People don’t die easily.

Especially those born with a strong constitution.

Herdin stared at his wrist with indifferent eyes, as if looking at someone else’s wound. It was the spot where he had inflicted an injury on himself during a drunken night a few days ago. The deep gash he had made had disappeared without a trace.

That night, Mason, who had been keeping an eye on Herdin’s condition since his return to the estate, discovered him while checking on his sleeping state.

Thanks to the quick discovery, it was said there was no danger to his life. The wound also left no scar thanks to treatment by a priest. At this, Herdin was self-deprecating.

The wounds you received probably won’t heal.

Whenever he looked at his unblemished wrist, the urge to tear it open again would surge up. As frequently as he thought of Blair.

“You said you were going to meet Lord Pelick today, right?”

Luth, who had finished organizing the day’s paperwork, asked Herdin. Herdin answered by standing up from his seat.

Luth watched Herdin’s back anxiously as he put on his coat.

It’s rare but not uncommon for him to injure himself to suppress his mana.

However, Luth and Mason realized that this wound was not simply inflicted to suppress emotions.

Fearing that Herdin might have reckless thoughts again, the two contacted Johan, who could be called a friend.

They asked, ‘His Excellency seems to be struggling a lot, could you meet and listen to him?’

They didn’t mention the commotion from a few days ago. No matter how close a friend, he’s still an outsider and a nobleman. Herdin’s weakness could become Delmark’s weakness.

‘Though with that personality, I doubt he’d open up even to a friend.’

Still, Johan, with his many experiences in love and heartbreak, might be of help.

Luth thought this as he saw Herdin off.

“Take care.”

* * *

While Luth had arranged for Herdin to meet Johan with such intentions, Johan couldn’t even mention his own experiences.

‘…One wrong move and I might end up dead.’

The reason was that every time he tried to bring up his love experiences, Herdin would exude a chilling aura.

Though he said nothing, his calm gaze alone was enough to dominate the atmosphere.

In the end, Johan once again couldn’t bring up any topic and just smiled awkwardly.

“Well, shall we play another game?”

Just as the two picked up their billiard cues again, men’s voices could be heard from outside the archway. They were familiar voices.

“So, is it my turn now?”

“What turn?”

“I mean our Princess. I’m thinking of trying to seduce her.”

“Huh. Do you even know where she lives?”

“I’ll have to find out from now on.”

“You’re crazy. No matter how beautiful she is, marrying a woman with a child? And a child whose father is unknown at that.”

It was a group of young nobles who used to gossip about Blair before her marriage to Herdin.

“Ah, that’s what’s a bit of a shame.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“You know, we could just be companions who comfort each other’s loneliness from time to time. Don’t you think?”

Someone who had been listening silently joined the conversation in a cautious voice.

“Hey, hey. Lower your voice. They can hear us in the next room.”

Johan watched Herdin’s reaction nervously, hoping those in the other room would shut up, but unfortunately, the madman obsessed with Blair seemed to have no such intention.

“Next room? Oh, Herdin Delmark? So what if he hears? He’s not her husband anymore anyway. What right does he have to say anything?”

As soon as the young noble finished speaking, Herdin put down his billiard cue.

Before Johan could try to stop him, having predicted what was about to happen, Herdin walked out of the room.

The young noble who had been rambling on about how to find Blair and how to approach her flinched when he saw Herdin approach. But it was only for a moment.

As if trying to hide that he had been intimidated by Herdin’s presence, he instead acted more aggressively.

“What? What? Are you going to break a chair again this time?”

“No. You’re the one running your mouth, so why would I break a chair?”

As soon as Herdin finished speaking, he kicked the chair the young noble was sitting on. The chair fell over helplessly, and the young noble tumbled down in a ridiculous manner.

“Ha, shit… Are you crazy, Your Grace?”

In his anger, the young noble’s attitude reverted to how he used to treat Herdin in their childhood.

As the young noble tried to get up and confront Herdin, the other young nobles held him back in shock. Johan also grabbed Herdin’s arm.

“Herdin, calm down first…”

But before Johan could fully calm Herdin down, the young noble provoked him.

“Still in love with your divorced wife?”

At that, a crack appeared in Herdin’s cold eyes for an instant. Seeing this, the young noble clapped his hands in an exaggerated manner, as if he finally understood.

