Chapter 109: How to Lure the Wolf
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: How to Lure the Wolf
“Oh, it’s raining.”
Just as Blair finished dinner with Mikhail and Anna, heavy raindrops began to patter against the windowpanes.
It was an autumn rain.
Clearing the dishes, Anna glanced toward Mikhail and said, “This rain will make your trip home difficult. Why don’t you stay the night?”
Startled by the unexpected suggestion, Mikhail looked at Anna. She gave him a subtle wink before adding, “Of course, only if Madam is comfortable with it.”
“No, I’m fine—”
“Please do. It’s easy to catch a cold in weather like this.”
Before Mikhail could finish his sentence, Blair readily accepted Anna’s suggestion.
Mikhail shot Anna an embarrassed glare, but he didn’t refuse Blair’s kindness.
“…Thank you for your hospitality, Madam.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Blair smiled warmly, her polite tone now second nature to her.
Ever since she began living as ‘Arwen Hales,’ she had used formal speech with Mikhail. He had told her to speak however she felt comfortable, but Blair was stubborn.
‘I am no longer an Imperial Princess or a duchess, so I am on equal footing with you.’
Her status had been a matter of luck, something she’d been born into. Since she had cast it aside with her own hands, she refused to be bound by it any longer. Now, she had to grow accustomed to the life of a commoner, Arwen Hales.
That was the life befitting the name she had chosen.
“Then, please make yourself at home.”
Blair announced she was going to wash up and headed upstairs first, leaving Mikhail and Anna alone in the kitchen.
Mikhail watched her back as she ascended the stairs before turning his gaze to Anna. She subtly avoided his eyes and began to busy herself with chores.
“Perhaps I should prepare tomorrow’s breakfast in advance…”
But Mikhail saw right through her.
“Anna. Do not make things difficult for Madam.”
It was just as she’d expected.
Anna dropped her innocent smile, quietly closed the kitchen door, and turned to him with a mischievous grin.
“You have feelings for Madam, don’t you?”
A woman approaching forty who had weathered all sorts of storms was naturally quick-witted.
Mikhail swallowed a sigh, unable to deny or confirm her words.
“Being considerate is nice, but a man who is only sweet has no charm. Sometimes, you need to be bold and make a move. You can’t just watch over her from the shadows like some dark knight forever, can you?”
“……”
“If all you do is tiptoe around her, another man will swoop in and snatch her away. As you know, Master, Madam is a woman with that kind of charm.”
“…I suppose so.”
“Surely you aren’t complacently thinking that other men won’t be interested just because she has a child?”
“Of course not,” Mikhail replied with a bitter smile.
Anna didn’t know that Blair’s husband was alive and well. Nor did she know that Blair still loved him.
Just as Anna said, this was not the time for complacency—not just for his own feelings, but also to erase the unstable imprint on her.
But he found Blair difficult to deal with.
As a guild master, he had dealt with countless women. They had all clearly wanted something from him—be it money, a confirmation of their own power, or an emotional game to satisfy their desires, even if it was just an act.
Blair was different.
She saw him, humble as he was, as an equal. She never took his kindness for granted; in fact, she seemed uncomfortable having nothing to give in return.
She was unlike anyone he had ever met, which made him all the more cautious, all the more fearful.
What if my methods disappoint her? What if she sees the man I truly am, the one who clawed his way up from the bottom?
“Take this and share it with her while you talk. Surely you’re not going to waste this golden opportunity?”
Anna pushed a tray with neatly sliced apples into his hands and shoved him forward.
Feigning reluctance, Mikhail went upstairs. Fortunately, the bathroom was quiet, so Blair hadn’t started washing up yet.
He was standing before her door, wondering what to say, when a loud crash echoed from inside the room.
“…Madam?”
When Mikhail knocked, the sound stopped.
An eerie silence followed, so profound it made the crash feel like an illusion. A wave of anxiety washed over him.
“Forgive me, but I am coming in.”
He knew it was impolite for a man to enter a lady’s room without permission, but his instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Mikhail didn’t wait for an answer and threw the door open.
The scene that met his eyes confirmed his worst fears.
