Chapter 114: Undoing the Buttons
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114: Undoing the Buttons
“How… how are you here?”
Her violet eyes trembled as they met his.
Herdin quietly gazed at her face. Her lively expression and healthy complexion showed she had been doing far better than when she was by his side. He felt a wave of relief at the sight, only to immediately mock himself for it.
To think that the very first emotion he felt upon seeing the woman who had run off with another man while carrying his child—the woman who had turned his world upside down for months—was relief.
He had imagined he would be consumed by fury the moment he found her.
But seeing her so well-fed, well-rested, and healthy, a stark contrast to his own state, his first feeling was relief. He had to be utterly mad about her.
He scoffed at his own pathetic condition.
“It seems your convalescence was quite enjoyable,” Herdin murmured, his fingers brushing against Blair’s vibrant cheek. “Your health has improved significantly.”
His cool gaze slowly drifted down from her face, eventually settling on her round, swollen belly.
Feeling his stare, Blair’s heart began to pound with anxiety. At that exact moment, she felt the baby move, as if the child recognized its father.
Though the movement was still too subtle to be seen, Blair instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach, terrified that Herdin might notice.
Seeing her shield the child from him, Herdin’s brow furrowed for a moment before smoothing out again. He lowered the hand that had been caressing her cheek and spoke.
“The position of lady of the house has been vacant for too long. It is time for you to return, Duchess.”
“…I’m waiting for someone.”
Her expression was resolute as she replied. It was laughable—boldly declaring she was waiting for another man right in front of her husband.
“That bastard isn’t coming.”
“How do you—”
“Why do you think he suddenly vanished, leaving you behind? Especially with such a perfect opportunity right before him.”
Sensing a dark implication in his words, Blair’s eyes wavered.
“What did you do to Mikhail?”
“Nothing,” Herdin added, his voice chilling. “Not yet.”
“…Are you going to hurt him?”
Her eyes filled with terror as she asked. Seeing it, the corners of Herdin’s mouth twisted into a sneer. He despised hearing Mikhail’s name from her lips, and he hated the fear in her eyes—a fear born from her concern that the bastard might be harmed.
And all this, right in front of him, the husband she hadn't seen in months.
“If he is a scoundrel who dared to elope with the Duchess in the dead of night, he deserves to be punished. But if not, there would be no need.”
Mikhail’s fate hung on her answer. Realizing the weight of his words, Blair’s lips trembled.
Herdin stared into her resentful eyes and asked, “So. Do you love him?”
The answer to that question was already decided.
* * *
Mikhail scanned the deserted alleyway, searching for the source of the gaze he had felt on him and Blair just moments before. He had sensed eyes on them since that afternoon. At first, he’d dismissed it, but feeling it again just now, he was certain it wasn’t his imagination.
That was why he had left Blair in the crowded square and slipped into the alley to pursue the watcher. If the Pope was involved, this place was no longer safe. If the mastermind was Gerard, he had to get Blair out of the city immediately.
Where did they go?
Just then, a shadow fell over him. The figure was far too quick, their presence too well-concealed to be an ordinary person. A sense of foreboding washed over him.
“Sharp, aren’t you? I guess you weren’t just some bartender.”
A smirk was evident in the man’s voice as Caligo stepped out of the darkness, casually swinging a sword. A familiar crest emblazoned on his chest came into view.
…The Delmark crest.
Recognition twisted Mikhail’s face. The man’s presence meant one of two things.
Herdin knew Blair was here.
Or perhaps, he was already here.
No, maybe they lured me here on purpose.
If that was the case, she likely wouldn’t be there, even if he rushed back now. Besides, the man before him showed no intention of letting him go.
Quickly assessing the situation, Mikhail drew his dagger and lunged.
Caligo, who had let his guard down assuming Mikhail was unarmed, barely parried the attack. As their blades met, he realized instantly: This is no ordinary bartender.
A dagger was at a clear disadvantage against a longsword, yet the man was compensating with sheer speed, forcing him back. Then again, a mere bartender wouldn’t have had the nerve to run away with another man’s wife.
