Chapter 139: May Your Winter Be Warm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: May Your Winter Be Warm
Blair’s brow furrowed at Miella’s sudden words.
"I don't understand what you're trying to say, barging in here like this."
"It's not that difficult to understand." Miella rephrased her words as if doing Blair a great favor. "It's exactly what it sounds like. I think it would be best for you to leave His Grace's side. After all, you only came here to run away from him in the first place."
"……"
"I'll help you. So you can run away again."
At first glance, it sounded as if she were acting in Blair's best interest. But to Blair, who knew exactly how Miella felt about Herdin, the suggestion was utterly laughable.
"I have no intention of involving anyone else in this matter. It is a private affair between husband and wife." Blair drew a firm line, her expression cold as she made it clear this was none of Miella’s business.
At those words, the gentle smile Miella had been wearing instantly crumbled.
Husband and wife.
The words—an official, legal barrier she could never hope to breach—shattered Miella's composure.
"So you intend to stay by His Grace's side? Even while carrying another man's child?"
Blair's expression hardened. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"That child isn't His Grace's, is it?" Miella glanced toward Blair's stomach.
Taken aback by the unexpected accusation, Blair was momentarily speechless. Misinterpreting her silence as a sign that she had hit the mark, Miella pressed on.
"The brown-haired man. Didn't you run away with him? Why did you come back to His Grace?"
At the mention of Mikhail, Blair's eyes wavered for a split second before turning icy cold.
Miella knew about Mikhail.
Which meant she must have seen Blair with him at some point.
And perhaps—
"You're the one who spread the rumor that I was carrying another man's child."
"Everyone has a right to know the truth." As she spoke, Miella looked solemn and confident, as if she were an apostle of justice.
A chill ran down Blair’s spine as she looked at the woman, who was utterly drunk on her own self-righteousness.
Ironically, it was thanks to the rumors Miella had spread that Blair had been able to escape Herdin safely, stripping him of any justification to search for her. The fact that a rumor born of pure malice had ultimately ended up helping her was both laughable and deeply unpleasant.
"People need to know how selfish you are, Madam. How could you even think of becoming his wife when you are the daughter of his enemy?"
"……"
"I feel so sorry for him. If only he had met someone else, he could have been happy…" Miella grimaced, looking genuinely pained at the mere thought.
For the first time across both her past and present lives, Miella had openly revealed her feelings for Herdin in front of Blair.
Yet, far from being hurt, Blair looked at her with an expression of sheer relief.
"Miss Miella." Her steady gaze and soft, chilling voice cut through the silence. "Does painting me as the villain somehow make your feelings justified?"
Caught off guard by the sharp retort, Miella's confident gaze wavered. She quickly composed herself and shot back, "Are you saying it's wrong of me to simply wish for his happiness?"
"Then is it right to judge someone else's happiness by your own standards and act as you please?"
"I…!"
"No matter how much you condemn me and sugarcoat your feelings, in the end, it's nothing more than a vulgar desire for a married man."
Blair's calm voice gouged out the truth Miella had hidden deep within herself—the moral standards she had conveniently ignored to rationalize her feelings.
Stripped bare before the woman she hated most, Miella trembled violently. Reason fled, and raw emotion twisted her features.
"It's all because of you!"
"Miss Miella."
"If only you hadn't married him! If he had married some other good person, I would have gladly wished them happiness—"
As Miella screamed, the door burst open. Herdin walked in, a chilling frost gleaming in his eyes. He strode forward, roughly grabbed Miella by the wrist, and dragged her out of the room. The moment they reached the hallway, he shoved her against the wall.
As Miella opened her mouth to protest, Herdin seized her jaw, silencing her. His eyes burned with a murderous glare, a stark contrast to the polite facade he had maintained until now.
"Since you've finally dropped the damn righteous act, I'll drop my manners and give you a warning."
"……"
"Never show your face in front of me again. If you value your life."
He found it utterly repulsive that she had dared to seek out Blair and spew such nonsense, but he stopped himself there. Blair was watching, and he didn't want to show her his violent side.
Herdin released his rough grip on Miella's jaw and turned away.
