Chapter 4: Did You Kill Me?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Did You Kill Me?
The Princess’s Palace came into full view through the rattling carriage window.
Herdin’s aide, Ruth Penril, stared at the palace with displeasure and began to grumble.
“His Majesty the Emperor has some nerve. How could he even bring up marriage? He was practically celebrating while the House of Delmark was on the verge of collapse.”
About ten years ago, after losing his parents and then his aunt, the Empress, a young Herdin was left all alone. The House of Delmark was as precarious as a candle in the wind.
But when Herdin distinguished himself in the war and was hailed as a hero, Emperor Ivan proposed a marriage to his own sister.
It was an obvious ploy to bring Herdin’s influence under his thumb.
“Thanks to that, Her Highness the Princess has completely lucked out. She gets to marry the empire’s most eligible bachelor without lifting a finger.”
Ruth, who had never even had a proper conversation with Blair, thought little of her. What else could one expect from a princess with such a mother and brother? She was undoubtedly cut from the same cloth.
“See, what did I tell you? I said you should have found a suitable lady and married her sooner.”
But unlike the fuming Ruth, Herdin remained silent, seemingly unfazed.
His indifference only made Ruth more furious.
“Your Grace, aren't you angry at all?”
“Ruth.”
Herdin, who had sat silently with his arms crossed throughout Ruth’s tirade, cut him off with a single word. His gaze remained fixed outside the window.
At that moment, their carriage passed through the main gate of the Princess’s Palace.
“We are in the Princess’s Palace now.”
Though his voice was devoid of emotion, Ruth understood the implicit warning and fell silent.
“...My apologies.”
Soon, the carriage came to a halt.
The chief chamberlain of the Princess’s Palace, who had been waiting for them, guided them to a drawing room. Herdin left Ruth behind and entered alone.
“Her Highness the Imperial Princess will be here shortly.”
Once the chief chamberlain left, Herdin was alone in the empty drawing room.
Just as he lifted the teacup a maid had brought to wet his throat, he heard a door open behind him. Herdin stood to show his respects to the princess and turned around.
A petite, delicate beauty was stepping through the door.
Blair Sonnet von Ardel.
That was the name of the mistress of this palace and, if all went according to plan, the woman he would marry.
The woman before him was as beautiful as a doll brought to life. She was certainly worthy of being the daughter of the Grand Empress Dowager—a woman famed for a beauty that could topple nations—but her looks stirred no emotion in Herdin.
No, in fact…
It would be more fitting to call it a ghastly sight that dredges up the past.
Hiding a twisted smile, Herdin pressed a kiss to the back of Blair’s hand.
“I greet Her Highness the Imperial Princess.”
At that moment, the enchanting violet eyes that met his contorted with a flash of sorrow.
But by the time Herdin raised his head, the emotion in Blair’s eyes was gone.
“Thank you for making time for me despite your busy schedule, Duke Delmark.”
Blair gracefully took the seat of honor. The soft lace of her dress and her smooth, platinum-blonde hair swayed gently with her elegant movements.
Silence hung between the two as they sat facing each other. They each lifted their teacups, wetting their throats but saying nothing.
Usually, when two people were unacquainted, the person of lower status would break the ice with small talk.
But Herdin had no intention of doing so.
In the end, it was Blair who spoke first, her eyes fixed on his face as she traced the rim of her teacup.
“I’ll be direct.”
Blair set down her teacup and continued, “The marriage my brother proposed—I have no intention of refusing it.”
Herdin had expected as much. Even she would find it difficult to refuse the Emperor’s command.
But what came next was entirely unexpected.
“One year.”
At her abrupt declaration, Herdin looked at her, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“Maintain this marriage with me for just one year.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“After one year, I will grant you a divorce, citing my own fault. I won’t change my mind and cling to you, nor will I bother you with things like love.”
Herdin’s fine brow furrowed.
A one-year contract marriage? What is she plotting?
As if reading his mind, Blair made him an offer he could never refuse.
“The Empress's Palace Fire Incident from ten years ago.”
At the unexpected words that flowed from her lips, Herdin’s gaze turned icy cold.
“If you accept my proposal, I will cooperate to the fullest extent in uncovering the truth of that day.”
A cold sneer escaped Herdin’s lips. After keeping her mouth shut for a whole decade, what gall did she have to bring that up now?
Herdin still remembered that day ten years ago with perfect clarity.
When the Empress was named the culprit in the palace fire, Herdin had sent numerous letters to Blair, the sole witness, in an attempt to clear his aunt’s name.
But no reply ever came.
The only answer he received was on the day of the trial. Herdin, who had been barred from the courtroom for being too young, heard Blair’s voice through the slightly ajar door.
‘I… don’t remember anything.’
A lie.
You said you didn't remember, but it was all a lie, wasn't it? In the end, you chose your mother's side.
Even now, ten years later, the memory of that day remained a piercing source of betrayal and resentment.
But this is not a bad offer.
He couldn’t refuse the Emperor’s command anyway. No, to be precise, he had no intention of refusing. The Emperor had agreed to authorize an increase in the Ducal Family’s military forces on the condition that Herdin become a member of the Imperial Family.
