‘Even if it’s sincere, nothing will change.’

That emotion will disappear soon. Like the spring breeze brushing my cheek right now. So…

‘I must not waver.’

Hoping, getting excited, and getting hurt alone by that warmth and touch – wasn’t my past life enough for that?

Blair turned her back on Herdin’s retreating figure. Just then, Lina approached urgently.

“My lady, it seems the tea time is being held over there!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Rachel, who had been watching Blair head towards the tea time location from not too far away, got up from her seat and followed behind the two.

* * *

The peaceful atmosphere of the tea time was shattered when the Seldon family’s maid burst in.

“Joshua is missing?”

Upon hearing from the maid that the child had disappeared, the face of Viscountess Seldon turned pale.

Joshua was the son of Viscount Seldon and Rachel’s nephew, a 4-year-old boy this year.

Usually at banquets and various events, separate seating was arranged for children. This was because it was considered undignified for children to ruin the social atmosphere of adults.

And it was a good custom for both adults and children, as it allowed children to play away from the adults’ scrutiny and have their own social interactions.

Even though it was a separate seating area, there were nannies or maids watching over them, so there was no chance of losing children.

But now, a child had gone missing.

Blair’s heart sank upon hearing the news. It was because she knew a little about the feelings of a mother who had lost her child.

“What… what do you mean, Kathy? Where were you and the nanny all this time?”

Rachel also seemed surprised by the news and jumped up from her seat to approach the maid.

In the process, Blair’s teacup was pushed over and fell. The spilled tea poured directly onto Blair’s dress. Fortunately, the tea had cooled enough not to be hot.

Seeing this, Rachel paused in surprise.

“Oh my, I’m sorry, Duchess. I was so startled that I… Are you alright?”

Although it was awkward to face Rachel due to the previous incident, the worry about the missing child outweighed any unpleasant feelings towards her.

And surely spilling the tea in this situation wasn’t intentional.

Blair smiled as if to say it was fine.

“I’m alright, so let’s hurry and go look for the child.”

The noble ladies gathered around the visibly pale Viscountess Seldon.

Most of them were mothers with children, so they felt sympathy for Viscountess Seldon’s situation.

“My lady, I’ll tell our knights to search for the child as well.”

“Our knights will help too. If many people join forces, we’ll be able to find him quickly. So don’t worry too much.”

“That’s right, sister. Our Joshua is a smart boy, so there won’t be any problems.”

Everyone, including Rachel, tried to reassure and comfort Viscountess Seldon.

As Blair was looking at the viscountess with worried eyes, Lina, who had been examining Blair’s dress, spoke up.

“My lady, we should go to the carriage and change your dress.”

The tea stain didn’t look good, and more importantly, the dress was all wet and damp. Moreover, it didn’t seem like the atmosphere was suitable to continue the tea time.

Blair quietly excused herself only to the ladies nearby and left the tea time gathering. But the image of Viscountess Seldon’s face, pale with worry for her child, kept bothering her.

After pondering for a moment, Blair said to Lina:

“Lina, could you go and call Sir Bain for me?”

A Delmark knight who had been guarding from a distance quickly approached.

“You called, my lady?”

“I heard that Viscount Seldon’s son has gone missing. Could you help search for him?”

“Viscount Seldon’s son…”

“He’s my nephew. The viscountess seems very shocked, and other noble families have agreed to help.”

The knight recalled Herdin’s order to not leave Blair’s side.

“But, there were strict orders to guard you closely…”

“I’ll just be changing clothes in the carriage and staying with the other ladies, so nothing will happen.”

The knight was in a dilemma.

Looking at the situation, it seemed that knights from various families were gathering to search for the child, as Blair had said.

If only Delmark’s knights were to be absent in such a situation, it would put Herdin and Blair in an awkward position. This was also a matter of Delmark’s honor. Even more so if something unfortunate were to happen to the child.

After hesitating for a moment, the knight made a decision upon seeing Lina next to Blair and the noble ladies returning to their respective carriages as the tea time was breaking up.

“I will follow your orders, my lady.”

The knight led his fellow knights who had been waiting from afar to where the knights from each family were gathering.

Meanwhile, Lina had brought out a spare dress.

“My lady, please come into the carriage. I’ll help you change.”

But Lina’s complexion didn’t look good. Noticing this, Blair asked:

“Lina? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh? Ah… I think I might have eaten something bad at lunch. My stomach hurts a bit.”

