Chapter 101: My Wife, Rightfully Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: My Wife, Rightfully Mine
Staring at the empty bed, Herdin strode over and pressed his hand to the blankets.
The sheets were already cold, the warmth long gone. This meant she hadn't just stepped away for a moment.
An anxiety he had long forgotten washed over him. At the same time, the blood in his veins ran ice-cold.
"Blair."
Herdin searched every place she might be, from the dressing room to the bathroom, the library, and finally, Pippi's room. But she was nowhere to be found.
Not anywhere in his domain.
The empty room where Pippi had slept told the full story. He had brought the little beast indoors the previous night because of the chilly air, and now it, too, had vanished.
Blair was gone.
"Your Grace, what is—"
Mason, who had come to the mansion's Central Hall early that morning, spotted Herdin pacing the corridors, radiating a freezing chill. He started to approach, then hesitated.
A sharp, murderous glint shone in Herdin's blue eyes as he scanned the mansion.
"Blair is gone."
"Pardon?"
"Has anyone seen her?"
Mason had been about to reassure him that Blair might have just gone for a walk, but he snapped his mouth shut upon seeing the look in Herdin's eyes.
Herdin was already certain that Blair was no longer in the mansion. In this situation, any attempt to comfort him would be nothing but useless chatter.
"I will check immediately."
Mason left at once and gathered the servants in the main hall.
"Has anyone seen Madam between midnight and now?"
The servants, summoned in the early hours of the dawn, shook their heads with half-asleep faces at the sudden question.
Among them, only Lina and Meli stood blinking, their faces pale with shock.
"Madam... is gone?"
The tears welling in their eyes made it clear they hadn't had the slightest inkling of Blair's escape.
Herdin let out a hollow laugh as he looked at them.
In the early days of their marriage, Blair had asked him to take care of Lina. This meant that from the very beginning, Lina had never been part of her escape plans.
If she was willing to leave even her closest servants behind, she wouldn't have told anyone in this mansion where she was going.
"You two, follow me."
Returning to Blair's room with the two maids, Herdin commanded them, "Check if any clothes or jewelry are missing."
The clothes she took would give him a clue about the climate of her destination, and if she sold any of her custom-made jewelry, she could be tracked.
But all Blair had taken was the single outfit she was wearing and the cheeky little beast that followed her around as if she were its mother.
As if determined not to take a single thing he had given her, she had left with nothing but herself.
And one more thing.
She had dared to leave carrying his child in her womb.
"Um, Your Grace. I found this on the vanity..."
Lina, who had been holding back her emotions under Herdin's overwhelming aura, approached hesitantly. In her hand was a letter.
Herdin immediately unfolded it.
[Herdin,
I am sorry for leaving like this.
Our initial contract has ended, and since you have no intention of honoring its terms, I am ending it my own way.
For my sake, and for yours, I ask one last favor: please do not look for me. I will cherish, love, and raise our child well. He will want for nothing.
Although we couldn't say a proper farewell, I am leaving with only the good memories, and I hope you will remember me that way too.
I wish you eternal happiness.]
A hollow laugh escaped Herdin's lips as he read the letter, written in her neat hand.
Happiness. Happiness, she says.
She had resented him so much when she was by his side, yet she must have felt incredibly relieved to be free if she could wish for his happiness.
It felt as though she didn't even have any hatred or resentment left for him, which made him chuckle dryly.
Thinking back, her unusually submissive behavior the night before suddenly made sense. That same behavior, which had pleased him so much in the moment, now pierced his heart like a dagger.
I was neither love nor hate nor resentment to you. I was nothing.
I am truly nothing to you.
The realization hit him anew.
But he had no intention of letting her leave his side so easily, just as she wished.
Whether it was hatred or resentment, whatever form it took, he would occupy a place in her heart.
If that was the only way he could be something to her.
For she was his wife, and she rightfully belonged to him.
Herdin crumpled Blair's letter, stuffed it into his inner pocket, and walked out of the room.
