Blair blankly stared at Miela as she entered the room following the priest.

‘Could it be… Did the two of them know each other since then?’

She had heard that Herdin wasn’t injured in the past, but it was possible that his injuries weren’t severe enough to be visible, and he might have received some treatment and covered it up.

As that thought occurred to her, she felt her whole body turn cold.

“Then, Lady Miela, I request your quick treatment. The service is about to begin shortly.”

The priest who brought Miela made the request.

Herdin’s gaze naturally turned to Miela. His eyes that met Miela’s were only indifferent. Completely opposite to Miela’s entranced gaze.

Those eyes were undoubtedly the eyes of a woman in love.

As Miela stood there for a moment, captivated by Herdin, the priest called out to her curiously.

“Lady Miela?”

“Oh… I-I’m sorry!”

Miela startled and hurriedly approached Herdin. However, she hesitated, unable to touch his upper body or look at him properly.

Then, as if she had finally made up her mind, she parted her lips.

“Th-then, excuse me for a moment, Your Grace.”

With an undeniably flushed face, Miela placed her hands on his firm abdomen. She seemed at a loss, unable to look at his stomach or face.

Watching this scene, Blair suddenly recalled a memory from before her regression.

The image of Herdin embracing Miela, his cold gaze that didn’t avoid her even when he saw her.

Remembering that, Blair’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her heart raced so fast she felt like she might vomit.

‘…No.’

Blair pressed her clenched fist against her upper chest. As if doing so could somehow quell the rising emotions. Then she scoffed at herself.

It was ridiculous that even after being hurt so much by him, she was still being hurt for the same reason.

The fact that she was hurt and shaken by his relationship with Miela meant that she still loved him.

Blair bit her lip and turned her gaze away from the two.

She hated him.

She hated herself for still not being able to let him go.

Soon, a bright light appeared from Miela’s fingertips touching Herdin, and it seeped into his abdomen.

After repeating this process a couple more times, Miela looked at Herdin’s complexion and asked.

“I think it’s done now. How do you feel?”

“It seems fine.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

Miela smiled brightly at Herdin, seemingly forgetting her earlier embarrassment.

The watching priest said to Herdin.

“The service will begin soon, so it would be best to hurry and get ready.”

“I will.”

The priest bowed first and left the lounge. Miela, who had been hesitating to leave, bowed deeply to Herdin.

“I pray that the goddess will always bestow her blessings upon you, Your Grace.”

After finishing her greeting, Miela left.

Herdin was putting on his upper garment that he had taken off when he suddenly noticed that Blair had been quiet for a while and turned to look at her.

Her face, which was originally pale, somehow looked even more pallid than usual. She looked so precarious, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Herdin approached her.

“Did you get hurt at the hunting grounds earlier?”

Instinctively, he reached out to hold her, fearing she might collapse, but Blair pushed him away.

“…I’m fine.”

Blair changed the subject before he could say anything more.

“More importantly, you asked earlier what I saw in the future, right?”

Talk of the future and foresight should have stopped. She had no intention of telling him everything about the future.

But the moment she saw herself wavering because of him, she felt she needed to draw a line.

So this was—

“That priestess from earlier, she’s the woman you’ll come to love.”

It was a statement to him, but at the same time, it was a reminder to herself to completely push him out of her heart.

“…What?”

“She’ll surely be a good partner for you, but it’s not advisable to take her as a mistress yet. As I said before, you shouldn’t have any blemishes when we divorce.”

A bitter laugh escaped Herdin’s lips.

“But if we can contain the rumors—”

Before Blair could finish her sentence, Herdin’s lips suddenly engulfed hers.

He stopped her words, and before the surprised Blair could push him away, he detached his lips and stepped back. However, he didn’t release his arm around her waist.

He looked at her with cold eyes from a distance close enough for their breaths to mingle and said.

“Even if that were true, why would I need a mistress?”

“…”

“When I have you.”

His large hand holding her waist caressed Blair’s spine. Though his touch was gentle, meeting the emotions flickering in his cool blue eyes simultaneously made her hair stand on end.

