Chapter 28: The Disconnect in Their Relationship
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Disconnect in Their Relationship
Katrina's birthday banquet was the first official event the two would attend as a married couple.
The New Year's Festival banquet should have been their first, but due to the sudden appearance of magical beasts, all subsequent celebrations had been canceled.
Because of this, Lina and Meli poured their hearts and souls into dressing Blair, as if driven by a solemn sense of duty.
“Lina, what do you think of this style?”
“Oh, that looks wonderful.”
The two seemed to have grown quite close, bouncing ideas off each other and working in perfect harmony to get Blair ready.
Blair watched them through the mirror. Seeing Meli helping with tasks that Lina had once handled all on her own in her past life brought a warm, involuntary smile to her face.
‘Even after I leave, Lina will be just fine.’
The thought brought her a sense of relief.
“Madam, we’re all finished.”
“What do you think?”
Their masterpiece was complete. Blair let out a soft laugh as she met their sparkling, anticipatory eyes.
“I love it. Thank you, both of you.”
It wasn’t an empty compliment; perhaps because of their joint efforts, she was exceptionally pleased with how she looked.
When Blair finished getting ready and appeared at the top of the grand staircase, Herdin, who was waiting on the first floor, sensed her presence and looked up.
The moment his eyes found her, his gaze froze for an instant before following her every move as she descended.
If Blair in her wedding dress had resembled a snow fairy, today she looked like a flower blooming out of season in the dead of winter.
Herdin walked over and offered his hand. After a brief pause, Blair placed her hand in his large palm.
“Have a safe trip, Your Grace, Madam.”
With Mason and the other servants seeing them off, the two boarded the carriage, which soon set off into the night.
Blair fell into deep thought as she watched the city streets slip past the window.
‘What happened on this day in my past life?’
It had been two years, so she couldn't recall every minor detail. Only the major or particularly intense events remained vivid in her memory.
Yet, no matter how hard she searched, nothing specific came to mind.
‘Fortunately, that must mean nothing major happened.’
As she retraced her memories, Blair was reminded of telling Herdin about the future.
Ever since the day they ran into Miella, he hadn't brought it up again.
‘Well, from his perspective, it must sound unbelievable.’
And it was probably something he didn't want to believe, either.
In any case, she was glad she no longer had to talk about seeing the future.
Lost in her thoughts, she casually turned her head, only to lock eyes with Herdin. He was sitting beside her, and it seemed he had been watching her for quite some time.
‘...How long has he been looking at me?’
His blue eyes, shrouded in the darkness of the carriage, gazed at her quietly. They were deep and overwhelming, no matter how many times she met them.
Just then, Herdin leaned forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. They were close enough to feel each other's breath.
Blair reflexively held her breath. However, Herdin merely reached past her to close the window behind her back before pulling away.
As if reading her flustered thoughts, Herdin peered into her eyes and asked, “What were you thinking about?”
“...Nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing. You made me out to be a creep before, too.”
“That was because your words were ambiguous…”
“Ah, so you were thinking something along those lines?”
At his teasing tone, Blair glared at him before abruptly turning her head back toward the window. Arguing any further would only mean playing into his hands.
A low chuckle echoed from behind her.
Since that night, their relationship had changed. Unlike before, they now shared at least one meal a day, and he would tease her whenever she let her guard down.
To be honest, Blair didn't dislike the change.
‘But whenever memories of my past life resurface, I find myself hating him, and I don't know what to do.’
He was the man who had left her with wounds that could never heal, yet the Herdin of this timeline had done nothing wrong.
The painful memories belonged solely to her.
This disconnect—the fact that her resentment and hatred toward him could not be justified in this life—created a deep rift within her.
As that feeling grew, she resented him even more for remembering nothing, even while her mind knew that the man beside her was innocent.
While she was lost in these thoughts, the carriage came to a halt.
“Announcing the Duke and Duchess of Delmark!”
As the two entered the Empress's Palace, the nobles who had already arrived began to approach them.
A war hero and the empire's only princess.
Their union was bound to draw attention.
While the couple exchanged pleasantries and accepted greetings from the crowd, the guest of honor made her entrance.
“Announcing His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager!”
