Suddenly, her words from sometime in her childhood came to mind.

‘When I grow up, I want to leave the imperial palace. I’ll leave the system and travel the wide world! I’ll cross the sea and go to that far continent…’

As Herdin mulled over those words, he looked at Luth sitting across from him, checking schedules and documents.

“Luth.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think about creating a port in Ardel that connects to the eastern continent?”

The Ardel Empire was located in the western part of the continent and had no ports on the eastern side. Therefore, to interact with the eastern continent, one had to go all the way around the large western continent.

There were seas connected to the eastern coast in some territories, including the Delmark Duchy that encompassed the northeastern part of the empire, but they were all mudflats unsuitable for large ships to dock.

The trade with the eastern continent, which Ivan was coveting even at the risk of war, was something Herdin had been eyeing for a long time as well.

The problem was that there was no way to realize it.

Luth thought it was an odd question to ask out of the blue, but he answered his lord’s question faithfully.

“It would be amazing, wouldn’t it? We could get goods from the eastern continent, which are currently imported through other countries, at cheaper prices, and conversely, we could make more profit on exports without intermediary fees.”

“That’s right.”

“It would truly open a golden age. That’s why His Majesty is always looking for an excuse to start a war with Clania whenever he gets the chance. Of course, I think it’s a crazy idea… But why are you suddenly asking about this?”

“I’m thinking of building a port in Libren that connects to the eastern continent.”

Libren was a territory belonging to the Delmark domain that bordered the eastern coast.

“How? The sea in Libren is all mudflats.”

“What if we fill in all those mudflats up to the deep sea where large ships can enter?”

“By what means?”

While Ivan was considering war, Herdin came up with a different solution.

“With a lot of soil and money.”

An even crazier method.

It was a mad investment that only Delmark could make.

“…Are you serious?”

Seeing the sincerity in Herdin’s eyes, Luth jumped so high he almost hit the ceiling of the carriage, adding a bit of exaggeration.

“Do you have so much money that it’s rotting and overflowing, so now you want to throw it into the sea? Instead of that, how about throwing it at me?”

But Herdin was confident.

“As you said, the port in Libren will bring enormous benefits to Delmark, and further to Ardel. Not just material benefits, but also civilization and knowledge that are even more valuable.”

Certainly, if the port was built as he said, an entirely different era would unfold from what they had known so far.

‘No, even so…’

Filling in the mudflats of Libren territory to create a port was a project that would require astronomical investment costs, even by rough estimation.

‘To think of filling in the sea to make a port. It’s either brilliant or reckless…’

It was an astonishing idea no matter how many times he thought about it.

However, Herdin seemed to be seriously considering this plan.

“For now, draw up a budget and bring it to me.”

When Herdin put it like that, Luth had no right of refusal.

“Yes…”

As the two finished their conversation, the carriage arrived at the duke’s residence. As always, Mason greeted them.

“Welcome back, Your Grace.”

“Where’s my wife?”

“She went out, saying she had a lunch appointment.”

Just as he was about to ask what kind of appointment it was, Mason spoke first.

“And a guest is waiting for you.”

“A guest?”

As far as he knew, there were no scheduled visits today.

“Who?”

“A priestess from the temple, who said she had an urgent matter to discuss with Your Grace. As her identity was certain, I showed her to the reception room for now.”

“A priestess…”

Had he cultivated enough of a friendship with any priestess to meet them personally?

“She said her name was Miela Elias.”

It was an unfamiliar name, but hearing a woman’s name, he had a guess about who it might be.

“Bring some tea.”

Herdin headed to the reception room, taking off his leather gloves. In the reception room, the person he had expected was waiting.

“Ah, hello, Your Grace.”

Miela, who had been looking around the reception room, greeted him with a startled expression. A blush rose to her face as she faced him, but Herdin’s eyes cooled.

“We meet again, Priestess. I didn’t know it would be at my house though. I don’t think we were close enough to meet privately.”

“I know it’s rude to visit without notice, but the matter is so important that I dared to be impolite.”

“What matter?”

At that moment, a maid entered with a knock and placed Herdin’s share of tea in front of him.

Miela opened her mouth only after the maid had left.

“The Duchess…”

At that moment, a throbbing headache brushed Herdin’s mind. At the same time, an unfamiliar memory surfaced.