The Delmark forces were currently at half the strength they had been during the time of the late Duke. This was largely due to public speculation that the ducal family might commit treason, using Empress Esmeralda’s crime as a pretext.
Even so, their forces were immense compared to other houses, but it was a struggle to defend the northern border and subjugate magical beasts. Herdin may have been a great war hero and a magic swordsman, but he couldn’t fend off everything by himself.
Even knowing it was the Emperor’s trap, the reinforcement of his troops was an offer he could not refuse.
And now, he could uncover the truth of ‘that day’ as well.
He didn’t know what the princess was scheming with this contract marriage, but if he could use her to find the truth and then have a clean divorce, there could be no better outcome.
He looked at Blair for a moment before asking, “Why do you wish for such a marriage?”
“Because marriage is the only way for a princess to legally leave the Imperial Palace.”
“If that is your reason, wouldn’t it be better to marry someone who will cherish and love you?”
Even for an imperial royal, the life of a divorcée would not be easy. There would be plenty of men willing to cherish the Emperor’s sister and the Grand Empress Dowager’s daughter. If she so desired, she could even choose her own partner.
Herdin couldn’t understand why Blair would choose him, of all people, when she had so many other options. Surely there were far better choices than a doomed marriage to him, her political adversary.
Blair did not answer right away, simply staring at Herdin.
Every time her brilliant violet eyes, which held his reflection, blinked slowly, strange emotions flickered within them. Her gaze seemed at once sad and resentful, as if she blamed him for asking such a question.
“I don’t believe in that sort of thing.”
“...”
“I prefer a relationship with a clear beginning and end over one that speaks of a baseless eternity. A relationship where each party gets what they give.”
Blair spoke firmly, gazing at the man across from her.
There was a time when she, like many other young ladies, had been thrilled by a glance from this handsome man. A time when she had believed in love and eternity.
But that was all in the past.
“I felt you would be the one to agree to such terms.”
Herdin did not take his eyes off Blair’s face as she spoke. Over her pale features, he saw the superimposed image of a younger Blair.
‘When I grow up, I want to leave the Imperial Palace. I’ll leave the capital and travel the wide world!’
The memory soured his mood, but Herdin answered readily.
“I accept your proposal.”
“Thank you.”
“If you have nothing more to say, I will take my leave.”
The moment Blair gave her permission, Herdin checked his watch and rose from his seat.
As Blair watched his back disappear beyond the door, the resentment she had been hiding finally surfaced in her eyes.
There was a question she couldn’t ask. A question the man he had become would never answer.
Herdin.
Did you kill me?
* * *
The wedding preparations proceeded swiftly. Time flew by, and soon, it was the day before the wedding.
Blair visited the Imperial Palace cemetery.
[Esmeralda Delmark]
The name of the late Empress was inscribed on the tombstone before her. Her father, the Emperor, had stripped Esmeralda of her title and the Imperial Family’s name, but in an act of mercy, he had allowed her to be buried in the palace cemetery.
Blair wasn’t sure if it was truly mercy to have one’s honor trampled underfoot, only to be buried here, unable to return to her homeland.
She placed a single flower, which she had picked from the greenhouse and wrapped carefully in paper, at the base of the tombstone.
Katrina did not approve of Blair coming here. From her perspective, not only was Esmeralda her political rival, but she was also the woman who had tried to kill her daughter. Her disapproval was understandable.
But Blair found that hard to believe.
‘Blair.’
It would be terrifying if the warm embrace that had always comforted her, a girl constantly pushed aside for her brother Ivan, had been nothing but a lie.
As a child, she hadn’t tried to recover her memories.
She was simply scared. No matter which side was the truth, she would lose a mother either way.
But on the day she ran into Herdin at a banquet, years after the incident, Blair resolved to face the truth she had been avoiding. She had summoned a hypnotist to the Princess’s Palace, but the session only backfired, harming her health.
Then she married Herdin and fell in love with him, causing her to bury the memory once more. She was afraid of losing him, no matter what the hidden truth was.
But when she learned that the man she loved had, in fact, hated her for her years of silence… when she realized he had only pretended to love her to uncover the truth…
Even knowing his love was a lie, Blair had wanted to give him everything he desired. That was how desperately she had clung to his love. She had belatedly tried to regain her memories again, but what she got in return was…
‘Hah, after ignoring it for ten years, are you suddenly feeling guilty?’
‘...’
‘Don’t do anything else. Just… stay still. Just like you’ve always done.’
Before his cold gaze, Blair had completely shattered.
If Esmeralda’s crime was a false accusation, Herdin would despise her for her silence even more. If it was true, he would never love her.
So Blair let go of everything related to the memory of that day. Just as her beloved husband wished.
And so, in her past life, it was a memory she had given up on recovering.
But nothing will change if I just keep avoiding it. In this life, I will face the truth and move forward, whatever it may be.
Just as Blair was sorting through her thoughts, she heard the sound of urgent footsteps behind her.