While the director was explaining, a first wave of people came out, and then, a little behind, a man and a woman came up.
Herdin, who was about to pass by without paying attention, stopped when he saw them.
Although the veil of her hat covered part of her face, he recognized her instantly.
That that woman was his wife.
Blair, while talking to an unknown man, smiled radiantly, with joy.
That image seemed strange to him.
As ridiculous as it seemed.
-Excellence?
At the same moment the director called him, Mikhail, who was looking at Blair with a kind smile in his eyes, looked up.
Meeting Herdin's gaze, the smile disappeared from his face.
Then Blair, who finally noticed that something strange was flowing in the environment, followed Mikhail's gaze.
At the end of it he found Herdin, and his eyes widened in surprise.
—…Herdin?
His blinking eyes only showed surprise at the unexpected encounter, there was no shame in having been discovered in a secret.
Reading that emotion, Herdin's lips twitched.
He composed his expression, which had hardened with coldness, and approached the two.
—I had said I had a meeting with a friend, but I didn't expect to find this.
Herdin, looking at Mikhail, took Blair's hand.
In reality, he had never told her about today's appointment, but Blair, seeing the museum director, meekly handed him her hand.
Because, after all, in the eyes of others, he was her husband.
But in reality, she was nothing to him.
Just a fake husband for hire, nothing more.
I didn't have to tell him beforehand who I was going to see or what I was going to do, nor did I have to give it to him.
He, as part of that contract, knew it better than anyone.
Yes, I knew everything, but...
—Since fate has brought us together like this, if you are not in a hurry, we can say hello for a moment.
Why am I so angry?
—
The three moved to a nearby cafeteria.
—Three coffees.
Herdin placed the order to an employee who approached.
Blair then quickly corrected the order.
—Change one to black tea.
The employee confirmed the modified order and walked away.
Blair added, as if explaining it to Herdin:
—If I drink coffee, I can't sleep.
It was a fact he had just discovered.
Herdin felt ironic about that fact.
Everything was a disaster.
That he would have had to spend almost three months of marriage to discover that fact, and also his own state of mind.
Herdin, leaning deeply in the chair, swallowed his emotions and looked at the man before him.
He disliked her rather handsome face.
Mikhail smiled kindly, but Herdin saw that the smile was not sincere.
—Let's start by introducing ourselves.
Since it was impossible for him not to know the name of someone who was practically a war hero and Duke of Delmarck, he was asking Mikhail to identify himself.
—My name is Mikhail Kiness.
Nice to meet you, Your Excellency.
Hearing Mikhail's name, Herdin's gaze fell into cold silence.
When she had Ruth investigate men named Aziel, she had found none who might be related to Blair.
It was no longer a common name, and the name of Aziel Delmarck, the founder of Delmarck, was rarely used in noble families.
Among the commoners there were some who used that name, but they had no relationship with Blair, which was the most important thing.
So he thought maybe it was someone using a fake name.
A simple assumption, without proof of anything.
For a moment she thought that perhaps this man was "Aziel", but from Blair's attitude, it seemed that he was not her beloved lover.
—Kiness… it's a last name I hadn't heard.
-That's what it will be like.
Because it is not a noble family.
It was a phrase that could have hurt his pride, but the man smiled unfazed.
As if his origin were not a defect for him.
The interested party herself was calm, but Blair intervened as if explaining:
—He is the person who will help me fulfill the contract from now on.
Blair only revealed that Mikhail was her future lover in the scandal, but she did not plan to reveal that he was the guild master.
First, because he thought that Mikhail would have his reasons for not revealing that fact, and second, because he preferred that Herdin not know.
He didn't want anyone to know his whereabouts after the divorce, except Mikhail, who was in charge of this matter.
Not even Ivan and Katrina, much less Herdin.
Hearing that hated word again from Blair's lips, Herdin's lips twitched.
-…Contract?
Then, the clerk brought the coffee and black tea.
Blair, who had paused, watched the clerk walk away and continued:
—…The divorce.
When the contract ends, we agreed that we would get divorced because of me, right?
—Ah, the divorce.
Herdin then understood why Blair had hesitated before speaking.
Because she remembered what he had said a few days ago.
—I don't understand what that contract has to do with this individual.
—This man has agreed to be one of my lovers in the scandal.
-…Scandal?
—The scandal that the duchess has relations with several men.
Herdin laughed at Blair's words.
It was a pretty daring idea to have come from his innocent wife's mind.
From the beginning, he had not thought about how this contract would end.
Because he wasn't interested.
Why wouldn't he have been interested before?
The way of annulling this marriage, organized by none other than the Emperor, could not be normal.
Don't you care about what you're going to lose?
What a passionate love.
I don't know who this Aziel guy is.
Herdin, as he raised his coffee cup, looked at Mikhail.
As Blair had said, she didn't seem to have any special feelings for Mikhail.
But Mikhail's look at Blair was different from that of a client.
He seemed better at hiding his feelings than the other idiots hanging around trying to tell him something.
That's why it was more dangerous.
As if it were the instinct of someone with the same nature, Herdin felt it and his lips twitched.
—Ah, so you were an expert in that field, that's why you're so skilled at entertaining the ladies.
She treated him like a companion who entertains the ladies.
Despite the clear mockery, Mikhail's expression did not flinch.
It was a comment that didn't affect him, after having worked as a bartender for so long.
But Blair, who seemed to disagree, frowned.
—Herdin, don't talk like that.
—On the surface, isn't he your lover?
It was a compliment for doing your job well.
His face showed obvious discontent, but Herdin ignored it and continued:
—In any case, that plan doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
Did you skip what I told you the other day?
At Herdin's sharp words, Blair suddenly remembered what he had told her a few days ago.
…To be continued