Chapter 36: The Culprit's Identity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36: The Culprit's Identity
Herdin took the cigar from his mouth.
"I was so distraught at the time that I couldn't check on the Duchess, and it's been weighing on my mind—"
"Cleric."
"Yes?"
"I appreciate the sentiment, but now is not the time for idle pleasantries."
Herdin gestured with his eyes toward the area where the wounded from the incident were gathered. An embarrassed look crossed Miella's face.
"Ah… I'm sorry. I was just so glad to see you…"
Instead of leaving immediately, Miella hesitated for a moment before bowing and adding, "Then, I'll see you again next time."
Unable to take her eyes off Herdin until the very end, she turned and walked away.
Ruth watched her retreating figure with pity. As Herdin's aide, it was a sight he had seen countless times.
The only difference, and the real pity, was…
She was a cleric who possessed divine power.
Those with divine power were rare, after all, and keeping one close would surely be useful. Yet his master hadn't spared her a single glance, despite her immense utility.
"Still, she's the one who treated you, Your Grace. Couldn't you have been a bit warmer?"
"That's why I reminded her of her duties. Better than having her dragged off for neglecting them."
Ruth was dumbfounded by Herdin's nonchalant reply, but what was done was done.
"Right. How incredibly thoughtful of you."
Leaving Ruth to mutter sarcastically, Herdin walked toward his tethered horse.
His patience had reached its limit. He was desperate to see the woman waiting for him back at the mansion and couldn't stand to wait until the situation here was fully resolved.
* * *
Returning to her bedroom from Herdin's private study, Blair handed Mikhail's letter to Lina.
"Lina, burn this for me."
"Ah, yes, my Lady."
Leaving Lina to light a candle, Blair walked over to the window. As she gazed out at the scenery, her eyes flickered with anxiety.
[I have discovered the origin of the crest you asked me to investigate. That crest is engraved on daggers that your husband, His Grace the Duke, bestowed upon a select few knights who fought alongside him through life and death after the war.]
Then the man who killed me… is a knight of Delmark…
And one of Herdin's direct subordinates, at that.
Blair recalled going to the training grounds right after their wedding to see the faces of the knights.
But none of them had a scar across the bridge of their nose.
Did I miss him?
Pacing the room anxiously, Blair checked the clock and immediately left, heading for the first floor of the mansion.
At this hour, the knights would be in the middle of their midday training. While she wasn't the type of mistress to dote on the knights, it wouldn't seem strange for the lady of the estate to check on them.
As Blair descended the stairs and turned toward the back door, a bustling noise echoed from the main entrance.
Has Herdin returned?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she ran into Mason, who was coming out onto the first-floor landing.
"Ah, Madam. You've come down at the perfect time."
"Has someone arrived?"
"A few people have arrived from the main castle. They will likely wish to pay their respects. If you are not too busy, could you spare them a moment?"
Though she wanted to head straight to the training grounds, turning her back on him now would look odd.
A few minutes' delay won't change anything.
Blair gave a small nod. "Very well."
She followed Mason to the mansion's entrance. Five mounted knights were approaching, dismounting in front of them. All had their faces shrouded in cloaks to shield themselves from the biting winter wind.
The man in the center of the group stepped forward, his tone light and bantering.
"Well, now. I never imagined the Madam herself would come out to greet us. What an honor. Had I known, I would have brought a gift."
Blair, who had been casually watching the man as he lowered his hood, froze. The eyes visible beneath it were all too familiar.
This man…
Recognition slammed into her, and her pupils trembled.
They were the eyes of the assassin who had killed her.
Though there was no scar across the bridge of his nose, it was undoubtedly him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Madam. I am Caligo Elparind, a knight of Delmark."
He smoothly kissed the back of her hand. The touch of his lips against her skin was dreadfully chilling.
I never even considered the possibility that he might be a knight from the main castle.
Blair's hand, still held in his, trembled violently. She needed to say something, but her throat felt constricted, as if someone were choking her.
Just then, the sound of approaching hooves echoed. It was Herdin, Ruth, and a few other knights who had returned ahead of the main group.
The moment Caligo saw Herdin, his face lit up with delight, and he released Blair's hand.
