Chapter 23: A Secret Tryst
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: A Secret Tryst
"Madam, may I come in?"
It was Mason's voice.
"Come in."
Blair handed Pippi's bottle to Meli and walked over to the table where a stack of documents she had prepared lay waiting.
She handed the papers to Mason as he approached.
"I've drafted a budget based on the records from the last five years. Please take a look."
Mason was secretly surprised. Although Blair had asked him to bring her the past budget records, he hadn't expected her to draft a new one herself. He had assumed she would skim through the documents a few times, find the dizzying array of numbers too headache-inducing, and quickly give up.
Thinking her perseverance alone was commendable, Mason began to review the budget she had drafted.
Unable to hide her anxiety, Blair fidgeted with her fingers as she waited for his assessment. It felt exactly like being a child again, having her homework checked by her tutor.
Mason reviewed the budget with his usual solemn expression, his brow soon furrowing in concentration. As his review dragged on, Blair grew anxious and spoke first.
"I only drafted it as an exercise, so please don't hesitate to point out anything I missed."
"No, this is exceptionally well done. It's hard to believe this is your first time drafting a budget, let alone that you did it on your own."
At his unexpected reaction, Blair's eyes widened. There was an undeniable note of admiration in Mason's voice. Mason was not one to overstep his bounds, but neither was he the type to offer empty flattery. His praise was entirely genuine.
"I believe we can implement this year's budget based on this very draft."
Hearing his praise, Blair's heart fluttered.
It was the first time she had been praised by anyone since Esmeralda's death. Throughout her life, praise had always belonged to her older brother, Ivan.
Katrina had never wanted Blair to outshine him. Whenever Blair received a gift from her father, the emperor, Katrina would seethe with envy, acting as if Blair had stolen something that rightfully belonged to Ivan. The best food, the most precious treasures—everything had to go to her son. If Blair possessed something Ivan did not, Katrina was the type of mother who would snatch it away just to give it to him.
Thirsting for even a shred of maternal affection, Blair had learned to hide her talents. She always kept herself one step behind Ivan. She couldn't outshine her brother, nor could she ever be a burden to him.
She had lived that way for twenty years.
At some point, she had stopped believing in her own worth, until it felt only natural to be inferior to Ivan.
So, receiving praise now… made her so happy that a lump rose in her throat.
Ah, I can…
I can do something well, too. I can be recognized.
The truth she had forgotten for so long finally felt real.
"Of course, there are a few minor shortcomings…"
Mason pointed out the areas that needed correction, offering precise yet polite feedback. Blair listened like a model student, taking his advice to heart.
Just as the feedback session was wrapping up, there was a knock, and Lina entered.
"Madam, just now—"
Lina, about to jump straight to the point, stopped short when she noticed Mason and snapped her mouth shut. Sensing the situation, Mason tactfully excused himself.
Once he had left, only Lina, Blair, and Meli—who was looking after Pippi—remained in the room.
Lina glanced at Meli, who was completely absorbed in Pippi, and whispered so only Blair could hear, "We received word from the Guild, Madam."
*
"The mana stone mine recently discovered in the northwest is being mined smoothly. The estimated reserves are…"
Herdin stared blankly out the carriage window, the passing scenery a blur. Ruth's report on their business operations drifted past his ears, just as meaningless as the landscape.
Everything was going smoothly. The business, and the task of recovering Blair's memories.
A few days ago, Agnes had come to give an interim report. It had been exactly one month since she had started her counseling sessions. Agnes said that rather than dragging out painful memories from the start, she was retracing Blair's happy memories first. She added that while many clients distrusted their counselors, Blair had opened her heart quickly, making the process smooth.
'Her Grace's happy memories feature Her Majesty the Late Empress very frequently. That is probably why she didn't make an effort to recover her memories. She was terrified of the possibility that the person she trusted and relied on so much might have actually tried to kill her.'
'Even though such a precious person might have been falsely accused?'
'She was severely injured in an accident, and when she woke up, she couldn't remember what happened. Meanwhile, everyone around her was telling her that the Empress had tried to kill her…'
'…'
'Given the circumstances, she would have naturally assumed as much. That the Empress had tried to kill her, and that she'd lost her memories from the shock.'