“Ah, you got dumped, didn’t you?”

With that one sentence, the atmosphere froze.

Only one person, the one who had said those words, was giggling as if it was amusing.

“Wow, even the great Duke got dumped.”

“…”

“But why are you taking it out here? What right do you have?”

“…”

“You and your wife are strangers now.”

“…”

“You two are nothing to each other anymore.”

Herdin’s eyes, which had been calm until now, wavered violently at those words. The young noble seized the opportunity and pressed on.

“Whatever I say about your ‘ex’-wife, whether I roll around with her or not, it’s none of your business—”

But before the young noble could finish his sentence, Herdin’s fist, having shaken off Johan, flew into his face.

* * *

The fight that broke out at the club was only calmed down when Luth and Caligo arrived after hearing the news. By then, the young noble had been one-sidedly beaten by Herdin and was a bloody mess.

Johan, who had tried to stop Herdin, only now noticed the scrape on the back of his hand from falling and frowned.

Luth apologized to him instead.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. Considering that bastard’s temper, it’s fortunate it ended here.”

Johan, remembering how Herdin had fought to a bloody pulp with the young nobles who had mentioned his parents before he went off to war in their childhood, finally let out a sigh of relief.

“You should go now.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Soon, the carriage departed.

Luth cautiously observed Herdin’s mood.

He was looking out the window as if he hadn’t just been in a fight. Except for his disheveled hair and clothes, his face was as calm as if he hadn’t just been fighting.

After moving his lips silently for a moment, Luth carefully spoke.

“You’ll be alright. It might be hard for a while, but…”

Knowing it might be presumptuous, Luth closed his mouth after those words.

Herdin mulled over those words a beat late.

I’ll be alright?

When exactly?

As he repeatedly asked himself that question to which no one knew the answer, the scenery of the clock tower passed by outside the window.

Discovering this, Herdin burst into a bitter laugh.

You can see the clock tower anywhere in the estate. Just like how I can’t escape you no matter what I do.

After chuckling for a while, Herdin suddenly wiped the smile off his face and opened his mouth.

“Stop the carriage.”

His eyes, giving the order, were clear unlike a moment ago.

“Y-Your Grace? Where are you going?”

Leaving behind Luth, who was looking at him with bewildered eyes, Herdin got off the carriage and came to a nearby post house.

He handed over the watch on his wrist instead of payment and borrowed a horse. Then he immediately pulled on the reins.

Now we’re nothing to each other.

He couldn’t refute those words. Because they were true.

But, the moment he heard those words, he realized.

That we can never be nothing to each other.

I can never be nothing to you.

I can’t accept that fact.

Probably forever.

* * *

“Haa.”

Blair, who had come up to the second floor, sat on the bed and caught her breath.

Perhaps because she was only two months away from her due date, her belly had grown noticeably larger in just over a month. Now even climbing stairs left her out of breath.

‘I should move my room to the first floor soon.’

She had chosen the second floor for security reasons and the view, but it seemed she would have to move rooms soon.

After catching her breath, Blair opened the box she had left by the window.

Inside the box were cute sky-blue baby socks. Lina and Melly had bought them when they went to the market earlier in the day.

‘The baby isn’t due for a while yet.’

‘We’re giving them to you early!’

She wondered how they knew the baby in her womb was a boy and chose sky-blue socks, but she dismissed it thinking it might be a coincidence.

She also thought the socks seemed to be made of quite expensive material, but she disregarded that as well.

What mattered was that their gift was very cute.

“Everyone is waiting for you like this, baby.”

As she was whispering to the baby and fiddling with the socks, something fell out of them. It was a memo guaranteeing the quality.

The memo had the name of a familiar boutique written on it.

‘This is…’

It was the name of a boutique in the estate where she had gone a few times to buy clothes for Asiel in her past life. Seeing this, a question flashed through Blair’s mind.

‘Lina and Melly said they bought it at the market…’

Wondering about this, she put the box back down by the window. At that moment, something faint flashed by outside the window.

“…Snow?”

The weather had been cloudy since the afternoon, and now very small sleet was falling.

It was the first snow of the year.

As she was staring blankly at the scene, a familiar figure appeared in the landscape outside the window.

Herdin had come with the snow.