Chapter 92: Betrayal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: Betrayal
Stepping away from Ivan, Herdin quickly scanned the banquet hall. Blair was nowhere to be seen.
'She said she was going for some fresh air. Did she go out to the garden?'
Just as Herdin was about to head into the hall, Ruth approached him with a grave expression.
"Your Grace. Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but there is something I must ask regarding your intentions."
"What is it?"
"The incident from ten years ago—why have you still not made it public?"
Herdin paused at Ruth's question.
"You have already secured all the evidence and testimonies, have you not?"
"..."
"I know this is a difficult reality for the Madam. But even if she denies it, it's a truth she must eventually face."
"..."
"Since it has come to this, it would be better in the long run to resolve this quickly and distance the Madam from the Imperial Family."
Ruth, who had been observing from the side, had watched Blair's demeanor throughout the banquet. Even from a distance, he could see how troubled she looked while dealing with Katrina and Ivan.
Though he wasn't close enough to Blair to know her innermost thoughts, he could easily imagine the turmoil of having a mother who had used her and tried to have her kidnapped.
That was why he couldn't understand Herdin's delay in resolving the situation.
"And while the elders may not look upon the Madam favorably now, once the truth is revealed, a good number of vassals will surely take her side. The public criticism against her will also die down."
"...I suppose so."
"If you know all this, is there a particular reason for the delay?"
"I made a deal with the Emperor."
Ruth's eyes wavered. A deal? When they should be actively opposing Ivan?
"A deal... you say?"
Of course, Ruth didn't believe for a second that Herdin would abandon the truth he had clung to for ten long years.
Still, he couldn't fathom what kind of deal could possibly be made over an issue where no concession should be given.
"It is a negotiation to secure a greater advantage. For now, keep your mouth shut in front of Blair."
Was this advantage truly worth the cost of Blair's anguish?
The question flickered through Ruth's mind, but he decided not to press further.
No matter how much he pitied Blair's situation, his loyalty was ultimately to Herdin.
"I'm going to find Blair, and then we'll return to the mansion. Have the carriage ready."
After dismissing Ruth, Herdin stepped out into the garden. It was a cool early summer night, and many couples were out enjoying the fresh air.
'She didn't look well earlier.'
Recalling the sight of Blair leaving the banquet hall, Herdin quickened his pace.
He found her sooner than he expected.
Blair was sitting alone by the fountain in the center of the garden, watching the streams of water arc through the air. Herdin strode to her side.
"Are you not feeling well?"
The immediate response he expected never came.
She merely stared at the fountain, her silence as unreadable as her eyes.
"Blair?"
Puzzled, Herdin took another step closer. At that moment, Blair stood up.
"Let's go home."
Herdin's brow furrowed as he watched her brush past him, her back turned to him.
A cool night breeze swept between them.
* * *
Blair didn't say a single word during the entire carriage ride back to the mansion. Her gaze remained fixed on the scenery outside the window; she didn't look at him even once.
She was never a talkative person, but this was different from her usual self.
Something, without his knowledge, had gone terribly wrong.
As the realization dawned, the anxiety coiling in his gut began to tighten.
It was just like that time before, when he had watched her, fearing she might disappear into the light at any moment.
Herdin watched her back as she walked from the carriage into the mansion without a single glance in his direction. The moment they entered their room, he grabbed her hand.
"Blair."
Only then did she finally face him. In her eyes, no longer hidden by the night's shadows, was a clear and potent resentment.
Blair tried to pull her hand away, but Herdin held on tighter.
Suppressing his emotions with a sigh, he said, "If you have something to say, then say it. Don't act like a child."
After a long moment of staring at him with those resentful eyes, Blair finally spoke.
"Why did you lie to me?"
"..."
"I heard you found all the evidence."
Her eyes wavered at her words.
So, she had found out. Did she overhear them at the banquet hall? Is that why she was so angry?
"You promised we would divorce once the truth of the incident ten years ago was revealed."
If she had remained ignorant, he might have been spared this resentment. But now that she knew, there was nothing to be done.
"Ah, so I did."
"Then fulfill the contract now. Our agreement is over. You're just dragging it out."
