Chapter 53: The Missing Blair
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: The Missing Blair
Even if he is sincere, nothing changes.
Those feelings would fade soon enough, like a spring breeze brushing past my cheek. So…
I must not waver.
Hoping, fluttering, and getting hurt all on my own over a little warmth and a gentle touch—I’d had more than enough of that in my past life.
Blair turned, putting Herdin’s back to her. Just then, Lina hurried over.
“Madam, it looks like the tea is being served over there!”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Rachel, who had been watching Blair from a short distance, stood up and followed them toward the tea party.
* * *
The peaceful atmosphere of the tea party was shattered when a maid from the Seldon family came bursting in.
“Joshua is missing?”
Upon hearing the maid’s frantic report that her child had disappeared, the Young Marchioness Seldon's face turned deathly pale.
Joshua was the son of the Young Marquis Seldon and Rachel's nephew, a boy who had just turned four this year.
Typically, at banquets and other events, a separate area was set aside for children. It was considered poor etiquette to allow them to disrupt the adults’ socializing. This arrangement suited everyone, giving the children a space to play among themselves, away from the watchful and often critical eyes of their parents.
Even in a separate area, nannies and maids were always on watch, so there was normally no risk of a child getting lost.
Yet, the boy had vanished.
Hearing the news, Blair’s heart sank. She knew all too well the pain of a mother who had lost her child.
“What… what do you mean, Keshi? Where were you and the nanny? What were you doing?” Rachel demanded, springing from her seat and rushing toward the maid, her own shock evident.
In her haste, she stumbled and knocked over Blair’s teacup. The spilled liquid poured directly onto Blair’s dress. Fortunately, the tea had cooled to a lukewarm temperature and didn't burn her.
Seeing what she had done, Rachel froze.
“Oh, my. I’m so sorry, Duchess. I was just so startled… Are you alright?”
Though the sight of Rachel stirred uncomfortable memories of their last encounter, Blair’s concern for the missing child overshadowed any personal resentment. Besides, spilling the tea was clearly an accident.
Blair offered a reassuring smile.
“I’m fine. Please, go find the child.”
The other noblewomen quickly gathered around the pale Young Marchioness Seldon. As most of them were mothers, they felt a deep sympathy for her plight.
“My Lady, I will have our knights search for the child as well.”
“Our knights will help, too. If we all join forces, we'll find him in no time. Please, don’t worry too much.”
“That’s right, sister-in-law. Our Joshua is a smart boy. He’ll be fine.”
Everyone, including Rachel, did their best to comfort and reassure the distraught mother.
As Blair watched the Young Marchioness with worried eyes, Lina, who was inspecting the soiled dress, spoke up.
“Madam, I think you should go to the carriage and change.”
The tea stain was unsightly, and the dress was soaked through. Moreover, the atmosphere was no longer suitable for a tea party.
Blair quietly excused herself to a nearby lady and left the gathering. She felt uneasy, unable to shake the image of the Young Marchioness, pale with worry.
After a moment of hesitation, Blair turned to Lina.
“Lina, could you please call Sir Bain?”
The Delmark knight, who had been guarding her from a distance, approached in a single stride.
“Did you call, Madam?”
“I heard the Young Marquis Seldon's son has gone missing. Could you please help search for him?”
“The Young Marquis Seldon's son…”
“He is my nephew by marriage. The Young Marchioness is terribly shocked, and the other noble families have already offered their help.”
The knight recalled Herdin's strict order to remain by Blair’s side at all times.
“But I have strict orders to guard you, Madam…”
“I will be changing in the carriage and staying with the other ladies. Nothing will happen in the meantime.”
The knight was caught in a dilemma. He glanced over and saw that, just as Blair had said, knights from the various families were gathering to begin the search. For the Delmark knights to sit out would put both Herdin and Blair in an awkward position. It was a matter of Delmark's prestige—especially if, heaven forbid, something terrible happened to the child.
After a brief hesitation, the knight looked at Lina standing beside Blair and the other noblewomen returning to their carriages as the tea party broke up. He made his decision.
“I shall obey your command, Madam.”
Leading his fellow knights who had been waiting nearby, Sir Bain headed toward the assembled search party.
Meanwhile, Lina brought out a spare dress.
“Madam, please step into the carriage. I will help you change.”
