Chapter 43: Because I'll Be Leaving Soon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Because I'll Be Leaving Soon
In the painting, a strikingly handsome man and a beautiful woman sat side by side. On the woman's lap was a little boy who looked to be about three or four years old.
Blair already knew who they were, but Ruth, unaware, quickly began to explain.
"They are the late Duke and Duchess. And this child is His Grace."
The family of three in the painting smiled happily, completely unaware of the misfortune that awaited them. Knowing the tragedy to come made the family portrait feel all the more poignant.
But there was another reason Blair couldn't take her eyes off the painting.
Her gaze, full of longing, was fixed on the young Herdin in the portrait.
The slightly curly, soft black hair, the chubby, milky cheeks, the large, clear eyes, and even the shape of his mouth when he smiled.
Except for the eye color he inherited from his mother, Asiel had been born the spitting image of his father, Herdin.
'Asiel...'
Her heart ached every time she struggled to recall the child in her fading memories.
'I'm glad you look like your father.'
At least this way, I can picture you.
As Blair lost herself in longing, Ruth, misinterpreting her fixed gaze, chimed in.
"The late Duchess was truly a beauty, wasn't she? And the late Duke, well, it goes without saying. He looks exactly like His Grace does now."
"..."
"His Grace's aura is completely different now, but isn't it fascinating how you can still see glimpses of his childhood face?"
A look of pure joy crossed Ruth’s face as he spoke of the late Duke, Duchess, and Herdin.
He must have been deeply fond of them to show such emotion, even in front of someone he clearly found uncomfortable.
Blair realized his feelings weren't mere loyalty, but a deep trust and affection—a bond between people. She found his pure heart endearing and smiled.
"You truly served the late Duke and Duchess with all your heart, Sir Ruth."
Snapping out of his reverie, Ruth hastily composed himself.
"Well, they were my benefactors, after all."
"You find me uncomfortable, don't you?"
At Blair's sudden, direct question, Ruth choked and coughed.
'Did she hear me sighing earlier...?'
He glanced at Blair, wondering if he had offended her, but she was looking at him with clear, unbothered eyes. That only made him feel more uneasy.
Wondering whether to be honest or tell an obvious lie, Ruth scratched his cheek and replied.
"Well... it's not because of you, Madam."
He just disliked her background.
Blair immediately understood what he had left unsaid.
She understood. It was just like how Lina disliked Herdin purely out of loyalty to her. Ruth was the same, only his loyalty was to Herdin.
Of course, she knew that avoiding someone because of their background was wrong.
'But at least he's different from the others who talked behind my back.'
Most people didn't dislike her out of loyalty to Herdin; they just disliked her.
But Ruth's feelings were purely driven by loyalty—a clean, straightforward emotion that would vanish once her relationship with Herdin was resolved.
Not that she intended to defend him, though.
"I know," Blair said calmly, a faint smile playing on her lips. "But don't be so on guard. I'll leave quietly without causing any harm to Delmark."
"Leave?"
When Ruth asked with a bewildered expression, Blair's eyes widened as she asked back.
"Ah. Didn't he tell you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean..."
"That ours is a contract marriage."
"A contract... marriage?"
Judging by Ruth's expression—as if he were hearing the term for the very first time—Blair simply nodded.
Ruth, processing the words, understood a beat too late and was horrified.
'Hmm, that lounge earlier did seem a bit bleak. It might be better to hang a few more paintings.'
Oblivious to the bombshell she had just dropped, Blair left the art gallery, her mind already on meeting Mikhail, who was due to contact her soon.
* * *
That evening, Herdin returned to the mansion after a magical beast subjugation and found Ruth in his office.
Ruth should have gone home by now; his lingering presence meant he had something to say.
'Or maybe there was a problem with Blair.'
"Haven't you gone home yet?" Herdin asked casually as Ruth approached with a serious expression.
"Your Grace. Is what Madam said true?"
"What is?"
"That the two of you are in a contract marriage."
Herdin, who was roughly drying his hair with a towel, paused. His eyes grew sharp.
"...She told you that?"
"My goodness, is it true? How could you not tell me something so important! If it's a contract marriage, then once the agreed term ends..."
Ruth's nagging didn't even register.
"Wait, where are you going in the middle of our conversation?"
Herdin stormed out of the office, ignoring Ruth's question. The towel fell to the floor, forgotten.
He made a beeline for Blair's bedroom.
Bursting in without knocking, Herdin found Blair changing from her bathrobe into a dressing gown.
He froze at the glimpse of bare skin through the untied sash.
"Kya—hup."
Lina, who was attending to her, was about to scream at the sudden intrusion but clamped her mouth shut when she realized it was Blair's husband. There was no issue with a husband seeing his wife's body, after all.
Still, she quickly tied Blair's gown.
Blair, the one who had been exposed, seemed more surprised by his sudden arrival than by the state of her dress.
"Lina, you may leave."
Lina bowed to them both and quietly withdrew, leaving Blair and Herdin alone in the room.
Herdin had been about to demand answers, but he shut his mouth when he saw her looking up at him with those clear eyes. He remembered seeing tears welling in them once before.
Suppressing an agitation he couldn't understand, Herdin spoke in a low voice.
"...I heard you told Ruth about our contract."
"Ah... I thought Sir Ruth already knew. And I thought it would be fine if he did."
She was right. It wasn't some forbidden secret. Ruth was his closest confidant, a man who would die before breathing a word of anything that could be used against him.
As Herdin swallowed an emotion he couldn't define, his eyes fell on Blair's lips.
Only then did he understand the reason for his anger.
He was angry that those lips had so casually spoken of the end of their contract.
'We will divorce. As per the contract.'
It was just like when he had heard those words before.
Once again, the woman standing right in front of him, the woman within arm's reach, felt incredibly distant.
...As if she might just disappear.
That couldn't happen. That would be a breach of contract. None of the conditions he had proposed had been fulfilled yet. He couldn't even freely take this woman's warmth, which had felt like a small reward of their agreement.
That must be it. The uncontrollable emotion shaking him right now had to be anger.
Having finally defined his emotion, he cupped Blair's cheeks and met her gaze. His own was twisted.
"Do you think this contract is a joke?"
At his cold tone, Blair's eyes trembled slightly. But Herdin didn't stop.
No, that was precisely why he couldn't stop.
Because he never wanted to see those lips speak of the end of this contract again.
"You seem to have forgotten, but this is a fraud that deceives the Emperor. It's not children playing house."
"..."
"Never mention the contract in front of others again."
His cold voice fell silent. Soon, Blair's trembling eyes stilled.
After a moment, she nodded with her usual calm expression.
"I'll be careful in the future."
She accepted his words.
Surely, this was the answer he had wanted.
Yet, Herdin felt an unquenchable thirst rising again. His throat burned, and an emptiness spread through him.
But facing the woman who had agreed with him, he had no further reason to be angry.
"...Rest."
Herdin suppressed his emotions and left the bedroom. A sigh escaped his lips as he roughly swept his hair back.
He was highly displeased with his emotions, which had been so uncontrollable lately.
* * *
"We have arrived."
The hired carriage carrying Blair stopped in front of a private art gallery—her meeting place with Mikhail.
Unlike their last secret meeting at the theater, a known rendezvous spot for lovers, they had chosen to meet openly at the gallery. If anyone recognized them, they could simply claim he was helping her with the auction.
Still, wanting to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, Blair checked her veiled hat once more and opened the carriage door.
At the same time, a large hand was extended toward her.