Wesley's expression hardened for an instant, but he soon hid his feelings and smiled.
—Even the best monkey falls from the tree, it seems that His Excellency also has days of making mistakes.
Herdin looked at Wesley with a strange expression.
Something was wrong.
That guy who, after being beaten at the banquet, had spread a rumor that he had been the one who had hit first, instead of avoiding him, was all the time around him, crawling around.
The thought that had passed unintentionally stopped there.
Herdin ordered the knights who were nearby.
-Gentlemen.
We retreat.
Then Wesley, startled, approached.
—Are you already retiring?
If you hunt a little more, you will undoubtedly be the winner of the tournament.
Herdin, ignoring him, reined in his horse and turned around.
The closer he got to the entrance of the forest, the more a bad feeling grew for no apparent reason.
Just when he reached the entrance of the forest, he encountered a knight who was about to mount a horse.
It was Bein, the gentleman who had been assigned to escort Blair.
—Your, Your Excellency.
Upon meeting Herdin, he was clearly nervous.
Behind him was Delmark's carriage.
But Blair, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.
Instinctively, his heart skipped a beat.
Herdin, without taking his eyes off the place where Blair should be, got off his horse and asked the knight in front of him.
—The lady?
—That, that is…
—Speak.
Don't make me ask twice.
—…We haven't seen her for about an hour.
Upon hearing the news from the knight, he felt all the blood in his body turn cold and then boil again.
Herdin, containing his rising anger, slowly closed his eyes.
The repressed feelings burned as if they were going to burn his throat.
—Explain the situation.
How did it happen.
The gentleman quickly explained the situation.
That the son of Marquis Selden's family had disappeared, that Blair and other ladies had borrowed the knights of their own families to search for the child.
That Lina had been away for a moment due to a stomach ache, and that during that time Blair had disappeared.
—…Witnesses?
—Everyone was so busy looking for the child that it seems there are no witnesses.
Herdin, who had heard all the details, opened his eyes.
His stern blue eyes fixed on them.
"Since when do you serve Marquis Selden as your lord?"
In his deep voice, murderous intent dripped.
At that pressure, the knights shuddered involuntarily.
It was the instinct of the beast that recognizes someone stronger than it.
Something similar to the fear of death.
They truly felt that their normally generous lord was actually the cold and cruel ruler of the north.
The knights couldn't even apologize lightly, they only bowed their heads.
But more than that, he was terrified by the possibility that, through his negligence, something had happened to Blair.
In that environment in which it would not have been strange for someone to die, a woman's voice intervened.
—I came to say thank you...
Hasn't the Duchess returned yet?
It was Rachel Selden.
He had a child in his arms.
His nephew, the one who had supposedly disappeared.
Herdin frowned at her words.
—…That he hasn't returned?
—A little while ago I saw her enter the forest with a gentleman.
Herdin's face hardened.
A gentleman?
Would that gentleman be that Aziel guy?
-Miss.
Do you remember what family that gentleman was from?
—With all the commotion I didn't get to see the family emblem.
As I assumed he would be a gentleman from Delmark...
Has something happened to the duchess?
Hearing Rachel's words, the Delmark knights and Lina also began to get restless.
A lady who disappears with a gentleman on a country excursion.
Even if the truth was not known, it was the perfect image for a scandal to arise.
Realizing this, Lina quickly advanced towards Herdin.
—No, it is not like that, Your Excellency!
It's a misunderstanding!
My lady is not like that!
Forgetting the fear from a moment ago, he only thought about defending Blair's innocence.
—I knew she would come back right away, she wouldn't do something like that without notifying me at all—
—Shut up.
Herdin coldly cut off the words of Lina, who was defending Blair.
Lina, with a frightened expression, closed her mouth.
In this situation, a strong refusal would only increase suspicion.
Above all, he must not give rise to that in front of people who were not from Delmark.
Reason, which he had barely recovered, began to work quickly with a cool head.
Lina was right.
Even if she had a passionate lover, Blair wasn't one to foolishly give herself away like this.
And it wasn't a good time to cause a scandal planned by her either.
Because they had not yet discovered the truth of the Empress's palace incident.
Yes, she had clearly said that.
But...
Me, in that woman?
What if she had already fulfilled the purpose of this contract marriage?
If I no longer had reason to maintain this marriage?
No matter what the truth of the Empress's palace incident was, couldn't she want to cause a scandal and get away from him?
Since the only thing that proved this contract was a simple piece of paper.
Doubt spread like a fire in an instant.
<…No, that's not the important thing now.>
First, he had to have Blair in front of him.
With whoever he was, whatever he did, that was the first thing.
When, regaining his composure, he was about to head back into the woods, Rachel, who had been watching him, smiled sympathetically and said:
—He will be back soon.
Because the Blair I know is like that.
—Then our proud duchess would not do something like that.
Wesley, who appeared suddenly, joined the conversation.
—Ah, it's not that I wanted to eavesdrop, it's that I overheard it.
Herdin looked at Wesley with cold eyes.
Wesley hesitated for a moment at that look, but then he smiled fakely and added:
—Maybe the lady went out for a walk for a while and got lost?
—Yes, yes!
Surely that's it.
Lina, not knowing who Wesley was, nodded desperately at his words without questioning them.
…To be continued