Chapter 62: I've Developed a Craving for Something Else
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: I've Developed a Craving for Something Else
A garden party would most likely be held in the summer.
But Asiel was supposed to be conceived in early summer, and she planned to leave immediately after that.
Since he had set the term of their contract marriage to one year, he must have been speaking under the assumption that she would still be here by then.
There’s no need to bring that up right now.
Hiding her thoughts, Blair offered a ready smile and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
She was about to eat the toasted marshmallow when she remembered something and held it out to him.
Herdin looked at her, puzzled.
“I saw you eat my marshmallow this morning. You can have this if you want some.”
One of Herdin’s eyebrows arched.
“...‘Your’ marshmallow?”
“You gave it to me, so wasn’t it mine?”
“No. Everything in this house is mine. The food, the belongings.”
As he spoke, his gaze fixed on Blair, a strange playfulness and a sharp, intense glint flickered in his eyes.
“And, of course, the people.”
He was like a beast guarding its territory.
Blair was puzzled by his sudden claim of ownership, but since everything in the House of Delmark did indeed belong to him, she couldn’t deny it.
“Anyway, I didn’t eat it.”
Blair blinked at his nonchalant reply. If he hadn’t eaten it, then that only left Lina and Meli.
After a moment’s thought, Blair protested with a serious expression.
“Lina and Meli aren’t the type to touch my things without permission.”
“Hmm. Then a ghost must live in this room.”
Hearing Herdin’s playful reply, Blair finally realized he was teasing her and furrowed her delicate brow.
“Don’t lie.”
Instead of answering, Herdin chuckled and placed his hand over Blair’s, which was still holding the marshmallow. Guiding her hand, he took a bite of the marshmallow she held.
It looked as though she were feeding him.
Blair stared blankly as he ate.
Was it just her imagination, or was there something strangely erotic about the way the soft marshmallow disappeared between his lips?
Just as she was about to look away, feeling embarrassed, he swallowed the marshmallow and looked up, his eyes meeting hers.
Her reflection was captured in his gaze, which was as still and deep as a winter lake. She couldn’t look away, utterly captivated.
The silence grew thick with a strange tension. His lips, unusually red for a man, were the first to break it.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
As he whispered, a firm arm wrapped around Blair’s waist.
“Because I’ve developed a craving for something else.”
His lips pressing against hers answered the unspoken question of what that ‘something else’ was.
* * *
“Madam, we’ve arrived.”
The gentle rocking of the carriage had lulled Blair to sleep, but the voices of Meli and Lina soon woke her.
Outside the carriage window, the orphanage was already in sight. The temple’s crest was engraved on its outer wall, a sign that the institution was under its jurisdiction.
As she stepped out of the carriage, a priest who had been notified of their arrival was waiting. She welcomed Blair with a bright smile.
“Welcome, Duchess! It is an honor to meet you. I am Miriam.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miriam. Thank you for taking the time for us when you must be so busy.”
“Oh, please don’t say that. We’re the ones who are grateful.”
After instructing the knights to unload the donations they had brought, Blair entered the orphanage with the priest.
The children had been pressed against the windows watching for her arrival, and now they crowded the doorway to get a better look.
They whispered among themselves as they stared at Blair.
“Wow, she’s so pretty. She looks like a princess.”
“But they say she is a real princess.”
“That’s a lie. Why would a princess come to a place like this?”
They must have thought they were being quiet, but unfortunately, Blair heard every word.
She tried to pretend she hadn’t heard, holding back a laugh. But Lina, having no intention of letting it slide, chimed into the children’s conversation.
“You little rascals certainly have sharp eyes. She really is a princess.”
“No way! Really, really?”
“Yep. Really, really.”
“But how do you know, lady?”
“Because I’m the maid who serves the princess… And who are you calling ‘lady’?”
“Well, if you’re not a lady, are you a mister?”
“No, she’s not a mister, she’s a stupid poop-head!”
The children giggled, sharing some inside joke. Blair and Meli laughed as they watched Lina get swept up in their teasing.
“Calling a guest a stupid poop-head… you shouldn’t say things like that.”
The priest gently scolded the children before clapping her hands to gather their attention.
“Now, children. Gather around.”
The children hesitated, glancing at Blair’s group, before coming forward one by one.
The priest introduced Blair.
“This is the guest I told you about earlier.”
“The princess?”