Miella, about to call out to him with deeply hurt eyes, bit her lip as the door slammed shut in her face.
Soon, however, the sorrow vanished from her eyes, replaced by a chilling madness.
"I certainly gave you a chance, Madam," Miella muttered in a bleak voice.
A chance to save both yourself and the child in your womb.
* * *
That night, Blair froze. She had assumed Herdin would still be in his office, so she was startled when she returned to her room after bathing to find him already waiting for her.
He had been flicking a lighter open and closed, but upon seeing her, he stood and approached.
Knowing he had something to say, Blair deliberately avoided his gaze. She knew what happened with Miella had nothing to do with him. In this life, he hadn't used Miella as he had in the past; Miella didn't even have those memories.
Her mind understood this, but her heart still ached with the wounds of her past life, and she couldn't stop the resentment from surfacing. Yet, knowing that even this resentment stemmed from her love for him, she refused to show it. It was an emotion she had already resolved to sever.
But Herdin caught her hand as she tried to walk toward the bed.
"Blair."
Before she could make an excuse about being tired, he spoke.
"I'll teach you how to light the fireplace."
Blair had intended to refuse whatever he said, but the unexpected offer made her pause. Herdin did not miss the opportunity.
"I realized I never taught you how to light the fireplace."
"……"
"Winter is coming soon."
The warmth from the fireplace, lit earlier by the maids, had faded, leaving a chill in the air. As the cold crept into her bones, Blair suddenly recalled a memory from the past.
Right after giving birth, when she desperately needed to keep warm, she hadn't been able to light the fireplace. Her health had deteriorated as a result, leaving her plagued by illness and feeling she had failed Asiel.
But if she learned how to light it, perhaps her body wouldn't grow so weak this time.
With that, Blair made her decision. "Alright," she replied.
Having finally received the answer he wanted, Herdin let out a soft chuckle, though his smile seemed somewhat bitter. "Tell me immediately if it gets even slightly difficult. The most important thing is not to overexert yourself."
Blair nodded.
Herdin led her to the fireplace, where only charred logs remained. He placed fresh firewood inside and laid paper on top, then picked up a candle he had prepared.
"We'll light this candle and transfer the flame to the paper. Normally, people light the paper directly and toss it in, but I thought holding the burning paper might frighten you."
Having finished his explanation, he placed the lighter in Blair's hand.
Blair tried to light the candle as she had practiced before, but it had been so long that her hand trembled. At that moment, Herdin’s hand covered hers. As if by magic, the trembling stopped. Thanks to him, she was able to light the candle without much difficulty.
"Now, try lighting the paper with it."
Blair looked at the burning candle with anxious eyes and lifted it carefully. Once again, Herdin placed his hand over hers. However, as she tried to lean toward the fireplace, her pregnant belly made it difficult. Noticing this, Herdin wrapped an arm around her waist to support her.
Finally, Blair succeeded. The embers consuming the paper caught the firewood, and the flames gradually grew.
Watching the scene unfold, Herdin gently caressed her cheek. "You didn't seem as scared as I thought you would be. Well done."
Blair stared blankly into his warm, affectionate eyes, but a memory of last spring suddenly flashed in her mind, and she quickly averted her gaze.
Herdin, watching her, also turned his gaze back to the fire. Seeing the flames she had kindled brought back his own memories of last spring.
The marshmallows they had eaten together.
You, who smiled as if you held the entire world in your hands, all for a single roasted marshmallow.
And me, who in my arrogance, drove you to the brink of death.
A self-deprecating smile played on Herdin's lips at the memory of his past self. "…At one point," he said, "I wished you would fear fire forever."
Blair, who had been staring blankly at the flames, turned to look at him. He continued, his voice like a confession.
"I thought that if you did, you would have to stay by my side, even if only for the fire, for the warmth. I was foolish."
"……"
"I'm sorry."
Only then did Blair realize the true reason he was teaching her how to light a fire.
"Once this matter is resolved…" Herdin began.
It was an apology for his past arrogance—
"Let's part ways. Just as you wished."
—and a sign of respect for her choice.
So that even after she left his side, her winter would be warm.