“My lady, may I come in?”

It was Mason’s voice.

“Enter.”

Blair handed Pipi’s milk bottle to Mellie and went to the table. On the table were documents she had prepared in advance.

Blair handed the documents to Mason as he approached.

“This is a budget proposal based on the past 5 years’ budgets. Please take a look.”

Mason was inwardly surprised. Though Blair had asked for past budget data, he hadn’t expected her to draft a budget herself.

He thought she would quickly give up after skimming through the numbers-filled budget documents, finding them too complicated.

Mason began to examine Blair’s budget proposal, thinking her perseverance alone was praiseworthy.

Blair fidgeted with her fingers, unable to hide her nervousness as she waited for Mason’s assessment.

It felt just like when she was young, waiting for her teacher to check her homework.

Mason’s brow furrowed rather seriously as he scrutinized the budget with his usual solemn expression.

As his review dragged on, an anxious Blair spoke first.

“I just drafted it for practice, so please feel free to point out anything I might have missed.”

“No, it’s excellent. It’s hard to believe you drafted this alone for the first time.”

Surprised by the unexpected response, Blair stared at him with wide eyes. Undisguised admiration tinged Mason’s voice as he spoke.

While Mason wasn’t one to overstep boundaries with his employer, he also wasn’t one to make up false flattery.

So this praise was sincere.

“I think we can implement this year’s budget based on this proposal.”

Blair’s heart fluttered at the compliment.

It was the first time she’d been praised since Esmeralda’s death. Throughout her life, all praise had been reserved for her brother Ivan.

Katrina didn’t want Blair to outshine Ivan. If Blair ever received something better from her father, Katrina would envy and resent Blair as if Ivan’s share had been stolen.

The tastiest, most precious things always had to be Ivan’s. If Blair had something Ivan didn’t, Katrina would take it away to give to her son.

Thirsting for even a shred of that maternal affection, Blair hid her talents. Always just a step below Ivan. She couldn’t outshine her brother, nor could she be a burden.

That’s how she lived for twenty years.

At some point, even she stopped believing in her own worth. It felt natural to be inferior to Ivan.

So to hear this praise now… it made her so happy her throat ached.

Ah, I too.

I too can be good at something. I too can be acknowledged.

That fact she’d forgotten to live by finally felt real.

“Of course, there are some areas that could be improved…”

Mason pointed out what needed correction precisely yet politely.

Blair became a model student listening attentively to her teacher, taking in the parts he explained.

Just as the budget feedback was wrapping up, Lina entered with a knock.

“My lady, just now—”

Lina, who was about to get straight to the point, belatedly noticed Mason’s presence and closed her mouth. Mason tactfully excused himself.

With Mason gone, only Lina, Blair, and Mellie tending to Pipi remained in the room.

Lina glanced sidelong at Mellie, who was preoccupied with Pipi, and whispered so only Blair could hear.

“We’ve received word from the guild, my lady.”

* * *

“The recently discovered mana stone mine in the northwest is being mined smoothly. The estimated reserves are…”

Herdin gazed impassively at the passing scenery outside the carriage window. Luth’s voice reporting on business affairs flowed past his ears like that scenery.

Everything was going smoothly. Both business and the search for Blair’s memories.

A few days ago, Agnes had come to give an interim report. It was exactly one month since counseling began.

Agnes said that rather than digging up painful memories from the start, they were retracing happy memories first.

Adding that while many clients distrust their counselors, Blair was quickly opening up to her, so things were progressing well.

‘Your wife’s happy memories frequently feature the late Empress. That’s probably why she didn’t try hard to recover her memories. She was afraid of the possibility that someone she trusted and relied on so much might have really tried to kill her.’

‘Even though such a precious person might have been falsely accused?’

‘She had a major accident and was badly injured. When she came to, she couldn’t remember what happened, and people around her were saying that person tried to kill her…’

‘…’

‘Naturally, she would have come to assume that. That person might have tried to kill her, and she lost her memories from the shock.’

