Since it was winter, there weren’t usually people outdoors, but for a spring banquet, there might be some people in the garden.

“The landscaping is well done, and the fountain is functioning well.”

Blair surveyed the garden, appreciating the effort put in by herself, Mason, and the gardeners.

As the tension eased, her attention was drawn to the back pain that had been bothering her for a while.

It was a new dress she had recently purchased from Viscountess Sionel, but the ribbon tied tightly around her fine back seemed to be causing discomfort in the delicate flesh.

Blair moved her position behind a nearby grass wall and scanned her surroundings. There was no one nearby.
Blair tried to loosen and retie the ribbon on her back a little, but since she couldn’t see the back, it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

“It’s not working well…”

As Blair grumbled while struggling with the stubbornly tied ribbon, suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.

“It seems like the esteemed lady wouldn’t attempt to undress here, would she?”

Startled, Blair turned around, and there was Hérdin, leaning against the wall, watching her. She couldn’t tell how long he had been there.

Who does this man see me as?

Blair, who understood his words a beat late, responded with a puzzled look.

“…Of course not.”

Blair continued toward the greenhouse, or at least she tried. That was until his strong arm wrapped around her waist.

The warmth came closer, felt from behind.

“Let go of this.”

Startled by the sudden physical contact, Blair tried to break free from him, but his voice descended over her head.

“Stay still.”

Although there was no force in his words, the moment Blair heard his voice, she stopped resisting. Resisting would be meaningless.

Hérdin released his hold on her waist and placed his hand on the untied ribbon at her back.

His fingers, as long and slender as his large hand, peeked through the ribbon, grazing her exposed skin. Blair’s entire nervous system reacted to that touch.
Blair, afraid that he might notice her reaction, bit her lip tightly and retorted in a small voice.

“I can do it alone.”

“Well, it seems like you’ve been struggling for quite a while.”

“…….”

He’s been watching from the beginning.

For some reason, her pride was hurt by that fact. Blair responded to avoid yielding to him.

“Go back and ask Lena for help.”

“Are you planning to show this sight to others?”

Although his voice was now slightly lower than before, Blair, preoccupied with checking her attire, didn’t notice.

While loosening the ribbon overall, the front of the dress slightly slipped down, revealing her shoulders.

With Hérdin here, if she went back in this state, there was certainly a risk of embarrassing misunderstandings.

Unable to find a counterargument to his words, Blair eventually closed her mouth. Over her shoulder, his question came.

“How long do you plan to keep avoiding?”

Blair felt embarrassed but quickly tried to deflect.

“…It’s just because of busy work.”

The corner of Hérdin’s mouth rose slightly as he finished tying the ribbon.

What a damn obvious lie.

She started avoiding him precisely from the day after meeting Mikhail.
Of course, he turned away from her that morning when she tried to see him off. The expression on his face, unable to lie, showed a sense of obligation, reluctantly seeing her off.

However, after that, Blair started avoiding him as if she had been waiting for this. Since she was clearly showing her anger, it was impossible not to notice.

“If you’re acting like this just because of a man who’s not even worth anything, it’s laughable.”

If she had simply gotten angry at me, I wouldn’t have thought much about it.

But the fact that the reason she was angry with me was because of that man named Mikhail distorted my judgment.

“Do you like that guy?”

“…Is that important to you?”

“It is.”

Hérdin released the ribbon he had tied, adding as he did so.

“Now, you’re my wife.”

“…….?”

“I don’t like sharing my girl with other guys. So…”

He wrapped his arms around Blair again. Without giving her a chance to escape, his lips descended on the back of her white neck.

“What are you doing…!”

Ignoring Blair’s resistance, Hérdin sucked on her delicate skin, leaving red marks.

Mine.

He rather liked the stamp he left.

“While you’re by my side, focus only on me.”

With a chilling voice, along with it, his arms around her waist loosened. To be precise, it was more like he let go.

As if releasing a beast with a collar.