“How are you… here…”

The violet eyes she faced trembled aimlessly.

Herdin quietly gazed at her face. Her lively expression and appearance showed she had been faring better than when she was by his side.

He felt relieved at this fact, then scoffed at himself for such a reaction.

The first emotion he felt upon seeing that face – the one that had turned his world upside down these past few months by running away with another man carrying his child – was relief.

He thought he would be furious when he found her.

Seeing how he felt reassured by her well-fed, well-rested appearance, he must be quite mad about this woman.

He derided himself for such a response.

“It seems you enjoyed your recuperation.”

Herdin murmured, caressing Blair’s cheek that had regained its vitality.

“Your physical condition seems to have improved greatly as well.”

His cool gaze gradually moved down from Blair’s face, coming to rest on her now visibly swollen belly.

Feeling his gaze, Blair’s heart began to pound anxiously. At the same time, she felt the baby move.

As if the child recognized its father.

Though the movement couldn’t possibly be visible from the outside yet, Blair wrapped her arms around her belly as if to shield the child from Herdin’s view.

Herdin’s brow furrowed at her protective gesture, then quickly relaxed.

He lowered the hand that had been caressing Blair’s cheek and said,

“The position of lady of the house has been vacant for too long. It’s time you returned, my wife.”

“…There’s someone waiting for me.”

Her expression was resolute as she replied. It was laughable how boldly she declared she would wait for another man, even in front of her husband.

“That bastard isn’t coming.”

“How would you know-”

“Why do you think he suddenly disappeared, leaving you behind? And right before this golden opportunity, no less.”

Blair’s eyes wavered as she sensed something from his words.

“What did you do to Mikhail?”

“Nothing.”

Herdin added in a chilling voice.

“Not yet.”

“…Are you going to harm him?”

Blair’s eyes were filled with fear as she asked. Seeing her expression, Herdin’s lips twisted.

He didn’t like hearing Mikhail’s name from her lips, or seeing those eyes filled with fear at the thought of that man being hurt.

Especially in front of him, after months apart.

“While it would be fitting to punish a scoundrel who dared to elope with a duchess, if that’s not the case, there would be no need.”

Mikhail’s fate hung on her answer. Realizing this, Blair’s lips trembled.

Herdin calmly gazed at the eyes clearly filled with resentment towards him and asked,

“So.”

“…”

“Are you in love with that man?”

The answer to that question was already decided.

* * *

Mikhail wandered through the deserted alleyway, searching for the source of the gaze that had been watching him and Blair earlier.

He had felt eyes on them since midday.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but when he felt that gaze again just now, he was certain it wasn’t.

So he left Blair in the crowded square and followed the gaze into this alley.

If the Pope was involved, this place was no longer safe either. If Gerard was confirmed to be behind this, they needed to hurry and leave this city with Blair.

‘Where did they disappear to?’

At that moment, a figure suddenly loomed before him. They were too quick and skilled at concealing their presence to be an ordinary person. He had an ominous feeling.

“You’re sharp. Guess you’re not just some guy who sells booze, huh?”

With a sneering voice, Calligo emerged from the shadows, waving the sword in his hand. At the same time, a familiar crest on his robe’s chest came into view.

‘…The Delmark crest.’

Mikhail’s expression twisted as he recognized it. The man before him implied two possibilities:

Herdin knew Blair was here.

And perhaps, he was already here.

‘No, he might have deliberately lured me here from the start.’

If so, there was a high chance Blair wouldn’t be there even if he rushed back now.

Moreover, it didn’t seem like the man before him would let him leave so easily.

Having quickly assessed the situation, Mikhail drew the dagger he carried and lunged at Calligo first.

Calligo, who had let his guard down thinking Mikhail was unarmed, barely managed to block the attack by a hair’s breadth.

After deflecting Mikhail’s attack, Calligo realized:

Indeed, this was no ordinary bartender.

A dagger should be at a disadvantage against a longsword, yet the man before him was overwhelming him with speed to compensate.

Well, an ordinary bartender wouldn’t have the nerve to even think of running away with another man’s wife.

“Looks like that preemptive strike wasn’t for nothing.”

He was intrigued by this worthy opponent he’d encountered after so long.

Calligo gripped his sword firmly and engaged in the battle seriously. His leisurely smile disappeared, replaced by a cold killing intent.