Katrina appeared, escorted by her son, Ivan. With Blair married and the position of Empress currently vacant, Katrina was the only woman in the empire who could be escorted by the Emperor himself.
This was her way of flaunting the power she possessed and all she had achieved.
“A banquet is meant to be enjoyed. As we celebrate my mother's birthday, I hope everyone has a wonderful time.”
With Ivan's congratulatory address, the banquet officially began.
One by one, noble families approached Katrina to present her with gifts.
These offerings were not only a way to express devotion to the Imperial Family but also a means to elevate their own family's prestige.
Thus, the nobles vied with one another to present the most precious treasures. It was a comical sight: others spent their fortunes, while Katrina reaped all the benefits.
Blair worried that Herdin, who utterly detested Katrina, might openly display his hostility, but fortunately, her fears proved unfounded.
Just as the couple finished presenting their gift and were mingling with other nobles, a voice called out to them.
“Your Grace, Duchess.”
A middle-aged woman, adorned in a lavish dress and jewels that rivaled Katrina’s, appeared before them.
It was Countess Magrid, Katrina's lady-in-waiting.
“Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager is looking for you both.”
Blair stiffened.
She had always found Katrina difficult to deal with, but she dreaded it even more today. Before and after her wedding, every single one of their encounters had ended in a clash.
“Herdin.”
Blair lightly touched his arm. At her touch, Herdin leaned down slightly, bringing his ear close to her.
Startled for a moment by his unexpected consideration, Blair spoke in a low whisper.
“You don't have to comply with my mother and brother's unreasonable demands. Just don't give them any reason to deem you unfit as my husband.”
She said this because she remembered Ivan and Katrina subtly pressuring Herdin to go to war during the luncheon after their wedding.
“I don't want you to suffer any losses because of me.”
“Don't worry,” he murmured back. “I don't make deals I lose.”
His relaxed response eased her worries. Just as he said, he wasn't the type to be swayed by their absurd schemes.
When the couple approached, Katrina was with her close ally, Marquis Balten. He was her closest confidant, having supported her back when she was a commoner with no backing.
Blair curtsied politely to Katrina.
“You called for us, Mother.”
“It’s so hard to get a glimpse of you, Blair. You should have come to me first. After the way we parted during the New Year's Festival, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
Katrina feigned disappointment with shameless ease, as if she’d completely forgotten their last parting. It was a familiar sight to Blair.
A mother who, regardless of her true feelings, never lost her elegance in front of others.
“...There were so many guests around. I was afraid I might interrupt you.”
“No matter how busy it is, I must see you. Are we not family? And now, the Duke is my family as well.”
Her words not only bound Herdin to them as family but also served as a subtle rebuke for not having come to see her.
Marquis Balten spoke up in their defense.
“I don’t have a daughter, so I may not know for certain, but I’ve heard that when it comes to newlyweds, the less they visit the bride's family, the better.”
“Indeed. If they are getting along well on their own, that is for the best. It’s just a mother's heart, I suppose—I can’t help but worry now that the child I raised so closely has left my side.”
Blair let their conversation drift past her as she searched her memories again. No matter how much she thought about it, nothing significant had happened with Katrina on this day in her past life.
‘Or have so many things changed that my past life is no longer a reliable guide?’
While Blair was lost in thought, she noticed several young noble ladies approaching them.
Their target was her.
Noticing this faster than anyone, Katrina took Blair's hand and said, “Go on, Blair.”
As Blair exchanged a brief nod with Marquis Balten and walked toward the young ladies, Herdin naturally followed.
Just then, Katrina's voice drifted from behind them.
“As lovely as your wife is, Duke, a good husband knows when to excuse himself from women's talk.”
Herdin's steps faltered. Her words were indirect, but the meaning was clear: she wanted to speak with him alone.
He watched Blair, who was already surrounded by the young noble ladies and smiling, before turning back to remain by Katrina's side.
At that moment, Katrina's closest associates approached. They began to flatter Katrina and Herdin as they stood together.
“It is truly remarkable how the two of you have decided to overcome the past and become family.”
“Indeed. It must not have been an easy decision for either of you—no, for everyone involved, including His Majesty the Emperor and the Duchess.”
Listening to their fawning, one corner of Herdin's mouth curled into a smirk.
He finally understood why Katrina had kept him by her side.