Chapter 66: A Means of Divorce
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: A Means of Divorce
Herdin sat in the chair beside the bed, staring quietly at the sleeping Blair.
Unaware of his intense, lingering gaze, she slept peacefully. Perhaps she was dreaming, for her small lips were slightly parted as she tossed and turned. As she moved, the blanket slipped down, exposing her pale shoulders and the slender curve of her neck.
The red marks he had left the night before remained vivid against her skin. At the sight of them, his eyes darkened as memories of their passion rushed back.
Her scent, which drove him to madness. The soft touch of her delicate skin. The sound of her voice calling his name, and the way her eyes had looked up at him.
Heat pooled in his lower abdomen once more, as if a full night of satisfying his desires had not been nearly enough. Mocking himself for getting aroused like a madman just by looking at his sleeping wife, he forced his gaze away. That was when he noticed something on the nightstand.
It was a geography book.
It contained information not only on the countries neighboring Ardel but also on the Eastern Continent across the sea and various island nations.
Herdin’s expression turned cold.
Just as he reached for the book, a soft voice drifted over.
“…Herdin?”
Blair, who had woken at some point, was looking at him. Rubbing her sleep-laden eyes, she asked, “Didn’t you have a meeting at the Imperial Palace today?”
“I still have some time.”
Herdin set the book back down and climbed onto the bed. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he leaned down and captured her defenseless lips.
Her breathing hitched, and a soft, pained groan escaped her. At the same time, Herdin’s hand slipped beneath the blanket, caressing her body.
So far, it was a familiar morning routine.
But when he leaned down to hover over her, Blair, who had been passively yielding in her half-awake state, quietly slipped from his touch and burrowed deeper under the blanket.
Herdin didn’t ask. He simply stared at her.
Blair shrank back, avoiding his gaze as she answered his silent question.
“I just… feel a bit under the weather.”
Herdin placed a hand on her forehead. She didn’t have a fever, but her constitution was naturally frail, so it was believable. He sat up and pulled the blanket back over her shoulders.
“I’ll call for the physician.”
“Oh, no. It’s not that serious.”
When Blair adamantly refused, Herdin studied her complexion for a moment before relenting.
“Tell me immediately if you feel worse.”
“…I will.”
“I’ll be back.”
He left her sight, and soon, the sound of the door opening and closing echoed through the room. Silence settled once she was alone.
Blair fell into deep thought, replaying Herdin’s behavior.
It should have been around this time.
The time he had started to keep his distance from her.
In her past life, Herdin had begun to pull away right as the cherry blossoms were falling. Yet, in this life, there was still no sign of that happening. She didn’t know why he had changed his mind; he was only supposed to be acting like he loved her to pry the truth from her.
Did the future change because I agreed to help uncover the truth behind the Empress’s Palace Fire Incident?
While his favor was welcome, a change in the future posed its own set of problems.
She had conceived Asiel sometime after Herdin had started keeping his distance. One rainy night, after avoiding her for weeks, he had returned home heavily intoxicated—a man whose tolerance for alcohol was nearly unmatched, behaving completely out of character. Blair, having just left her room for the library, ran into him. Herdin had taken her straight back to her chambers and held her through the night.
The child was conceived on that highly impulsive night. It was the only reason Blair remembered the exact date of Asiel’s conception.
But if she continued to spend every night with him like this, it would be difficult to gauge when to stop taking her contraceptive pills. The effects of the medicine wouldn’t vanish the moment she stopped.
Should I find an excuse to push him away for a while?
After a moment of pondering, Blair set her thoughts aside, sat up, and pulled the bell cord. She had to start her day. She had an appointment to keep.
Blair got out of bed, slipped on her morning gown, and walked over to a drawer. Inside lay the note she had received from Mikhail a few days ago.
[1:00 PM, Vermont Street]
Herdin seemed reluctant to use a scandal as a means of divorce, but she couldn’t think of any other way. For now, she had to treat this as her best and only option.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. It was likely Lina or Meli with her wash water.