The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly became taut. Only the sharp clashing of blades echoed through the alleyway.

After a fierce exchange, Calligo was the first to expose his neck. But Mikhail’s breathing was uneven as well.

Mikhail pressed his dagger to Calligo’s throat and asked,

“Is the Duke here?”

“Well, you’re not really in a position to be asking me questions, are you?”

Only then did Mikhail notice the dagger in Calligo’s left hand. It was aimed precisely at his side.

Seeing this, Mikhail frowned.

“…Seems you’ve sold your chivalry.”

“Ah, chivalry. That’s super important. To greenhorns who’ve never been in a real battle.”

“…”

“Spend a few years rolling around on the battlefield and you’ll be the first to throw away that chivalry nonsense. It doesn’t save my life or my comrades’ lives.”

“…”

“Looks like you’ve had your fair share of real combat too, so isn’t it a bit ridiculous to demand chivalry only from me?”

Calligo replied glibly, even shrugging his shoulders. There wasn’t a trace of shame in his attitude.

Mikhail let out an incredulous chuckle at his demeanor. At that moment, Calligo seized the opportunity to swiftly knock away the dagger at his throat and step back. Then, twirling the dagger in his hand, he said,

“I wasn’t ordered to kill you, so I won’t. Well, I couldn’t kill you this time anyway.”

Calligo’s attitude in acknowledging his defeat was refreshingly brazen. It oddly grated on Mikhail’s nerves.

As if reading his mood, Calligo put on an even more exaggerated smile before suddenly fixing Mikhail with cold eyes and warning,

“If you value your life, you’d better leave here immediately without overstepping your bounds. I may have lost, but when my lord decides to kill someone, he never fails.”

Mikhail knew well that those words were no mere bluff.

“Well then, let’s not meet again.”

Having conveyed Herdin’s message, Calligo flashed another glib smile, even waving as he walked away.

Mikhail watched his retreating figure with sharp eyes before turning to head back to the square where Blair would be waiting, only to belatedly realize the situation and grit his teeth.

Blair would no longer be there.

His feet, having lost their destination, came to a standstill as if rooted to the spot.

* * *

The place Herdin brought Blair to was the mansion of the Nerha lord.

The maids seemed to have been forewarned of her arrival, as they immediately guided Blair to the bathroom. They were all unfamiliar faces.

Unable to find a single familiar face among them, Blair said,

“I’d like to bathe alone.”

She had grown accustomed to bathing alone over the past two months, and she was reluctant to expose her body to strangers in an unfamiliar place.

Above all, she felt uncomfortable with the strangers seemingly watching her.

But the response was firm.

“We apologize, but we’ve been instructed to take special care of you due to your delicate condition, my lady.”

It was clear that Herdin had ordered them to keep her under close surveillance. The intention was so obvious it made her feel suffocated.

As Blair was engaged in a subtle battle of wills with the maids, the bathroom door suddenly opened without warning and Herdin entered.

Startled by his sudden appearance, the maids hurriedly bowed their heads. They understood the meaning of his bathrobe-clad appearance and quietly left.

Blair stepped back as he approached her, but Herdin quickly closed the distance between them in long strides. Blair’s delicate brow furrowed at this.

“…I want to bathe alone.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, my wife.”

Herdin trapped Blair between the wall and his body as she tried to escape, and put his hand on the buttons of her dress collar, adding,

“I’m afraid you might disappear again if I take my eyes off you for a moment.”

His cool gaze moved from her eyes down to the buttons at her collar. Soon, his long fingers skillfully unfastened a button of her dress.

Pop.

That small sound echoing in the quiet bathroom intensified the tension between them.

Blair grabbed his hand as he moved to unbutton the next one. Herdin’s gaze, which had been on the buttons, rose to meet her eyes again.

Blair glared at him with resentful eyes and asked,

“Why did you look for me?”

I begged you not to look for me, she thought.

Herdin answered her question in a nonchalant tone.

“Does a husband need a reason to look for his wife?”

“Our contract ended.”

“The contract ended, indeed.”

At the same time, his large hand touched her swollen belly. Blair’s body flinched at the warmth clearly felt through the fabric.

“But the child remains.”

In contrast to his touch, his cold gaze made her heart shudder.