‘You must stay away from the Duchess. If you stay by her side, you might go berserk too, Your Grace. Like the previous Duke…’

The place in the suddenly recalled memory was exactly the same as the scene unfolding before his eyes now.

But the words Miela was actually saying were completely different from those in the memory.

“Do you know that she’s having secret meetings with another man?”

Only then did the boundary between reality and memory crumble, the memory fading and reality remaining.

Herdin, who had been frowning at the afterimage of the memory, belatedly recognized what the real Miela had said.

Miela, thinking he was interested in the story she had brought, continued speaking.

“I just saw the Duchess riding in the same carriage with another man. If you follow her—”

“I didn’t know the Priestess had a hobby of meddling in others’ affairs so presumptuously.”

Herdin cut her off with a cold tone before Miela could finish speaking, picking up his teacup. His gaze over the teacup towards Miela was utterly frigid.

Miela flinched in embarrassment and tried to explain.

“I, I was just worried about Your Grace…!”

“I know the person. I’m aware of today’s appointment too.”

He said so, but Miela couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

Just before, Blair had been riding in a hired carriage. Usually, noble ladies would travel in their family’s carriage, escorted by their family’s knights.

Unless there was something suspicious, there would be no reason to ride in a hired carriage with an unfamiliar man.

But nowhere on Herdin’s face as he put down his teacup could she read the emotions one might expect from a person who had just learned of his wife’s infidelity.

“I think we can end our conversation here.”

As always, a cold, indifferent, dry expression.

Now, even boredom was settling on his face.

“I hope there won’t be any more visits for things like this in the future.”

Herdin stood up.

“Ah. Take your time finishing the tea before you go.”

He left the reception room first, leaving Miela behind. As soon as he closed the door of the reception room, a cold laugh escaped through his teeth.

“…So you finally went to meet that bastard.”

He had vaguely anticipated it.

If she wanted to divorce as she wished, and if she wanted to divorce in a way that wouldn’t harm him as she had promised, the simplest method was a scandal.

But seeing her recent behavior, he had briefly thought that maybe she had withdrawn from that plan.

In the end, that was just his own imagination.

So you, while smiling like that in front of me and falling into my arms, your little head was full of thoughts of running away.

The moment he realized this anew.

The anxiety that had always lurked at his feet completely consumed him, turning into rage.

So much so that he couldn’t even remember the plan to fill the sea he had been thinking about just moments ago.

* * *

“Welcome back, Madam.”

As always, Mason greeted Blair as she got out of the carriage.

Blair asked out of habit.

“Where is the Duke?”

“His afternoon schedule was urgently changed, so he returned earlier than planned.”

Blair’s steps faltered as she entered the mansion. According to the original plan, Herdin was supposed to have an evening appointment and return late.

The fact that he had returned early meant that he knew about her absence.

Knowing him, who had not been pleased with her meeting with Mikhail before, the thought of facing him at the dinner table made her uneasy.

But she never intended to deceive him in the first place. It was something they would have to address eventually anyway.

As Blair composed herself and went up to her room, Melly, who had been waiting in front of the door, approached.

“Welcome back, Madam.”

“Yes. Was there anything unusual?”

As she asked this and casually tried to open the door, Melly, who had been watching from behind, carefully spoke up.

“His Grace is waiting inside.”

Blair’s hand, about to turn the doorknob, hesitated.

It was an expected situation. Of course, it came a bit faster than she had thought.

“…I’ll take care of my clothes myself, so you may go.”

Melly bowed and moved away.

Blair took a deep breath before opening the door. As soon as she entered the room, her eyes met with Herdin’s, who was sitting on the sofa directly in front of her, smoking a cigar.

His blue eyes glinted coldly as he sat with the evening twilight at his back.

The moment she met those eyes, her heart instinctively sank.

Blair headed towards the dressing room, avoiding his gaze, and said,

“I’ll just change clothes and come out. Please wait a moment.”

As Blair entered the dressing room and was about to open the wardrobe door.

Tap—

A man’s hand, which had somehow approached from behind, closed the wardrobe door again. That sound, ringing out in the quiet stillness, seemed particularly loud.

Blair, who had been staring at the closed wardrobe in the silence, turned her head. At the same time, Herdin pressed his lips against hers.

“Mmph…”

The bitter scent of cigar wafted through their pressed lips.