Blair slipped Mikhail’s note back into the drawer and turned toward the door.
“Come in.”
* * *
Two alleys away from the Imperial Capital’s central plaza was a street that remained deserted even in broad daylight. Here, all manner of illegal activities—gambling, drugs, loan sharking—ran rampant.
Just as the shadow cast by a bright light is always the darkest.
Fitting for a place of illicit dealings, it was far busier at night than during the day. Shops kept their doors open during daylight hours as a formality, but customers were rare.
Today, as usual, a man dozing behind the counter of a guild office bolted upright at the sound of the door chime.
“Welco—”
His greeting died as soon as he saw the customer. Boredom immediately returned to his eyes.
The visitor wore a hooded robe that obscured her face, but her slender frame made it clear she was a woman. The man, who had tensed up expecting a real client, lost all interest. The requests brought by young women were usually trivial and tedious. Tailing a husband suspected of having an affair, gathering evidence, digging up dirt on the other woman.
Besides, men usually held the purse strings, so these women never had much money, meaning the commission was pitifully small. It was a high risk of getting dragged into a messy love affair for a pittance. To make matters worse, this woman didn't look particularly well-dressed.
Assuming this would be another such case, the man picked at his ear with an openly annoyed expression. “What’s the job?”
“I want you to watch someone. I will pay you handsomely.”
The woman placed a heavy pouch on the counter without hesitation. It was filled with gold coins.
The man, who had been expecting a few coppers or cheap trinkets, stared with wide eyes.
“This is the deposit and the initial surveillance fee. You will receive additional payments for every report you deliver.”
Gulping at the sheer size of the payment, the man couldn’t hide his suspicion. “Are you sure you can afford to pay more?”
In response, the woman silently pulled something from her robes.
“Will this serve as proof of my credibility?”
“This is…” the man gasped.
She held out a badge symbolizing the God—a token bestowed only upon clerics chosen by the divine, those who possessed true holy power.
As a cleric, her identity was guaranteed by the temple, and their substantial monthly salary meant her ability to pay was beyond doubt.
The man’s tone instantly became polite. “Who is the target?”
The woman’s red lips, visible beneath the hood, hesitated for a moment before uttering a familiar name.
“The current Duchess of Delmark, Blair Delmark. Find out who she meets and where she goes.”
The man swallowed hard. The name that had slipped from her lips belonged to a true heavyweight.
“I will come by every week for your report.”
Having finished her business, the woman turned and left the guild. The hired carriage waiting outside departed the moment she climbed in.
Only then did she pull back her hood. Dazzling silver hair cascaded down.
It was Miella.
She gazed out at the scenery as the carriage entered the bustling plaza. The sunlight was warm, the breeze cool. It felt as though the God were watching over her. She had a premonition that everything would go well.
No one is completely clean if you dig deep enough. With this, I’ll find a way to save Your Grace from his unhappy marriage.
Just as Miella was indulging in her hopeful expectations, the carriage came to a halt, blocked by another passing through the street ahead.
As she idly glanced outside, her gaze fell upon the carriage stopped right beside hers.
And there, she saw an unexpected figure.
…The Duchess?
Although her face was partially obscured as she turned to speak to the person beside her, that profile was unmistakably Blair’s.
And the person next to her was a strange man, not Herdin.
The remarkably handsome man was smiling as he conversed with Blair. As Miella stared, unable to tear her eyes away, she suddenly made eye contact with him. In that instant, his green eyes turned ice-cold.
Sensing the shift in his gaze, Blair began to turn toward Miella, but the man quickly reached over and drew the carriage curtains shut.
Soon after, their carriage began to move, pulling away.
Staring blankly at the departing vehicle, Miella finally realized.
This was her opportunity.
* * *
The place she arrived at with Mikhail was a small villa nestled in a forest on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
“I hear some nobles rent places like this under the pretext of business to enjoy their little affairs,” Mikhail explained as Blair examined the villa with curiosity. He stepped down from the carriage first, then turned to offer her his hand.