The ducal mansion became abuzz.
The Duchess, who had hurriedly left for the Imperial Palace in the early hours of the morning, had been suddenly kidnapped and had returned in Herdin's arms, with blood on her head and her body covered in soot, in a pitiful state.
Herdin, after putting Blair on the bed and watching how the maids busily cleaned her and changed her clothes, went out into the hallway.
The family doctor, who had just arrived, hurriedly greeted Herdin and entered Blair's room.
The noise, everything that made up this situation, seemed strangely distant to him.
Just as, bothered by the throbbing headache, he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, he felt a presence approaching.
“Your Excellency, are you hurt?” It was Mason.
His question, which put his safety first even in this situation, was ironically funny.
"You see." "The lady...
will be fine." It was a phrase that Mason chose carefully after much thought.
Herdin was silent for a moment and then answered nonsensically.
“…I hope so.
It was Ruth, who had gone to the temple to look for a priestess, followed by Miela.
Herdin's gaze froze when he saw her.
Although that talk couldn't have been very pleasant for her either.
Of all the priestesses in the temple, it had to be precisely this woman.
An astonishing coincidence.—I have heard that the Duchess has been seriously injured.
Could I see her condition?
But there was no time to waste waiting to bring in another priestess.
Herdin entered Blair's bedroom with Miela.
Blair, who had already been cleaned of all the soot and blood, had such a calm face that she seemed simply asleep, but there was no need to trust it.
The sacred power could perfectly heal external wounds, but not diseases.
If it was a simple burn, the holy power could cure it, but if the already damaged lungs contracted a disease, it would be impossible to cure.
Furthermore, she was a woman who had already suffered serious respiratory damage from the accident ten years ago.
If she had lung problems again this time, she might really be in danger of death.
Miela approached Blair first and used holy power.
But, for some reason, the healing speed of the wound was very slow.
"What's wrong?" The instant a faint magic circle appeared near Blair's collarbone, the family doctor, who was waiting his turn behind, dropped his briefcase.
"Ouch!" Excuse me.
Thanks to that, Miela couldn't see the magic circle, and Blair's wound was healed.
Miela, who had finished the healing, moved away.
From then on, it was the territory of medicine.—Can I wait and examine the duchess's condition more closely?
Just in case he has any burns left.
At the suggestion of Miela, who had left Blair, Herdin nodded his head slightly in permission.
Shortly after, the family doctor, who had finished the examination, reported on Blair's condition.
"Fortunately, the head injury appears to be a mild concussion." It would be good if he rested for a few days.—And his respiratory tract?—They don't seem to have suffered much damage either, so he can breathe easily.
The doctor greeted Herdin and silently left the room.
Only Blair, asleep, Herdin and Miela were left in the room.
Herdin remembered Miela's words from a moment ago and turned to her.
He met her worried eyes looking at him.
“Are you okay, Your Excellency?” Herdin scoffed inwardly.
If another person had asked it, it might have sounded like a simple greeting or concern, but, knowing this woman's interference, it didn't sound very good to her.
"Isn't it a priority to take care of seriously ill patients?" "But the lady has already received urgent treatment, so now you could take care of your own body..." "Priestess." Herdin interrupted her before she finished.
His voice dripped with unmistakable irritation.
“Heal my wife first.” The rest, later.
Faced with Herdin's firm attitude, Miela reluctantly approached Blair and examined her body.
"Fortunately, she doesn't seem to have any burns left." "I'll make sure to reward her appropriately for coming so urgently." Either to the temple, or on a personal basis if you prefer.—It is not necessary.
I only do in the name of God what He commands.
Miela rejected the reward by waving her hands.
Just when Herdin was about to consider her a true servant of God for her attitude, Miela asked: "But...
how did the duchess end up like this?" The woman went too far with her question, with her candid face.
He didn't know if it was true naivety or cunning disguised as naivety, but in any case, it was a curiosity that he didn't like.
Herdin blurted out.
short laugh.
But it was a moment.
The smile disappeared from her face as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a cold look.
“Priestess.” He leaned slightly towards Miela and looked into her eyes.
That close look, more than making Miela's heart beat, was chilling to Miela.
"Have you never heard the saying that what you see and hear in someone else's house should not be discussed outside?" Although he did not raise his voice or say threatening words, his mere presence made her shrink instinctively.
Herdin, who was watching her intently, raised his head again and looked down at her.
"She will be very busy, You can go now.
Miela looked at him with frightened eyes and then lowered her gaze.