Objects were scattered across the floor, and in the middle of the chaos, a black-masked intruder had his hand clamped over Blair’s mouth.
Mikhail’s heart plummeted.
“Madam!”
The intruder hesitated for a moment at the unexpected interruption, then shoved Blair toward Mikhail and fled through the open window.
Mikhail caught Blair as she stumbled toward him and steadied her.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m… I’m fine…”
He helped Blair, who looked as if she might collapse at any moment, to the bed. His eyes darted between her and the window frame where rain was lashing in.
She claimed to be fine, but her face was pale as she struggled to catch her breath, one hand resting on her stomach. It seemed less like she was fine and more like she was trying to soothe the baby in her womb.
He wanted to chase after the intruder, but she was the priority.
“…First, I will call a doctor.”
* * *
At dawn, as the early morning twilight began to settle, Gerard prayed alone in his private chapel. It was the first part of his daily routine, a ritual he had maintained for years.
A knock on the chapel door broke the reverent silence. Gerard didn’t answer, but the visitor entered quietly and approached him from behind.
“His Holiness.”
Gerard continued to pray with his eyes closed.
Looking at his back, the priest hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…They say they failed to secure her.”
At the news, Gerard’s brow furrowed and he opened his eyes. No name was mentioned, but it was clear who ‘she’ was.
“They say there is a man by her side. Security has tightened since then, making another approach difficult.”
A man.
The failure of the plan was one thing, but the news that a man was by Blair’s side was far more troubling.
If Blair’s heart swayed toward this other man, the imprint would vanish.
If that happened, he might have to wait a long time for another chance to bring down Delmark. An opportunity like this might never come again. Though many women had adored Herdin, Blair was the only one with whom an imprint had ever formed.
“I will instruct them to dispose of the man at the first opportunity before approaching her again.”
“…No.”
Gerard cut the priest off.
“If they fail again, she will simply run and hide somewhere else.”
“Then…”
“If we can’t catch the rabbit to feed the wolf, why not lure the wolf to the rabbit’s den?”
Although he was reluctant to let this matter spiral out of his control, there was no time to be picky if he wanted to finish the job before the imprint disappeared.
* * *
Ruth watched Herdin as he signed documents with a cigar in his mouth. To be precise, his gaze fell on the hand Herdin used to hold the quill.
He was wearing gloves. Usually, Herdin only wore leather gloves when he went out, but at some point, he had started wearing them indoors as well.
Ruth couldn't remember exactly when it started, but it seemed to be around the time Blair disappeared.
‘Has he developed some kind of obsession, like mysophobia?’
But it was too delicate a matter to ask about directly.
Just as he was thinking he should consult Agnes about it, Herdin handed over the signed document.
“Is there any other business?”
“Ah, we received a message from the Lord of Nerha.”
“…Nerha?”
“The port city in the Kingdom of Clania, on the border with Libren.”
“Why from there?”
“They proposed that they might be able to assist with our business in the Libren territory and suggested we cooperate. They also mentioned they would like to host you if you visit.”
Wondering why Libren was being brought up, Herdin, a beat later, recalled the land reclamation project underway there.
The project, which he had started on a whim after a childhood memory surfaced one spring day, was progressing smoothly.
Even though the girl who had once said she wanted to cross the sea was no longer by his side.
As Herdin let out a self-deprecating laugh, Ruth held out a letter.
“I think it would be good to visit. Since Nerha developed as a port city first, seeing it for yourself might give you new ideas for the Libren project.”
Ruth’s suggestion was a veiled attempt to distract Herdin from his frantic search for Blair.
Herdin put down his cigar in the ashtray and opened the letter.
They called it cooperation, but Nerha couldn't possibly welcome another port city right on its border. A competitor backed by the powerful capital of a duke from another country was the last thing they wanted. Since they had no pretext to stop the project, their goal was likely to offer minimal assistance in exchange for a non-aggression pact that would protect their own market share.
However, Herdin felt no need to travel to such a distant place. Not now, not when Blair was gone.
Just as Herdin was about to reply, an urgent knock sounded at the door.