“Teacher, can we have an Imperial Language class tomorrow too?”

A child who had been chattering while Blair styled her hair asked. She was one of the children who lingered around Blair even after school had ended.

Though Blair could sense the child’s great interest in her from that question, she gently reasoned with her.

“Tomorrow is the day we learn the Southern Continent language. You need to have class with Teacher Petro.”

“But I want to learn more Imperial Language. The Southern Continent language is difficult and boring.”

“That’s right. And I like you better, Teacher.”

A child waiting for her turn to have her hair done chimed in.

Blair burst out laughing at the children’s honest expressions.

“Thank you for liking me. I like you all too.”

Just then, she finished styling the hair of the child she had been working on.

“There, all done, Alisa. Would you like to look in the mirror?”

Blair held out a hand mirror to the child. The girl nodded with satisfaction as she saw her neatly braided pigtails.

“It’s pretty! Teacher, you’re the best!”

“Now it’s my turn!”

This time, the child who had been waiting for her turn sat down in front of Blair, showing her back. Blair began to carefully brush the next child’s hair.

The initial reason she started styling the children’s hair was at their request.

For Blair, who had spent her whole life having her hair done by others, touching someone else’s hair was an unfamiliar experience and felt strange at first. But once she tried it, she found it fun.

‘I think I understand now why Lina and Melly seemed even more pleased when they dressed me up.’

Above all, the children who trusted her and let her do their hair were adorable.

As her hair-styling skills improved by leaps and bounds, it became part of her routine to style the children’s hair after school ended.

Eventually, both guests had their hair done.

“Since the teacher styled our hair so prettily, I’ll give you a card reading on the next Imperial Language class day!”

The children, seemingly quite pleased with how Blair had done their hair, offered to do something for her in return.

Blair’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer.

“You know how to do card readings?”

“Yes! I’ve been studying hard lately. You’ll be my first customer, Teacher.”

“Alright. Then I’ll look forward to it, little fortune-teller.”

The children waved goodbye to Blair as they left school, promising to meet in the next class. With that, Blair’s work for the day was completely finished.

After gathering her modest belongings, Blair carefully checked her brown wig and left the school.

It had been about a month since Blair settled here in Nerha.

Originally, she had planned to settle in Azenta, the capital of the Kingdom of Clania, but due to Herdin’s unexpectedly persistent pursuit, she couldn’t go to the crowded capital.

As she moved from place to place avoiding detection, Blair thought of Nerha.

A port city that brought her one step closer to her childhood dream of visiting other continents.

Fortunately, by the time she arrived here, she had succeeded in shaking off the pursuit of the Delmark Knights and was able to settle safely in this city.

Not as Blair Delmark, the Imperial Princess and Duchess, but as Arwen Hales, a commoner.

At first, she spent time only at home, afraid of catching others’ attention, but when Mikhail noticed Blair becoming lethargic, he suggested an activity for her.

‘There are many foreigners coming and going in Nerha, so there are many people who want to learn foreign languages. Since you are also fluent in Clanian, why don’t you try teaching the Imperial Language?’

As members of the imperial family often have to directly face foreign dignitaries, learning foreign languages was considered a basic accomplishment from childhood.

It was a suitable job for Blair.

In truth, she didn’t need to work, as she had enough pre-arranged assets. She was also planning to set up a merchant group once the child was born.

Therefore, teaching children started purely as a pastime for a change of pace.

However, the teaching job that she started without much expectation suited Blair’s aptitude well.

Beyond aptitude, for someone who had lived a life far removed from labor, the experience of working directly and earning money gave her a great sense of achievement.

A life where there are people who need my abilities, who pay the appropriate value for those abilities, and where I can directly buy what will go into my and my baby’s mouths with that money.

In that life, Blair felt a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction she had never experienced before.

‘I should have seafood paella for dinner tonight.’

Blair stopped by the market to buy ingredients for dinner.

As she was looking at baskets of shellfish in front of a store, a market vendor who recognized her greeted her.

“Oh, Teacher, you’re here. What are you looking to buy today?”

“Hello, Madam. I’m looking for seafood to put in paella.”

“Seafood is good. Try these shrimp and these mussels. They’re plump and delicious, I tell you.”

The vendor recommended various items and, as always, gave her more than the standard amount. It was a kindness gained thanks to the child in her belly.