'…'
'Moreover, with her own mother saying so, she would have believed it even more. She wouldn't want to make her living mother out to be a liar, nor would she want to dig into the possibility that the late Empress truly tried to kill her.'
'A selfish way of thinking.'
'Your Grace. Her Grace was only eleven years old at the time.'
Agnes had defended Blair, saying that an eleven-year-old child wouldn't have had the capacity to think about anything other than herself.
'And Your Grace also appears frequently in her happy memories.'
'…Me?'
'It shows just how much she trusts, relies on, and loves you. So, perhaps it would be good for Your Grace to talk to her about that period yourself sometime.'
Herdin dismissed Agnes's words with a scoff.
Love… What a joke.
He only appeared frequently because he was Esmeralda's nephew, meaning they had many occasions to see each other. He didn't know what feelings the current Blair harbored for him, but judging by her recent behavior, it certainly wasn't anything like what Agnes described.
Since the day she was first spotted going to the Guild, Blair hadn't gone out for any personal reasons.
She is probably waiting for word from the Guild.
She had contacted the Guild behind his back and spouted nonsense about seeing the future. Yet, whenever he looked at her clear, innocent face, he couldn't help but wonder if he was misunderstanding her suspicious actions. After all, hadn't a magical beast appeared exactly as she'd predicted?
No, perhaps he simply wanted to believe that.
That was likely why he felt so utterly miserable.
What a foolishly naive thought.
Herdin scoffed at himself. That was also why he had kept himself busy since the New Year's Festival, minimizing his encounters with Blair as much as possible.
He had no intention of being deceived by that innocent face again. One such experience was more than enough.
Before he knew it, the carriage had left the city center and was passing behind a theater. His idle gaze snagged on something. Just then, someone stepped out of a carriage. The figure, seen from behind, looked familiar.
A petite frame, platinum blonde hair peeking out from a deep green robe, and a glimpse of small, pale hands.
Recognizing at a glance that the woman stepping out of the hired carriage was Blair, Herdin's brow furrowed. No escort knights were in sight, though he knew his men were guarding her covertly from a distance, just as he'd ordered.
Blair entered the back door of the theater, accompanied by the maid she always kept by her side.
"…Your Grace. You aren't listening to a single word I'm saying, are you?"
Sensing something was off, Ruth stopped his report. Instead of denying it, Herdin gestured toward the theater with a nod.
"Do you know what play is performing at that theater these days?"
Ruth swallowed a sigh at the blatant dismissal, but knowing how sensitive the Duke had been lately, he answered obediently.
"From what I know, they are staging a heroic tale set in ancient times when the Divine Beasts existed."
"…"
"But the play is just a cover. On the surface, it's a theater, but it's an open secret that it serves as a trysting place for the nobility."
In aristocratic society, loveless arranged marriages were common, and it was highly customary for both men and women to keep paramours. However, common did not mean respectable. The nobility, who valued their reputations above all else, never flaunted their lovers, even if their existence was an open secret.
"…A secret tryst?"
"Yes. Did you not know?"
A secret tryst. A secret tryst, indeed.
Suddenly, a name that had once slipped from his wife's lips flashed through Herdin's mind.
Asiel…
Herdin's gaze grew ice-cold as he stared at the back door of the theater Blair had just entered.
*
The theater manager greeted Blair at the back door as if he had been expecting her. Once they stepped inside, he handed a ticket to Lina.
"Miss, you may follow the usher over there."
"M-Me?"
Lina's eyes widened. Realizing the manager intended to separate them, Blair smiled. "Go ahead and enjoy the show, Lina. I have someone to meet."
"Is… Is that really alright?"
"Yes. It's easier for me this way, too."
Clutching the ticket, Lina followed the usher with an excited expression.
The theater manager guided Blair to a lounge on the top floor. It was a private room reserved exclusively for VIPs.
As she stepped inside, Mikhail, who had been drinking wine before a large glass window overlooking the stage, turned around.