‘…’

‘And with even Her Majesty the Queen Mother saying so, she would have believed it even more. She doesn’t want to make her living mother out to be a liar, nor does she want to dig into the possibility that the late Empress might have really tried to kill her.’

‘How selfish.’

‘Your Excellency. The lady was only eleven years old then.’

Agnes defended Blair, saying an eleven-year-old child wouldn’t have had the capacity to think of anything beyond herself.

‘And Your Excellency also appears frequently in her happy memories.’

‘…Me?’

‘It means she trusts, relies on, and loves Your Excellency that much. So it might be good for Your Excellency to talk directly with her about that period sometimes.’

Herdin dismissed Agnes’ words with a wry smile.

Love… What a ridiculous notion.

She probably just appeared often because he was Esmeralda’s nephew and had many occasions to be with her.

He didn’t know what feelings the current Blair had for him, but it certainly wasn’t the kind Agnes was talking about.

Judging by Blair’s recent actions.

Since that day she was first spotted going to the guild, Blair hadn’t gone out for personal reasons.

‘She’s probably waiting for contact from the guild.’

Contacting the guild behind his back, spouting nonsense about being able to see the future.

But when he saw that innocent face, he wondered if her suspicious actions might actually be his misunderstanding. What if the demons really hadn’t appeared as she said?

No, perhaps he wanted to believe that.

That must be why he felt so awful.

‘What a foolishly naive thought.’

Herdin berated himself. It was also why he’d been busy since the New Year’s Festival, minimizing opportunities to encounter Blair.

He had no intention of being deceived again by that innocent face. One such experience was enough.

The carriage had already left the center of the capital and was passing behind the theater.

Herdin’s gaze, absently looking out the window, caught on one spot in the scenery. Just then, someone alighted from a carriage. That back view was familiar.

A small frame, platinum blonde hair peeking out from a dark green robe, glimpses of small, snow-white hands.

Herdin’s brow furrowed as he instantly recognized Blair getting out of the hired carriage.

There were no escort knights visible around her. Of course, on Herdin’s orders, they would be secretly guarding her from nearby.

Blair entered through the theater’s back door with the maid she always kept with her.

“…Your Excellency. You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?”

Luth, who had been reporting on business affairs, noticed and looked at Herdin. Far from denying it, Herdin nodded towards the theater.

“Do you know what play is showing at that theater these days?”

Luth swallowed a sigh at Herdin’s attitude of not even pretending to listen, but knowing how sensitive he’d been lately, answered compliantly.

“From what I know, they’re putting on a heroic tale set in ancient times when divine beasts existed.”

“…”

“But well, theater is just a front. It’s actually a well-known rendezvous spot for noble gentlemen.”

Loveless political marriages were common in noble society, and it was very common for both men and women to keep lovers.

But just because it was common didn’t make it proper. Though it was an open secret that they had lovers, nobles who valued appearances didn’t flaunt it openly.

“…Rendezvous?”

“Yes. Didn’t you know?”

Rendezvous. Rendezvous.

Suddenly, a name that had once slipped from his wife’s lips came to Herdin’s mind.

‘Asiel…’

Herdin’s gaze grew cold as he stared at the back door of the theater Blair had entered.

* * *

The theater manager seemed to have been expecting Blair, welcoming her at the back door. Entering the theater, he handed a ticket to Lina.

“Miss, please follow that usher.”

“M-me?”

Lina’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer. Blair noticed the intent to separate Lina and said with a smile:

“Yes, go enjoy it comfortably, Lina. I have someone to meet.”

“Is, is that alright?”

“Yes. I prefer it that way too.”

Lina, having received the ticket, followed the usher with an excited face.

The theater manager guided Blair to the top floor lounge of the theater. It was a private room used only by VIPs.

As Blair entered the room the manager led her to, Mikhail, who had been drinking wine in front of the glass wall overlooking the stage, turned around.