Blair tried to calm her anxious mind while looking out the window, then turned her head at the sound of a knock.

Lina was entering with a letter in hand.

“My lady, an invitation for the hunting festival has arrived from the imperial palace.”

The hunting festival was an event that heralded the arrival of spring.

Blair took the letter and thought to herself that she should try to persuade Herdin once again.

* * *

Rachel left the temple with a somewhat relieved expression after parting ways with the ladies and young misses.

It wasn’t nearly enough to forget the humiliation she suffered from Blair, but at least it helped ease her mind a little. Of course, even this relief wouldn’t last long.

Rachel walked towards the waiting Seldon family carriage. Seeing her approach, the coachman who had been waiting got down from his seat to open the carriage door.

Just as the coachman was about to open the door, an unwelcome voice came from behind.

“Rachel.”

Turning towards the direction of the voice, she saw Wesley standing there.

Upon seeing him, Rachel’s face instantly scrunched up in displeasure.

Though she had known Wesley since childhood, ever since he got involved in gambling two years ago, he had been going around borrowing money from all his friends, causing everyone to avoid him.

Not only that, but his drunken behavior was also abominable, causing incidents here and there. Nothing good could come from getting involved with him.

Rachel swallowed a sigh and gestured to the coachman to remain in the carriage. Once the coachman disappeared, she finally spoke.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you sober, Wesley. How is the Marquis? He seems to have aged a lot lately because of you.”

“The old man? Well, he’s fine. How are your parents doing?”

“They’re well. Unlike some people, they have a well-behaved and intelligent daughter, so what would they have to worry about?”

At Rachel’s words, Wesley chuckled as if he had heard an amusing story. Even his laughter was unpleasant to Rachel.

“By the way, what brings you here? Surely you didn’t come to see me?”

“Of course I came to see you. To meet our esteemed Marquis’s daughter, one must come to the temple, right?”

“If you’ve come to borrow money for gambling again, get lost. Even if it’s something else, get lost. And don’t come looking for me again.”

Rachel coldly snapped at him and turned to open the carriage door. From behind her, along with a whistle, his voice was heard.

“At the party held at the Delmark ducal residence, you really gave it to our Imperial Princess… no, I mean the Duchess.”

Rachel froze upon hearing those words. Her eyes trembled with anger as she turned to look at him.

More than the fear of being caught saying those things to Blair, the fact that someone had witnessed her putting Blair in her place drove her mad.

All her life, she had thought of Blair as beneath her.

The sight of Blair being swayed by her every word and action gave Rachel an overwhelming sense of superiority.

When she manipulated Blair, it felt as if she was more noble than that exalted Imperial Princess, which was delightful.

It was both her pride and her self-esteem. And now, to think that someone had witnessed the moment when that self-esteem was trampled so miserably.

“They say daytime words are heard by birds and nighttime words by mice, but did you eavesdrop like a little mouse?”

At Rachel’s reaction, Wesley whistled and chuckled.

“So, shall we talk before that little mouse goes somewhere to squeak?”

Without waiting for Rachel’s permission, Wesley abruptly climbed into the open carriage. Rachel frowned but reluctantly followed him into the carriage.

Soon after, the carriage departed.

Rachel glared at Wesley sitting across from her and asked.

“So what’s your business? Surely you’re not going to use this as an excuse to ask me to pay off your gambling debts?”

“I am going to borrow money, but not to pay off debts. I have some shame, you know. As if I’d ask you to pay those off.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Let’s get revenge.”

“…What revenge?”

“You want revenge on the Duchess too, don’t you?”

Blair and revenge.

When those words came out of Wesley’s mouth, Rachel’s eyes changed strangely.

“Our Rachel Seldon has taken such good care of Her Imperial Highness all this time, and she shows no gratitude. To defy you over just one man?”

“…”

“Shouldn’t we put her in her place, so she never shows such insolence again?”

Wesley’s eyes were shining brightly with a manic gleam as he spoke.

Rachel frowned as she looked at him.

She had a rough idea of why Wesley had such thoughts.