“…I have committed a discourtesy.” After saying goodbye, Miela immediately left the bedroom.
Finally, only Herdin and Blair were left in the room.
Only then, as the tension eased, did a deep sigh escape his lips.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Blair's expression seemed much calmer than a moment ago.
Seeing her so peaceful, alone, while the ducal mansion was in chaos, made him laugh bitterly.
But then, remembering what had happened a while ago in the forest village, his anger boiled again.
At that moment, when he arrived at the village following Blair's trail.
As soon as he saw the villa engulfed in flames, his mind went blank.
Only one face filled his head.
The face of the one who, trapped in the memories of the past evoked by hypnosis, had chosen to die locked in a closet.
The face of the one who, even dying of cold, had not been able to light the lighter.
The face of the one who was happy like a girl with a simple roasted cloud....He felt like he was going crazy.
Although he knew that perhaps Blair had already left the villa and escaped, he rushed inside in flames.
He didn't remember anything else.
«…Herdin».
Seeing her break down saying his name, he felt relief, but also another anxiety invaded him.
The anxiety that perhaps he would never hear that voice again.
If his intention in causing this disaster had been to turn it inside out, he could say that he had succeeded.
Because even now, at this moment when she was breathing safely before his eyes, that anxiety persisted.
The coachman said that Blair had entered the Empress's Palace.
That he had gotten something from there.
He wanted to ask her many things: what was that, why had she gone to the Imperial Palace alone in the middle of the night...
So...
I wish you would open your eyes soon.
Just at the moment he thought that, as if she had heard his thoughts, Blair's eyelids trembled and then opened.
Herdin watched dazedly as her initially cloudy eyes slowly regained focus.
He was going to speak late, but Blair called him first.
“…Herdin.” From between his lips, which moved with difficulty, his characteristic voice emerged, low and grave.
Herdin's eyes, who were looking at her, began to tremble.
Blair, still affected by the avalanche of recovered memories, contained the emotions of that day that were fighting to come out and continued speaking.—…And she did not try to kill me, but protected me.—…—I'm sorry.
He arrived too late...On top of the guilt of having ignored the truth for ten years, the guilt of not having been able to save Esmeralda was superimposed, pressing hard on his chest.
His tired eyes were dry, without tears, but his voice trembled without being able to hide it.—So, was it because of those memories that he went to the Imperial Palace that night?
At his question, Blair hesitated for a moment before confessing.—...Actually, yesterday I tried the Hypnosis with Mrs.
Lorelain.
Hearing that he had undergone hypnosis without her permission, Herdin's face hardened.
But Blair, exhausted, did not notice his expression and continued.
"The hypnosis didn't work, but that night I had a dream." It wasn't from the day of the accident, but a memory of a time I saw Her Majesty the Empress hide something in her bedroom.—And that's why she went to look for it in the middle of the night?—I thought I should go and come back before my mother realized...
And then, in the burned-out villa, I recovered the memories of that day.—…—…Although in the end I lost the document.
The discouragement was evident in Blair's lowered eyes.
Anyone else would perhaps have criticized her.
for causing such a disaster.
But at least he couldn't do it.
Because he knew better than anyone who had pushed that woman, who used to fall ill for days after a simple hypnosis session.
"The document, since it was dark, I could only see the first page, but at least that..." Herdin gently interrupted Blair, who spoke as if she were being chased.
He hadn't pushed her to hear about an unknown document from a woman who had just escaped death.
For now, this was enough.
That you would breathe before my eyes, that you would speak normally.
That alone was enough.
Seeing Blair's face, which mixed guilt, regret for him and, despite everything, an undeniable tiredness, Herdin covered her face with his hand.
"Rest for now." I'll look for the document.
Feeling his hand gently touching her face, Blair blinked slowly and then let her heavy eyelids droop.
Her exhausted body quickly succumbed to sleep.
Herdin silently watched Blair, who was sleeping with steady breathing.
She had recovered her memories of the accident.
With this, they had come one step closer to the truth that he had longed for so much during the last ten years.
But why?
Instead of relief, he felt a strange uneasiness.
Herdin, who had remained with Blair for a while, silently got up and left the room.
Ruth, who was waiting in front of the door, approached.
“And those guys?” “They're in the underground dungeon.” They both headed to the underground dungeon located outside the ducal mansion.
The captain of the guard, who was waiting at the entrance, greeted them respectfully.
Herdin responded to their greeting with a gesture and went down to the underground.
Ruth handed him some leather gloves.
…To be continued