Chapter 131: Forever, Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: Forever, Mine
Herdin let out a dry, incredulous laugh at his wife's first words.
He had wondered what she could possibly have to say with such a solemn expression on her face. Her sudden declaration that she would take off her clothes was both ridiculous and irritating; she seemed intent on getting the night’s objective over with like some tedious chore.
"You're more impatient than you look."
Herdin pulled out the chair next to him.
"Sit down first. I'll do the unwrapping."
Blair blinked, not quite understanding his meaning, but sat down as instructed. Herdin poured wine into a glass and handed it to her.
"Drink."
"Thank you."
As Blair took the glass, her hand lightly brushed against his. Startled by the contact, she flinched and quickly pulled away.
But in that fleeting touch, Herdin had noticed the slight tremor in her hand. He narrowed his eyes.
Blair wet her lips with the wine, as if lost in thought, before speaking cautiously.
"I know I am still lacking, but I will do my best to learn and become a wife you won't be ashamed of."
Herdin sneered internally at her words. It was laughable to hear her speak of trying her best as his wife, as if she had completely forgotten what had transpired between the Imperial Family and Delmark.
When Herdin didn't respond, an embarrassed Blair began to drink her wine again.
He sipped his own, openly observing her. Blair desperately kept her lips pressed to the rim of her glass, trying her best to avoid his gaze.
Staring intently at her red lips, now wet with wine, Herdin finally spoke.
"Are you a good drinker?"
"Um… I don't think so."
"Then that's enough."
Herdin took Blair's glass away. He had no desire to hold a woman so drunk she couldn't think straight; it would feel too much like a violation.
Deprived of the wine glass she had been clinging to like a lifeline, Blair’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
Herdin leaned in close and whispered, "Fulfill your first duty as a wife."
In the next moment, his lips devoured hers, which were still sweet with wine. He lifted the frozen Blair into his arms, laid her down on the bed, and continued to kiss her hungrily, as if to consume her whole.
Her lips tasted of the sweet wine she had just been drinking. Though he had never cared for sweet wine, he found he couldn't pull away. The sweetness made his mind go hazy, and heat surged through his body like a lit fuse. He felt drunk, even though the wine he’d had wasn't particularly strong.
Blinded by desire, Herdin was greedily taking his fill of Blair when his hand cupped her breast, and he suddenly snapped back to his senses.
"Ah…!"
Blair flinched violently at his bold touch, shrinking back. She was so startled that her entire body trembled as she gasped for air. The eyes looking up at him were filled with terror, rimmed with red as if she were on the verge of tears. Her shallow, ragged breaths escaped through her teeth.
Herdin stared down at her and let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"...Ha."
There was no sign of the temptress from the rumors whispered among men—the one who supposedly kept multiple male concubines. The woman before him was, without a doubt, spending her very first night with a man.
The realization that the rumors were nothing more than hearsay brought a strange sense of relief, but at the same time, it put him in a difficult position. His body was already burning from just their kiss, and her terrified eyes only served to stoke his desire further. The swelling heat in his lower abdomen was now throbbing with a longing that bordered on pain.
The situation was ridiculous. And so was he, getting aroused by his enemy's daughter, who was so terrified she could barely breathe.
Swallowing a groan, Herdin suppressed his urges and pushed himself off of her. She was his wife now, anyway. They had plenty of time. There was no need to take her tonight.
However, cooling down his thoroughly aroused body was another matter entirely.
"...Go to sleep first."
As he turned away from Blair to head for the bathroom, a slender hand caught his. Even that cautious touch sent a jolt of stimulation through him. Herdin furrowed his brow and looked back at her.
With fear still lingering in her eyes, Blair parted her trembling lips. "The wedding night… is supposed to be spent together."
"...So you want us to share a bed?"
She gave a small nod. Herdin swallowed a sigh.
This woman knew nothing of men. She had no idea how desperately he was clinging to his sanity to keep from ravishing her like a beast.
