Chapter 115: I'll Give You Whatever You Want
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: I'll Give You Whatever You Want
“Are you planning to make me an irresponsible father?”
“……”
“Your body will only grow heavier, and you need to prepare for the birth. You can’t have the child in a place like this.”
Blair scoffed at his words.
In her past life, he hadn’t visited her even once before their child was born. It was laughable that he was saying such things now. A delayed wave of sorrow washed over her.
“I don’t want to go back. My home is here now.”
Blair’s resolve was unyielding.
Herdin looked down at her and sighed.
His wife was just as stubborn now as she had been two months ago. Neither threats nor persuasion seemed to bend her will.
Rubbing his forehead to suppress a surge of irritation, Herdin shifted his approach.
“Fine. It was all my fault.”
“……”
“I’ll give you whatever you want. So let’s put an end to this and go home.”
Yet, as he spoke, his expression held no genuine remorse. Instead, he looked like a man burdened by the tedious task of soothing a crying child.
Seeing this, Blair felt the foundation of her heart crumble once more.
This wasn’t what she wanted.
The two months she had spent desperately running from him had changed absolutely nothing. Not that she had left expecting him to change in the first place.
After being hurt so deeply by this man, what on earth was I still expecting? She felt pathetic and miserable, wondering how her heart could still break all over again.
At the same time, however, a conviction stronger than ever before took root within her.
She could never, under any circumstances, be happy with this man.
Blair forced down the emotions welling in her throat and stated her desire plainly.
“What I want is a divorce.”
The moment that cursed word slipped past her lips, Herdin’s face contorted.
“Just how long are you going to keep this up?”
“……”
“Stop being so damn stubborn! I already told you I’d give you anything else you wanted!”
As his voice rose, Herdin caught sight of Blair’s red-rimmed eyes and swallowed his anger with a heavy sigh. But the turbulent emotions he forced down only scraped at his throat, fanning the flames in his chest.
“Is it wealth you want? I’ll transfer enough of my personal fortune to your name to let you live in luxury for the rest of your life.”
“……”
“No, I’ll carve out an entire territory and hand it over to you. Will that satisfy you?”
“……”
“Or is it the travel you wanted so badly? You can do that, too, as soon as you give birth. As much as you want.”
He rattled off everything he thought she could possibly desire, yet the look she gave him was utterly hollow.
“……Do you honestly believe those are the things I want?”
Her eyes held neither anticipation nor anger.
He had never seen such an expression on her face before. This unfamiliar side of her sent a sudden, nameless dread creeping through him.
Herdin grabbed Blair by the arm.
“Then what on earth do you want?”
Blair remained silent, her lips pressed into a tight line.
In that silence, the conversation they’d had in the square flashed through his mind.
‘We are nothing to each other.’
He had silenced her then, fearing he might truly lose his mind and do something unspeakable if she confessed her love for another man. Yet, seeing her shield that bastard had grated on his nerves in an entirely different way. The unresolved, twisted jealousy reared its ugly head without warning.
“Ah. Or do you want me to play at some crazy game called ‘love’—just like that bastard who ran away with you, even knowing it would cost him his life?”
Blair’s icy gaze wavered violently. His words left her utterly speechless.
“Then I’ll do that for you, too. I’ll do whatever it takes, so—”
Before he could finish, Blair’s hand whipped across his cheek. A sharp slap echoed through the room, followed by a heavy silence.
In the dead quiet, only the sound of Blair’s ragged breathing could be heard.
Herdin was the first to break the silence.
“How many more times do you need to hit me to be satisfied?”
Though he was the one who had been struck, he remained perfectly calm, while her face was contorted in distress. Her pale hand, flushed red from the impact, trembled violently.
Herdin stared at her hand before speaking again.
“Though, I think your hand will only hurt more if you keep going.”
“……”
“Why don’t you just stab me with a sword instead?”
Blair’s chest heaved as she struggled to breathe, clearly fighting to hold back tears.
She bit her lower lip hard, then spoke in a trembling voice.
“You… you really haven’t changed at all.”
Yes, this man would never change.
Likely never.
Now, her violet eyes held nothing but sheer contempt.
Herdin stared into those eyes, then slowly released his grip on her arm and shut his own eyes tight. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
Forcing his emotions down, Herdin turned and walked out of the bathroom.