The villagers thought Blair was a widow who had lost her husband in an unfortunate accident and was raising the posthumous child in her womb, so they pitied her.

Although it was regrettable to make Herdin, who was perfectly alive, into a deceased person, Blair left their misunderstanding as it was, thinking it was safer that way.

“Thank you.”

Blair responded to the kindness with a smile and turned away. The straw bag full of seafood was heavy, but her steps were light.

Blair entered the village with a sense of satisfaction, carrying today’s provisions. After going a bit further in, she saw the two-story house with a blue roof that now felt like her home.

As she entered the house, Anna greeted her.

“Oh my, did you buy this yourself? You should have asked me to do it.”

Anna was someone Mikhail had introduced, and she was in charge of housework and cooking.

Blair was living in this cozy house with just her, or rather, with Pippy and the child in her womb – the four of them.

“It’s alright. I just had to stop by on my way home anyway.”

“Still, it must have been heavy for you.”

Anna quickly took the bag of seafood and led Blair to the living room.

“Ah, you remember that Mr. Mikhail is supposed to visit for dinner tonight, right?”

Mikhail lived in the same village and would occasionally visit to have meals together and discuss future plans.

“Yes.”

“What should I prepare for dinner?”

“I’d like to have Anna’s seafood paella for a change. That’s why I bought this.”

“Oh, that’s great. I was actually craving paella too.”

Anna went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and Blair came to the reception room. Through the large window in the reception room, the blue sea was visible.

Blair sat in a rocking chair with a good view of the window and quietly gazed at the blue sea sparkling with sunlight.

Just as she was inadvertently recalling those deep, cool eyes that resembled that color, it happened.

“…Ah.”

She felt a small movement in her belly, like a fish moving. It was the baby kicking.

The child, who had started moving recently, would often wiggle around, making its presence known.

Even though it wasn’t the first time she had felt it, her heart would swell every time the baby moved. That small movement felt like it was greeting her.

Blair placed her hand on her belly with a gentle smile and responded.

“Hello, little one.”

Her belly had swollen noticeably over the past two months. While it was barely noticeable when wearing a loose dress, it was clearly visible that she was pregnant when wearing thin clothes.

These were peaceful days.

She had left behind everything that had been constricting her. Her status as Imperial Princess and Duchess, her family, and even the emotion called love that had been hurting her.

The child in her womb was growing well, and there was nothing left to hurt her anymore.

Sometimes she worried if the child, once born, would feel lonely without a father, but that worry didn’t last long.

Asiel from her previous life grew up well without knowing his father. So it shouldn’t be much different in this life.

She just needed to love the child enough for Herdin’s share as well.

Under her hand gently caressing her belly, she could feel the baby’s movements, wriggling about.

It really felt real now that she was no longer alone.

As Blair caressed her belly in the late afternoon sunlight, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep, unable to resist the drowsiness.

Knock knock.

As regular breathing filled the peaceful scene, a careful knocking sound broke the silence.

When there was no response, the person who had been waiting for a moment entered the reception room. It was Mikhail.

“My lady—”

Mikhail, who was about to speak to Blair, closed his mouth again upon seeing her sound asleep. Instead, he brought a blanket that was nearby.

Although the sunlight was warm, there was a chill in the air as autumn had arrived. Even a cold could be fatal for her as a pregnant woman.

As he carefully covered Blair with the blanket and was about to move away, her shallow breath tickled the back of his hand. Mikhail’s hand paused at this.

Looking at the face of the woman sleeping with a faint smile, as if dreaming of something, his heart softened.

Suddenly, he recalled what Blair had asked him not long after she had run away.

‘Why are you helping me to this extent?’

‘…’

‘You have already shown me more kindness than I have paid for. But I have nothing more to give in return.’

At first, it was a sense of responsibility. As a client and guild master.

Then it was a desire for revenge and a sense of justice. He wanted to stop Gerard’s plans that had thrown his life into chaos and denied his existence, and to save the innocent woman who had been caught up in it.

And now…

Mikhail gently placed the back of his hand against Blair’s cheek. At the touch of her soft skin, he pressed his lips together.

If you were to ask me the same question now, would it be alright to answer with my feelings?

Mikhail, though cowardly, used a weak holy power to gauge her response to his feelings. Then, a black magic circle revealed itself near Blair’s collarbone.

At this, Mikhail’s expression became complicated as he self-deprecatingly thought.

She was still in love with him.