"Well, well, even Your Grace has come out to welcome us."
But Herdin, dismounting his horse, bypassed Caligo entirely and walked straight to Blair.
Even with Herdin's arrival, Blair could not tear her eyes away from Caligo.
Noticing this, Herdin promptly dismissed the knight. "That's enough for introductions. Caligo, you must be tired from your long journey. Go and rest."
"Understood. Until we meet again, Madam."
Caligo offered a jovial bow and walked away with the other knights.
Blair stared blankly at his retreating back. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
Herdin instinctively reached out to embrace her but stopped when he noticed the dirt on his clothes. Instead, he pulled off a leather glove and took her hand in his bare palm.
Feeling his warmth, Blair finally broke her frozen gaze and looked up at him.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
The hand holding hers was warm, as always, but his warmth terrified her. She was terrified that he might suddenly turn on her and choke the life from her.
Blair gently slipped her hand out of his grasp.
"…I am fine."
Herdin furrowed his brow. Despite her words, her expression looked anything but fine. He turned to Lina, who was standing nearby, and ordered, "Take the Duchess to her room."
Supported by Lina, Blair walked up the stairs, but she couldn't help looking back. Herdin was speaking with Mason.
Words she could neither ask nor receive answers to clawed painfully at her throat.
* * *
Back in her room, Blair sat blankly on her bed.
As her emotions settled and her mind cleared, questions and hypotheses began to surface one by one.
Why did that man kill me?
Since she had no connection to him, it couldn't have been a personal grudge, nor was it likely for personal gain. A mere knight had nothing to gain from killing her.
Then, just as I suspected, Herdin…
Blair cut the thought short.
…No, that's not it. Perhaps this knight, Caligo, believed I was a hindrance to Delmark.
Although he had approached her amiably today, his deep loyalty to Herdin might have driven him to act on his own, wanting to eliminate a woman he deemed a threat.
But there was a flaw in that theory.
Before I am the Duchess, I am an Imperial Princess. If anything happened to me, it would cause discord with the Imperial Family. Would he really go that far?
Hitting a dead end, another hypothesis came to mind.
Or perhaps he's a spy planted by a third party who desires conflict between the Imperial Family and Delmark.
If so, Herdin might have had nothing to do with her death. But…
…No. I must not trust anyone.
She could not completely rule out the possibility that Herdin was the mastermind. Come to think of it, he had plenty of reasons to dislike her. She was a wife forced upon him by his enemy's family, she had no memories that could clear Esmeralda of her false accusation, and he loved another woman.
Blinded by love, he might have tried to kill a useless, obstructive wife.
It was laughable how foolish she had been to think, even for a moment, that he had nothing to do with her death.
Blair wrung her anxious hands as she contemplated her next move.
Simply running away without knowing anything won't solve a thing.
If it was Caligo's personal grudge or a misguided act of loyalty, stepping down as Duchess or fleeing would resolve everything. But if there was a mastermind behind him, the story was entirely different. As long as someone with a clear motive wanted her dead, they would keep trying to kill her.
To escape death, she first had to discover why she had to die. And to do that, she needed to know more about Caligo.
Who is he working with, and why did he kill me?
Blair resolved to commission Mikhail to investigate Caligo. She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write.
Just then, she sensed a presence behind her.
"Since you didn't answer my knock, I thought you might have fallen asleep."
Startled by Herdin's sudden appearance, Blair quickly covered the letter she was writing and turned to face him.
He was wearing a robe, looking as though he had just washed up. His gaze drifted toward the letter.
Only then did she realize her hasty reaction might have looked suspicious, but fortunately, he merely glanced at it for a moment without asking any questions.
He lightly lifted Blair, sat down in her chair, and settled her onto his lap. Then, with incredible naturalness, he began to untie the laces of her dress.
As the fabric loosened, her pale, rounded shoulders were exposed. Herdin buried his lips against her skin and asked, "How are you feeling?"
His hot breath and low, languid voice tickled her shoulder. His unhesitating touch, which she should have been used to by now, still felt utterly foreign.
Realizing he was asking about the pale complexion he'd seen earlier, Blair replied a beat too late.
"…I am fine."
As if taking her words as permission, his hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, slid upward to cup her breast.