"And what if we do?" he asked, his voice low. "If we share a bed, I don't think I'll be able to just sleep quietly."
He had given her a warning, his own way of offering her an out. He expected her to understand and back down, considering how terrified she looked.
But the answer that came from Blair's mouth was entirely unexpected.
"I can do it. I learned how…"
As she spoke, her hand held onto him desperately, as if she were terrified he would leave her behind.
Stunned by her response, as if he’d been struck from behind, Herdin burst into laughter. Blair, unable to decipher his reaction, continued to look at him with anxious eyes.
Fine. She was the one who had provoked him with that innocent face. This was her fault. He wouldn't care if she ended up crying and resenting him for it later.
Herdin quickly wiped the amusement from his face and leaned over her.
"Then show me what you've learned."
After a moment's hesitation, Blair slipped off the nightgown that had so clearly outlined the curves of her body.
Herdin had intended to watch, to follow her lead, but the moment he was confronted with her pale, naked form, he lost all composure and lunged.
In that instant, he completely forgot his intention to use her to uncover the truth of the fire. He forgot that she was his enemy's daughter.
* * *
His wife was innocent, beautiful, and easy to be with.
She was generally obedient, gave him mind-numbing pleasure with her beautiful face and body, and, most importantly, she loved him.
"Herdin."
The way she looked at him was brighter than anything else in the world. It was impossible not to recognize the emotion in her eyes as love. Looking into those eyes made him feel like someone far grander than he actually was.
Sometimes, he would intentionally treat her coldly, just to hurt her.
"Herdin. If you have time, could you go see the clock tower in the plaza with me?"
"I will instruct the knights to accompany you. It is cold out, so dress warmly."
Whenever he saw Blair stay by his side, even after being wounded by his words and actions, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction, as if he possessed her completely.
That was Herdin's way of confirming Blair's love.
Furthermore, she proved useful. With a lady of the house, the elders stopped nagging him to marry, and the women who had been trying to approach him vanished. Except for the fact that she was Katrina's daughter, she was the perfect wife.
Occasionally, he would remember whose daughter she was and recall that he needed to question her about the fire, but the pleasure she gave him always drove those thoughts away.
She was his wife. In her innocence, she mistook his warmth for affection and loved him for it. She would remain in his arms forever.
As long as I do not abandon you. Forever.
There was plenty of time. It didn't have to be today.
…Or so he had thought.
Until one day, a cleric he had encountered a few times during magical beast subjugations came to find him.
"You must stay away from the Duchess. If you remain by her side, Your Grace might suffer a mana rampage as well. Just like the late Duke…"
After hearing Miella's words, he had checked on the sleeping Blair and discovered a black magic circle on her collarbone. He also realized it was an imprint that bypassed the Second Constraint of his family's power—a seal that had vanished generations ago.
The discovery of the black magic circle completely upended his life.
He hid the truth from Blair. He feared that if she learned of it, she would be terrified and leave him. He was afraid of losing the daily life he now took for granted, of returning to a world without her.
Only when I, terribly selfish as I am, faced the fear of losing you did I finally admit my feelings.
Yet, from the day he realized how precious she was, sleeping by her side brought on terrible nightmares. Nightmares where the face of his father, whom he had killed with his own hands, transformed into the face of his mother, who had died at his father's hands, and finally morphed into Blair's.
Tormented, Herdin eventually distanced himself from her and began searching frantically for a way to break the black magic. He believed that doing so would allow them to return to their normal lives.
He believed it was for Blair's sake.
His only thought was to resolve everything as quickly as possible and return to her. He remained completely oblivious to how deeply her heart was bruising as she waited for him, night after night.
"Herdin, I want to talk to you."
Then, one day, unable to bear his cold avoidance any longer, Blair came to find him.
And on that day, unable to cope with his own emotions, Herdin made an irreversible mistake under the influence of alcohol.