He had no choice but to see his plan through.
"Well, I'm afraid that's going to be difficult."
"Why?"
"As you've already overheard, I made a deal with your brother."
"..."
"And I need you for that deal."
He couldn't tell her the truth—that he was holding on to her for her.
To a woman who harbored feelings for another man, his own would be worthless.
It was pointless to make a proposal that was doomed to be rejected.
"...So, you're going to use me for that deal? By breaking your promise to me?"
"Strictly speaking, yes."
He answered so shamelessly, without a hint of remorse on his face.
Seeing that expression, a hollow laugh escaped her lips.
She had tried so hard to honor her contract with him. She had fought to overcome her phobia and faced the truth she had desperately wanted to ignore.
She didn't regret it.
It wasn't just for him; it was for Esmeralda. It was a debt of the heart, a way to honor her memory.
But that didn't lessen the sting of his betrayal.
A wave of nausea washed over her, just as it had when she faced Katrina and Ivan at the palace. The realization that he was no different from them was suffocating.
This man, too, only thought of using her.
She hated him for it.
And what was more terrible than him...
...was herself. The fool who had trusted him, who had hesitated at Mikhail's proposal just to keep her promise to him.
The fool who had fallen in love with him all over again, despite the deep wounds he'd inflicted in her past life.
"I don't think this marriage is such a bad choice for you, either," he said.
"..."
"We got along quite well, after all."
"...Do you really think so? That we got along well?"
A flicker of bewilderment crossed his troubled gaze. It seemed he genuinely believed there was nothing wrong with their relationship.
That fact made her want to laugh.
"No. We clashed from the very beginning. The one who adjusted was me, not us."
Because I loved you in my past life.
Because I wanted to meet Asiel in this life.
"Your desires always came first. It was always me, struggling alone to hold our fracturing relationship together."
Would you ever know what it felt like to piece together countless shattered shards of glass all by yourself? That lonely feeling of being unable to give up, even as you bleed?
"I was the only one holding on. Just to maintain a good relationship with you. Though you probably never realized it, because you took it all for granted."
"..."
"Now I know for sure. We can never be together."
"Then we can start adjusting to each other now."
Once, she had believed that, too.
Because she loved him, she thought he would eventually see her sincerity. That they could learn to meet in the middle.
But now she knew that was just her own arrogance.
"No. I won't do that anymore. There's no reason to. You are no longer my partner."
"Blair."
"Let me go."
It was a desperate plea, almost a prayer. To Herdin, however, the words pierced like a dagger.
His lips twisted into a sneer. His rising anger bled into his voice, turning it cold.
"This is how the world works. People live in marriages they don't want, marriages where emotion is a liability and they only look out for their own benefit."
"..."
"Your plan was absurd from the start. An Imperial Princess causing a scandal by running away in the middle of the night? It's preposterous."
"..."
"At best, you would have been caught and confined to the Imperial Palace. If you were lucky, you might have ended up as some old man's second wife."
"..."
"How long are you going to hide behind your childish ideals and throw these tantrums?"
His bitter words made her expression contort with pain.
Her fragile body trembled violently, her emotions spiraling out of control. She looked so precarious, as if she might shatter at any moment.
The sight of her made him feel wretched. There was no sense of victory, none of the relief that usually followed winning an argument.
Herdin roughly loosened the cravat choking his neck and sighed. "...Stop it. You look terrible."
He approached Blair, who looked as if she might collapse, and pulled her into his arms.
"Let me go!"
But Blair shoved him away with all her might, her weak hands pushing desperately against his chest.
In the end, Herdin let her go. Stumbling back from his embrace, Blair looked at him with eyes full of hatred, tears streaming down her face.
"I regret it. I regret trusting you again."
She spat the words out like venom, her final, devastating blow, before turning and leaving the bedroom.
Herdin swallowed a sigh and raked a hand through his hair.
He knew that even if she left the room, she couldn't escape the mansion. He figured that once she tired herself out and found a corner to hide in, he could simply bring her back.
But as Herdin raised his head, he saw Blair collapse to the floor just outside the bedroom door.
In that instant, his heart stopped.
"Blair!"