The flickering flame of the lighter settled on the wick of the candle.
After a moment, the candle burned and the flame of the lighter went out.
Lina, who was watching Blair light the candle, exclaimed in admiration.
“Holy shit!” Are you okay, ma'am?
"Yes, I'm fine." Blair's forehead was dotted with pearly sweat, as if she had done an intense exercise.
Her breathing was more labored than usual and her hands were still shaking, but compared to the past, when she fell into a state of panic just by seeing the fire, it was a remarkable progress.
Lina, who had watched Blair closely for longer than anyone else, felt even more proud of her.
“Wow, she's really admirable.” I actually don't know anything about phobias, but honestly, this has to be very difficult.
Now she could even live alone.
At Lina's casual comment, Blair felt uncomfortable, even though Lina couldn't know anything about her contractual marriage.
Lina, for the sake of Blair, who still didn't take her eyes off the fire, quickly blew out the candle and added: "Oh, of course, you know I'm just saying it for the sake of saying it, right?" Don't even think about going anywhere, leaving me here.
"Ah, yes..." "Well, as if the duchess was going anywhere alone." Blair responded to Lina, who was laughing more proudly than her, with a smile instead of a clumsy lie.
It had been a week since, after the argument with Herdin, she had also practiced with him to overcome his phobia of fire.
From that day on, practice was Blair's exclusive business.
It's not that he didn't visit her bedroom.
When night fell, he looked for her and they intertwined their bodies like any other day, but nothing more.
No words passed between them.
Blair, who didn't want to talk to him, kept her mouth shut, and Herdin acted as if he had no purpose or interest other than her body.
At times, his insistence was almost beastly.
Several days passed like this, with nights in which only labored breathing and moans floated.
Herdin, as if he had given up on Blair, who showed no reaction, stopped visiting her room.
Remembering the conversation on the day of the fight, it would have been logical for him to pressure her to recover her memory quickly, as he wished, but he did not give the slightest sign of doing so.
His behavior and the course of events were terribly similar to those of his past life.
"What Herdin wants is the truth about the incident at the Empress's Palace." So So, her plan was to give him what she wanted and then leave.
It wasn't so much for him, but because she didn't want to break the promise she had made to herself not to run away from the truth under any circumstances.
And she was also doing it for Esmeralda.
"Ma'am, Mrs.
Lorelain has arrived." Just as Blair, deep in thought, was opening and closing the lid of the lighter for no reason, a knock was heard on the door followed by Melly's voice.
"Tell him what." Come in.
Permission granted, Lina left and Inés entered the room.—Welcome, Inés.
It rained a lot last night, I hope the road wasn't too difficult.—Fortunately, I only traveled on well-maintained roads, so I arrived comfortably.
Thank you for caring.
Inés greeted Blair with a friendly smile, as always.
But then, seeing the lighter that Blair was holding, his eyes widened.
“Isn't that a lighter?” “That's right.” I was practicing lighting candles.—It seems that the practice with His Excellency is paying off.
Who knew he would adapt so quickly.
In the end, a husband is a greater support than anyone else.
Isn't that right?
At Inés' words, Blair smiled instead of answering.
It was an ambiguous answer, but Inés did not seem to realize its meaning.
“Anyway, why did you call me to the bedroom today and not to the greenhouse?”
Isn't she well...?—No, it's nothing like that.
Blair hesitated for a moment before revealing her true purpose, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she opened her mouth.
"I want to try hypnosis." As expected, Ines showed a reluctant reaction.
"Is it something that Your Excellency has also consented to?" in that incident, he will not sit idly by and watch this.
Then, perhaps the case will be buried forever.
Blair chose to provoke Inés by hiding her own objective and revealing only part of her reasons, instead of lying completely.
She appealed to her loyalty towards Delmark himself, since she was a subordinate of Herdin.
If she was a vassal in whom Herdin trusted enough to entrust her with consulting on this case, she would undoubtedly be moved by his words of wanting to cleanse Esmeralda's unjust stigma.
And the tactic of Blair worked perfectly.—But…Seeing that Inés could not give a firm answer, neither by outright refusing nor by agreeing, Blair took the opportunity to express her opinion more forcefully.—Although it is already too late, I want, now, to clean up the injustice of Her Majesty the Empress.—…—Help me, Inés.
Faced with Blair's sincere plea, Inés, who had remained silent, ended up giving in.—…But it will only be this once.Al Finally hearing the answer she wanted, Blair's face lit up.
Seeing this, Inés immediately added sternly: —If the lady shows the slightest sign of difficulty or suffers after-effects later, she must obey me without conditions.
—Thank you.
Seeing Blair smile despite her warning, Inés laughed as if giving up.
—Are you that happy?
It will be a very difficult task for you, ma'am.
"Because there are things I must do, even if they are difficult." Inés looked with concern at Blair, who was calmly talking about the pain she would suffer due to her own trauma, and then, remembering something that caught her attention, she said: "If you are doing it to gain recognition in Delmark as soon as possible, I want to tell you that it is not necessary." It's the fault of those who reject her for that reason.
At the words of Inés, who cared about her, Blair opened her eyes in surprise and then smiled.
"...There was a time when it was like that, but not anymore." The smile with which she responded was tinged with bitterness.
"I regretted that for a long time...
and I don't want to regret it anymore." It's just for that reason.
Inés thought that her eyes seemed to be looking at a strangely distant place, but the distant sound of the pendulum clock brought her out of her thoughts.
"Okay." Shall we start then?
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
At the time when the evening twilight was settling.
A woman in a black robe descended from the carriage, followed by another in a dark green robe.
Those who prevented them from entering the temple were the holy knights guarding the side door.
“We are sorry, but you must return today.
It's the closing time of the temple...Then, the black-robed woman took something out of her inner pocket and showed it.
It was a badge engraved with the emblem of the imperial family.
Only then, the holy knight looked at the woman in the dark green robe in bewilderment.
A splendid Frontina blonde hair, scarlet red eyes and a beautiful face that seemed to have evaded the passage of time.
The knight, who knew that face, bowed his head hastily.
“Excuse me.” He hadn't recognized her.
You can come in.
The two women passed them and entered the temple, without realizing that another gaze was watching them.
Their steps stopped before a private chapel.
The temple had private chapels for high-ranking nobles who wished to pray in silence and enjoy meditation.
The woman in the black robe remained at the door of the chapel, and only the one in the dark green robe entered alone, removing her hood.
Below her, Katrina's face was revealed.
Just when Katrina finished walking around the chapel, personally lighting the candles, another person entered the room.
"What concern brings you so urgently?" Gerard approached Katrina with his usual smile.
affable.Katrina's face, until then impassive, collapsed with his appearance, like a beast that only shows its vulnerability to those it trusts most.—…Your Eminence.—Yes, Your Majesty.
Tell me anything.
I will help her in everything I can." Katrina bit her trembling lips and, as if she were spitting out the pain she had been holding in, she blurted out: "Blair...
is recovering her memories of that day." "...—What should I do?" Various emotions were mixed in her scarlet eyes: anger, a feeling of betrayal, fear...
Gerard, as if he understood her without needing further explanation, approached with a smile, took her trembling hand and held it.
he consoled.—Her Highness the Princess is His Majesty's daughter.
What is it that worries you so much?
He is not a person who is going to go against blood ties.—No, he says that because His Eminence does not know that girl.
That creature is more than capable of dragging me through the mud.
I know her very well.
Katrina remembered the image of Blair, who had responded indifferently to her orders to immediately stop the hypnosis and consultations.
"Don't repress me anymore, mother."
…To be continued