“……Attend to the Duchess.”
At his command, the maids waiting outside hurried into the bathroom. Soon, the quiet click of the door shutting echoed behind him.
Herdin ran a hand roughly through his hair.
As the heavy steam and the warmth of her small body faded from his skin, his body cooled, and his reason finally returned.
He had let his emotions get the better of him too quickly.
He had found her. Now that she was heavily pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to run. She could never escape him.
There was no longer any reason to be impatient or anxious.
Having reassured himself, Herdin finally walked away.
* * *
When Herdin returned to the bedroom after a long bath, he found the bed empty.
Blair had washed before him; she should have been in the bedroom by now.
“……Blair.”
His heart sank at the sight of the empty sheets. Just as his expression hardened and he turned to storm out of the room, the faint sound of breathing caught his ear.
Following the sound, he found Blair curled up asleep on a sofa with its back to the door.
The sight made him let out a dry, disbelieving laugh as the tension drained from his body.
It wasn’t hard to guess why she had chosen to sleep uncomfortably on the cramped sofa instead of the spacious bed. It was her way of saying she couldn’t stand the mere sight of him.
This was the greatest act of defiance she could muster.
Yet, her soft, rhythmic breathing made her look far too peaceful for a woman in the midst of a desperate rebellion.
Herdin sat on the edge of the table facing the sofa, quietly studying her sleeping face. Whatever she was dreaming of, a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.
He resented that she only smiled in her sleep, yet, like a madman, he found himself unable to hate her.
As he watched Blair sleep, completely unaware that the man she so despised was sitting right beside her, his gaze drifted down to her swollen belly.
Two months ago, her pregnancy had been barely noticeable unless he touched her directly. Now, it had grown enough for anyone to tell at a glance.
Earlier, he had been too caught up in their argument to register the change when he’d held her. Only now did the reality of it truly sink in.
The round swell of her belly was both endearing and fascinating, even more so when he thought of how her petite frame had been carefully nurturing the child inside her all this time.
Lost in thought, he reached out to gently touch her belly.
“Ah…”
Blair’s eyes snapped open, and she instantly curled her arms around her stomach—a primal, protective gesture, like a mother animal shielding her young.
Even after realizing the man before her was her husband and the father of her unborn child, her guard did not drop.
Herdin stared at her for a moment before speaking.
“Sleeping uncomfortably out here won’t change anything. Stop being stubborn and get in the bed.”
“I’m perfectly comfortable her—”
Before she could finish, Herdin scooped her up into his arms. Startled, Blair began to thrash and protest.
“Let me go!”
Ignoring her, he carried her to the bed and set her down.
The moment her feet touched the mattress, Blair tried to scramble away, but Herdin’s solid frame blocked her path.
“Lie down.”
“I don’t wan—”
“I’ll be the one to leave.”
With that, Herdin stood. Leaving Blair watching him with wary, guarded eyes, he walked out of the room.
He closed the door behind him and reached into his robe, pulling out a cigar and placing it between his lips. It was then—
A familiar, yet far more intense pain pierced through his head. He staggered, momentarily losing his footing.
“……!”
As Herdin gritted his teeth against the agony, a flood of memories—memories that felt like his own, yet were entirely foreign—sliced sharply into his mind.
His vision blurred, then snapped into focus, revealing a small child standing before him.
It was a little boy who looked barely old enough to walk, with soft, curly black hair and brilliant violet eyes.
…Blair?
The moment he saw the child, Herdin reflexively thought of Blair. The boy’s lovely violet eyes were a perfect mirror of hers.
The child, with eyes so like his wife’s, sat in a cradle and wept sorrowfully as he looked up at him. Beneath the cradle, a dark pool of blood was spreading.
Herdin’s heart stopped.
Forgetting it was merely an illusion, he took a step toward the child. He was consumed by a single, desperate urge: he had to rescue this boy who looked so much like his wife from this horrific scene.
But the moment he reached out, the child vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind but the empty hallway.
Herdin stared blankly at the empty space, his eyes hollow. Only then did he realize it had been a hallucination, and his brow furrowed deeply.
“What on earth was that…?”
The strange symptoms that had remained dormant ever since Blair left had returned.
And this time, they were far more intense, far more vivid.