It was probably due to the grudge he held from being hit by Herdin at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. Since Herdin was too strong an opponent to vent his anger on directly, he had turned his arrow of fury towards Blair instead.

But Rachel had no intention of participating in this.

“You seem to have forgotten, but she’s my cousin. No matter how much I dislike her, I won’t do such things. If you want to do it, do it alone. Don’t drag me into it.”

“You’re just scared, but acting righteous.”

Wesley’s sarcasm, which quickly changed his attitude in response to her uncooperative reaction, pierced Rachel’s weak spot.

Wesley didn’t miss this opening and continued to press on.

“There’s nothing to be so afraid of. We’re not talking about doing anything to Her precious Imperial Highness, just playing a little prank. After the humiliation we suffered, a little prank should be fine, right?”

“…”

“The noble Miss Seldon doesn’t need to dirty her hands at all, just lend me some money. I’ll take care of everything else myself.”

“…”

“Well, does it sound a bit more appealing now?”

Rachel stared at Wesley for a while, and finally opened her mouth.

“Tell me your plan.”

* * *

In the room heated by the fireplace, the shadows of two people were entwined.

Herdin, with one arm wrapped around her waist, cupped Blair’s cheek with his other hand and slipped his thumb into her mouth.

When his thumb suddenly entered her mouth and teased inside, Blair unconsciously bit his finger.

Herdin chuckled at this. The weak biting force was adorable.

At the same time, he wanted to see her face.

“Blair, look at me.”

But Blair simply couldn’t come to her senses.

So Herdin turned her face to make her look at him. He saw her face, a mess wet with tears. Even that sight was beautiful.

While amused at his own reaction, Herdin couldn’t resist his desire and kissed her parted lips.

“Mm…”

The kiss continued as if he would devour her. Then suddenly, he pulled away.

“Herd…”

Before Blair could wonder at his action of stopping just before reaching the peak, Herdin laid her down facing him and embraced her again.

Blair seemed to feel more when he didn’t look at her face, but Herdin liked seeing her face.

The face of a woman flushed with heat and on the verge of tears gave him an intoxicating pleasure.

Herdin held Blair’s shoulders to support her as she kept sliding up the bed, unable to withstand his strength.

Blair’s face was visible at a breath’s distance. Even without their lips touching, their breaths mingled.

Herdin gazed into Blair’s eyes, contorted as she struggled to receive him.

His image alone was reflected in the woman’s teary violet eyes. When he looked into those eyes, he felt as if he was the only one existing in her world.

Her voice calling his name half-unconsciously, her small body desperately clinging to him, unable to handle it all.

If he was the only being in that world, it was only right that he should capture and possess every moment of the woman in his eyes.

What was this feeling of insufficiency, even when they were already as close as they could possibly be?

Had this woman bewitched him?

Or had he gone mad?

If this unquenchable thirst was desire, he could somewhat understand the state of mind of men who lose themselves over women.

Herdin gazed at Blair as if engraving her image in his eyes, then embraced her even more tightly. Along with this, he kissed her and caressed her body as if to calm her trembling form.

A moment later, Blair caught her breath and slowly opened her eyes. Her lustrous violet eyes captured his image.

Blair carefully opened her mouth while receiving his kisses.

“…Herdin. Can’t we finish early today?”

“Early?”

“We have to wake up early tomorrow, don’t we?”

“Ah.”

It was a disingenuous exclamation, as if he had just remembered that tomorrow was the hunting festival.

He too had briefly thought about putting her to bed early tonight, but that was before entering her bedroom.

Seeing her looking at him with desperate eyes, the sadistic tendencies sleeping within him raised their head.

Perhaps he had become addicted to observing his wife’s face.

A tearful face, a face flushed with heat and at a loss, a shy face…

It was fascinating how this doll-like woman, who rarely smiled or cried in front of him usually, showed such diverse expressions in bed.

“Then, as my wife wishes…”

Herdin said this as he pulled away. Or so it seemed. The moment Blair let her guard down, he pulled her back into his embrace.

“Ah!”

“I’ll try my best. To be quick.”

“That’s, not what I meant…”

Blair glared at him with eyes full of resentment, but Herdin merely kissed those eyes.