When Blair, who had fallen asleep as if unconscious after two intimate encounters, opened her eyes, twilight was falling.

Absentmindedly shifting her heavier body, Blair paused as she belatedly noticed the presence of a large hand wrapped around her waist.

At that moment, along with the warmth of the firm chest touching her back, his low, husky voice flowed into her ear.

“Do you usually not move much?”

The subject of the mumbled whisper could easily be guessed from his touch caressing her belly.

“I’ve been feeling it often lately, but there are quiet days too. Like today. Perhaps father…”

Blair, who had unthinkingly referred to him as ‘father’, belatedly closed her mouth.

It was the first time she had acknowledged him as the child’s father in front of him.

She had deliberately avoided recognizing him as the child’s father throughout her past life, hating him for being indifferent to the child.

Blair glossed over the term and added:

“…Or maybe it’s hiding because it’s unfamiliar.”

“Then we’ll have to make it familiar from now on.”

Blair did not respond to his words.

She disliked how she naturally dreamed of a future with him at his single statement about getting closer to the child.

I wonder what I’m expecting again after being hurt by you so many times, she thought.

Unaware of Blair’s feelings, Herdin kissed her ear and asked:

“Blair.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we go sightseeing in the square tomorrow?”

“…”

“It’s the harvest festival.”

“…If that’s what you want.”

As soon as Blair’s answer fell, his hand that had been caressing her belly rose to grasp her lush body. Then his firm leg overlapped between her legs.

Startled by his heat that had already grown intense, Blair turned to look at him with a jolt.

“Herd—”

But before Blair could say anything, his lips devoured hers.

After sucking on her lower and upper lips in turn, he released her lips and whispered, pressing his body closer:

“I won’t put it in this time. Let’s do it just once more.”

Blair, who was about to push him away, paused as she faced his eyes looking down at her.

The blue eyes reflecting her image were as bewitching as those of a devil.

As Blair stared at those eyes as if enchanted, she belatedly recalled that a dinner party was scheduled at the mansion tonight, but that question was swallowed up by his lips overlapping hers again.

* * *

The next day, in the afternoon after lunchtime.

A carriage bearing the crest of House Delmark arrived in front of a building.

It was the largest boutique in Neureha, and also the main branch of the most famous boutique in the Kingdom of Clania.

Blair had lived as a commoner woman since coming to Neureha, so she had no dresses befitting the status of a noblewoman.

If it were the Empire, she would have commissioned custom-made dresses, but since they would stay in Neureha only briefly, they came to buy ready-made clothes.

As Herdin and Blair alighted from the carriage, the boutique staff who had been waiting after receiving prior notice all bowed their heads at once.

In the center was the boutique owner.

“Welcome, Your Grace! I’ve always wanted to meet you, and now I have the pleasure. Thank you for visiting us.”

Hoping to make a good impression on Herdin and dreaming of opening a branch in the neighboring Libren territory, the boutique owner took the bold step of personally greeting Herdin.

Receiving his warm welcome, the two entered the boutique and were guided to the VIP room.

As Blair immediately went in to try on dresses, the boutique owner brought a catalog and handed it to Herdin.

“Our boutique also deals in jewelry so that you can see accessories that match the clothes at once.”

“…”

“Since the madam may find it inconvenient to move, if Your Grace would choose some suitable pieces in advance, we’ll prepare them right away.”

Herdin, who was sitting deep in the sofa with his long legs crossed, opened the catalog handed to him by the boutique owner.

Just as he was telling the boutique owner about a few pieces of jewelry that would suit Blair, she came out after finishing her fitting.

“The saying ‘clothes make the man’ must have been made for the madam. How can they suit her so well?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone look so good in maternity clothes. She looks just like a Madonna.”

The staff who had helped Blair with her fitting made a fuss.

If they had said the same thing to someone else, it might have sounded like mere flattery, but Herdin agreed with their enthusiasm for Blair.

“It suits you well.”

As he nodded slightly, the staff took Blair back into the dressing room.

After repeating the process of trying on and showcasing several dresses, Herdin spoke up.

“That’s enough.”

The boutique owner nervously watched his expression, wondering if something had displeased him.

