strange look.
Herdin sighed and added an explanation:
—With the fireplace lit, she can't sleep alone.
Blair's eyes, which were staring at him, blinked slowly.
It was strange.
Doing nothing and just sleeping together was of no benefit to him.
So that was, solely, for her.
—I won't do anything, so sleep peacefully.
As if his words were sincere, he pulled back the duvet that had slipped from her, removed his hand, and lay down away from her.
Although they were still close enough to touch each other with the slightest movement, it seemed like he really intended to sleep like this.
Blair stared dazedly at Herdin's profile, who kept his eyes closed.
Even so, I still hate you.
But today has been a very hard day.
I'm too exhausted.
So…
Blinking slowly at him, Blair eventually succumbed to sleep.
It was a warm night, the first in a long time.
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The fireplace was out, but the room was still warm.
As if he had been watching her until just now.
Blair pulled the call cord and waited a moment.
Lina entered carrying a silver basin with water for cleaning.
As soon as she saw Blair, Lina's eyes filled with tears.
His face reflected the hardships he had endured the night before.
—W-why did you do that?
You, who are so afraid of fire...
If you wanted to light the fireplace, you could have called me.
-I'm sorry.
You've been worried, haven't you?
Blair didn't mention why she had lit the fireplace herself.
To speak ill of Herdin would be, after all, to expose his own interior, and furthermore, the matter had already been satisfactorily resolved.
After comforting Lina, Blair asked:
—And Ppippi?
Unless something unforeseen arose, Blair usually personally fed the baby marten.
More than out of a sense of duty, he liked to see that little creature who looked so much like Aziel grow up.
—Ah, a moment ago Melly went to give him the milk.
Hearing Lina's answer, Blair asked again with some surprise:
—Have you forgiven her?
—…Is it better if I don't do it?
Lina seemed ready to kick her out immediately if Blair told her to.
Blair smiled and shook her head.
—No, don't do it.
If you're fine, it's fine with me.
I would like you to get along with other people too.
—But she also behaved badly with you, ma'am.
Blair took Lina's hand and continued in a soft voice:
—Lina, everyone makes mistakes.
—…
—Of course, there are mistakes that cannot be forgiven under any circumstances, but there are also others that can be amended even if it is late.
—…
—If a single mistake determined everything a person is, people, after one mistake, would abandon everything.
Even having the possibility of improving.
—…
—It is true that Melly did wrong, but I don't think it was an irreversible mistake.
And, above all, she herself is regretting it.
The night before, on the way to the servants' quarters after leaving Blair's room together, Melly had apologized to Lina.
Remembering that scene, Lina nodded slowly, accepting Blair's words.
Blair smiled sweetly and asked:
"So, how about giving that girl a chance to make up for her mistake?"
—Oh, ma'am.
You're too good, that's your problem.
Lina said it in a complaining tone while sighing, but a slight smile appeared on her face.
—Well, anyway… as you say, he didn't seem like a bad person.
Yesterday, she was the first to find you passed out and act.
—Oh, yes?
I'll have to thank Melly.
While Blair washed her face with the rose water that Lina had prepared for her, she listened to the little stories about the mansion that Lina told her.
Just as Blair finished washing and was drying her face with a towel, Lina gasped as if she had just remembered something.
—Oh, it's true!
His Excellency said to let him know when he got up.
Let them have dinner together, since they couldn't yesterday.
—…Did he say that?
That meant that Herdin had not eaten yet.
Blair groomed her fur lightly, changed her clothes, and went straight down to the dining room.
Mason, upon seeing her, bowed his head in greeting and immediately opened the door for her.
In the dining room, Herdin was sitting waiting, dressed as usual in a shirt and vest.
—Have you rested well?
Although his attire was impeccable, his sleepy face while sipping a glass of wine gave him the air of a high society skull.
That sharp nature that could not be hidden by good manners or neat clothing.
That aura that, even knowing its danger—or perhaps precisely because of it—was irresistibly attractive.
It was an impression that hadn't changed much since she met him as a child.
—Yes, thanks to you.
As soon as Blair sat down, the dishes began to be served.
During the meal, all you could hear was the clinking of cutlery.
Herdin wasn't one to initiate conversation, so the silence was familiar to Blair.
As he cut his steak into small pieces and chewed it carefully, Blair, who was watching Herdin out of the corner of his eye, gathered his courage and began cautiously.
—Herdin.
What we talked about yesterday.
…To be continued