“She’s not a princess anymore; she’s the Duchess.”
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Blair.”
When Blair greeted them, the children clapped enthusiastically, just as the priest had instructed.
Then, a curious child raised their hand high and asked.
“But why did you come here?”
It was a question that might have sounded rude coming from an adult, but from a child, it was simply endearing.
Since she had planned to explain her reason for coming anyway, Blair spoke in a warm, gentle voice.
“Today is the anniversary of the day my husband’s mother went to heaven. She wanted this to be a happy day for all of you, not a sad one. So, I prepared some snacks and gifts.”
“Yay!”
The mention of snacks and gifts sent a ripple of excitement through the children. Now thoroughly intrigued by Blair, one of them threw out another question.
“But if he’s the princess’s husband, is he a prince?”
Blair gave a wry smile.
To the children, anyone of high status—be it a duke or a baron—was simply a noble, so there was no need for a detailed explanation.
“Hmm… He’s not a prince, but he does look like one.”
“Wow, I want to meet a prince, too.”
“Me too, me too!”
It wasn’t just the girls; the boys who admired tales of princes were just as filled with anticipation.
After finishing the introductions under the children’s expectant gazes, Blair toured the orphanage with the priest and then stepped out into the yard.
While they were inside, the knights had piled the donations on one side of the yard.
“Alright, boys on this side, girls on this side. Stand in two lines to receive your gifts. And don’t forget to say thank you!”
Just as she and the priest were about to hand out the donations, a child shouted.
“Huh? It’s Sister Miella!”
At the cry, everyone’s eyes turned toward the entrance of the orphanage.
There stood Miella.
The smile vanished from Blair’s face.
Why… is she here?
On this day in her past life, Miella had been at the main temple building.
Her appearance here rendered Blair’s reason for choosing the orphanage over the temple completely meaningless.
“Sister Miella!”
“Sister!”
The children rushed over to Miella the moment they saw her. The priest, noticing Miella a moment later, looked surprised.
“Oh, Cleric Miella. What brings you here?”
“It’s my day off, so I came to see the children. It looked like you could use some help.”
Spotting Blair, Miella brightened and approached her with a warm greeting.
“Duchess, we meet again. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you. I’m glad to see you look well too, Cleric.”
Blair quickly composed herself and replied. She had no talent for lying, but she was confident in her ability to hide her expressions.
“The Duke must be very busy. I thought he would come with you.”
A comment she would have brushed off in her past life now sounded different.
Still, it sounded like a casual question at first glance, so Blair decided not to challenge it. Doing so might just make her seem overly sensitive.
“As you know, he is a very busy man.”
“Ah, I see.”
For a moment, a flicker of expectation seemed to cross Miella’s eyes, but it was gone in a flash.
Miella stepped up beside Blair and asked, “May I help as well?”
“If you don’t mind, Cleric.”
Miella naturally joined in handing out the donations.
The children gathered more around the familiar Miella than around the unfamiliar Blair or the maids from the House of Delmark.
Watching the scene, Lina muttered grumpily, “I feel like we’re just playing second fiddle.”
At that, Meli nudged Lina in the ribs to shut her up.
With Miella’s help, the donations were distributed faster than scheduled, and soon it was time for the children to play.
Blair sat in the shade of a tree, watching Miella and Lina play with them.
It was surprising how popular Lina was, considering she’d never had a reason to interact with children before.
Miella, on the other hand, was a natural. Like someone who had spent a lot of time around children, she skillfully anticipated their desires and played along.
Did my actions, so different from my past life, cause this ripple effect and bring her here as well?
Even with her knowledge of the future, it seemed that more unexpected variables were cropping up in the minor details.
While Blair was lost in thought, a little girl of about three or four with her hair in pigtails trotted over.
The child placed the storybook she had received as a gift on the table and tried to sit opposite Blair. However, the adult-sized chair was too high for her to climb.
“Do you want to sit on the chair?”
At the question, the child nodded.
Blair picked up the little girl and settled her on her lap.
“Do you know how to read?”
The child shook her head.
Blair was sure she had seen her talking with the other children earlier, but now she only nodded instead of speaking. She was clearly shy.
Even so, the fact that the child had readily approached her was adorable.
“Then I’ll read it to you.”
Blair opened the storybook the child had brought.
The Princess Turned to Stone
It was one of the storybooks she used to read to Asiel.