“I see that preemptive strike wasn’t just for show.”
Finding a worthy opponent after so long, Caligo’s interest was piqued. He tightened his grip on his sword and threw himself into the fight in earnest. His easygoing smile vanished, replaced by a chilling bloodlust.
The relaxed atmosphere shattered, and only the sharp clash of steel echoed through the alley.
After a fierce exchange, it was Caligo who found a blade at his throat, though Mikhail’s breathing was just as ragged.
Mikhail pressed his dagger against Caligo’s neck and demanded, “Is the Duke here?”
“Well, I don’t think you’re in a position to be asking questions either.”
Only then did Mikhail notice the dagger in Caligo’s left hand, its blade aimed directly at his flank. His brow furrowed.
“…Have you thrown chivalry out the window?”
“Ah, chivalry,” Caligo said. “Incredibly important—for greenhorns who’ve never set foot on a battlefield.”
“…”
“Spend a few years rolling around in a warzone, and that useless chivalry is the first thing you toss. It won’t save your life or the lives of your comrades.”
“…”
“From the looks of it, you’ve seen your share of real combat, too. Isn’t it a bit rich to demand chivalry only from me?”
Caligo shrugged, not a shred of shame in his demeanor. As Mikhail let out a dumbfounded scoff, Caligo seized the opening, deflecting the dagger at his throat and leaping back. He twirled his own dagger and spoke.
“I wasn’t ordered to kill you, so I won’t. Not that I could have this time, anyway.”
He admitted his defeat with a frustratingly lighthearted tone. Reading Mikhail’s irritation, Caligo’s grin widened before his expression turned cold. His eyes were chilling as he warned, “If you value your life, stop overstepping your bounds and leave. I may have lost, but when my lord decides to kill someone, he never fails.”
Mikhail knew that was no empty boast.
“Well then, let’s hope we don’t meet again.”
Having delivered Herdin’s message, Caligo gave a sly smile and a wave before walking away.
Mikhail glared at his retreating back, then turned to head for the square. The reality of the situation finally sank in, and he gritted his teeth.
Blair was gone.
His feet, now with nowhere to go, froze in place.
* * *
Herdin brought Blair to the Mansion of the Lord of Nerha.
As if they had been warned of her arrival, the maids immediately guided her to a bath. They were all strangers. Unable to find a single familiar face, Blair spoke.
“I wish to bathe alone.”
She had grown used to bathing herself over the past two months and was reluctant to expose her body to strangers in an unfamiliar place. More than that, she felt as if their eyes were monitoring her.
But the reply she received was firm. “We apologize, my lady. But we have received strict orders to attend to you with the utmost care, given your delicate condition.”
It was clear Herdin had instructed them to watch her. The blatant intent was suffocating.
While Blair was locked in a subtle battle of wills with the maids, the bathroom door swung open without a sound, and Herdin walked in.
Startled by his sudden appearance, the maids quickly bowed. Noticing he was still in his robe, they understood his intentions and quietly slipped out.
Blair took a step back as he approached, but his long strides closed the distance in an instant. Her brow furrowed.
“…I want to bathe alone.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Duchess.”
Trapping her between the wall and his body, Herdin reached for the button at the collar of her dress. “Because I’m terrified you might vanish again the moment I look away.”
His cool gaze drifted from her eyes to the button. Soon, his long fingers were deftly undoing it.
Click.
The small sound echoed in the quiet bathroom, pulling the tension between them taut.
Blair grabbed his hand as he moved to the next button. At her touch, his gaze lifted back to her face.
She glared at him with resentful eyes. “Why did you look for me?”
When I begged you not to.
Herdin replied in a casual tone, “Does a husband need a reason to look for his wife?”
“Our contract is over.”
“The contract is, indeed, over.”
At the same time, his large hand came to rest on her round belly. Blair flinched as his warmth seeped through the fabric.
“But the child remains.”
His cold gaze, a stark contrast to his warm touch, sent a shiver down her spine.