“It seems it might be too much for my wife to keep trying them on, so I’d like to decide on purchases now.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem that Herdin was in a bad mood.

The boutique owner swallowed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed with his opinion.

“Indeed, trying on clothes can be quite tiring. The madam has a thoughtful husband. So, which clothes did you like?”

“How many maternity dresses that fit are there in total in this store?”

The boutique owner glanced at the branch manager standing behind him, and she answered instead.

“It’s not exact, but there should be about thirty dresses.”

“All of them.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I’ll buy all thirty dresses.”

Everyone in the boutique was surprised by Herdin’s bold purchase. Among them, the most surprised was none other than Blair.

“Herdin, we don’t need that many. A few dresses are enough.”

“It will take quite some time to return to the Empire, so don’t you think we need about thirty dresses?”

“But…”

“Send them all to the guest house of the Lord of Neureha.”

Herdin ignored Blair’s protests and ordered the branch manager.

The boutique owner admired his wealth while inwardly lamenting.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have made lots of maternity clothes.’

Since maternity clothes can only be worn during pregnancy, they used truly precious and expensive fabrics for making regular dresses. Therefore, the boutique didn’t keep that many maternity clothes in stock.

This was regrettable not just for immediate sales, but considering the ripple effect that would follow when Blair, the Duchess of Delmark, returned to the Empire wearing their dresses.

On the other hand, it was fortunate that they could sell even thirty dresses.

While the owner was grinning from ear to ear at the thought of elevating his boutique’s reputation, Blair swallowed a sigh.

Just then, the staff who had gone to fetch the jewelry returned.

They placed the jewelry in front of Herdin and Blair, explained each piece, and then helped with the fitting.

“Your fair skin suits any jewel well. Which one do you like best, madam?”

“I like this one the most.”

After trying on all the jewelry brought, Blair chose the most modest design of necklace and earrings with small gems as accents.

Herdin gazed at Blair, who was using formal speech with the staff.

It seemed the noble Imperial Princess, who used to pursue only the most precious things in the world, had already grown accustomed to her commoner status. Both her way of speaking and her tastes.

But Herdin had no intention of leaving it at that.

It was time for her to return not as the commoner Arwen Hales, but as Blair Delmark, Duchess of Delmark.

“I’ll buy everything we’ve seen so far.”

“Your generosity is truly remarkable, as I’ve heard!”

Once again, there were conflicting reactions.

The boutique owner beamed with a broad smile and rubbed his hands together, while Blair’s expression darkened further as she looked at Herdin.

“This one is enough for me. There won’t be any big events until we return to the Empire anyway, so I don’t need this many.”

“You are my wife and the mistress of Delmark.”

Herdin hammered home the most definitive justification to Blair, who was persistently refusing.

“These are necessary to maintain the dignity of a duchess, so just accept them. If it really bothers you, think of it as emergency funds in case we run short of travel money on the way back.”

Blair stopped arguing with his words and closed her mouth.

Meanwhile, the boutique owner, thinking only of impressing Herdin, praised him saying, “Using them as travel money, what a great joke!”

After finishing their shopping, the two came out and boarded the carriage, receiving farewells from all the staff and the owner just as when they had arrived at the boutique.

Soon, the carriage set off towards their next destination.

Herdin looked at the silent Blair. As always, she was staring out the window. With a darker expression than when they had just arrived at the boutique.

Watching her, Herdin tapped his fingers on the window frame and asked:

“How are you feeling?”

Blair finally turned to look at him.

“…I’m fine.”

Realizing a beat late that he had asked because of her expression, Blair added softly:

“Thank you, Herdin.”

After expressing gratitude with a face that didn’t look grateful at all, she turned her gaze back to the window. Herdin stared at her silently.

The woman who used to smile at just a piece of toasted marshmallow doesn’t smile even when given something far more precious and valuable than marshmallows.

The price of that smile was an unpredictable standard.

But he was certain that he could buy that expensive smile at their next destination.

* * *

“Blair.”

Blair, who had dozed off, woke up at the sound of her husband calling her name.

As she got out of the carriage with his escort, still half-asleep, Blair paused at the sight before her eyes.

“This is…”