Mason, who had been searching the mansion with the servants, hurried over. Herdin commanded him, "Tell the knights to block all paths leading out of the Imperial Capital. Search everyone passing through."
Even though her pregnancy had entered a stable period, she couldn't ride a horse in her condition. Traveling by carriage, she couldn't have escaped the capital yet.
Having given the order, Herdin went to the stables himself, pulled out a horse, and mounted it. There was one place he had to check first.
* * *
"Pii? Pii!"
In the dark passage, lit only by a single lamp, the only sounds were Pippi's cries and Blair's ragged breathing.
"We're almost there, Pippi. Just bear with it a little longer. Be a good boy."
"Pii."
Blair quickened her pace, soothing Pippi, who seemed anxious inside the bag. Fortunately, the small beast calmed down, reassured by its master's voice.
Blair chuckled softly at the sound.
When she first planned her escape, she hadn't intended to bring Pippi along. Living in the luxurious Delmark Ducal Mansion would be much safer and more comfortable than traveling with her on a long journey.
But when she went to say goodbye right before leaving, her mind changed the moment she saw the little beast running toward her in recognition.
She had taken this creature in because it reminded her of Asiel, whom she had left behind in a time she had lost. Just as she couldn't leave Asiel, she couldn't abandon Pippi, who resembled him so much.
So, Blair had abruptly changed her plans, even if traveling with Pippi would be more arduous than going alone.
Now, walking through the dark corridor for so long, she was glad she had brought him. Just as Pippi calmed down upon hearing her voice, she, too, found comfort in the darkness from the tiny creature relying on her.
"...Are we there?"
After walking through the seemingly endless underground passage, Blair finally reached a dead end.
"He said there would be a latch around here..."
Holding up the lamp to illuminate the ceiling, she saw a latch that could only be opened from the inside. It was exactly as Mikhail had described.
After undoing it, Blair stepped onto a nearby wooden box and pushed the door upward. It was heavy and wouldn't budge.
She struggled, rattling the door a few times.
Just as Blair was about to push with all her might, the door opened from the outside, and the blue light of dawn poured in. And…
"You've done well to make it this far."
Through the dim light, Mikhail reached his hand out to her.
Blinking against the sudden brightness, Blair looked around once her vision cleared. They were in a secluded forest, surrounded by trees.
"Where are we?"
"This is Pahar Forest, to the north."
Blair handed over her luggage and the bag containing Pippi first, then took Mikhail's hand. As she climbed out, she shielded her stomach with one arm, careful not to bump it against the wall.
Mikhail's gaze fell on her stomach.
Blair had told him about her pregnancy while they were planning the escape. Escaping alone was one thing; escaping while pregnant required entirely different methods.
Upon hearing the news, Mikhail had been puzzled. Why on earth was she running away from the man she loved, carrying his child?
But Blair's determination to leave the Delmark Ducal Mansion was absolute, so Mikhail had set his questions aside and helped her.
Now that he saw her in person, a thought crossed his mind.
Perhaps she was only carrying the child out of a sense of responsibility, even though it was unwanted. Considering Blair's kind nature, it was highly possible—after all, she had brought a small beast with her even while fleeing.
If that were the case, he might be able to help.
"My Lady," Mikhail asked gently as she caught her breath. "The child in your womb... is it, perhaps, an unwanted child?"
Blinking at the sudden question, Blair understood his meaning a beat later and answered hastily, "No. This is a child I wanted."
She added, cradling her stomach protectively, "I am alive for this child."
As she spoke, Blair's eyes flashed with a sharpness akin to a mother beast protecting her cub.
Mikhail, momentarily taken aback by her fierce intensity—a side of her he had never seen before—immediately conceded.
"...I have overstepped my bounds."
He offered his hand to Blair, who had recovered her breath.
"First, let us get out of the forest. His Grace has likely returned to the mansion by now. He will soon discover this passage and pursue us."
Blair took Mikhail's outstretched hand and stood up.
She had only just escaped the ducal mansion. She couldn't rest until she had left the Imperial Capital.
The chase was only just beginning.