Blair took Lina’s hand. Her hand was warm as usual, but her complexion was pale.

“Does it hurt a lot? Do you have any medicine with you?”

“I don’t have any medicine… but I’m sure I’ll feel better soon.”

Lina smiled forcedly as she helped Blair change. But by the time they finished changing, Lina was even sweating cold sweat.

Blair wiped away the sweat while looking at Lina’s complexion with worried eyes.

“Lina, I think you’re really not feeling well. I’ll go call the royal physician…”

“Ah, no! It’s not like that… I don’t think it’s that serious…”

“Hm?”

Lina, who had been answering in a small voice while clutching her aching stomach, stood up as if she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“My, my lady. May I… may I excuse myself for just a moment? Really just a moment?”

“Ah… Alright, take your time and don’t worry about me.”

Blair nodded as if she finally understood the meaning. As soon as Blair gave permission, Lina disappeared.

And a moment later, she returned to the carriage with a relieved expression.

“Whew… I thought I was going to die. Is it just me?”

A little while ago, when the masters were having their meal, the maids had gathered to eat together.

“If we ate the same prepared food, shouldn’t the others be sick too?”

If that were the case, there would have been a commotion, but oddly enough, the other households seemed quiet without any issues.

Puzzled by this, Lina’s eyes widened in surprise as she arrived at the front of the carriage.

“…My lady?”

Blair had disappeared without a trace.

* * *

The forest became noisy.

As the knights began to drive the game, the quiet undergrowth started to rustle.

At the very moment a stag revealed itself.

A single arrow accurately pierced the stag’s neck.

Soon after, a startled roe deer jumped out. It too fell helplessly to a single arrow.

Herdin pulled out the next arrow with an emotionless gaze.

Killing something no longer gave him any thrill. It was neither fun nor terribly unpleasant.

As Herdin was about to turn his horse to move, Wesley emerged from the forest.

“Wow, you’re too much. How come you don’t miss a single one? You’ll catch every animal in the forest at this rate, Your Excellency.”

Herdin looked at Wesley, who was speaking playfully, with cold eyes.

Was it just his unpleasant mood, or had Wesley been following him around since earlier?

It was fortunate that he wasn’t following Blair, but having him constantly in his sight was extremely irritating.

“Shouldn’t you deliberately miss one or two, so people like me can have a taste of success?”

“I’m not the type to find satisfaction in giving up what’s mine to others.”

Herdin replied indifferently and turned away.

At that moment, a rabbit appeared in the view of both men. Wesley’s eyes lit up as he spotted it and raised his bow.

And at the very moment he drew the string.

An arrow, a split second faster, struck the tree trunk near the rabbit.

Startled, the rabbit fled, and Wesley’s arrow landed on the ground nearby, a moment too late.

When Wesley looked in the direction the other arrow had come from, he saw Herdin lowering his bow.

“Oh my, I got greedy and missed.”

But contrary to his words, he didn’t look disappointed at all.

Wesley noticed that it wasn’t a mistake. There was no way a man who had been hitting every target with a single shot would make such a mistake.

It was a perfectly intentional miss, meant to not let Wesley have even a single catch.

Wesley’s expression hardened for a moment, but he quickly masked his emotions and smiled.

“Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes, they say. I guess Your Excellency has days when you make mistakes too.”

Herdin looked at Wesley with a strange gaze.

Something felt off.

The man who had been spreading rumors that he had struck first even after being hit at the banquet was now hovering around him, bowing and scraping instead of avoiding him.

‘It’s almost as if he’s monitoring me.’

The thought that had been flowing mindlessly suddenly stopped there.

Herdin ordered the nearby knight unit:

“Knight unit. We’re heading back now.”

Wesley flinched and then approached.

“You’re leaving already? If you catch just a few more, you’re guaranteed to win the competition.”

Herdin ignored him and turned his horse around.

As they got closer to the forest entrance, an inexplicable ominous feeling grew stronger and stronger.

Just as they arrived at the forest entrance, he encountered a knight who was about to mount his horse. It was Sir Bain, the knight he had entrusted with Blair’s protection.

“Your, Your Excellency.”

He looked visibly flustered upon seeing Herdin. Behind him, Delmark’s carriage was visible. Next to it was Lina’s face, pale with fright.

But Blair, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.

Instinctively, his heart sank.