“Until this contract ends, you are my wife. I will do this, and even more than this, only with you.”

As his low voice, tinged with a cool air, settled in her ear, his lips once again approached as if to devour hers. It was then.

“Your Grace. The service is about to begin.”

Along with a knock, Luth’s voice was heard.

Herdin released Blair with a quiet sigh, grabbed his outer garment, and left the lounge first.

Blair stared blankly at his retreating figure for a moment with confused eyes, then soon understood his emotions.

Anyone would be bewildered if told they would fall in love with someone they’ve just met. They wouldn’t believe it and would want to deny it.

But just as he did before her regression, he will eventually come to love Miela.

Now, only she remembered the future that no longer exists, and only she remembered the memories and wounds from that memory. Therefore, only she could change the future.

Blair had no intention of changing his future.

‘Even if his future changes and he comes to love someone else, it won’t be me.’

So in this life, she would disappear from his life. For both their sakes.

As Blair was about to follow Herdin out after composing her emotions, she suddenly felt something catching her foot and stopped.

It was Herdin’s cravat.

* * *

Herdin, having left the lounge, headed towards the main hall of the temple. Luth had gone ahead to take care of a task Herdin had assigned him, and Blair was following behind Herdin.

Feeling Blair’s presence following him, Herdin recalled her words from earlier.

‘That priestess from earlier, she’s the woman you’ll come to love.’

The content of that ‘future’ Blair claimed to have seen was shocking enough, but what infuriated him more was her expression.

Her calm face and voice, as if it didn’t matter at all that he would come to love another woman, as if it was completely someone else’s story.

And the reason why he shouldn’t take a mistress right away was merely to ensure a safe divorce from her.

But that was the contract they had made from the beginning.

He couldn’t understand why it made him so angry.

“Her, din.”

He heard Blair’s voice calling him from behind. Her voice was mixed with labored breathing, probably from trying to keep up with his long strides.

Herdin swallowed a languid sigh and carelessly ran his hand through his bangs. His pace gradually slowed.

Finally catching up to him, Blair held out his cravat to him while catching her breath.

“You dropped this.”

Herdin stared at his cravat in her hand for a moment, then leaned his upper body towards her.

“Tie it for me.”

Surprised by his unexpected request, Blair blinked. Then, seeing the outer garment in his right hand, she understood.

The proper way for a wife to tie her husband’s cravat is taught in bride lessons before marriage. It’s one of a wife’s duties to help with her husband’s attire as he leaves for work outside.

Blair knew this even before taking bride lessons for this marriage. In her previous life, she had tied his cravat countless times.

He often asked Blair to tie his cravat. Using that excuse to get close to her, he would hold her even on busy mornings.

…But in the end, it was all a lie.

Now she knows there’s no meaning to his request. But because of what happened earlier, she found it difficult to approach him readily. Yet, she also felt uncomfortable telling him to tie it himself.

After hesitating for a moment, Blair moved closer, as if about to embrace his neck.

As the distance between them shortened, Blair’s snow-white nape, exposed beneath her upswept hair, also came closer. At the same time, her unique sweet scent washed over him.

Suddenly, the memory of their first night invaded his mind. The feeling of burying his lips in that soft nape, her warmth trembling in his arms, and…

That beautiful face looking up at him.

‘…I’ve really gone mad.’

He belatedly regretted asking her to tie his cravat, wondering what had possessed him.

The desire he had tried so hard to suppress scratched at his throat as he swallowed it down. Even so, his gaze remained fixed on her.

Blair, oblivious to his thoughts, was focused on tying the cravat.

Her slightly furrowed brows and pursed lips in concentration relaxed slightly each time her fingers accidentally brushed against his neck.

“It’s done.”

Blair smoothed out the cravat one last time and stepped back from him. At that moment, Herdin grabbed her hand.

Blair’s confused eyes met Herdin’s as he looked down at her.

Herdin only then realized he had unconsciously grabbed her hand and slightly frowned. But it was just for a moment. Soon, his blue eyes captured Blair’s figure.

As if he would devour her at any moment.