Ruth looked at his back with a pitiful look.
It was a scene he had seen countless times in his life as Herdin's assistant.
That she is a priestess with divine power.
Because, at the end of the day, those with divine power are valuable, and having them around would be useful.
Although his lord, despite this great usefulness, had not given him a single glance.
—But come on, it was the person who cured you, Duke.
Why wasn't he a little nicer?
—For this reason, before you accuse me of negligence, I already told you what you had to do.
At Herdin's indifferent response, Ruth was left speechless, but it was already a thing of the past.
—Yes, yes.
How kind you are.
Herdin left Ruth, who was responding reluctantly, behind him, and headed toward the horse he had tied.
Waiting for the situation to be resolved seemed like a waste of time.
Anxiety for the woman in the mansion had pushed his patience to the limit.
—
Blair, who had returned to the bedroom from Herdin's personal library, handed Mikhail's letter to Rina.
—Rina, can you burn this?
—Oh, yes.
Blair, leaving behind Rina who was lighting a candle, approached the window.
His gaze, contemplating the outside landscape, trembled restlessly.
⌜I have found out the origin of the phrase that he ordered me to investigate at the time.
That phrase is engraved on a dagger that His Excellency, her husband, gave after the war to several knights who shared life and death with him.⌟
And also, one of Herdin's direct knights...
Blair remembered that right after the wedding she had gone to the training ground to see the faces of the knights.
Had I overlooked it?
Blair, pacing restlessly around the room, looked at the clock and immediately left, going down to the first floor of the mansion.
At this time, the knights would be training after lunch at the training ground.
Although she was not a lady who solicitously looked after gentlemen, they would not think it strange that the lady came to see them.
As Blair descended the stairs and headed toward the back door of the mansion, she heard a sound of activity near the front entrance.
While he was thinking that, he ran into Mason, who had just left the first floor.
—Ah, madam.
It was just going down.
—Who has come?
—Several people have arrived from the main territory.
I think they'll want to say hello, so if you're not busy, could you give them a moment?
With his heart, he would have wanted to go to the training ground immediately, but it would have looked bad if he ignored them and left.
Blair nodded her head slightly.
-OK.
Blair walked out with Mason to the main entrance of the mansion.
Five mounted knights approached and dismounted in front of her and Mason.
They had their faces covered with layers to protect themselves from the cold winter.
The man in the middle approached boldly.
—Oh, wow.
I never imagined that the lady would come out to welcome us in person from the first meeting...
What an honor.
If I had known, I would have bought a gift on the way.
Blair, who was absently looking at the man who approached, lowering the cloak that covered his face, froze.
The eyes under the cloak looked familiar.
Blair's eyes, who had recognized those eyes, shook violently.
They were the eyes of that murderer who killed her.
Although he did not have the scar on the bridge of his nose, it was undoubtedly that man.
—Nice to meet you, ma'am.
My name is Caligo Elpharind, Knight of Delmarck.
He slyly kissed the back of Blair's hand.
The man's lips touching his hand were horribly chilling to him.
Blair's hand, caught by him, trembled.
He had to say something, but he was short of breath as if someone were strangling him.
Then, there was the sound of approaching horse hooves.
They were Herdin, Ruth and some other gentlemen.
They had already returned before with Herdin.
As soon as Caligo saw Herdin, he showed joy and let go of Blair's hand that he was holding.
—Wow, even our Excellency receives me with such pleasure.
But Herdin, dismounting from his horse, walked past Caligo and approached Blair directly.
Even though he had arrived, Blair didn't take her eyes off Caligo.
Seeing that, Herdin ordered Caligo to retreat.
—The greeting is enough.
Caligo, you will have had a long journey, so rest.
-Okay!
So, see you again, ma'am.
Caligo said goodbye cheekily and walked away with the knights who had come with him.
Blair stared at his back.
His figure seemed somehow dangerous.
Herdin, without thinking, tried to hug her, but when he saw the dirt stuck to her clothes, he hesitated.
She took off her leather gloves and took Blair's hand in her bare hand.
Feeling that heat, Blair finally raised her gaze, which had been fixed on one point, and looked at him.
—Are you not feeling well?
The hand he held was as warm as ever, but its warmth frightened him.
Afraid that at some point he would become violent and strangle her.
Blair quietly removed her hand from him and replied:
—…I'm fine.
Herdin frowned.
Despite his words that he was fine, his expression didn't seem that way at all.
—Accompany the lady to her room.
Blair, helped by Rina, was going up to her room when she turned to look back.
Herdin was talking to Mason.
A question that he couldn't ask, or hear the answer, clawed at his throat.
—
Back in her room, Blair sat mindlessly at the table.
When his emotions calmed down and his head cooled, questions and hypotheses finally began to arise one by one.
He didn't have much contact with him, so it wouldn't be for personal reasons, and it probably wouldn't be a personal goal either.
Because a simple knight would gain no benefit from killing her.
Blair stopped at that point.
<…No, no.
Perhaps Knight Caligo thought I was a nuisance to Delmarck.>
Although he was friendly to her, who met him today for the first time, as he was very loyal to Herdin, he could have acted on his own to eliminate her at any time.
…To be continued