However, Lina's complexion was poor. Noticing this, Blair asked, “Lina? Are you unwell?”
“Pardon? Oh… my stomach hurts a bit. I think I ate something that disagreed with me for lunch.”
Blair took Lina’s hand. It was warm, but her face was pale.
“Does it hurt badly? Do you have any medicine?”
“I don’t… but I’ll be fine soon.”
Lina forced a smile and helped Blair change. By the time they finished, she was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Blair gently wiped the perspiration from her maid’s brow, her expression full of concern.
“Lina, you really don’t look well. I’ll go and fetch the Imperial Physician…”
“N-No! No, thank you. I don’t think it’s that kind of illness…”
“Hmm?”
Clutching her stomach, Lina answered in a tiny voice before suddenly standing up, as if she couldn't hold it in any longer.
“M-Madam. In that case, may I be excused for just a moment? A very brief moment?”
“Ah… Yes, go ahead. Don’t worry about me, take your time.”
Blair nodded, finally understanding. The instant she gave her permission, Lina vanished. A short while later, she returned to the carriage with a look of immense relief.
“Whew… I thought I was going to die. But was it just me?”
Earlier, while their masters were dining, the maids had all eaten together.
“If we ate the same food, the other maids should be sick, too.”
But if that were the case, there would have been an uproar. The other households seemed perfectly quiet.
Tilting her head in confusion, Lina reached the carriage, only for her eyes to widen in shock.
“...Madam?”
Blair was nowhere to be found.
* * *
The forest grew noisy as the knights began driving the game, causing the quiet underbrush to rustle with movement.
Then, in the fleeting moment a stag revealed itself—
A single arrow pierced its neck with pinpoint accuracy.
Startled by the sound, a roe deer darted out. It, too, collapsed, felled by a single, perfect shot.
Herdin drew his next arrow, his eyes indifferent. Killing no longer stirred any emotion in him. It was neither amusing nor repulsive.
As he turned his horse to find a new spot, Wesley emerged from the thicket.
“My, you’re too much. How is it that you don’t miss a single one? At this rate, Your Grace is going to catch every animal in this forest.”
Herdin stared coldly at Wesley, who was chattering away with false cheer. Had Wesley been tailing him for a while now, or was it just his own foul mood? It was a relief the man wasn't hovering around Blair, but seeing him constantly loitering nearby was intensely irritating.
“Shouldn’t you let one go on purpose, so that someone like me can get a taste of the thrill?” Wesley suggested.
“I am not the type to find fulfillment in giving what is mine to others,” Herdin replied flatly and turned away.
Just then, a rabbit appeared in their line of sight. Wesley’s eyes gleamed as he raised his bow.
The moment he drew the bowstring—
Thwack!
An arrow, flying a split second faster, thudded into the tree trunk right beside the rabbit. Startled, the rabbit bolted, and Wesley’s arrow struck the empty ground a moment too late.
When Wesley looked to see where the other arrow had come from, Herdin was there, slowly lowering his bow.
“My, I got greedy and missed.”
Contrary to his words, his expression showed no hint of regret.
Wesley realized it was no mistake. There was no way a man who had been hitting every target with absolute precision could make such a clumsy error. It was a completely intentional miss, meant to deny him even a single catch.
Wesley’s expression stiffened for an instant before he quickly masked it with a laugh.
“Well, I suppose everyone has an off day. Even you, Your Grace.”
Herdin regarded Wesley with a strange look. Something was off. This was the man who had spread rumors that Herdin had started their fight, even after being beaten to a pulp. Now, instead of avoiding him, he was lingering and groveling.
It’s almost as if he’s keeping watch on me.
His idle thoughts ground to a sudden halt.
Herdin barked an order to the knights nearby. “We are heading back.”
Wesley flinched, then stepped closer. “Returning already? Just a few more catches and victory in the competition is practically yours.”
Ignoring him, Herdin pulled his horse’s reins and turned around.
As the edge of the forest drew nearer, an inexplicable, ominous feeling grew stronger. Upon reaching the entrance, he saw a knight about to mount his horse. It was Sir Bain, the very man he had entrusted with Blair’s protection.
“Y-Your Grace.”
Facing Herdin, the knight was visibly flustered. Behind him, the Delmark carriage came into view. Lina stood beside it, her face pale with terror.
But Blair, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.
Instinctively, his heart plummeted.